Jamie Love - and when 15 minutes is really 35...

Having run out of steam with 'Project Breakfast', I decided a couple of weeks ago that I needed a new food fad. I have no staying power with any sort of project - hence such sporadic blogging - so attempting to cook from the same book for a sustained period of time was always going to be a challenge!

Frankly, just cooking every evening would be a challenge; I'm more your 'heat and eat' kind of girl. Having enjoyed an amazing pasta feast with our lovely friends, Family Knight, shortly after Christmas, I was inspired by Chef Dan's recipe from Jamie Oliver's '30 Minute Meals'. A cynic by nature and a general domestic incompetent, I remained unconvinced that the meals really do take so little time to prepare and cook, so was delighted to discover Jamie's '15 Minute Meals'. For exactly two weeks, every evening meal we ate, came from this book.

The verdict?

Pros

• Every meal I made genuinely tasted good! Obviously, we had favourites, but there wasn't a dud amongst them.
• They seem to be healthy and balanced - which was one of Jamie's objectives. I have never felt like I have eaten such a varied and interesting diet before.
• All recipes are for four people, and generous portions at that.
• They look pretty! Especially if you mimic Jamie's philosophy of platters of food to encourage a 'dig-in and share' approach.
• I really am a terrible cook but nothing was beyond my distinctly limited culinary capabilities.

Cons

• I defy anyone (including Jamie himself) to actually make the meals in 15 minutes! Cheekily, he doesn't count getting your ingredients and equipment out in the time frame and the dishes rely on a significant number of ingredients. I found that if I prepped separately, whilst plonking the toddler in front of 'Peppa Pig', for some of the dishes, the cooking took around 15-20 minutes.
• It was expensive - as I said in my previous comment, you need a lot of ingredients. However, I do think if you used the book regularly, you'd build your store cupboard up and the cost would go down. Also, I stupidly wasn't halving the ingredients when I was only cooking for two people.
• You really need a food processor with a variety of blades. Don't bother with the book if you don't have one or aren't prepared to buy one.
• Be prepared for mess! The kitchen generally looked like a bomb had hit it most evenings. Thank goodness for a dishwasher and a husband who dislikes chaos!
• If you're not a natural cook and you rely on a number of prepared meals throughout the week alongside some actual cooking, cooking only from this book started to feel like a stamina test!

Overall, I will definitely cook from '15 Minute Meals' again. In fact, the dishes are impressive enough that they would make really impressive and satisfying dinner party food. I feel like my little experiment was an enjoyable success that has definitely given me more confidence in the kitchen.

Now that particular fad has finished, I am rather drawn to the lovely Alice Judge-Talbot's brand new website: More Than Paleo. In fact, the chicken for the delicious-looking Sticky Honey Chicken Salad with Sweet Potato and Cashew Nuts, is marinating in the fridge as I type!

Below are the meals I made from Jamie's book: two from each main section of the book. Jamie's are on the left, in case you were wondering! And this is not a sponsored post, in case you were wondering that too, although I may send Jamie the link...

Project Breakfast on the road...

As a family, Team Wayne struggles to get out of the house before midday on a non-work day. I blame two things: every member of the family's complete love affair with sleep; Mr W's lengthy morning shower routine - most of which is spent cleaning the shower.

Some mornings require an early exit from the house - usually for the most banal of reasons. This was the case this morning, as my car was due its MOT: dullsville. Back in Uckfield for 9.30am, we took Project Breakfast on the road. Dexter was still in his pyjamas (I had changed his nappy) and today's promised bad weather had been given an early morning blue-sky reprieve.

We therefore whiled away an hour or so in the desirable window-seat of 'Hartfields' on the high street. A cute caff with produce on sale too, it does wonderfully strong coffee, offers a selection of cakes and as it turns out, does a pretty mean breakfast too.

This isn't a sponsored post; I think local high streets are an important part of a local community. We should support them, particularly when customer satisfaction is a priority. And we left Hartfields as very satisfied (and full) customers.

Let's just hope my car passes its MOT...

Leftovers Love

One of my current favourite things is the weekly delivery of the Abel & Cole vegetable box. Last night, to accompany organic pork and buttery apple sauce, I made 'Rainbow Rice'. I always cook too much rice, which left plenty for Sunday's breakfast, topped with a poached egg and sweet chilli sauce.

 

And yes, I did eat it off this rather pretty vintage plate: how very decadent!

 

 

A twist on a classic

 

 

Mr W often teases me that I have fleeting commitments to well, pretty much everything - not to him I hasten to add. He's got a point. I often leap into new projects and hobbies with complete gusto, only to get bored quite quickly - particularly if DIY or any sort of cleaning is involved. I'm losing a little bit of steam with 'Project Breakfast'. Surely there's a limit to how creative one can be when it comes to simply making breakfast.

 

This morning, all I could think of was cheese on toast, but with the pressure of this post weighing heavily on my mind, and in the absence of beer and mustard, I substituted milk and onions, and voila! Sussex Rarebit was born.

 

A tad stodgy and rich, I may just stick to cheese on toast in future...

