Homegrown Mangetout

The Mangetout is ready!!!

I've just finished picking the first proper crop from the mangetout plants in our garden.
They are deliciously sweet and it feels so good to know Scott and I have grown them from scratch!

I like mine heated in a pan with a little olive oil, salt and pepper! This really brings the sweet flavour out, but retains the lovely crunch!

As always, the animals have to sneak their way onto the blog :)

I love the swirly vines that the peas use to cling on with. They curl themselves around the bamboo support and this helps the plant grow healthily upright and stay strong.

Growing Courgette's

Just a little snap to show how the courgettes are getting on! 

 Were growing both the yellow and green varieties! I can't wait for them to grow fully, and keep checking them everyday to see their progress!

A delicious chocolate, nuts and seeds flapjack

I think I may have found my new favourite cake. 

This cake is a yummy combination of both naughty and healthy ingredients! It is undoubtedly better for you than a chunk of chocolate cake, but equally as delicious, and even helps you stay fuller for longer (which I need!!) 

Ingredients:

2.5  tablespoons golden syrup

3.5 tablespoons clear honey

200g unsalted butter

370g rolled oats
60g soft brown sugar 

Mix the honey, syrup, butter and sugar in a pan. Careful not to burn the butter! Once everything has melted nicely together, mix in the rolled oats. You want to make sure they have all been coated well in the sticky mixture. Line a baking dish with parchment paper, and spread the mixture over the paper. make sure you flatten it out to the edges.

Bake for 15-20 minutes on gas mark 5 or until the flapjack has lightly browned on top.

Take out of the oven and leave to cool completely.

Topping:

200g Dark chocolate 

1 tsp soft brown sugar

2 tsp butter

1 handful pumpkin and sunflower seeds

1/2 handful dried cranberries

1/2 handful dried currents/ yellow raisins

1/2 handful chopped almonds

Mix the chocolate, sugar and butter together.

Spoon over the cooled flapjack. Then sprinkle over your desired topping! Leave to cool on the side, or pop it in the fridge until the chocolate sets. And thats it! Delicious, healthy, sticky flapjacks :)

Lidl do a really good range of nuts and seeds so you don't have to spend the earth to use nice ingredients!

Here's my special plate again ;)