Georgina Hayden

Feeding since 1982

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A very warming brew

12.29.2014 by georgie // 6 Comments

Well, Christmas has been and gone (hope you all had a good one!) and I’m back on the blog. I’ve missed this place! I thought I might get a chance to share some treats with you over the festive period but alas, it didn’t really go to plan (it’s been a roller coaster of a fortnight). I do have an epic mulled pear frangipane tart to share this week, but for now a simple one, to ease back in.

Today I was on my own for the first time in 2 weeks. It was a gorgeous sunny day and as much as I willed myself to go for a walk I actually quite liked just curling up in doors, it was lovely. Being on my own and a bit chilly made me want something nostalgic though – cue Cypriot tea. ‘What is Cypriot tea?’ I hear you all ask! It is simply tea, made in a teapot, with cinnamon sticks and whole cloves thrown in. (We drink it with milk and sugar- if you like- a bit like a mild chai). I really love this stuff, it’s like a hug in a mug. I need to cut back on the caffeine though, which got me thinking about roobios, and I’m glad to say not only does it work, but its darn delicious. It takes on a different dimension, and I pimped it a little by adding some pink peppercorns (picked by my Yiayia) which adds a wonderful fruity heat to the tea. No word of a lie, this is a truly perfect wintery afternoon brew.

A very warming brew
Hug in a mug

A VERY WARMING BREW

A perfect non-caffienated winter warmer.

Makes 1 teapot

  • 3 roobios tea bags or 2 heaped tablespoons of loose tea
  • A stick of cinnamon (a large one if you have them)
  • 10 cloves
  • 15 pink peppercorns

Place all the ingredients into your teapot and fill with boiling water. Leave to infuse for 3 minutes and then pour! Simple and delicious.

Tea mix
Tea mix

Categories // Breakfast & brunch, Drinks Tags // Christmas, Decaf, Drinks, Fertility, Pregnancy, Tea, Winter

Healthy cinnamon, fig and coconut granola

12.01.2014 by georgie // 9 Comments

Bar a vat of coffee, I was never much of a breakfast person until I started dating Pete. (Pete is one of those naturally skinny people who has to eat every few hours or becomes mute and/ or grumpy). Now however it is my favourite meal of the day. For the last few months we have started the day with a bowl of chopped seasonal fruit and yoghurt, which has been perfect but now that the days are getting colder we’re finding we need something a little more filling. Porridge has made a welcome wintery return, however you can only have porridge for so many days on the trot without feeling like you are living off wallpaper paste. And cereal is pretty much a no-no in the Hayden household now (Sugar! Sugar!), and although some are ok, a lot of my dear boys favourites have been kicked to the curb. What to do?

Cue: homemade granola. With Pete’s nut allergy it wasn’t easy finding a granola or muesli that was nut free and wasn’t full of sugar. And when I did find one that was ok, it was crazy expensive! Much cheaper and more satisfying to make your own I say. So today I set about creating a delicious and healthy nut-free granola, to pimp up our fruit and yoghurt breakfast. It is incredibly quick to make, you know exactly what goes into it and, without blowing my own trumpet, it is pretty bloomin’ good.

Cinnamon, coconut and fig granola
Healthy cinnamon, coconut and fig granola

 

HEALTHY CINNAMON, FIG AND COCONUT GRANOLA

Makes around 16 servings

  • 2 tablespoons groundnut oil (or any flavourless oil – light olive oil, sunflower, veg etc)
  • 125ml runny honey
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 275g rolled oats
  • 125g mixed seeds (I use a mixture of sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and poppy seeds. Around 100g of the larger seeds and then a few spoonfuls of the little ones)
  • 50g unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 100g dried figs, chopped
  • 75g dried cranberries

Preheat your oven to 150/ gas mark 2.

In a large bowl whisk together the oil and honey.

Crush the sea salt with your fingers into the bowl and add the oats, seeds, ground ginger and cinnamon. Mix everything together well with a large spoon and divide the mixture between two baking trays. Spread it out as much as possible and then pop into the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the trays from the oven a couple of times during cooking and mix everything up so it goldens nice and evenly.

After 20 minutes the granola should look pretty golden. Stir in the coconut, chopped figs and cranberries and pop the trays back into the oven for a further 6 – 8 minutes, until the coconut has toasted and you have a lovely crisp granola.

Leave to cool in the tray completely and then spoon into an airtight jar or container. It will last up to a month. Serve with milk and/ or yoghurt, with fresh fruit. Dreamy.

Baked granola
Baked granola
Ready to go
Ready to go

Categories // Baking & puddings, Breakfast & brunch, Vegan and Vegetarian Tags // Baking, Breakfast, Cinnamon, Fertility, Figs, Nut-free, Nutrition, Pregnancy, Pumpkin seeds, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat-free

Herby omelette with crispy ham hock and spinach

11.12.2014 by georgie // Leave a Comment

Like a lot of people brunch is a big deal in our house. Weekday breakfasts are rushed and are mostly a solo affair. So Saturday morning is a special occasion, a chance to cook together, leisurely, and a sort of ‘it’s the weekend’ celebration.

We mix it up at home, but one thing is for sure it will almost always be a savoury brunch as opposed to sweet (I don’t have the sweetest tooth and I was told that starting the day with protein was the best way). Below is a classic example of a Saturday morning Hayden-house staple. If you know me you know I love anything ham-y and cheesy, so this was a winner. Pimped up with the chilli and spinach, and opting for a crumbly tangy, yet creamy Lancashire cheese, it was a strong (and awesome) start to the day.

Honeyed ham hock omelette
Herby omelette with crispy ham

 

HERBY OMELETTE WITH CRISPY HAM HOCK AND SPINACH

Serves 2

  • 5 large eggs, free range or organic
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Handful of soft herbs, washed (I used coriander and parsley)
  • 2 spring onions, finely sliced
  • 1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
  • ham hock, shredded (you can use leftovers, or Waitrose sell slow cooked shredded ham hock)
  • Olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon runny honey
  • 100g baby leaf spinach, washed
  • 40g lancashire cheese (or any soft crumbly cheese)

Chop your herbs as fine as you can and place in a bowl with the eggs and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk everything together well and leave to one side.

Drizzle a little olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and place on a medium high heat. Add the  shredded ham hock, chilli and most of the spring onions and fry for around 5 minutes until everything starts to turn golden at the edges.  When the ham is starting to look crisp, drizzle in the honey and toss it all together. Give it another minute or two until it turns sticky and caramelised, and then add the spinach. Give everything a stir and cook the spinach down, this will only take a minute or two. Remove the pan from the heat and spoon the filling into a bowl. Wipe the pan out and then return to the hob. Lower the heat to medium-low and then pour in the beaten eggs. Using a spatula gently swirl the mixture around so that you ripple eggs and cook them almost all the way through. When it is almost ready spoon the ham and spinach filling down the middle of the omelette and crumble over the Lancashire cheese. Turn the heat up a little so that the underside of the omelette browns, and then using a spatula or fish slice flip it over to envelope the filling. Cut the omelette into two and dish up. Sprinkle with the remaining spring onions and extra chilli sauce, if you like.

 

Filling the omelette
Filling the omelette
Crispy ham hock and spinach omelette
Crispy ham hock and spinach herby omelette

Categories // Breakfast & brunch, Light meals, Main meals Tags // Breakfast, Cheese, Fertility, Gluten-free, Ham, Light meals, Omelette, Pregnancy, Spinach, Wheat-free

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Georgina is a food writer, stylist and illustrator from North London.
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