Out & About Autumn 2021

Out&About food & drink

little extra bang

And for little ones – how about… Edible Sparklers (Safe to hold and yummy to eat) All you need is breadsticks, cooking chocolate and some hundreds and thousands or other cake decorations. Melt the chocolate then coat half the breadstick with the melted chocolate (best to use a silicone brush for this – not too messy). Cover the coated part in colourful sweet treats and leave to set. Hand out the ‘sparklers’ while the fireworks whizz into the sky. Firework cookies Colourful treats that the kids will love to create themselves Buy a packet of plain cookies (or make your own if you have time) Melt the white chocolate (Milky Bar will do). Then add a food colouring or a rainbow of colours and swirl it around and spread over the cookie before sprinkling some cake toppings on top. Bonfire Cupcakes You can buy plain individual cakes (chocolate or vanilla) from any supermarket or make your own. Make some butter cream icing (butter and icing sugar mixed) and add orange colouring. Put some of the coloured icing on top of the cake then balance some Matchmakers upright in the icing mix to create your bonfire. Add some broken bits of popcorn or a crushed Crunchie to make the crackling. White chocolate Food colouring Cake sprinkles

M ethod Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan, then gently cook the finely chopped onions for 5 mins, until soft. Add the chopped pumpkin or squash to the pan and cook for 8-10 mins, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften and turn golden. Pour the stock into the pan and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins until the squash is very soft. Pour the double cream into the pan, bring back to the boil, then purée using a hand blender if you have one or you will have to squish it through a sieve until it is smooth. Add croutons if you wish or pumpkin seeds.

together in a large pan until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. Mix together the oatmeal, flour and ginger

and stir into the syrup mixture, followed by the egg and milk. Pour the

mixture into the tin and bake for 50mins to an hour until the cake feels firm and a little crusty on top. Cool in the tin then wrap in more parchment and foil. Best eaten at least four or five days after making so it gets softer and stickier (keeps for up to two weeks!)

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O&A AUTUMN 2021