The magic of tea.

Britain is known as a nation of tea lovers. Builders brew, loose leaf Earl Grey, fruity concoctions and even having the stuff all icy cold!  But why do we love tea so much?

I’m currently sat at my desk, with a pot of tea (loose leaf Oolong from Whittards if you must know) and as I took a sip of the warm liquid the thought came to me. Why do we love this stuff so much? It’s just flavoured water isn’t it? Now of course some teas contain ingredients that promote this and that for example you can get teas to help bust a cold and teas for boosting energy. But what is it about the slightly murky coloured water we love so much? Why do we use it as a comforter when something has gone wrong and why is it the ultimate relaxation drink?

Tea is something most of us love, of course not everyone, but most. It’s been around for what feels like forever. The actual base of all your tea grows its not built by a machine. It’s one of the most natural drinks in the world. With far too many different variations to count. It’s used in special ceremonies across the world, and to some it is a friend in a cup.

Maybe it’s the familiar warmth that we love, the way a cup of tea warms you through on a cold winters day. Or maybe its the variety of flavours and ways to make tea that we love. Some of us love tea that is more milk than tea, and some of us love tea where milk barely touches it. It could be all the antioxidants and whatnot that are packed into the wonderful little brew that we love. Or how about we just love it and we aren’t sure why?

To be honest I love tea for the variety, for the comfort , the taste, and the cute teacups and teapots you can get. I love how a pot of team makes me feel like I can achieve anything, I’m not entirely sure why. Maybe it’s because when I was younger I used to see all these important people on tv shows having a pot of tea whilst getting about their business. I love how a warm cup of tea feels in my hands and I love how the warm liquid feels when I drink it.

So in conclusion to my little tea time thought, I’m not entirely sure why we love tea so much. But that isn’t going to stop me asking: WHY DO YOU LOVE TEA?

 

Interview with Barry Lewis (My Virgin Kitchen)

You may not know the name Barry Lewis but you more than likely have heard of his Youtube channel ‘My Virgin Kitchen’. Barry is a self taught cook, from the South West of England who decided to share his experiences on Youtube. His channel has grown over the years and he has his own cookbook out in shops. If there was ever a family friendly chef that could make even the laziest person want to cook (yes I am talking about myself here) It’s Barry.  Each week Barry uploads a variety of videos from ‘fun day’ videos where he tests gadgets, to recipes and then his wife known affectionately by fans as Mrs Barry contributing baking videos, it’s a great channel. Not only do Barry and ‘Mrs Barry’ upload great recipes but they also have a great family feel to the channel as their daughters quite often get involved with the videos! We got the chance to ask Barry some questions about his Youtube channel, his journey and future plans!

1) Why did you decide to teach yourself to cook and then to share the results on youtube? I saw an egg being poached on the television & used to think it was some crazy hard thing to do, but Jamie Oliver just chucked it in the saucepan. Blogs were the big thing back then and I was rubbish at writing so decided to pickup a camcorder and film the results, it’s just grown from there. 2)You get your daughters involved with your cooking quite often, do you think it’s important for children to get involved with the preparation of what they are eating? 100% for me cooking has brought me and my daughters closer together it’s a great life skill & yes it does help them understand what goes into their food.  3) What are your favourite ingredients to cook with and why?  Just a tin of tomatoes is a good base, if you have that you can make a ton of things! I also love making my own pasta from scratch – just flour and an egg is all you need & it tastes so good! 4) Recently you announced your wife Becky would be participating more in the channel with baking videos and such, how did this come about?  Well back when I first started she would never appear, then a few hundred videos in you may see her arm or leg and I referred to her as Mrs Barry. She’s always been a big supporter of what I do and I’ve had some awesome opportunities as a result of MVK, she was not really happy with her job & expressed an interest in coming on board, her confidence in front of the camera is really good already – she’s going to focus on bakes and cakes & is a virgin in the kitchen like me (self taught) so hopefully can inspire people too. It also helps if I am not about for her to have that regular presence on the channel. 5) Not long ago you started a vlog channel, how has that been for you? Do you enjoy it? Yeah we really enjoy it, for us it’s just a chance to let our hair down a bit and do something a little less food focused showing behind the scenes life stuff & getting to know the family a little better. 6)What on earth do you do with all those gadgets you test after you have tested them? Right now they are still in my house I either keep them if I like them or plan to give them away soon. 7) Do you have any tips for how to cook on a budget for people like students? There are some great ways to cut costs with basic staple ingredients – like i said above a tin of tomatoes is a great start – you can make a bolognese sauce, soups, chilli, curries etc add a few herbs and spices, cheaper filling items like chickpeas too to pad it out – play with your food and let the kitchen be your playground. 8) One day, if either of your daughters ever wanted to follow in your footsteps and start trying to carve a career on Youtube would you support that?  100% maybe they will want to do MVK or their own thing, the important thing i have always stood by is not forcing them to be on camera – eg ‘Dad’s making fajitas today wanna join in?’ If they say yes, great. We are def not pushy parents lol 9) What is the weirdest thing you have ever eaten and can you describe it in 3 words? Ancient hot dogs 10) With a published cookbook under your belt, and a successful Youtube channel and website, what else would you like to come out of My Virgin Kitchen in the future? Well I’m finishing off the 2nd book now, I have some plans to grow MVK and take on more staff over time plus hopefully open a cafe/restaurant in my home town. I have had conversations about tv in the past too that once I feel I can do that alongside MVK I we may pursue that too. Exciting times but we are very aware and grateful for how lucky we are to do this for a living, it’s a great journey! You can check out My Virgin Kitchen on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/myvirginkitchen Follow My virgin Kitchen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/myvirginkitchen And follow Barry: https://twitter.com/mrbarrylewis and Becky (Mrs Barry) https://twitter.com/mrsbarryx on twitter.

