Cullen Skink recipe

CULLEN Skink is a soup recipe that originates from the North East of Scotland and is also known as smoked haddock chowder.

It would be perfect for a Hogmanay supper or New Year's Day lunch.

Cullen is the name of  the Scottish town from which the recipe takes its name, while skink is the Scots word from “soup made from shin of beef”, although in this case smoked haddock is used rather than meat.

Try to buy undyed smoked haddock (white rather than golden-yellow in colour). This dish is super easy to make and utterly delicious. Along with crusty bread, it is a meal in itself.

This recipe is adapted from the BBC Good Food website. Many recipes suggest using mashed potato, but I like the potato to be diced. That way it goes ultra-soft in the broth and melts in the mouth. For a thicker consistency, you could mash some of the cooked diced potato at the very end, leaving some pieces still bobbing in the soup.

The parsley and chives are optional.

Happy New Year!

Ingredients

(Serves 2)

1 tablespoon butter

1 medium onion

2  medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm cubes

300ml water

250g smoked haddock

250ml milk

2 Bay leaves and  ten peppercorns (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsely or chives (optional)

Method:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onion and fry gently until transparent. Cook for about five minutes but do not allow to brown.

2. Add the potatoes and water and bring to boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

3. Meanwhile in another pan, cover the haddock with the milk and poach (cook gently) for about five minutes until just tender ( I add two or three bay leaves and some peppercorns at this stage for extra flavour). Remove the fish from the milk and, when cool enough to touch, flake gently into large pieces, removing any bones and skin.

4. Strain the milk. Add the milk and the flaked fish to saucepan containing the potatoes and other ingredients and cook for a further five minutes. Season with salt and pepper and, if desired, sprinkle with chopped parsley or chives.

5. Serve with crusty bread and butter.

Women of 2011



INSPIRING: Aung San Suu Kyi,
pro-democracy opposition leader in Burma



'PANDAMONIUM' ran the headline as two Chinese pandas arrived in Edinburgh Zoo earlier this month to a fanfare of bagpipes at the airport and crowds lining the streets. Now the pandas are in the news again - but for less enthusiastic reasons.
The female animal, Sweetie (Tian Tian), has taken one of the slots in the BBC's women of the year list, alongside Gabrielle Giffords, the US congresswoman who survived a gunshot to the head, and Eman al-Obeidi, the Libyan woman who burst into a press conference to announce her gang-rape by Gaddafi's militia.
The BBC's list is being seen as a gender gaffe too far, coming just days after criticism of its all-male shortlist for Sports Personality of the Year.
If you wanted to bash the BBC a bit more (and why not, it's a national sport after all), you could take issue with at least half the entries on the list.
For example, why did Auntie pick Nafissatou Diallo, the immigrant maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault in a New York hotel room, over the formidable and uber chic Christine Lagarde, who took over DSK's position as head of the IMF?
Or Charlene Wittstock, who married Prince Albert of Monaco in July, over our own Kate Middleton?
Then there was a woman who went on a date with Justin Timberlake after making an appeal on YouTube. You know her name? No… do you care?
The end of the year offers an inviting opportunity to look back and celebrate the life, work and good deeds of people. By this standard, the BBC has served the second sex badly.
An obvious omission is Aung San Suu Kyi, the pro-democracy opposition leader in Burma, who has dedicated most of her adult life to her cause. What a moment it was when she was able to receive US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a formal dinner in Rangoon a few weeks back. Next year, Aung San Suu Kyi will stand for parliament as Burma moves slowly towards democracy. Her bravery and struggle have inspired a new movie, The Lady, which is released today. Pity she couldn't have inspired the BBC.
Another worthy inclusion on the eve of Olympic year would have been Lucy Shuker, Britain's number one in wheelchair tennis, who is hoping for a medal in the Paralympics.
Closer to home, there are plenty women in York worthy of a place in any women of the year list.
How about young mum Sallyanne Gatus who won an award in The Press' community pride awards for setting up a gardening club at Dringhouses Primary School following treatment for breast cancer? On accepting her award with six-year-old daughter Laura, she said: “When you're diagnosed with breast cancer or any life threatening illness it changes your life and makes every second of every day mean so much.”
York teenager and budding actress Josie Bellerby has been equally inspiring and displayed her own bravery in a TV documentary about living with a cancer time-bomb.
Several women in Josie's family carry the gene that gives them an 80 per cent chance of developing cancer. In the documentary, the crew followed Josie and her two sisters, Lucy and Emma, as they wrestled with the dilemmas of genetic testing and possible surgery to remove their breasts and ovaries.
Following the film, inquires to a helpline (breastcancergenetics.co.uk) increased  making the girls' courageous efforts all the more worthwhile.
And guess who made the film?  Yep, that's right: the BBC.

