Cookie In a Jar..... Mood = Cookie monster

When I first opened Baity i knew a few things, but boy have i learnt ALOT since 1 year and 2 months of operation. The main thing i learnt is that there are many people out there trying to do similar things and what separates you from the rest is your quality and being the best. Also have signature dishes or simple things like having the best brownie or cookie in town can make a difference.

Our cookies became quite popular with our clients as we experimented with the fillings and one of them is dates. Our date cookie sells like crazy and the moistness and chewiness of it just make is it superb.

At some points we just couldn't make enough to fulfil our demand for them so i came up with something that allowed out customers to be a bit more interactive and make them at home, without giving our secret recipe away. I first saw this idea on Bakerella with her cowgirl cookie jars and thought that it was A FANTASTIC idea.

So off i went to buy some cute little kilner jars and created and designed some logos and instruction labels and off they went. You can even make them on a stick if you like as a Lolly cookie. Great for the kids....

These cookies in a jar were and are so popular we sold 40 jars in 2 days and had a personal order for 40 more the following week. During Christmas they were even more popular and even now people are still enjoying them. They have been refilling the jars with other products when done so its good use for them. I fill mine up with home made pickles and olives when I'm done....

I think to create a brand with a great product that is easy to make and tastes great gives you the edge on other businesses.

I appreciate everyone who has bought them and enjoyed them and continues to do so.

Flavours: Date, Triple chocolate, White chocolate with Cranberries, Dark chocolate with sour cherries,  oats and dried fruit..... etc etc

XX J

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Sesame Seared Tuna Salad.... Mood = Improvisation

I have so many delicious ingredients coming through my door all the time and sometimes get bored of cooking the same thing, which happens alot. In Baity, we always have a seared tuna steak with a delicious spicy salsa to go with it, and i made that as usual but had some left over pieces of tuna that were too small to make into gorgeous fillet steaks, so i improvised and made a delicious fresh crunchy oriental salad.

I used the bottom end of tuna which come to a point and greased it up a little with olive oil and coated it generously with sesame seeds. shaved some vegetables and made a delicious dressing and hey presto the result was beautiful, colourful fresh, crunchy and very very tasty. BUT you MUST ALWAYS USE fresh tuna for this as it is almost raw.

I think improvising is the best way of cooking as it really lets your mind go free. You have a chance to really let go of your usual routine of cooking i guess, and try something you always wanted to try or simply just be different.

This salad lasted in my counter downstairs for approximately 45 Minutes before being ravaged! I was so so happy to see the empty platter come up which proved to me that experimenting can be fun and also be very  very worthwhile.

Recipe:

400 grams of fresh tuna loin from the tail end.
sesame seeds
Courgettes
moollis
asparagus
Red peppers
Soya sauce
chilli sauce
sesame oil
sugar
fish sauce
limes and coriander
chilli
Baby leaf salad

Method:

• first shave your courgettes raw and place in a bowl

• Peel moolis and slice finely

• Chop the coriander and chilli

• Mix with baby leaf salad

• cook the asparagus heads for approximately 4-5 minutes. NO LONGER as you want a nice crunch.

• Slice the red peppers into julienne strips

• Mix all together with the baby leaf salad and this is the base for your salad

• With the tuna, you want to oil it slightly, cover it completely with the sesame seeds and then begin to sear it. At first it seems that the sesame will fall off and wont stay on the tuna, but have faith and let it crust nicely on top.

• Turn the sides to sear approximately 3-4 minutes on each side. You want it to cook nicely but not fully, leaving and delicious moist tuna steak in the middle.

• Once you have seared you tuna leave it to rest for a moment and begin making your sauce.

• Add 7 table spoons the soya to taste, with a table spoon of sesame oil, a sprinkling of fresh chillies, sesame seeds, 2 limes and a table spoon of sugar. You can also add some sweet chilli jam if have some to hand and a splash of fish sauce.

You can add more or less of things you like but you have to have the essence of the taste of what you are looking for. This sauce gets drizzled over the tuna slices which gets placed over the salad and served straight away.

USE A SHARP KNIFE when cutting the tuna otherwise you will rip it apart.

Enjoy with a  nice glass of crisp sauvignon blanc.

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Palestine.... Mood = Home Grown!

Since Baity kitchen started..... Yes i know i use that line often but its true.... Since it started i got to search and research different products to sell at the deli and found some wonderful things along the way. First were the flowering teas, then came the cupcakes in a jar and the chocolate fondues. This went on and on and it just got better and better until i found a wonderful Palestinian olive oil that i could stock at my place. I have been to-ing and fro-ing about whether to stock this oil so not to upset people as we are in a very sensitive area where we have a high political view on things but seeing as i AM Palestinian i though it was only appropriate. Also since Ottolenghi's duo of Israeli and Palestinian team went down so well i thought that it would be just fine.

