The Recipe Ends with You

With Christmas coming up, Waitrose naturally has provided a recipe for gingerbread on their monthly recipe cards. After reviewing some feedback by members of the public, I've done a little adaptation of my own based on this feedback. By taking away the butter, this recipe is also vegan.

On its own, this gingerbread is not particularly sweet, but this is easily remedied with some icing.

125g dairy free margarine100g soft brown sugar4 tbsp golden syrup325g Dove's Farm Gluten Free Plain Flour Blend3/4 tsp Xanthan gum1tsp bicarbonate of soda3tsp ground ginger1tsp ground cinnamon Preheat the oven to 170 celsius (150 for fan-assisted ovens) Sieve the flour, xanthan, bicarbonate of soda and spices into a large bowl. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter with the golden syrup and brown sugar, mix the melted ingredients with the dry to make a stiff dough. Roll the dough to 3mm thick, cut into the desired shapes (in the absence of cookie cutters, I simply cut mine into squares) Place on …

Platform: Nintendo DSDeveloper: Square EnixJapanese name: Subarashiki kono Sekai (It's a Wonderful World)

Needless to say, I have to review this game, because it is this game that I drew inspiration for the blog's name.
I think every gamer has a game that marks the console. For me, two games stand out in the Nintendo DS roster, one is the Ace Attorney franchise, in particular for reviving the Visual Novel genre of games outside of Japan, but the other, for its unique gameplay, has to be The World Ends with You.

In it, you play as Neku Sakuraba, a teenaged amnesiac who finds himself going unseen in the bustling Shibuya. Not long after, he finds himself fighting mysterious monsters with alongside a girl named Shiki Misaki, who he must work beside in order to defeat creatures known as 'Noise'.

As a game, there are certainly a number of classic RPG tropes, the emo protagonist (Neku), amnesia for the sake of tutoring the player (Neku again) a girl in skimpy clothing (Shiki)…

WARNING!
The following recipe results in soft and incredibly addictive cookies, sharing this recipe may result in you being perceived as a cookie grandma, you have been warned.

Between Cookie Clicker and the simple fact that a delicious soft cookie is nearly impossible to find when you're allergic to wheat, I just had to share a recipe that I had tweaked.
125g sunflower spread100g soft brown sugar125g caster sugar1 egg1 tsp vanilla essence225g Dove's Farm self-raising flour blend1/2 tsp salt1 tsp Xanthan gum200g dark chocolate, as chips or cut into chunks Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius or 160 in the case of fan-assisted ovens. Weigh out the sunflower spread and put in a mixing bowl. Mix the sugars together (this helps prevent clumps of brown sugar, making the next job easier) Beat the sugar and sunflower spread together until pale and fluffy Beat the egg with the vanilla essence and slowly mix into the sunflower mixture, don't worry if this starts to curdle a bit, it'l…

One of Xander's favourite meals is bangers and beans, but the vast majority of sausages contain rusk, a form of breadcrumb used to get the right texture. This is, of course, made with wheat flour, so what choice is there? Well, Tesco and Sainsbury's both sell frozen bags of dedicated free from sausages for £2 (although Sainsbury's have slightly better value with two more sausages in the bag than their competition). However, while shopping for myself at a local Waitrose while staying at Alex's over the Easter holidays, I discovered an impressive range of sausages that are free of wheat rusk.

UPDATE- Following the initial publication of this article, Sainsbury's and Tesco both are offering more gluten free varieties. I will add these over time.

Good Little Company

85% outdoor British pork and dedicated gluten free, there is a lot to be said about these gorgeous sausages. The chipolatas and big sausages are juicy and tender, and the cocktail sausages make great pigs in…

The original recipe is actually from a student cookbook I bought myself while I was studying in Liverpool. I love serving them with blueberry sauce made with maple syrup.

Makes about 12

150g Dove's Farm wheat free self-raising flour blend (available in the free from section of most supermarkets)1/2 tsp salt2 tsp caster sugar1 large egg, beaten150ml Rice milk (plus a little more for consistency)Dairy free spread (at Xander's house, the spread of choice is Vitalite sunflower spread)

Sift the dry ingredients together. Beat the egg into the milk and pour the mixture into the mixing bowl bit by bit.

Heat a frying pan over medium heat and lightly coat it in butter. Use a tablespoon to drop the batter into the pan, careful not to put them close together in case they spread out. Turn them over when the top appears porous and leave for a moment before taking out of the pan and putting on a plate. Best served while still warm.

The best part about this recipe is that no one would know the…

The manager of the store I work at as of this writing is a vegan, so when I thought she was leaving, I made a couple of vegan friendly cakes for her. Turns out she was made an offer to get her to stay in the company but she does want these recipes. So here's to you boss!

Recipes by Rachel Allen

Vanilla cupcakes1 tbsp white wine or cider vinegar275ml rice or soya milk (I used coconut milk myself)75ml sunflower or vegetable oil1tsp Vanilla extract225g self-raising flour3/4 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda1/4 tsp salt200g caster sugar For vegan icing (if desired)
125g dairy free spread500g icing sugar, siftedPinch of Salt2 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 pod's seeds Oven: 180 Celsius/350 Farenheit/ gas mark 4 (fan assisted ovens need a slight reduction)
In a bowl, mix the vinegar, oil, milk and vanilla extract In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the sugar Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until combined completely, th…

As some might have noticed, my posts have been taken out. This is because I'm taking this in a new direction. The new name is also part of it. In time, I intend to make this a fun thing to read and a great project to run, work on and enjoy. Hope to see you guys soon!

Siobhan