Mushroom garlic rosemary and sea salt focaccia

As a novice sourdough baker, focaccia is probably the most fail-safe and rewarding thing to make.  You don't have to shape it.  Just pop it in a slice pan and bake away with your fave toppings!  This is covered in mushrooms, garlic, rosemary, sea salt and a good glug of olive oil. The base was super crispy and the middle spongy and soft.

 

I made this following the River Cottage recipe.  It has commercial yeast and my own sourdough starter in it, together with durum semolina and strong wheat flour.  Semolina makes bread nice and puffy.

 

 

Post-Christmas meat pie

What to do with all that meat left after Christmas?  Make the tastiest meat pie ever!  Don't waste a good opportunity.

I followed Jamie Oliver's savoury shortcrust pastry recipe (from Jamie's America book).  I threw in herbs including lavender (a little too much! It made me think of soap!), rosemary, thyme and sage.  Blitz the pastry in a food processor (BUT NOT a blender. I have done that before and destroyed the blender. Poor thing, it had no idea I thought it was the same as a food processor).

This cuts nicely once refrigerated. It looks shabby here because it was hot right out of the oven

Here are some from 2011 (arty touch courtesy of my hubby)