I am always a supporter of ALL companies that are small and family run and this has been the way since the beginning. What is the point of of supporting and stocking products that EVERYBODY has when there are better and more delicious products out there that are just waiting to be discovered.

This Olive oil is tangy a bit peppery and oh so delicious you almost want to eat it on its own.... But know that it is just not appropriate.....

I found this oil on the website of a supplier that i use for everyday products and then went to the link of the company profile itself.... Read on.

Palestine is the home of the olive tree, with some of the oldest olive groves in the world, some dating as far back as 1500 to 2000 years. The olive trees produce fruit that supports over half the population and can be seen dominating the agricultural landscape.
The Mediterranean climate, rich fertile soil and use of organic traditional farming methods, makes Zaytoun’s Palestinian olive oil a world outstanding product.
Zaytoun’s main challenge is to find a market place for Palestinian produce in the UK. We cannot do this without the support of our hundreds of distributors across the country. Zaytoun

If you are looking for a top of the range olive oil, then i have just found it. Available to buy at Baity Kitchen!

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Honey roast vegetables.... Mood= Winter warmers

Since opening Baity Kitchen last December our roasted root vegetables have been a very very BIG hit. They are simple, retain their flavour and have a moorish crunch and stickiness to them. We get a lot of requests about how we cook them and i always tell my clients that its the simplest recipes that always have the best results and this is one of them.

I do this with all my my root vegetables just the only thing i change is the honey, by using golden syrup or maple syrup. So it works with all three.

Whatever vegetable you use, be it sweet potato, carrots, parsnips etc, the best thing is to follow this recipe and it goes well with fish, meat or simply on its own.

The one is am showing in the photo today is for sweet potato as we make this everyday without fail come winter or spring.

Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes cut into wedges
garlic in their skins
A bunch of thyme
Honey, Maple syrup or golden syrup
Olive oil
Salt, pepper

• Cut the sweet potato down the middle and wedge it

• Then sprinkle with salt pepper and drizzle with oil and the syrup and place on baking paper and break apart some thyme and place in a hot oven at 200 degrees on their sides.

• This point is important as this will help caramelise them and make them sticky and chewy.

• Place them in the oven and DO NOT MOVE them for at least 40 minutes and them turn them over and cook again for another 20 or so minutes till they have browned all over. 

• Serve them straight away. 

Always make more then you think as you will want more and more.
So delicious and so so good for you.

Sweet potato has many nutritious qualities to it. Here is a little info i found on Wikipedia:

Besides simple starches, sweet potatoes are rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, beta carotene (a vitamin A equivalent nutrient), vitamin C, and vitamin B₆. Pink, yellow and green varieties are high in carotene, the precursor of vitamin A.
In 1992, the Center for Science in the Public Interest compared the nutritional value of sweet potatoes to other vegetables. Considering fiber content, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium, the sweet potato ranked highest in nutritional value. According to these criteria, sweet potatoes earned 184 points, 100 points over the next on the list, the common potato.
Sweet potato varieties with dark orange flesh have more beta carotene than those with light-colored flesh, and their increased cultivation is being encouraged in Africa, where vitamin A deficiency is a serious health problem. Despite the name "sweet", it may be a beneficial food for diabetics, as preliminary studies on animals have revealed it helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and to lower insulin resistance.^[24]
The peptic substance (0.78 percent total, 0.43 percent soluble) present in fresh tubers contains uronic acid (60%) and methoxyl (4-5%). Other constituents include phytin (1.05%), two monoaminophosphatides (probably lecithin and cephalin), organic acids (oxalic acid), phytosterolin, phytosterol, resins, tannins, and coloring matter.[2

Sounds good. eh?

Enjoy!

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Summer opening of Buckingham Palace. Mood = Regal!

Buckingham Palace is opening their doors to the public once again! The 19 enormous state rooms that are usually reserved for entertaining dignitaries from around the world open to the public in August and September, you really will be able to see how the other half live.

Summer Opening at Buckingham Palace

This year there is a special exhibition, which takes a look at the collection of Royal Faberge ornaments. The exhibition reveals the extraordinary talents of the Russian goldsmith, Carl Faberge and how his name became synonymous with the finest royal collection of in the world.

The Royal Wedding
The Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress, designed by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, is also on display! Her Royal Highness worked closely with Sarah Burton in formulating the design of her dress under the brand Alexander McQueen. The dress is on display alongside the shoes and earrings worn by The Duchess on 29 April, as well as the magnificent Halo Tiara.

Standard adult tickets: £17.00

Children aged 5-17: £10

For more information click here 

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Baity goes to Italy..... Mood= Italian Affair!

