Rudolph Bark

Twas the night before Christmas...

And a little snowy robin hopped on to my windowsill & let me into a Christmas secret: St Nicholas has his eyes on all things delicious, shiny & new this year. He wants a bit of pizzazz at the bottom of that sooty chimney. 
I think he may have finally had enough of those mince pies too, the gossip between the elves is that Santa has a gluten based issue. No pies for him. He's gone all LA on us kids. 

Of course, we've got to cater for Father Christmas's needs (or there will be no pressies!) so we've upgraded to double chocolate marbled Rudolph bark. 

Dark and white chocolate marble, scattered with crushed pretzels and glittered with dried fruit & nuts. 

You'll need:

200g dark chocolate 
200g white chocolate
150g dried fruit & nuts Christmas mix
50g raisins 
25g pretzels 

I used this mix: 

But if you can't get a mix, just use 100g of mixed nuts & 50g of fruit, or the other way round depending on whichever you prefer.

Start by breaking the chocolate up into a microwaveable bowls then melt it in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Double wrap a baking tray with cling film

Dollop the melted chocolate onto the baking tray, taking turns to spoon the white chocolate then the dark chocolate

Now for the fun part, marble it with a thin knife, swish it about. Make a pretty pattern, you know what to do. 

The chocolate may need some teasing with the aid of gravity. Try and get it into a nice block shape.

Toss on the fruit & nut mix 

Sprinkle over the raisins. 

The salty pretzels help to bring out the flavour in the dark chocolate. So, break off chunks from each pretzel and scatter over the chocolate marbled bark.

 Stick the Rudolph bark in the fridge for an hour or so to set.(Pasta sauce, yoghurt & potatoes optional) 

Et voila!

Snap, break, smash your Rudolph bark.

And to gift any leftovers bunch up in cellophane wrap & add a suitably festive ribbon. 

Enjoy! Eat, drink, & be merry! 

Gingerbread Santa Hats

Festive, cute, bite-sized, and most importantly quick, these are a real Christmas star to serve. 

Empty your ingredients for a basic sponge into a bowl.
If you don't have a go-to sponge recipe use 150g (6oz) self-raising flour, 150g caster sugar, 150g butter and 2 eggs. 

Add to that a heaped tablespoon of ginger & a (little less) heaped tablespoon of mixed spice, cinnamon & a grating of nutmeg. 

Then however many eggs your sponge recipe requires. I used one egg, but if you're following the 6oz-6oz-6oz recipe then you need 2 eggs & a splash of milk. 

Whisk/Beat/Stir the cake batter together. 

And bake! 

Whilst they cool, you want to make Santa's hats...
Chop the stalks off a handful of strawberries and whip up half a tub (about 150ml) of double cream & add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla essence. 

Grab a circular cookie cutter or improvise (mine broke half way through cutting and I ended up using a metal napkin holder!) 

In the centre of each cake bite, pipe a small circle of cream then stick a strawberry on top. 
Pipe around the edges and delicately dollop a dab of cream to complete the hat.

See, told you it was quick & easy. 
Happy Christmas Eve Eve!! (this exists right?)  

J. Atkinson & Co Roasters

I'd happily buy the scent of the roasters and spritz it about the house. The coffee smell isn't overpowering, but still remains a full-bodied, unsweet, warming aroma. It's the kind of smell you want when you're up late writing, or curled up watching a great film, or when you've just awoken from a midday nap. 

That's where the magic happens. The Uno barrel roaster has sat proudly in the window since the late 1940's. 

Continuing to whisk you back to an era gone by, the grand tea canisters are from the 1820s! And the original spice drawers have been beautifully preserved complete with their Uranium knobs. 

C tells me Uranium glass is a big collectors item in the U.S, American collectors maybe you should hop on a jet and cross the pond? Apparently it's cheaper and more abundant over here.

As if this place couldn't get any better, they also sell craft beer and ale. 

Full of (coffee) beans we bounded up to the castle and took a look around. After several tales of prisoners, hangings & the infamous Pendle Witches I decided the castle was a little too eerie for photos. I didn't want any ghostly figures appearing through the lens!

The Priory Hall J. Atkinson & Co

As you may know I'm a big tea drinker, I drink pots of the stuff every day. C on the other hand, takes it upon himself to hunt down the best flat white out there. 

If you're unsure, a flat white is a version of the humble cappuccino, where the milk is steamed to a velvety consistency rather than a frothy aerated one.

Luckily J. Atkinson won the Best Flat White accolade and a Five Cup accreditation. To you and me that's five stars out of five. They're a bit like the Michelin stars of the hot beverage industry. 

The Hall is one of J. Atkinson's tea rooms/coffeehouses, effortlessly cool, old movies are projected and roll above as you sip your brew. I sipped on Atkinson's Lancaster Blend, deep & refreshing, it could easily rival its Yorkshire neighbours. That's Red Rose might. 

As you can see, The Hall is decorated with 1920's blueprints, vintage maps, and rustic benches. Plus, if you fancy a Lindy Hop knees up then you can try your hand at the piano adjacent to the   aromatic kitchen and the roasters next door. 

But more about next door tomorrow!

Supernova

Yesterday I woke up with a stuffy head, bundled myself up in my scarf and begrudgingly headed out to get some air.
The chestnut man cried "hot chestnuts, get ya hot chestnuts" it echoed down the street and seemed to stop just where Supernova sits, a little soup kitchen with only a cluster of chairs, selling hot homemade soup and crusty toasties. 

We both opted for a hearty lunch of roast pepper, lentil & bacon soup topped with local cheddar and a good ol' ham & cheese toastie. 
Then it was on to find coffee...