Sluttery Food News

Flippin' 'eck it's July already! Where does the time go, eh? With the promise of a 'scorcher' of a weekend, this weekend, and many of you lovely folk jetting off on your holibobs, it's well and truly time to eat summery foods. As it turns out, July is all about cherries, strawberries and redcurrants so you've got no excuse to not chuck together a fruit salad or, maybe, a mocktail (remember your designated driver and pregnant friends, they want exciting drinks, too). Elderflowers are very much in bloom now and nothing beats homemade elderflower cordial, except possibly elderflower and lavender syrup. Cucumbers, fennel, runner and french beans, peas and radishes are in season, too, so why not put our summery sausage stew or chicken noodle salad on the menu this week? If you're a sucker for special offers in the supermarket (I am, I just can't walk by) then you might end up with more than you need. If that happens to you, then you should give Hazel's super quick and easy pickle a go, but, be warned, I made this, and it was so good that I ended up eating it straight out the jar. 

Eat and drink – In honour (or should that be, honor?) of American Independence Day, I thought I'd bring a few American favourites to you. If you love Hershey's Kisses, Reeses Pieces or Pretzel M&Ms, then American Sweets and American Soda are two websites you should definitely visit. Whenever I go to the US, I always stock up on Mike and Ike's jelly beans, but now, I don't have to wait for a return visit! If you follow any American recipe blogs, you'll know that occasionally they'll mention ingredients you can't easily find in the UK. The next time you need Grandma's Original Molasses or canned yams, you'll know where to look. If you'd rather find your American items in the supermarket, Asda stocks Carter's Root Beer and Hershey's chocolate.

Read – As someone who practically lives in my local farm shop, I've been eyeing up Christine McFadden's great new book, The Farm Shop Cookbook. It would be so useful for those times when I come home with armfuls of produce with no real idea how I'm going to use it! Matt Tebbutt is one of my favourite chefs so I'm rather excited by his book, Guilty Pleasures, especially since it has an entire chapter devoted to peanut butter! Both of these books are available now.

Free From Find – Warburton's gluten free bakery, Newburn Bakehouse, have released a seeded version of their popular baguette and wraps. They've added linseed, sunflower and millet seeds to make a gluten free product with a bit more texture. The new seeded baguettes are £2.29 and are available in Tesco and the seeded wraps are £2.99 from Tesco and Morrison's.