When my brother told me he was getting married i was super excited for him. More than happy as his princess manana is an amazing girl.... But then he said Florence, and my heart began to beat even faster. I have been to Italy, but when i was very young. My parents took us on the orient Express and showed us the wonders of this country. But all i have are pictures and not real memories.

I was very excited and began to organise my trip. On the agenda was Portofino, Forte Dei Marmi, Pisa and Florence. It was an excuse for me to eat my way through Italy. And eat my way through Italy was exactly what i did.

At Baity kitchen, 90% of the staff are Italian and gave me lots of tips to on what to eat what and where. So i took their advice and did just as they said for a change..... :)

My trip began in Portofino. Simply beautiful and stunning. The weather was on and off during our 3 days there, but we made the most of it by eating our way through the time we spent there. The hotel we stayed in was impeccable and the food..... WAS DIVINE!

Fresh pizzas from a wood oven, Burrata mozzarella, tomatoes that actually tasted of tomatoes, and the truffles. If you want to get into my heart, the fastest way is to present me with truffles. I just adore them and one of my dishes, beef carpaccio was laden with them. Ooooh I'm in heaven just thinking about it right now.

The next best thing was going to Forte dei Marmi. It was just so cute and very much my kind of thing. The whole town is taken over by bicycles and a very quirky cute beachy scene. All the restaurants that we went to were just perfect serving up local fish and simple no fuss food that just tasted of what it was supposed to taste like. I just loved everything. The bresaola was soft and almost fluffy. No need to chew, no need to season. Langoustine were cooked to perfection, almost raw and so so sweet. I loved it there.

My favourite thing about being in Italy was the grocery shopping. I know they have supermarkets like we have over here in the UK, but the best part was the little family owned shops that have everything you want on one shelf, from deodorant, to chickpeas, razors to tinned tuna. The best was the hanging hams just behind the counter. I just wanted to put the whole thing in my suitcase. So yumm, and so beautiful.

Our next stop was Florence, were the festivities were taking place. We were a huge group of people for the wedding so the food sampling became immense as everyone wanted to go everywhere. And so we did. We went to little trattorias, fine dining and hotel restaurants. Each and everyone of these places were incredible. The atmosphere in Florence for me was electric. The city was magical and i think that contributed to the food. The views were almost museum like and i felt like i had stepped back in time. I ate so much i thought the dress for my brothers wedding was not going to fit anymore but i didn't care.

Florence was stunning, striking and simply wonderful. I didn't want to leave. But unfortunately all good things have to end at some point. But i am so glad it ended with the wedding of my Brother.

This Italian adventure was so far the best holiday i have taken in a long time simply for the food and the atmosphere. I would highly recommend this little tour to anyone who has the chance of taking it. And eat the steak fiorentina. I had one nearly every day while staying in Florence..... DELISH!!!!!

Next stop, the south of Italy....

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Baity's guide to the perfect glass of Pimms!

We LOVE Pimms at Baity Kitchen and even if it means drinking it indoors with the rain pouring outside, it still makes you feel fresh and summery!!!

It is definitely true to say that nothing quite beats a glass of Pimms on a summer’s day. Pimms is almost as much a tradition as the cup of tea with gallons of it being drunk by British people every year!

VS

History of Pimms

It was James Pimm, in the 1840s that invented the Great British thirst-quenching drink!  
He used gin, quinine and a secret mixture of herbs to be used as an aid to digestion, dishing it out in a small tankard!! This became known as the No. 1 cup!


After the Second World War, Pimms extended their range, using a number of other spirits as bases for new cups. Scotch lent its name to No. 2 cup while No. 3 used brandy, No. 4 rum, No. 5 rye and No. 6 vodka. Of these sequels, the vodka cup and brandy (now called Winter) are the only ones in production while original No. 1 cup still reigns supreme in popularity.


Pimms Recipes
Traditional Pimms No.1

Slice of orange

Lemon, 

Apple

Cucumber 

One sprig of mint

Add to two parts lemonade to one part Pimms

Watch how to make the perfect Pimms here!


Here are a few more Pimms recipes if you fancy mixing the classic up a bit!

Turbo Pimms No.1

As above but five parts lemonade, two parts Pimms, one part gin.


English Passion Pimms No.6

Take a shaker 2/3 full of ice and add 50ml of Pimms No.6, 25ml of Zubrowka vodka, flesh and juice of a passion fruit and a dash of sugar syrup. Shake well and strain into a tumbler full of ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint and two short straws.

Maximum Voltage Pimms No.6
Take a shaker 2/3 full of ice, 50ml of Pimms No.6, 25ml of Zubrowka vodka and 25ml of Cointreau. 

Shake well and strain into a high ball full of ice. 

Fill with soda water and garnish with mint. 

Watch the pimms advert here!

