Promotion: Bah Humbugs

Hi guys, I'm back! I've been on a longer than intended hiatus thanks to a new job, new projects and various other life type things getting in the way.

So, let's get back on track shall we?

I'd like to introduce to you a lovely little business based in North Yorkshire called Bah Humbugs Sweet Shop and to Lucy, the brains behind it all. Bah Humbugs opened in 2004 after Lucy reminisced with friends about classic British sweets from their youth. Soon, Lucy found herself a shop in the Yorkshire Dales and having roped in friends and family to help, sourced the best classic sweets around and started a booming business! Bah Humbugs now has an online shop so you can get your retro sweets wherever you are!

Bah Humbugs sells over 200 different sweets including suckable rhubarb and custards (a personal favourite), chewy Wham bars, soft fudge and fizzy sherbets! They are especially proud of their amazing collection of over 50 liquorice varieties! As you may know, Yorkshire is synonymous with liquorice so Lucy and Bah Humbugs are definitely staying true to their roots! They also offer hampers and party bags so you can share your sweeties with your friends and family (if you can bare to!)

Now, I got a parcel of sweeties from Lucy this morning. Look at them all! I'm so lucky! I've got some plans to bake with some of these delicious treats (but I might have to fight Al for the space dust!)


Bah Humbugs have a great online presence with their blog and their YouTube based Sour Challenge! (I might have to get Al in on that - he's a pro with sour sweets!)

Visit Bah Humbugs at the following address:

Bah Humbugs
2 The Market Place
Masham
Ripon
North Yorkshire
HG4 4EB
United Kingdom

Visit their website at www.bahhumbugs.com. You can follow them on Twitter or Facebook too!

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Bread Machine Recipes: Garlic and Cheese Monkey Bread

I've been eyeing up monkey bread for ages. Traditionally it is a sweet dish made with cinnamon and sugar (and don't get me wrong, I'm dying to make it that way too!) but I thought I'd try a savoury version that I knew Al would like. I mean, who can resist cheese and garlic? I made this for Real Bread Maker Week but have only just had time to upload it.

It was actually pretty easy. After reading the comments on this recipe, I decided to modify the recipe a bit; halved the recipe, added more flour, changed the method slightly. It was tasty and a nice change from the standard garlic baguette from the supermarket. The bread fell apart a bit when I took it from the loaf pan (hence the rebuilt loaf pictures!) but that didn't matter. It meant it was easy to portion our and share.

I think this would be a great recipe for a barbecue or picnic. The bread is easily doubled to serve a crowd and as the bread machine does all the hard work it's really easy.

Ingredients
For the bread
150ml water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
225g flour
1 tsp yeast
2 tbsp strong cheddar, grated
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tsp dried oregano

For the topping
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp butter, melted
Black pepper, mixed herbs and oregano to taste (around 1 tsp each)
Grated cheddar

Method
Place all of the ingredients for the bread into the bread machine pan and choose the Dough cycle.
Towards the end of the cycle, mix the topping ingredients (except the cheese) together in a bowl. Prepare a 1lb loaf tin by greasing with a little of the topping mixture.
Once the dough is finished, divide into 1 inch balls and dip each ball into the topping mixture before layering in the loaf tin. Sprinkle each layer with some of the cheese and finish the final layer with cheese so that it melts and browns in the oven.
Place the bread into a preheated 180C over and bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through. If it browns too much on the top then cover loosely in foil.
Serve warm.

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30 Days of Food and Drink and National Real Bread Maker Week.

Today marks the start of 2 UK food events.

First, we have 30 Days of Food and Drink which is sponsored by Sainsburys and hosted by the people of 30days.co.uk. It's a celebration of all things food and drink offering a host of competitions, discounts and information about food events all over the country. To find out what's on go here!

Secondly we have National Real Bread Maker Week running between the 1st May and 9th May. This week celebrates the humble bread machine and the estimated 10 million of them gathering dust in people's cupboards across the land. They are even hosting bread machine swaps where you can take your old bread machine and give it to somebody else!

As you know, I love my bread machine and think people should use these marvellous gadgets to make all kinds of things! Look out for some bread machine recipes this week and check out all my bread machine posts here.

Celebrate your bread machine!

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