Wimbledon officially begins on Monday 27th June, and you know what that means... its strawberries and cream time! How about trying something different to your regular strawberries and cream and have a go at making these cute Strawberries and Cream Cupcakes instead!

These delicious little Strawberry cupcakes have a delicious jam centre once you get past the strawberry and cream topping. They're the perfect little treat to have at your dinner parties or to enjoy whilst you're cheering on Andy Murray at Wimbledon. 

This delicious recipe and image can both be found on the BBC Good Food website!

Ingredients:

  • 200g/7oz unsalted butter, softened 
  • 200g/7oz caster sugar 
  • 4 free-range eggs 
  • 200g/7oz self-raising flour
  • 4 tbsp good-quality strawberry jam 
  • 250 ml/9fl oz lightly whipped double cream 
  • 250g/9oz strawberries, hulled 
  • Icing sugar, for dusting 

 

 

Method

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 200c/400f/gas 6. Line two 12-hole muffin trays with paper cases. 

Step 2 - Cream the butter and sugar together, preferably with an electric whisk, in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy. (This can take 5-7 mins, so this stage should not be rushed).

Step 3 - Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until well combined. (If the mixture looks like it is curdling, add a spoonful of the flour). 

Step 4 - Fold in the remaining flour with a metal spoon until you have a soft, smooth mixture. 

Step 5 - Pipe or spoon the mixture into the paper cases until half full, add a teaspoon of jam and then cover with the remaining cake mixture. The finished cake case should be about three-quarters full.  

Step 6 - Bake in the oven for 12-15 mins, or until the cakes are pale golden-brown and spring back when pressed gently with a finger.

Step 7 - Remove the cakes from the oven and set aside to cool on a wire rack. 

Step 8 - Using a small knife make a well in the top of each cake by removing a disk of cake. 

Step 9 - Fill the well with whipped cream and top with a strawberry.

Step 10 - Serve with a generous dusting of icing sugar.

Products You May Find Helpful

12 Cup Muffin Tray
£13.86 inc V.A.T.
Individual Muffin Cups
£6.26 inc V.A.T.
Large Cooling Rack
£3.60 inc V.A.T.

As we are now officially in to summer, what better way is there to get in to summer cooking than dusting down the barbecue and having a go at making these fantastic thai red curry chicken kebabs!

These thai red chicken kebabs are full of fantastic flavours and are the epitome of what we class as summer recipes. They take virtually no time at all to prepare and cook, which is one reason they are a fantastic dish to serve at a barbecue. The thai flavours put an alternative twist on regular chicken kebabs and the crunch of fresh pepper and red onion really compliments the spice of the curry paste. So why not give these a go at home for your next barbecue to really kick start your summer!

 

Ingredients:

  • 2 boneless chicken breasts cut in to large chunks
  • 2 tbsp of Thai red curry paste
  • 2 tbsp of coconut milk
  • 1 red onion, cut in to chunks
  • 1 courgette, halved and cut in to chunks
  • 1 red pepper cut in to chunks
  • 1 lime, halved to serve

Instructions:

Step 1-As we are in the height of summer, we recommend using your barbecue to make these delicious thai red curry chicken kebabs. If the weather isn’t great, you could make them by using a small grill pan under your grill. Start by mixing the chicken, coconut milk and thai red curry paste in bowl until the chicken is well covered by the mixture.

Step 2-Then take the skewers and starting placing a piece of chicken, then a piece of vegetable until you have a good mix of vegetables on each skewer.

Step 3- Place the skewers on the barbecue for between 5 and 8 minutes. Remember to turn them while they cook to ensure an even cooking process.

Step 4-The skewers will be cooked when the chicken starts to char at the edges, but please check the inside of the chicken carefully before eating.

Step 5- Serve these delicious thai red curry chicken kebabs with a squeeze of the fresh lime juice and alongside a healthy salad, potato salad and a tasty rice dish.

Step 6- Once you are happy that these barbecued chicken kebabs are cooked, they are ready to serve alongside all the other delicious barbecue food you have prepared!

Source: BBC Good Food 

Products You May Find Helpful

Pulled Pork

This weekend, Cancer Research UK are encouraging you to BBQ to beat cancer and raise awareness! We think this is a great idea as it is a great excuse to get your family and friends together the same time as raising awareness of a very important issue. Below we have chosen a delicious recipe that is perfect for you to try out this weekend! For more information on how to BBQ to beat cancer, visit Cancer Research UK’s page here!