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Baity's Summer Design Top Tips

So far, the British summer has left a LOT to our imagination.  The long summer August days we were all dreaming about have already been slashed and on the 9^th August – the sky is grey and the winter jumpers are on (why do we live in England again  - it certainly isn’t for the weather that’s for sure!!).

However, do not fear! Help is at hand. Baity Kitchen are offering their Top Summer Design tips – catering for all interior design needs, just simply follow our tips to get a fun, vivacious summery look (even if the weather outside contradicts the season!)

Bring the outside - inside!

Last month – we wrote about the latest interior trend, bringing the outside inside. Following on from that post here are some more ideas of ways to bring the outside inside.

Bring alfresco dining inside – using outdoor dining and tableware! Firstly find a summery tablecloth or picnic throw for your kitchen table, like this one that we used for our interview with RED magazine last month!

Bright, block, summery colours or even patterned, floral designs - the bolder and brighter the better!! Accessorize your table with outdoor dining-ware using plastic summery goblets, flutes or tumblers, fill them with some freshly mixed pimms with fruit, mint and ice or whatever else takes your fancy!! There’s nothing like a glass of pimms to make you feel summery!

In the evening light colourful lanterns, which provide romantic, ethereal lighting and enjoy a glass of wine – the perfect summers evening, even if you have to be inside! 

‘Summer–up’ indoors!

All you have to do to make an indoor space feel a bit more summery is to bring a touch of colour. Try replacing cushion covers with bright zingy colours, bringing a breath of fresh air to a more wintery room. We recommend Baity’s brand colour - mint-green which will never go out of fashion due to its freshness.

Flowers are integral for this look. Simply putting single flowers in small jam jars are a cheap and easy way to create this look (like we do at Baity Kitchen!!)

Enjoy the summer – even if you have to stay indoors, sheltering from the rain! 

BRING THE SUMMER INSIDE!!

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Stitch and Bitch!

STITCH AND BITCH

Knitting is proven to be one of the longest standing popular leisure time activities of all time! Dating way way back many centuries ago - back to the 11^th century.

The worlds love for knitting is arguably kept alive by the notorious stitch and bitch sessions that are run up and down the country and all around the world – (where people meet up to literally knit, chat and eat cake!!). There’s nothing like a good old chat with friends and the knitting is really relaxing and therapeutic!

At Baity Kitchen we LOVE the idea of ‘Stitch and Bitch’. Anything that involves a good old gossip and a piece of cake suits us perfectly and the knitting just tops it all off!

Stitch London, is London’s most popular knitting group – run by Lauren O’Farrell. At Stitch London they pride themselves on being a ‘Feisty but friendly stitching group and also an online stitching monster, crashing through the world like a radioactive woolly Godzilla with sticks and string’!

The free weekly knitting sessions are open to everyone and you don’t even have to be able to knit. They are happy to teach you for FREE…and they welcome cross stitch, crochet, and other types of handicrafts!!

For more information about Stitch London, click here!

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Baity's Allotment!

We just love our little garden/allotment – everyday it gives us totally organic, fresh and fragrant herbs which we could not live without!

Baity's list of ways allotments can change your life: 

• They provide you with a cheap source of fresh fruit and vegetables
• They are organic as there is less contact with pesticides - which means that the fruit and vegetables that you grow are better for you
• They give you a great reason to spend more time outside
• They give you a good sense of achievement
• They provide you with a positive focus
• They are educational as you will learn lots of things your didn't already know about how to plant/grow various fruits and vegetables
• They are a great stress release
• They give you a great way to escape the pressures of modern living
• They encourage you to spend time with your neighbours and create a good community spirit
• Its a very sociable activity
• They provide you with a fun form of exercise

To find about getting an allotment near you...click here

One of our favourite things to grow at the moment is strawberries. Now is the perfect time to plant strawberries outdoors (they can be planted anytime between late June – September) – in your allotment!

Top-Tips for growing strawberries

• The ideal soil is well-drained and rich in humus
• They prefer to be planted in full sun, out of the wind
• They can produce fruit for five or six years
• To prevent slugs, put down pellets or place grit or broken egg shells under each plan
• Place a net over the plants to prevent birds and squirrels from eating the fruit 
• Pick any ripe strawberries so they don't rot on the plan
• Check the plants every other day during the ripening period 

How to plant your strawberries

Prepare the soil by digging over, removing any perennial weeds and adding manure

Plant with the crown at soil level and water well

  Five strawberry varieties to try…

1. 'Elvira' - a heavy cropper producing large, soft fruits from June to early July
2. 'Hapil' - high-yielding variety with large, bright red fruits from early to late July
3. 'Florence' - grows well in all soils and produces large, dark fruit in late summer
4. 'Vivarosa' - one of the few varieties to produce pink (instead of white) flowers
5. Fragaria vesca - provides good ground cover in cottage gardens

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