Wise fashion buys for 2012

Safari chic: Amanda trench dress, £155,
from the SS12 collection at LK Bennett

OUT with the old and in with the new is the rallying cry at this time of year.

As 2011 bows out there’s a tendency to want to wipe the slate clean and start anew.

Many of us will plan to redecorate or declutter – and begin an early spring clean.

The same applies to our wardrobes. The clothes we have been wearing all year may look past their sell-by date or just plain old uninspiring.

Reason enough to go shopping.

 

The sales are in full swing, but new lines for 2012 will be pushing up roots too.

The key to successful shopping at this time of year is to think before you buy.

Impulse shopping, or snatching an item just because it’s under a fiver, is the reason your wardrobe is full of clothes you don’t want to wear.

When sales shopping, focus on key items that will form the backbone of your wardrobe. Now is the time to snap-up classic and quality clothing, such as suits, coats, expensive cashmere, leather boots – you’ll get them for a song and if you buy time-less styles they will last for years.

The other strategy when shopping at this time of year is to be mindful of the upcoming trends for 2012.

There’s no point splashing out on looks that are dropping on the fashion-o-meter. Instead, pick designs with staying power.

Here are my top five trends for the Olympic year - to make sure your fashion buys go the distance.
Styles coming your way…

1 Pretty in print : Flower power will be blooming again, with big blossoms bursting forth for spring and summer. Team with colourful accessories for maximum impact

2 Pastel times: Softer shades are set to return; think champagne sorbet and Italian ices and prepare to melt into summer

Tribal bag, £17.99,
 from New Look

3 Safari chic: Desert fashions return; look for sandy tones and mix with ethnic accessories



4 Tribal pursuit: Be a wardrobe warrior with clashing prints



5 Olympic spirit: The great sporting occasion is making its presence felt in fashion that is fun and funky; look out for trousers in the shape of jogging pants and jackets with zips, ties and hoods – and even trainers with platform wedges!



Sell your rubbish presents here!



Jason Hadlow... he wants your unloved
Christmas gifts!

 

I'VE received some weird Christmas gifts over the years and displayed them grudgingly in my home out of sheer politeness.

A Laura Ashley chandelier was a memorable choice from my husband until his brother upped the ante with a marble plant stand.

Should Santa's deliveries disappoint this weekend, I won't have to tolerate the unwelcome gifts for long. I shall head to Bring, Buy, Sell York's newest “eBay-like” shopping experience.





The giant warehouse some 10,000 square feet stands just off the A19 at Crockey Hill (just by the traffic lights at the Wheldrake turn-off).

If you are after a life-size statue of a giraffe, some cut-price motorbike leathers or discounted furniture, make this your first port of call.

For Bring, Buy, Sell is a cornucopia of commodities, stocking everything including the kitchen sink (a Belfast model, attached to some knock-down kitchen units).


The idea is simple enough customers bring items to sell and the store takes a cut.

Owner Jason Hadlow has been running a similar business in Leeming Bar and opened the second store in York just two months ago. Within a month it was in profit and he is now looking to franchise the business.

Second hand and end-of-line furniture make up the bulk of the stock, although a careful browse can uncover worthy treasures and interesting items.

Tucked away behind an old gramophone set was an ancient printing press, while a vintage record player and box of vinyl was lurking for the right-minded buyer.

Among the more unusual items was a Second World War range finder. Shaped like a rocket launcher, this was used to detect how far a plane was away before the order was given to fire.

The most expensive item was a Chinese screen, yours for £10,000. The high price tag, explained Jason, was on account of the precious jewels used in the design.

The store prides itself on selling most of its stock within 30 days; that which remains is discounted further.

The shop is attracting sellers, customers and even antiques dealers on the hunt for hidden gems.

James Doran is a dealer from Manchester. This was his second visit to Bring, Buy, Sell that day. “It's a great idea because you are getting genuine antiques straight from the people who don't rate them or don't want them anymore.”