This recipe comes straight from Food Network and what an absolutely fantastic recipe it is! Pulled pork is now a prominent feature on virtually any pub or restaurant menu simply because us Brits love it! This BBQ pulled pork recipe combines delicious slow roasted pork with a homemade rich BBQ sauce and crisp coleslaw to top it off. The combination of flavours from this recipe with be a guaranteed hit with all of your guests at your BBQ, so why not give it a go, all in aid of a great cause!

 

Ingredients:

For the BBQ Pulled Pork and Dry Rub

  • 1 pork roast, preferably a shoulder cut
  • 3 tbsp of paprika
  • 1 tbsp of garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp of brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp of dry mustard powder
  • 3 tbsp of sea salt
  • 12 bread rolls

For the Cider Vinegar BBQ Sauce

  • 1 and a half cups of cider vinegar
  • 1 cup of yellow mustard
  • Half a cup of ketchup
  • One third of a cup of brown sugar
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp of cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp of kosher salt
  • Half a tsp of ground black pepper
  • Juices from the Roast Pork

For the Coleslaw

  • 2 grated carrots
  • 1 shredded green cabbage
  • 1 thinly sliced red onion
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 1 red chilli
  • 1 1 tbsp of cider vinegar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 and a half cups of mayonaise
  • A quarter of a cup of Dijon mustard
  • Half a tsp of celery seed
  • A pinch of sugar

Instructions:

Step 1-In a mixing bowl, mix together the salt, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder and dry mustard to form the rub for the pork. Once well combined, rub well in to the pork, cover and refrigerate for a minimum of an hour but preferably overnight.

Step 2-Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit/150 degrees celcius. Place the pork in a roasting tin, and allow it to slow cook for around 6 hours until it starts to fall apart. Try our vitreous enamel roasting tin for this, it’s perfect and comes with a roasting rack!

Step 3-Now you can start making the barbecue sauce to go with the pork. In a saucepan, add the cider vinegar, yellow mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, the crushed garlic cloves, salt, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Cook on a medium heat until the sugar starts to dissolve. Once this has happened, take it off the heat and allow to cool.

Step 4-Once the pork has started to fall apart, remove it from the oven and let it rest for around 10 to 15 minutes. You want to get all of the juices and loose bits of pork from the bottom of the roasting tin to use for your sauce. To do this, take a cup of water and add it to the roasting tin over a medium heat. Scrape all of the pieces off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Reduce by no more than half and pour it in to the saucepan with the other barbecue sauce ingredients and cook for a further 5 minutes.

Step 5-The next step is to start removing the meat from the joint. Take 2 forks and use them to hold the meat steady while you pull pieces of the pork off. Place in bowl and pour half of the barbecue sauce over it and mix.

Step 6-Now make the coleslaw by mixing the carrots, onions, cabbage and chilli in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, add the mayonnaise, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and a pinch of sugar to form the dressing for the coleslaw. Once you are happy it is all well combined, pour over the vegetable mixture and mix well. Season the coleslaw to taste with salt, pepper etc.

Step 7- We suggest serving this bbq pulled pork in bread rolls with a generous portion of the coleslaw on top! Now all there is left to do is enjoy this delicious bbq pulled pork as part of your bbq weekend!

Source: Food Network 

Products You May Find Helpful

The BBC Good Food Summer Show arrives at the NEC in Birmingham on 11th June and is there until 14th June. Featuring a host of big stars across the 4 days such as Mary Berry, Michel Roux Jr, James Martin and Tom Kerridge, you will see some spectacular food prepared right before your eyes, inspiring you to go home and do some summer cooking of your own.

To see all of these big names, you will need to get yourself to the super theatre at particular times with Mary Berry there on Friday 12th June only and Michel Roux Jr only there on Saturday 13th June, so get tickets in plenty of time to avoid disappointment!

If you get a bit peckish while you are there (we would be surprised if you didn’t get hungry with a host of celebrity chefs cooking some fantastic food!), you can always head over to the BBC Good Food kitchen for a spot of lunch. Serving up delights such as buttermilk roasted Poussin for main course and strawberry, cherry and amaretto meringue cake for dessert, you will not be disappointed with the food on offer, and it available for a fantastic price!

 

For more information on this brilliant event and what you can expect to see there, simply click here!