This is part 1 of a special 4 part series where we’ll be taking a deep dive into the subject of baking with some brilliant expert guests. This episode sees olive columnist and podcast regular Edd Kimber giving his top tips and tricks to help raise your baking game, including next-level butter cream, secret ingredients that can boost the flavour of chocolate and some new baking trends to look out for.
Try our flammkuchen recipe then check out our bratwurst sausages in a bun, glühwein, lebkuchen biscuits and more Christmas market recipes.
Step 1
Mix all the base ingredients in a large bowl with 300ml of warm water, then tip out onto a lightly floured worksurface. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Divide into four balls, cover and leave to rest while you make the toppings.
Step 2
Fry the bacon in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 10 minutes until lightly golden and the fat has rendered. Scoop out onto a plate leaving the fat in the pan. Fry the onion in the fat for 10 minutes until softened.
Step 3
Heat the oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9, and put a couple of baking trays or sheets in the oven to warm up. Mix the crème fraîche with the nutmeg, some seasoning and 1 tsp of the thyme leaves.
Step 4
Roll out the dough balls as thinly as you can (about 1-2mm thick), then transfer to a sheet of baking paper. Spoon the crème fraîche mixture over the dough, smoothing it over with a spoon or spatula, leaving a 1cm border. Scatter over the bacon, onion and a few thyme leaves.
Step 5
Lift the pizzas on the baking paper onto the hot baking sheets and cook in the oven, two at a time, for 7-10 minutes or until the bases are crisp and the onions are starting to turn golden, swapping the two trays over halfway through. Repeat with the remaining two pizzas, and serve scattered with any remaining thyme and a good grinding of black pepper.
Try our bratwurst recipe then check out our lebkuchen biscuits and more Christmas market recipes.
Step 1
Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together in a small pan and bring to a gentle simmer, then set aside to cool.
Step 2
Heat the grill to medium. Cook the sausages on a baking tray for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden and cooked through.
Step 3
Warm the rolls in a warm oven for a few minutes, then split them open. Put a sausage in each, drizzle over the sauce and serve with the condiments on the side for people to help themselves.
Try our lebkuchen biscuits then check out our spiced Christmas biscuits and Christmas market recipes to recreate at home.
Step 1
Warm the honey and butter together in a small pan until combined.
Step 2
Put the remaining ingredients, except the icing sugar, in a bowl, and pour over the melted butter. Combine until a sticky dough forms, wrap in baking paper then chill for 1 hour.
Step 3
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured worksurface to 1cm thick, then cut into 5cm biscuits using heart, star or round cookie cutters. Transfer to baking-paper-lined trays with a little space around each one, and bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden and risen slightly. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 4
Mix the icing sugar with 5 tsp of water to make a smooth icing, and spoon over the top of each biscuit. Leave to set for 1 hour. They will keep in an airtight container for up to four days, or wrap in recyclable gift bags to give as presents.
Our Weekly Pinch of Shopping this week features lots of slimming friendly food that’s not only super tasty, but is really quick and easy to make too.
(Psst, if you love quick and easy meals then make sure you pre-order our third cookbook Pinch of Nom: Quick and Easy which will be released on 10th December 2020!)
We’re definitely starting to get into the Christmas spirit so we’ve also included some festive biscuits, as well as a wintery take on a popular drink and some bits to help make your Christmas day prep really simple.
Plus a relaxing milk drink to help you get your 8 hours of sleep and a dark chocolate version of a classic treat that’s perfect for enjoying with a cuppa.
Lots of these products have been talked about over on our Facebook Group, so if you’re not a member then make sure that you click here to join now so that you don’t miss out (and don’t forget to share any delicious new products that you come across).
Our Weekly Pinch of Shopping list aims to show you slimming friendly products that are available in a wide range of stores so that you can pick them up during your weekly shop, and to make things really convenient we’ve also listed any relevant nutritional info and the RRP.
Please remember that all prices are correct at the time of us writing this article and so they should be used as a guide only.
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A crispy, oven baked jacket potato is a great choice for lunch: filling, budget friendly and really versatile.
These Bannisters 4 Baked Jacket Potatoes are already fully cooked and freshly frozen, meaning you don’t even need to turn the oven on!
