Kumara, apple and cheddar scones

2 cups wholemeal atta flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
60g butter
1 cup vintage cheddar
1/2 cup low-fat organic milk
1 tsp caster sugar
1 cup stewed apple & sweet potato (you could vary your veggie mash- include some fruit and some veg for a flavour balance)
A little extra flour for dusting
Egg for egg wash

Preheat oven to 180'c

In a bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and sugar and stir to combine. Add butter and use your fingertips to rub together until you have the consistency of breadcrumbs. Add mashed veggies, cheddar and milk and use a wooden spoon to incorporate. Do not over mix it as your scones will be tough. Once incorporated, turn dough into a lightly floured bench top and roll until you have a slab around 3cm high. Cut into rounds. (I just love the sound it makes as you push the cup through the dough!)

Place each circular piece of dough onto a flat baking tray, lined with baking paper. Once finished, egg wash and bake for around 20 minutes. Cooking time varies depending on your oven but you'll know they're done when they're golden and springy. Test one by slicing in half and serving with a lovely farm-fresh butter.

I had to tell my son they were "muffins" but he quickly devoured two so, slight mummy tricking aside, these are a "ten out of ten, must make again" for me.

Play date Saturday

Happy weekend! We have a little friend over for Jonno this morning. It's unbearably hot despite the early hour, but we braved the park for as long as we could manage. Even the children, who are generally immune to the discomfort brought on by weather extremes, were flagging and complaining about being sticky and hot. So, home we came for some cooling fruit and water (okay, and air-conditioning!).

Later today, my mum arrives for a week's visit with us. I'm beyond excited, as is Jonno. He has been walking around all week exclaiming randomly, "yay! Nanny come sleep! I excited!". It is very dear.

My mum is an incredible cook. I didn't realise until I became a mum myself how difficult it is to produce any dinner each night, let alone dinners of the calibre she made, night after night after night. I am salivating at the prospect of a week of her meals!!

I hope you have something fun and exciting planned this weekend.

Club Sarnies

Jonno's lunch yesterday: organic chicken breast, free range bacon ( sadly not nitrate free- I am on the hunt for that), spinach from the garden, vintage cheddar, and ricotta thinly spread on just baked wholemeal. Of course, he loved the fruit stacks and flags best of all!

Dried YUCK-ricots

Have a look at the difference in colour between organic dried apricots (brown) and commercially produced dried apricots (orange). It is quite remarkable.

The bright orange dried apricots (and any other dried fruit that retains its 'just picked' colour) has most likely been treated and preserved using sulphur dioxide (SO2 - check the label). Its purpose is to extend the shelf-life of the product and to make them more aesthetically appealing. The brown, organic dried "cotticots", as my husband grew up calling, them are still loaded with natural sugars so have a life-span of around 3 months. Like so many other things, aren't we better to resist the convenience of bulk buying and opt instead for smaller quantities of fresh produce?

My two year old son loves these, and calls them "sollies"- an abbreviation of special lollies. I still like to curb his enthusiasm though- if left to his own devices with an open jar, he would absolutely decimate the entire bunch in minutes.

Banana and manuka honey Spelt pancakes

I made these very virtuous little pancakes for my two year old's breakfast over the weekend. Despite my wish that he be naturally moderate and abstemious, the little guy has absolutely got a major sweet tooth. I have to think creatively to give him yummy treats without poisoning him with with processed sugar, colours and additives.

Ingredients

1 cup spelt flour, sieved
1 tablespoon manuka honey
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, whisked lightly
1/3 cup milk
Fresh ground nutmeg (just a pinch)
Sliced banana
Butter for frying


In a bowl, mix the sieved spelt flour and the baking powder until combined. Add the egg, honey and milk and whisk until combined. The honey will give it a gloopy, shiny consistency. Add more milk or flour as required until you have the consistency of a moderately thin batter.

Put a small teaspoon of butter in a pan, then take a paper towel and wipe out the excess, so only a thin film remains. Place pan over moderate flame.

Add about four slices of banana, well spaced. On top of each banana, dollop a tablespoon of the batter on top. Wait until bubbles appear and then flip. The pancakes are done when you see them "lift" a little.

Remove pancakes from the pan and repeat until all cooked. I served them with greek yoghurt.

These can be frozen.

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