For the ordinary customer, there were deals to be had too, said James. “Look at that sofa,” said James, pointing to a three-seater leather piece. “That would cost thousands rather than hundreds. And they are throwing in a footstool for free.”

Jason expects business to be brisk after the festivities not only with those unwanted gifts, but because people like to redecorate and update their furnishings in the New Year.

“People take down their Christmas decorations then look at their house and decide they need a makeover,” he said.

While Jason might not flog your unwanted toiletries for you, he would take on bigger items such as electronic gifts, good quality clothes, bikes and the like. And he wouldn't say no to designer handbags to join the selection he already has on sale.

He has learned, he said, never to underestimate what might sell. “A lady brought in a dog ramp extension the other day to help her dog get in and out of the car, and while we were marking it up for sale, a customer had picked it up and was waiting at the cash desk.”

Jason accepts that the shop is a sign of the times. “We love shopping; it's our national pastime, but when you can't afford to do it, it can be very dispiriting. At Bring, Buy, Sell, you can get your retail fix. You can bring in your kids bikes they have outgrown and make £100 from them then you can spend that on an Edwardian bureau to satisfy your taste in antiques.”

Or, should your taste stretch that way, there's always the giant giraffe looking for a good home.









New Year's Revelations...

Maxine intends to visit
Scotland more in 2012

AT this time of year I have this question for friends: “Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions?”

Some refuse point blank to make any, dismissing the entire notion as a self-induced straight jacket.

Others reel off a list of worthy pursuits that make you wish you’d never asked.

Funnily enough, the ones who don’t make any resolutions are often the ones you feel should.

So for 2012, I have decided to make some resolutions for the serially reluctant.

I’ll start close to home with my hubby who to my great disappointment utterly refuses to make any what he mockingly calls “New Year’s Revelations”.

Well, honey, how about bringing me flowers more often, making dinner more frequently and taking me out more?

Not much to ask is it?

Swapping roles, his resolutions for me would probably be that I stop hanging things on door handles.  But I suspect I would get off Scott Free since he doesn’t believe in making them in the first place!

But why stop there. I’d happy make resolutions for other folk too. Here’s my list for 2012, in no particular order…

Simon Cowell… Come back to X Factor and bring Cheryl with you, or axe the show.

Andy Murray… Win Wimbledon and/or Olympic gold in the tennis. Your country needs you.

Nick Clegg… Do the decent think and chuck David Cameron and his cronies; you are only prolonging the inevitable.

Michael Bublé … Please go away and do something less boring (and painful) instead.

Lord Leveson… Make sure your recommendations will rebuild the reputation of British journalists. How about suggesting journalists be licensed and if they break the rules or the law they lose the right to practice?

Last year, I resolved to eat porridge for breakfast, improve my backhand at tennis, invite friends over more for dinner and do more social networking on Twitter and Facebook. Hardly earth shattering, I’ll admit; but how did I fare? Well, not bad, but for the one that really would have been a hardship – eating porridge. I hate the stuff and no amount of honey, fruit compot or dried fruits can persuade me otherwise.

For 2012 I want to spend more time with my family in Edinburgh, have a summer holiday in Scotland and redecorate my house.

I might even manage to stop hanging bags on door handles.

What about you?...

Parsnip & cranberry cake

This is a brilliant cake, full of festive flavours, and a twist on the well-loved carrot cake. Makes an ideal alternative to Christmas cake, stollen or mince pies if you are looking for something different over the festive season.

Parsnip and cranberry cake

Grease and flour/or line two 20cm/8in cake tins

Pre-heat oven to 180°C/fan160°C/gas 4


Ingredients:

250g dried cranberries (keep a handful back to decorate the cake)

3 large free-range eggs

175ml sunflower oil

200g light muscovado sugar

1 tsp mixed spice

½ tsp of ground ginger

225g self-raising flour

one level tsp baking powder

60g pecans, (plus extra for the topping if desired)

200g parsnip, roughly grated

2 oranges, zest only (put half in the cake mix and half in the icing)

half lemon, juice only (put in cake mix)


Icing:

125g/4oz butter, softened

225g/8oz cream cheese

450g/1lb icing sugar

(pecans, if using, and dried cranberries for decoration)

Method:

Put the eggs, sunflower oil and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until creamy.

Sift the cinnamon, ginger, flour, and baking powder over the mixture, and fold in with the pecans, parsnip and cranberries. Add lemon juice and orange zest and mix.