There’s a difference between Best before and use by, Learn it!

How many of you have thrown away an item of food because it was a day or so after the best before label thinking it was unsafe to eat? Put your hand up.  We’re all guilty of doing it at least once. However did you know that actually the food you have just thrown away is most likely still edible?

Many of us mistake the best before date as an expiration date, but it’s far from it! Expiration dates (also known as Use by dates) are put on items that spoil quickly, such as dairy, meat, fish or anything that could make you very ill. A Best before date is just a guidance, the food is still edible after this date you just need to use your judgement, if it doesn’t have mould on it it’s not likely to make you ill. The food may be a bit more soft or hard than it’s meant to be but it’s still edible, it’s just the quality isn’t as good as it would be before the date given.

The amount of food that gets wasted as people get their labels confused is astounding.  We are literally throwing away food that is still edible just because we got our best before and use by confused. Many charity’s now cook with food that is just past it’s best before date that has been donated to them as the food is still safe, and when cooked most of the time you  can’t even taste that its past it’s best before.

Fruits and vegetables are one of the biggest causes of wastage due to the confusion over the labels. The general rule with produce is if it isn’t mouldy or completely impossible to cook with (for example if your carrot is super floppy and impossible to cut, or your broccoli is more mush than anything) it’s safe to eat. Just take a good look at what you’re planning to use and obviously if it looks unsafe get rid of it, if not than chop that carrot up and make yourself a nice casserole. With produce as well most of the imperfections are on the skin you peel off, so don’t write off your veg before you peel it!

Getting to know the difference between the best before and use by labels will not only save you money, but it will stop food being needlessly wasted.

Do yourself a favour and learn your labels.

Kitchen tips for students and low budget chefs!

So it’s the end of August and for students that have just celebrated their A-Level results that means one thing: off to university! Now for many new students, this will be the first time being completely in charge of preparing your own food. So here are some handy tips to bear in mind when starting off in the kitchen that may save some pennies and some time!

1. Rice is part of the student’s staple diet. You can buy rice in bulk at Asian supermarkets if you can find one in your city. One of my flatmates in my first year of uni did this and it lasted for nearly the entire year! – Just make it is stored somewhere cool and dry.
2. When a joint of meat is on offer, you can prepare it for different meals throughout the week. Simply label and freeze and defrost when needed.
3. Don’t throw away stale bread – it’s great for making breadcrumbs, croutons and bread and butter pudding! Bread can also be frozen. This is helpful if you don’t eat it often, in order to get the most use out of a loaf.
4. Invest in some good-quality knives and cooking utensils. They will last for years!
5. Stock up your spice rack – good seasoning can make plain dishes taste amazing. Some of my personal favourites are Season-All by Schwartz, cumin, paprika, mixed herbs and – of course – sea salt and black pepper.
6. Some supermarkets offer discounts on ‘ugly’ vegetables. Asda is currently trialling a ‘Wonky Veg’ box across some of their UK stores. At £3.50, it could be ideal for students and those on a tighter budget. Some other stores that have similar offers include Sainsbury’s and Morrison’s.
7. Make the most out of ingredients – before you shop, plan your meals for the week ahead and buy according to the plan to minimise food waste.
8. Keep bananas away from other fresh produce – they produce ethylene gas which makes other fresh fruit and veg spoil quicker!
9. Keep up to date with special supermarket offers – check their websites on food shop day. Most supermarkets also offer loyalty cards that can accumulate points to exchange for store discounts if you’re a little short on cash.
10. Go off the beaten track – sometimes good kitchen equipment can be found at independent stores. I found some of my kitchen supplies for very good value at a local market stall.

Pan fried garlic and lemon chicken breast with honey and wilted greens.

This recipe makes for a super quick and healthy lunch, ideal for those on a budget as i got my greens for just 85p a bag, and you can always freeze any left over chicken breasts that you do not use!

• What you will need:  Desired amount of chicken breasts (I used one)
•  Lemon juice (fresh or from a bottle is fine)
•  Garlic seasoning (I used Schwartz garlic Italian steak blend, but plain garlic granules is fine)
•  A good squeeze of honey.
• Spinach, Rocket or any greens that can be wilted that you enjoy. (I used both spinach and Rocket)
• A dash of oil for your pan
• A sprinkle of Italian hard cheese (optional)

 

What you will need to do:

1. Put your pan on the heat to get warm with a small amount of oil, a griddle pan works best as you get the lovely looking lines on your chicken.
2. Once your pan is hot place the chicken breasts in the pan and drizzle lemon juice over the chicken, then a squeeze of honey and brush across the chicken, and finally add your garlic seasoning.
3. after a few minutes turn your chicken over and repeat step two onto the other side.
4. Cook chicken all the way through, turning over every so often so it cooks through.
5. Once cooked turn the heat off and leave the pan on the hob to keep warm.
6. Take your chicken out of the pan and place on a small plate whilst you wilt your greens.
7. I wilted my greens just over the heat in the griddle pan to save on washing up and to absorb some of the flavours from the pan. I also added a little lemon juice, just a drop and a sprinkle of Italian hard cheese.
8. Once veg is wilted place on a plate, cut chicken and place on top of the greens,
9. Serve immediately.