Bargainous Rice Steamer + Tiger Loaf = Lidl Rocks!

Hello! How are you? It’s Sunday night all over again and I cannot help but think, “Where on earth has the weekend gone?” One of the joys of being a writer, is that it’s very rare you’re “off duty”. I suspect my brain doesn’t know when, or even how to switch off. I always have my phone handy on my bedside cabinet before I go to sleep, you know, just in case that excellent story idea sidles away from lucidity and into obfuscated slumber.

What have you been up to? I have recently discovered the bargainous mecca that is Lidl. I’m used to weekly shops of circa £70 at Sainsbury’s, which is why I nearly collapsed at the checkout when the grand total of my trolley (drum roll) came to £24. Yes. TWENTY FOUR SQUIDEROONIES. After having my second weekly pootle at Lidl, I realised that the £24 weekly spend wasn’t the exception, but the norm.

untitled (4)I then proceeded to feel like a prize pillock for not listening to mama dearest, who told me that Lidl was a “cool and decent place to shop”. Sorry Mom, I stand corrected and am mentally munching on the biggest wodge of humble pie. If you haven’t been to Lidl, it’s never too late to mend your ways. Seriously, in this current climate, it’s common sense to get more bang for your buck – something that you can most definitely get at Lidl.

I bought a bargainous £10 rice steamer from Lidl yesterday and only having used it once, I think it’s OK. You can’t really complain for a tenner, but I’m hoping it eliminates time in the kitchen. The brown rice I made earlier was OK, if not a little overdone, although I think that was mainly me. (I just need to get a handle on the measurements.)

I’m also hooked on Food and Drink. I love watching Tom Kerridge do his thang on TV, because his warmth and passion for food shines through like a blazing beacon on a misty morn. He’s just so watchable and I’m really loving the format of the programme. Plus it’s a very manageable 30 minutes (any more would have me reaching for the remote to hit fast forward). Tom’s food is just so simple to cook as well, really undaunting scrummy fayre which even a novice cook can rustle up with ease.

untitled (5)Some exciting news – I’m in the midst of organising a BookCakeClub in Derby, which is a place where bakers can get their geek on, readers can um, read and we all gather round a table to discuss a monthly book and eat cake. I mean, can you imagine presenting your cake to a bunch of cake lovers and sitting around a table sipping coffee and eating light as air sponge cake? If you think that sounds totally cool, then do drop me a line and I’ll give you more details. I’ll be baking James Martin’s Swiss Roll, a recipe I picked up from his Home Comforts programme. I’ve not made a Swiss Roll since I was at secondary school (ah, those halcyon days), so it should be an interesting bake. I’ll post pics and blog about my first Swiss Roll in a few weeks’ time.

I must dash, I need to get in at least 30 minutes’ worth of writing on Book 2 Screaming Snowflakes and it’s already 9pm.

Ciao for now,

RAxx