Delicious Valentine's Day Breakfasts

There's nothing better than a yummy breakfast and Valentine's Day is the perfect opportunity to experiment with romantic recipes in the kitchen. Whether you are mixing up a feast for your friends, family or your loved on this Valentine's day, here are some yummy ideas for some inspiration!

This is the easiest way to spread love this valentine's day, simply toast some bread and cut out a heart shape and lay it in the frying pan ready to fry your egg!

If your a fan of a big English breakfast, this is a cute idea for heart shaped potatoes to go with your eggs, sausages, bacon and baked beans!

Another alternative is this scrumptious granola mix (Valentine's style) simply using strawberry yogurt, granola and strawberry's. Perfect for a healthy breakfast or if you're on the go!

These spinach and smoked salmon egg muffins are delicious and would be an extra special treat on Valentine's Day! For the easy recipe visit Good Food and get baking!

What will you be cooking for breakfast this Valentine's Day?

The Perfect Hot Chocolate!

What better way to snuggle up in front of the tele with a film than with a lovely warm mug of hot chocolate! We have found a great recipe for a better than average hot chocolate that will definitely make it a firm favourite in the evening!

Ingredients:

50g dark drinking chocolate
40ml whipping cream
120ml semi skimmed milk
Pinch of salt
65g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces!

This great recipe is easy to follow and it won't take long before you have a lovely mug of hot chocolate in your hands!

1. Put 350g of cold tap water and the drinking chocolate into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.

2. When simmering, add the whipping cream, semi skimmed milk and salt, and stir to combine.

3. Pour over the chopped chocolate pieces and whisk to dissolve.

4. Using a hand blender, aerate the chocolate before pouring it into big mugs to serve and enjoy!

Why not add some mini marshmallows on top! Go on, we know you want too!

Find this gorgeous recipe here> Hot Chocolate Recipe

Get baking - Chocolate and Banana Bread! Perfect Easter Recipe.

Looks good, huh?

Here's what you'll need:

• 100g plain chocolate
• 150g unsalted butter , softened
• 175g golden caster sugar
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1 level tsp baking powder
• 25g cocoa
• 2 large banana peeled and mashed 

For the streusel topping:

• 25g unsalted butter
• 2 generous tbsp plain flour
• 1 level tbsp demerara sugar.

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and line the bases of 2 x 450g loaf tins with baking parchment. To make the streusel topping, rub the butter into the flour, then mix in the demerara sugar and chopped pecans. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave or in a small glass bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until smooth and remove from the heat.
2. Cream together the softened butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the egg, beating well between each addition. Sift together the flour, baking powder and cocoa and fold in using a large metal spoon. Add the mashed banana and chocolate and mix well.
3. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and top each with the streusel. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on a rack, then wrap in baking parchment or foil.

Any excuse for horsing around!

Today our Ava turns 22 (what a grand age!) so we thought we’d share with you one of her favourite things to do. A few of you will know that she loves her horse related activities, how she copes in the office all day we'll never know!

So after a weekend of eating chocolate, a few us might be thinking that we need to take a long hard look at ourselves..maybe, just maybe, toy with the idea of joining the gym. What better way to get yourself out and about and doing something active, then having a bash at horse riding? 

If the gym is too intimidating then there really is nothing better then saddling up at your local riding school for an hour. It really is the best fun. You don't have to worry about attire, give the riding school a ring and they'll be sure to give you some tips or lend you some gear! You can book yourself in with a beginner's group, so you can take it as steady (or as speedy) as you fancy. Some of you may of already been riding and never really thought of it as exercise, most probably watched it on TV during the Olympics where our GB team won numerous golds..or maybe you used to love it but life got in the way? There really is no better way to spend a Sunday morning. So, google some riding schools near you and give it a go!  

Ava horsing around with her pal Jigsaw.

Easter Cake Recipe- Sweet, cheap, easy and guaranteed to slap a few smiles on a few faces.

Easter eggs?! Esshhhh, Cliché.

I think we can do a little bit better then a mass produced Easter egg this year guys! We’d like to share with you an age old recipe...maybe one of the best recipes of all time.  The humble Chocolate Cornflake Cake, Easter style!

So easy to make they’d be a great afternoon activity with the kids, or if you’re feeling particularly charitable why not make them for your partner in crime? Definitely win you some brownie points (pun alert).

Our recipe allows for 12 little cakes- they’ll take you about 30 minutes to make (2 minutes to eat) and don’t even require any baking! Brilliant!

Ingredients

    225g plain chocolate, broken into pieces
    2 tbsp golden syrup
    50g  butter
    75g cornflakes

    36 mini chocolate eggs (or a few packets, to you and me!)

Grab yourself a cupcake tray and pop in your cake cases. The chocolate then needs to be melted in a bowl, along with the golden syrup and butter over a pan of gently simmering water, (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water otherwise all hell will break lose). Stir the mixture until silky smooth. Take off the heat and then begin to softly fold in your cornflakes until all the cereal is nicely coated in the mixture!

 Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases and then add about 3 chocolate eggs into the centre of each. Pop in the fridge for about an hour until they are completely set and VOILA! The yummiest scrummiest (if not easiest) little treats around!

 Great idea if you're purse is a bit light but you still fancy spreading some Easter love.  Share them with friends, family or even office pals (chocolate smells suspiciously like a ticket to your boss's good book to us!)