Simply Scrambled Eggs

Sometimes on a Sunday morning, when you're running late for your riding lesson and only a few basic ingredients are required, scrambled eggs on buttered, white toast, really hit the spot. Bunging all your ingredients together (well, except the bread) and popping it in the microwave, simply adds to the speediness.

A happy start to the day!

 

 

 

BLT

On Wednesday, I received a free Abel & Cole fruit and veg box after using a promotional code from a friend. There's something very seductive about their branding and I've definitely been experimenting more in the kitchen to ensure we use the entire contents of the box. 

The plum tomatoes and green battavia lettuce were crying out for a bit of carb and meat accompaniment, hence this morning's BLT.

I over-cooked the bacon and I don't even really like tomatoes in sandwiches, but washed down with one of Mr W's lattes, they were delicious!

Parisian Pancakes

Yesterday's 'Project Breakfast' feast was a nod to a tradition from living in our Brighton flat. Saturday morning was quite regularly a time for pancakes. Mr W made them; I ate them. He's a lemon and sugar traditionalist; I'm a jam and fromage frais (stolen from the toddler) experimentalist.

Pancakes have a special place in the heart of Team Wayne. In the early days of our courtship, Mr W asked what my favourite food was. When I replied with sushi, he took me to a Japanese restaurant. For our next date I asked him the same question. He told me pancakes; I took him to Paris.

Scandi breakfast sandwich

'Project Breakfast' continues to follow a somewhat experimental path. Being obsessed with all things Scandi, I thought I'd try a twist on the traditional Danish open sandwich for breakfast this morning. No rye bread and no following of what is apparently a strict set of rules in terms of sandwich composition - rebellious, I know. Instead, wholemeal toasted and buttered bread, smoked salmon, sliced cucumber and chopped boiled egg. Delish!

Breakfast in a bun

Breakfast this morning was a bit of an experiment: a very successful experiment. Who knew that a toasted bun, a thick layer of mashed avocado, yesterday's left-over bacon, sweet chilli sauce and a poached egg could be such a winning combination?

So far in 'Project Breakfast', this is the King of Breakfasts!

Sweet and Savoury

Still not doing terribly well with breakfasting properly in the week; have managed porridge, breakfast 'biscuits' and a crumpet this week. I'm therefore still predictably ravenous by about half past ten most days.

This morning's seemingly small but massively filling combination was therefore very welcome on a very grey start to the weekend.

Combining sweet & savoury, there was something very delicious about thickly sliced white bread, fried in a sticky mixture of egg, milk & cinnamon and topped with bacon and maple syrup.

Doubt I'll be hungry until about 4pm.

Sweet Sunday Banana Smoothie

If there's a worse idea than trying to be inventive in the kitchen on a Saturday morning, then it's trying to create breakfast on a Sunday morning.

The cupboards and fridge had a distinctly Old Mother Hubbard feel to them today. However, there were some over-ripe bananas and plenty of milk. I like to eat bananas when they're un-ripe, green and hard, but freckled and distinctly squishy is perfect for a smoothie with the addition of some store-cupboard sweetness.

Savoury Saturday Muffins

Saturday seemed like a good day to start 'Project Breakfast': no early morning alarm and no urgency to be anywhere. The downside to Saturday morning kitchen experimentation soon became clear this morning when there was hardly any food left in the fridge.

With a bit of imagination, some improvising and some checking of 'best before' dates, I managed to create 'Savoury Saturday Muffins'. They are a variation on 'Egg Parcels' from The River Cottage Baby & Toddler Cookbook, but the addition of potatoes makes them a little more substantial, and the use of a regular onion lends them a more savoury kick.

They were super simple and required: olive oil, an onion, some cold cooked new potatoes, 3 eggs, a knob of butter, a splash of whole milk, some shredded smoked salmon, chives from the garden and the dregs of a packet of grated mozzarella. They looked a little like mini frittatas and would be equally tasty hot or cold. I didn't even eat them with ketchup - almost unheard of for me. Project Breakfast is off to a flying start!

Project Breakfast

Whilst I cannot function in the morning until I've had a cup of tea, I really struggle with breakfast. Given my workday alarm goes off at 6am (I press 'snooze' until 6.30am, obviously), and at the weekend, a toddler in the house means that 8am is a lie-in, I'm just not hungry first thing. However, I do know how important breakfast is - check out Dexter with his cousins: he's the king of breakfasting. I think I need to take a lead from my son.

Part of the problem is I don't find your typical breakfast fodder all that inspiring: most cereal feels like eating pet food; toast is well, 'meh' and do I really have time to cook before it's even got light?

I thought I would start 'Project Breakfast'. I'm going to try at least once a week to break out of my breakfast boredom and try something new. It doesn't have to be something complicated, although I'll undoubtedly be looking to Pinterest for some inspiration. I'd welcome any favourite suggestions or recommendations, and I'll try to do some documenting on here, but it probably won't be as compelling as this lady - check out the 2012 archive.

Perhaps I'll start tomorrow. We need to do a food shop, so it would add to the challenge having to work with the dwindling contents of the fridge.

I'll see you in the morning in the kitchen...