Thursday 17 December 2015

Welsh Haggis

We love leeks in the T household, they are much gentler on the palate than onions and are so quick to cook.  We have them at least twice a week in one form or another!  

I'm always devising new recipe ideas to include leeks, and having just come back from a fabulous holiday in Scotland, I was inspired by all the delicious haggis that I ate when I was there (yum!).  Now haggis isn't for everyone, I'm sure most people are put off by the ingredients list, so it got me thinking about how I could make something like haggis that would appeal to everyone, young and old alike.

Hence, the birth of Welsh Haggis!  Incredibly simple to make, it tastes delicious and the texture is very like Scottish Haggis.  Even better, it's a one pot dish, so less washing up!

Welsh Haggis

2 large leeks, finely chopped
500g minced lamb
200g good quality black pudding, crumbled
Worcestershire sauce
200g cooked rice
plenty of freshly ground black pepper

First, sweat down 2 chopped leeks in a little oil for 3-4 minutes until softened. Then add the lamb mince and cook gently until browned.  Stir in the cooked rice and the crumbled black pudding, combine well.  Add 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and LOTS of freshly ground black pepper.  Season lightly with salt.


You can serve it hot just like this but I like to make it the day before, allow the mix to cool and then shape into little Welsh Haggis balls!


Monday 28 September 2015

Feeling stressed? Get a relaxation mantra!

So, I live in the most beautiful place in Cornwall, I have a job I love, a wonderful husband and fabulous family life.  What could possibly cause me stress?

Well, quite a lot it would seem!  There doesn't seem to be a day goes by without some little (or big!) thing creeping into my psyche and disrupting the state of joyous happiness that should reign.  Stupid things like just missing the ferry and knowing you've got to wait 30 minutes for the next one, being sat next to Mr Loud on the train, the grocery delivery missing the one thing I really wanted......the list goes on.  Silly, petty things that really cause havoc in your mind and get blown up out of all proportion.

So I decided that I needed to take a step back and to stop these silly irritants spoiling what is otherwise a lovely, happy existence.  What I needed was a Relaxation Mantra that I could use when I felt the ire and stress rising inside me.

One evening, I did some research on line about mantras and realised that just any old saying would not work for me, it had to be something that I really related to and would nip the negative feelings in the bud.  And it had to make "sense" - I'm a very logical person and something wishy washy wouldn't cut the mustard with my precise mind!

So here it is - my Relaxation Mantra





I (stupidly) do get stressed about the little stuff but these words and image really help put the issue into perspective. When I start to get stressed, I close my eyes and visualise this beautiful photo (which I took on a fabulous relaxing trip to Ireland - we could all take a leaf out of the Irish book on how to live a laid back life!) and think "Will it matter a year from now?".  Mostly, of course it won't!  It's like a weight has been lifted!  I love the fact that the person is moving out of the photo too - another visual telling me to "just move on" and to forget the current irritant.

So, do you have a relaxation mantra?  I'd love to hear how you use yours and how successful it's been.