Spoon into the tins and bake for 20-25minutes or until a skewer pushed into the cake’s centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the icing, beat the cream cheese with the butter then sieve in the icing sugar. Add the orange zest and mix. Add more icing sugar for a firmer consistency if needed. Spread the icing between the cakes and smother over the top. Finish by sprinkling over the dried cranberries (and pecans if desired).

Look like Lund!

Actress Sofie Grabol as jumper wearing
Sarah Lund  in The Killing

DANISH detective drama The Killing has been the TV sensation of the year.

Even Chancellor George Osborne has been catching up with the cult BBC4 series on a box set.

Just in case you missed the original series back in the spring, the American remake was aired too. Now fans are suffering withdrawal symptoms after the conclusion of the second season.

While the show has captured a captive audience, the real taking point (beside the obvious who-dunnit) is the knitwear of its female lead, detective Sarah Lund.

In the first series, she donned a thick black and cream Faroe Isle jumper and unwittingly unleashed a fashion craze for the distinctive sweater style.

Not surprisingly, the knitwear industry is making a killing.

Demand for the jumpers has soared, forcing the hand knitters on the Faroes to struggle to keep up with demand.

Knitwear specialists Gudrun & Gudrun (gudrungudrun.com) are selling the original as-worn-by-Lund, made-to-order, sweaters for £240 (pictured left).

Happily, you don't have to fork out designer prices to bag a spot of Danish detective flair.

The high street is awash with thick, cosy knits, worthy of their own star turn.

F&F green cable knit jumper £16,
 arriving January at Tesco

Whether you are after a patterned style in the shape of a Fair Isle or Faroe design, or something plain and colourful, there is something for all tastes.

Sweaters with novelty images such as deers, pandas and snowflakes are also leaving their mark.

Once the “joke” present destined to be worn for One Day Only, these jumpers are set to enjoy a star turn this festive season.

Rudolph cup cakes

This recipe is fun to make with the kids for Christmas.

We based it on a recipe from Christmas Treats by Sara Lewis (Hamlyn, £4.99)

Makes 12 cakes

Preparation time: 40 minutes

Cooking time: 13-15 minutes

Pre-heat oven: 180C/350F/GM4



Ingredients:

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon boiling water

125g (4oz) soft margarine or butter at room temperature

2 eggs

125g (4oz) caster sugar

125g (4oz) self-raising flour



To decorate:

150g (5oz) plain dark chocolate, broken into pieces

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

1 tablespoon of boiling water

50g (2oz) butter at room temperature

125g (4oz) icing sugar

6 glace cherries

1 small packet of Smarties or M&Ms



Make the cakes:

1. Line a 12-section bun tin with paper cake cases.

2. Put the cocoa powder in a bowl and mix to a smooth paste with the boiling water.

3. Put all the remaining cake ingredients into a second bowl and beat until smooth.

4. Stir in the cocoa paste and divide the mixture into the 12 paper cake cases.

5. Bake in a pre-heated oven (180C/350F/GM4) for 13-15 minutes, until they are well risen and spring back when pressed with a fingertip.

6. Leave to cool.



Make the antlers:

1. Place chocolate pieces in a heatproof bowl and melt over a saucepan of gently simmering water.

2. Spoon melted chocolate into a piping bag and pipe antler shapes on to non-stick baking paper. (If you don't have a piping bag, use a knife as a "paintbrush" to "draw" the antlers using the chocolate - do it a bit like drawing a tree trunk with some branches coming off the side, laying the design on to the baking paper, be sure to make them thick enough so they will peel off the paper easily when cool).

3. Make enough antlers for two per cake and some for breakages.

4. Leave to dry and harden.



Decorating:

1. Mix the cocoa powder with the boiling water in a large bowl.

2. Add the butter then gradually beat in the icing sugar to make a smooth icing.

3. Spread the icing over the tops of the cupcakes (making sure they are thoroughly cool first).

4. Add a halved cherry for a nose and two sweets for eyes.

5. Using a knife, carefully peel the cooled antlers off the baking paper and stick at angles into the cupcakes.

Happy new blogging!

Welcome to my blog. As a writer based in York and working for the York Press and Yorkshire Living Magazine, I will be posting my stories and features here as well as items about life as a busy wife and mum, the highs and lows of running a local tennis team and the joys of cake making (with recipes too). Happy reading!