Yummy Beetroot Brownies

Here is the recipe for Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage Beetroot Brownies as discussed in my post about my beetroot conversion. I take absolutely no credit for their yummy loveliness, and you can get more information about River Cottage on Channel4.com and RiverCottage.net

Ingredients

• 250g/10oz good, dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
• 250g/10oz unsalted butter, cut into cubes, plus more for greasing
• 250g/10oz caster sugar
• 3 free-range eggs
• 150g self-raising flour (we used wholemeal self-raising)
• 250g beetroot, boiled until tender, peeled and grated

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Grease a baking tin of approximately 20 x 30 x 3cm and line the bottom with baking parchment.

2. Break up the chocolate into pieces, cut the butter into cubes then mix them up a bit in a heatproof bowl. As the oven begins to warm up, put the bowl onto one of the shelves for a few minutes until the chocolate and butter starts to melt. Stir, and put back into the oven for a few more minutes to melt completely.

3. Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl until combined, then beat in the melted chocolate and butter until smooth. Gently fold in the flour then the beetroot – be careful not to over mix or it will make the brownies tough.

4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth over the top with a spatula. Bake for about 20 minutes. A knife or skewer pushed into the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Don't be tempted to overcook them! Remove the tin from the oven and leave on wire rack to cool before cutting into squares.

If you’re like me and like your brownies gooey, or if you find tray-bakes hard to get out of the tin, then why not try our Silverwood Eye-Catcher Brownie Pans. They come in a variety of sizes and the side of the tin slides out for easy cake removal (but they lock together so the sticky mixture doesn’t ooze).

Finally, don’t forget to bake with a light heart. The more care you put into a cake, the yummier it will be.

Sarah

Get Your Block On

Have a look at our newly updated Butchers’ Block section on ChichesterCookshop.co.uk. We have categorized it nicely by manufacturer, so you can choose the building style that suits you. Whether you prefer the all American maple table of John Boos; self-assemble kitchen islands from Catskills Craftsmen, or the super-storage kitchen trolleys of the Hungerford Collection delivered fully assembled by Eddingtons, there will be something for you.

It is also worth keeping an eye on the Indu+ pages as we will soon be adding a larger trolley to the range – perfect for cooking and preparing on the same trolley. The induction hobs are built into the trolley to order, so you can choose the trolley and hob to suit your needs. If you can’t wait for the larger two drawer trolley to appear on the website and would like some details now, please phone us on 01243 827750 – we can also take orders on that number too, if you would like a friendly voice rather then a form.

Happy Browsing,

Sarah

A Ducking Good Day at River Cottage

Blessed with true British weather, my day at the River Cottage Duck Fair really was perfect weather for our webbed-feet friends. The rain didn’t dampen the mood though and a great day was to be had. As a fan of River Cottage and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall ‘excited’ does not sum up my emotions on arrival at the farm, and the skidding run to the gates through the mud turned me from town-dweller to country-kin in one swift glide.

I won’t bore you with how Hugh F-W made my lunch and then asked my opinions on the flavour combinations etc, or how I was on the prime-time Channel 4 broadcast of River Cottage Autumn. But I do want to share with you my beetroot conversion.

As featured in the TV programme, there was a beetroot tent at the fair containing all things purple, aiming to convert people like myself from beetroot haters to beetroot lovers. I am always one to try something out, and through my journey of beetroot salsa, beetroot brownies and beetroot ice-cream I actually found myself enjoying the whole experience. I actually liked the purple vegetable so much I went home and made beetroot brownies.

I am now a full convert and can’t get enough of the staining colour. So much so that I am going to post the brownie recipe in a couple of days in hope that you will make it too and enjoy the moist, deep purple, yummy, gooey cake as much as me.

Sarah

Time for tea for two…or ten…

The clocks are going back, the snow is settling in (well… in some parts of the country anyway) and everyone is starting to grumble about the countdown to Christmas. Now I don’t know about you, but I find that the best solution to the above occurrences is a nice cup of tea and a sit down. What better way to do this then with a beautiful teapot.

Ranging in sizes from two-cup/one-mug, up to gigantic ten-cup teapots there is no excuse not to take the time and rest in the good ol’ tradition. There is a reason why the Japanese take such pride and importance in the Tea Ceremony and it’s high time we follow suit, make a brew, and enjoy taking tea.

On that note, I’m off to make a cup of coffee!

Sarah