BLOG'N'BAKE'S DAY @ STREET FEST LONDON - PALEO LEMON POUND CAKE

After the crazy baking rush at the end of last week Blog'n'Bake braved the torrential downpours pounding London and headed to Dalston Yard for #BloggerSaturday at Street Feast London to present our much blogged baked goods to the world.

I baked up some of my favourite Paleo Brownies, Lemon Pound Cake & Lemon Bars, Hannah had baked up her Naniamo Bars (soon to be made Paleo), Giulia had made her famous Carrot Cake & Chocolate Cheesecake whilst Wendy bought along her Tart au Citron and a few very special Kaya Jams she had slaved over the night before.

I really enjoyed chatting with people about the benefits of a Paleo lifestyle and describing how the baked goods came together, thankfully only a few people turned their noses up when I told them everything was gluten, grain, diary & refined sugar free but plenty of other people had heard of Paleo and were interested to hear what treats looked like in my world. This was of course great to see in London

Definitely an awesome day and I'm really looking forward to some more Blog'n'Bake outings in the future!




We definitely had awesome day chatting to the other vendors and trying their fantastic food with a few highlights being a bunless burger from Honest Burger and some amazing Scallops from a fellow food blogger Pork and Salmon. After Saturday I'm really looking forward to some more Blog'n'Bake outings! And so, onto the Lemon Pound Cake:

This lemon pound cake is truly spectacular, the glaze is a must and if you bake it right it comes out so beautifully moist it doesn't feel you're giving up anything but not packing it with crappy sugar and faux lemon juice. Unfortunately I can't claim credit for how awesome it is as I pretty much stick to Civilised Cavemen's recipe but reduce the honey to 1/2 a cup, leave out the lemon zest as I feel it gives the glaze a very strange texture and bake it in a loaf tin to increase the thickness and keep the centre more moist.

BLOG'N'BAKE @ STREET FEAST LONDON - PALEO LEMON BARS

Phew, I feel like I've been cracking Eggs and juicing lemons for hours, its worth it though!

They've all gone into the Paleo Treats I'll be selling at Street Feast London on Saturday as part of the Blog'n'Bake collective and the #BloggerSaturday event Street Feast are hosting! I'll be there from Noon with Hannah, Giulia & Wendy selling a variety of our favourites including my contribution of Paleo Lemon Bars, Lemon Pound Cake and Blueberry, Banana & Chocolate Brownies. 

These are recipes I make and enjoy on a regular basis and all of them are Paleo friendly meaning no gluten, grains, diary or refined sugar. So if you're at all interested in trying some Paleo baked goods please come down as I'd love to meet some UK Paleo folks. 

They'll be plenty of other not so Paleo options thanks to Giulia making her Carrot Cake (I can confirm it is amazing and definitely part of my 20%), Hannah making the Canadian classic of Naniamo Bars and Wendy crafting her Lemon Tarts.

The Lemon Bars above are based on the recipe by the uber talented Danielle from Against All Grain. If you're interested in making them yourself check out the recipe here: http://www.againstallgrain.com/2013/05/10/luscious-lemon-bars-nut-free/

If you haven't already, check out her amazing recipes and order yourself a copy of her book!

MY PALEO BOX & BANANA BREAD

Last week I received the first My Paleo Box and I'm mighty impressed, the range of products in the box was diverse and after a quick spot of online window shopping the value proposition is clear. The box has plenty of staples of the Paleo diet including coconut oil, coconut flour & almond butter as well as some treats from Naked Ape, Nakd (my latest addiction), The Raw Chocolate Co and a few surprises like Paleo Powder, Avacado Oil and some Himalayan Salt

Although is quite an investment each month I think I'll stick with it, in hopes I'll get to experience new and different products each month along with the staples I use on a daily basis and its great to see the UK Paleosphere surging forward thanks to this box, plenty of conversations taking place during #paleohour (Tuesday 8-9pm, if you're interested) and an ever growing list of bloggers and companies offering real food any aspiring caveman can enjoy.


The box also come with a recipe card for Paleo banana bread and banana leaf to line the tin. Of course I had to bake and photograph my favourite paleo treat using the recipe and thankfully it turned out great!

#PYOandPie AT PETERLEY MANOR FARM

Last Sunday Hannah and I collected the 'Londoners' and headed to Peterley Manor Farm in search of pick-your-own fruit for our next adventure: #PYOandPie

I soon found myself in fields I spent many years of my childhood exploring whilst collecting fresh produce through the approved 'pick one, eat one' method, a method each and every child adopts when picking fruit straight from the source. This of course ends in sticky fingers and red smears masking smiling faces. A fond memory, not forgotten.

Thankfully, these days I can appreciate the hard work that goes into growing fresh produce and the 'pick one, eat one' method didn't seem quite so appealing. I felt the need to recognise all this hard work spread before me, in the form of delicious raspberries & strawberries patiently waiting to be picked. Of course I enjoyed a few as we went, that is part of the fun after all!

We slowly filled our punnets, discussing the finer points of collecting berries and recipes we could whip up in the afternoon. I really love the sweet achievement of finding a large batch of strawberries hidden below the leaves, just waiting to be found.

Ultimately, I think Hannah summed it up best in one word: 'therapeutic'.

If you've never picked your own food, please do. It comes so naturally and instantly that its almost shocking, like a long lost skill we all know and simple need to tap into when the chance comes. It makes me think of simpler times and of hunting and gathering we've sadly lost to modern times.
Thanks to a few hours picking we'd filled enough punnets to pursue our baking plans that afternoon. Those plans? Giulia's Strawberry & Raspberry Tart seemed like the perfect fit and we all pitched in to bring the recipe together. A team effort for sure!



P.S - If you're smart you'll notice some of these photos are from a visit Hannah and I took together before #PYOandPie. A scouting trip if you will!

A WALK ON THE GRAND UNION

On the first cool morning we've had since the start of this 'heat wave' Hannah and I travelled to the Grand Union Canal in hope of a cool walk along the famous route and a pub lunch at the Grand Junction, as its one of those spots I've driven past countless times but never had the pleasure of attending. Thankfully, its now been ticked off the list. Just a shame it wasn't the best experience - seriously, why is good pub food so hard to get right?

We rambled along the river, enjoying the boats, watching the fishermen attempting to snag huge carp lazily floating just below the surface, almost in jest of their efforts and chatted to my parents about the complexities of canal boats and the locks they frequent so regularly whilst travelling. 

Its a very interesting lifestyle, with a simple approach that promotes sustainable living in a low stress environment, with most people growing their own veggies and producing power thanks to photovoltaic panels mounted on the roofs of their boats. It's a Primal Living dream, and something I would love to do.My parents have told Hannah and I about the shop boats, travelling up and down the canals, selling their wares and I can now say I've had the pleasure of seeing one - The Candy Boat. She was moored up about half way through our walk selling home made fudge and classic sweets aplenty, we of course had to indulge and support something so perfect, leaving with two packs of fudge: Maple & Pecan and Coffee Cream. Very tasty, but far too sweet for our subtle taste buds.

I feel I could get into this Canal Boat hobby and I'm already looking forward to visiting my parents on their boat in September.