There’s a drizzle of olive oil over the potatoes to keep them crispy, and at only 148 calories they are an ideal alternative to sandwiches, especially as the days are getting colder.
We love how easy these potatoes are and it’s so handy to have a bag in the freezer, especially if you’re a fan of batch cooking.
While the jacket potato is cooking in the microwave in only 4 minutes, you could be reheating a Chilli Con Carne or a Creamy Chicken Curry for topping!
If you’d prefer a chilled accompaniment, why not add a dollop of Coronation Turkey and a fresh salad on the side?
You can find Bannisters 4 Baked Jacket Potatoes in Morrisons and Iceland for £1.75 per bag, and you can get them in bags of 6 and 8 in some supermarkets.
These Morrisons Dwarf Beans are basically a smaller version of the longer green beans and are really crisp and juicy.
They’re the perfect way to get some extra veg in your diet and work really well with pretty much any dish that you can think of, or even just steamed and served as a side.
As they’re so similar in flavour to green beans, you can easily substitute them in your favourite recipe like our Mushy Pea Curry or our Salmon Kedgeree.
Remember that unlike some green beans, you will need to top and tail these Morrisons Dwarf Beans – no one wants to find green stringy bits in their meal!
80g of these Morrisons Dwarf Beans counts as one of your 5 a day and they’re currently reduced from £1 for a pack of 220g to just 59p.
A puff pastry pie isn’t something you’d expect to see on a list of slimming essentials, but this Pukka Vegan Chicken & Mushroom Pie is worth a mention!
Tender chunks of soy protein with sliced mushrooms, in a savoury vegan creamy sauce encased in a light puff pastry case.
It’s higher in calories than a homemade version like our Chicken and Mushroom Pie, but it’s worth it for the convenience factor!
You could serve this pie for two with a pile of steamed veggies to make it go further for a hearty dinner that’s vegan friendly.
You could even pop a Lighter Yorkshire Pudding on the side for a change to a typical Sunday Roast.
Pick up a Pukka Vegan Chicken & Mushroom Pie for £1.75 each at Sainsbury’s.
You might think that you hate sprouts, but the chances are that you’re thinking of the boiled kind that have no seasoning and no real flavour either…
We can bet that these Morrisons The Best Sprouts With Chestnuts & Butter will change the way that you think about this vegetable!
Tender brussels sprouts, chestnuts and onions in a melting, seasoned butter, and they can be cooked from frozen which means they’re super quick and easy to prepare too.
They’re also suitable for vegetarians, have no artificial colours or flavours and contain just 102 calories per ⅕ pack serving.
Serve alongside our Slow Cooker Christmas Turkey Joint for a Christmas dinner that’s full of flavour and won’t have you slaving away in the kitchen all day long.
Or, if you’re looking for more recipes using sprouts then our Balsamic Roasted Sprouts or Marmite Sprouts are some of our favourite side dishes.
You can find these Morrisons The Best Sprouts With Chestnuts & Butter in Morrisons for £1.75 a bag.
It can sometimes feel like an impossible task to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep a night, but this Sleep Well Chocolate Milk Drink could just be the answer you’ve been searching for.
It contains something called valerian which can help aid with falling asleep and is a natural alternative to things like sleeping tablets.
Combined with honey, cocoa and milk from Jersey cows, this Sleep Well Chocolate Milk Drink is the perfect choice for bedtime.
Simply drink 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep and you’ll be relaxed and dropping off in no time.
Enjoy with one of our Apple Pie Cookies or Cinnamon Swirls for the perfect evening snack.
You can pick up this Sleep Well Chocolate Milk Drink in Sainsbury’s at £3 for a 200ml carton.
We have a little saying here at Pinch of Nom: If it swims, it slims!
These Tesco King Prawn & Cod Puff Pastries are the perfect blend of tasty seafood, a flavourful white wine sauce and crispy puff pastry.
They can be cooked straight from frozen which makes them perfect for a quick and easy evening meal and each pastry is only 290 calories so they’re slimming friendly too.
We love having these Tesco King Prawn & Cod Puff Pastries on hand for a busy weekday evening and think they’re delicious when served with a crisp, mixed salad, our Garlic Green Beans or Parmentier Potatoes.
