I have some very exciting news on my much documented (by me here… mostly) continuing journey toward world domination. Today I met with Caroline Bingham, Chief Executive of Lincolnshire Life Magazine… in fact she came to my home and amongst the rubble and dust of my kitchen extension, I managed to charm her into commissioning me to write for the magazine.
It’s really thrilling for me to see this all coming together and I hope I can prove to her and her loyal readers that I can do a good job… my plan of attack is to be the ‘home-spun’, family cook, using local ingredients and championing local food heroes, creating recipes that the everyday home-cook can easliy make and enjoy… much like I do here on the blog.
I am starting with a couple of sample articles that I will submit for the September issue, (apple’s are ripe and its the start of the Game season here in Lincolnshire) the first of which you will find below… of course I would love your feedback… so let me know!
Belleau Kitchen (this will run alongside the first article only)
I write a food blog from my kitchen here in the beautiful Lincolnshire Wolds and when i’m not covered in flour and gravy I work as an event manager at Gunby Hall in Spilsby whose gardens provide me with a year-round bounty of herbs, vegetables and fruit. I’m very proud to be living in Lincolnshire, surrounded by some of the UK’s best food produce and producers and its from this that I take my cooking inspiration. I consider myself to be a cook, not a chef and my recipes are all about having a go in the kitchen. If you can read and hold a frying pan, (not necessarily at the same time) then you can cook and enjoy my food!
Gunby Apple Cake (this will run alongside a feature they are writing on the new tenants at Gunby)
One of the many wonderful things about working at Gunby Hall is being able to walk into the fruit and vegetable gardens and pluck whatever’s ready from the ground and cook with it. Sometimes I will spend a lazy hour meandering through the rows of succulent waiting for the plants to inspire me… should I go for a turnip and watercress soup… or a golden beetroot cake… or courgette fritters… or gooseberry ice-cream… but other times, when we’ve suddenly had a boost on visitors and Jane in the tea-room is screaming for more cake, I will run into the garden, grab the first thing I see and get busy baking!
We have 20 varieties of apple tree here at Gunby and some of the apples are ready, particularly the Beauty of Bath, which you have literally 4 seconds once its plucked from the tree before it turns bad or, better for cooking, the Revere, which i’ve used here. This apple cake is simply divine… its one of those cakes which is part cake, part pudding and eating it slightly warm is eating it at its best, also the recipe is so versitle as the batter mix can be used with any other fruit, simply replace like for like. I’ve made this with all kinds of berries, pears and even rhubarb, which should be lightly poached first.
Ingredients
1lb apples – peeled and diced
6oz Sugar (i used light brown sugar)
6oz softened butter or margarine at room temp
2 eggs – beaten
2 tablespoons milk
9oz self raising flour
a handful of saltanas
1 teaspoon cinnamon
– in a large mixing blow, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, sprinkle in the cinnamon
– add one egg and whisk it into the batter, then add half the flour and whisk again, repeat with the other egg and the remainder of the flour
– add the milk to slacken the batter slightly.
– fold in the saltanas and the apple chunks (it may seem like a lot of apples but believe me it works!)
– pour in to a greased and lined caked tin… I used a 9inch square but any shape will work.
– line the top of the cake with finely sliced apple segments and brush with melted Lincolnshire honey.
– bake for 45 minutes at 170C
here’s the cake made with fresh red currants which I folded in at the same stage as the apples, it was a spectacular success!
eat and of course, enjoy!
Congrats Dom, that's great news, so exciting! You'll be a journalist! Does that mean you're going to start wearing a trilby and trenchcoat and carrying a notepad everywhere? (Because you totally should.)
Really like the article, I'm sure you'll be a great success x
Congratulations. Your first article looks great to me. The cake looks delicious too.
Well done Dom!! I'm so excited for you!
World domination is coming along nicely :-))
ohhhh congratulations! you lucky thing, damn it i'm jealous, but a greater bit of me is thrilled for you. that article sounds lovely, hope all goes well (;
Well done you!! Good luck…
You are a fabulous champion for Lincolnshire and it was only a matter of time before someone other than your faithful blog followers noticed your talent. When you do something you truly love and are good at it all the wonderful pieces fall into place. So happy for your success Dom and so excited that you are sharing it with us. I loved the article.
as always…siiiiigh x
ps…maybe add 1 apple thinly sliced to the ingredient list?
Congratulations, Dom. Very well deserved. And another lovely article 🙂
CONGRATULATIONS!! and this looks soooo delicious!
Well done Dom, that is brilliant news! Really very pleased for you ;0)
Fab looking cake too, just my kind of baked treat!
Such exciting news! Love the article, love your casual conversational 'voice', perfect easy first time out recipe! You are on your way to diversified world dominiation! Go for it!
That's really really brilliant news Dom. Are you sitting there stroking your fluffy white cat planning the next step in world domination?
On a serious note, this is really exciting and I'm sure all the readers of Lincolnshire Life will love your recipes as much as your blog readers do.
Dom, that's fantastic! You'll be up to phone hacking in no time!
Seriously, it's a great piece, gorgeous photo, delectable recipe. Remember the little people when you make it big, won't you?
ah, you're all too kind, I just sent it off to her and she really likes it!!!!… so exciting…
@ Victoria… YES… of course, thank you x
So pleased for you, that's great news, CONGRATULATIONS!
That's really good to hear Dom, it really is. I'm so happy for you. First stop blog, then a magazine article, what's next I wonder? Could it be a much anticipated Belleau Kitchen cookbook?
Well done! I'm so jealous of all the fantastic sounding produce you have available at Gunby Hall too.
Well done you, a big congratulations!!!!
me too…a cook…not a chef…
the cake looks killer good !!!
i had to laugh..you were the only one who noticed my old fishermans light…ha ha….i love it too…
happy to stop by today, my friend
kary and teddy
🙂
That is very exciting news indeed Dom. I am so happy for you. Congrats! I'm gonna bake that Gunby Apple Cake for sure. I'm just waiting for my friend to harvest their delicious home-grown apples.
Congrats! You can bring the redcurrant cake round as payment for the mac lessons. 🙂
Congratulations Dom. I hope this won't sound patronising, but I am proud of you. Your first article sounds great and the cake gorgeous.
ps your new banner made me laugh out loud 🙂
Oh Dom, I bow in admiration. Well Done You – I feel so proud :-}}}}}
P.S. Great article and recipe
Well done you, another coup. I am watching with admiration and pleasure your rise to stardom – even if you can occasionally be a bit mean 😉
Your about bit and article are absolutely fine. You have a great style on your blog, so I'm sure you can't go wrong with Lincolnshire Life. Am liking the unpretentious home cook style – nicely inclusive. And of course you cake sounds delicious too.