You can grab these Tesco King Prawn & Cod Puff Pastries from Tesco at £3.50 for a pack of two.
Soup season is here! A warming bowl of soup is just the ticket as the nights are getting darker and colder.
Wrap your hands around a bowl of this ASDA Good & Balanced Thai Green Vegetable Meal Soup for a lightly spiced Thai flavoured lunch or dinner in no time at all!
High in protein, this soup is packed full of edamame beans, crunchy red peppers and basmati rice: a pot of this vegan soup even counts as one of your 5 a day!
With extra basmati rice, it’s a filling and substantial snack or light meal that’s high in protein and low in fat, making it an easy choice for your slimming essentials basket.
If you’re a fan of Thai flavours, take a look at our Thai Green Curry with Chicken Satay Skewers on the side!
Asda stock this ASDA Good & Balanced Thai Green Vegetable Meal Soup for £2.60 a pot.
Cadbury Fingers are ridiculously moreish and just when you thought they couldn’t get any better, these Cadbury Bournville Fingers Dark Chocolate Biscuits and the perfect combo of crispy biscuit and rich chocolate.
Coated in Cadbury’s Bournville dark chocolate, these Fingers are suitable for vegetarians and have 106 calories per 4 biscuits, which means that they’re perfect for a mid afternoon snack with a cuppa.
Why not try them dipped in our Eggnog Latte or a cup of tea? They’re even more tasty when the chocolate starts melting!
You could also crumble a couple of biscuits on top of our Winter Berry Ice Cream or our Trifles to take your dessert to the next level.
These Cadbury Bournville Fingers Dark Chocolate Biscuits are available in most supermarkets at around £1.50 per pack.
Embrace the festive spirit with this Vimto No Added Sugar Winter Warmer Squash, which combines the classic Vimto taste with the warming flavours of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove.
We love a chilled, thirst quenching glass of squash, but this one’s actually designed to be enjoyed HOT too!
It’s made with only real fruit and berry flavours with no added sugar and extra vitamin C, making it a brilliant drink choice for families.
This gives us serious Mulled Wine vibes, and is a child-friendly version to enjoy in front of the TV with a cosy blanket.
We’ve spotted Vimto No Added Sugar Winter Warmer Squash at Asda and Sainsbury’s for £1.85 but it’s on offer at £1 for a limited time.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas… well, it is on our list of slimming essentials this week anyway with these McVitie’s Digestives Christmas Pudding Milk Chocolate Biscuits!
These are a classic milk chocolate digestive but with a festive twist: full of cinnamon, gingerbread and slightly spiced flavours for a vegetarian Christmassy treat that you can dunk in your cuppa or pop in a packed lunch for a mid-morning pick me up.
You get a strong, sweet flavour in these biscuits for only 73 calories, with no artificial flavours or colours added.
Our only complaint? These limited edition biscuits aren’t available all year round! They’re also available in a Gingerbread flavour too
Try popping them in the biscuit tin for snacking on over Christmas alongside some of our other festive sweet treats like Spiced Christmas Biscuits and Mini Spiced Orange Mince Pie Crumbles.
McVitie’s Digestives Christmas Pudding Milk Chocolate Biscuits can be found at most supermarkets for around £1.50 per pack.
Aldi will be switching out their Super 6 next week, so here’s your refresher of what’s available! For meal inspiration, take a look at last week’s full roundup here.
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Looking for the best supermarket prosecco? Want to know which prosecco to buy? Read on for the best bottles from a variety of price points, then check out our best prosecco cocktails.
Expect warm apricot fruit, kept crisp and fresh with zingy mineral notes.
Classic prosecco flavours of pear, green apple and citrus, along with notes of buttered toast.
Perfect pairing: A sliver of parmesan
Bright, fresh bubbles; floral and peachy, but not too sweet.
Try this recipe for candied root veg, then check out our roast parsnips, parsnip soup, parsnip chips and more parsnip recipes.
Step 1
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Tip the vegetables onto a large baking tray and toss with the thyme, garlic and oil. Season well, then toss again. Roast for 35 minutes, turning everything halfway through, until the beetroots and celeriac are tender when pierced with a knife. Drizzle over the maple syrup and butter, then toss so that they coat the veg. Roast for 20 minutes until the roots are golden and glazed.