Fionn Downhill

Food & Travel: Where every bite tells a story!

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Traditional English Scones

 Recipe Makes about 8 scones 40grams of spreadable butter (1.4 ozs) 8 Ozs self-rising flour (225g) 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar Pinch of salt 110 ml of milk (1/2 Cup) A little lemon juice Dash of vanilla 2 Ozs of raisins 1 tsp of baking powder Method Heat the oven to 425F Add the lemon juice and the vanilla to the milk.  This will curdle the milk slightly help the scones to rise and give a nice flavor to the scones Add the baking...

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Recipe 4 carrots 2 parsnips 2 medium yellow turnip (ruttabago) Bok Choi 1 head 4 sticks Celery 2 yellow Squash or any squash Red and Green pepper 2 courgettes 1 large sliced onion 4 potatoes 3 liters of organic vegetable stock 2 Ozs of butter Salt and pepper ½ teaspoon of turmeric to enhance the rich yellow color Method.  Clean and prepare the vegetables.  Melt the butter and sauté the vegetables in the butter until they are...

Decadent Chocolate Coconut Brownies

These are a rich desert.  If you love chocolate and coconut you will be in heaven.  They are extraordinarily rich so even the most ardent chocolate lovers won’t be able to eat more than 1.  They taste like mounds or bounty bars.  Great for a special occasion. Recipe 6 ounces dark chocolate broken into chunks3/4 cup sugar1/2 cup unsalted butter2 large eggs¼ cup of coconut sugar (or brown sugar if you do not have...

Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin  is often forgotten as a roast, but it is delicious.  This recipe combines herbs and tender pork loin to make a tasty entree.  I buy my tenderloins at Costco great price and they have always been great. The tenderloin’s come in packs of 2 and I usually roast two together.  You can also make with one tenderloin of course just reduce the cooking time. Recipe Serves 6 Two pork loins, tied together½ cup of...

British Fish and Chips

It can be difficult to find authentic and tasty fish and chips outside the UK so why not make your own with this simple recipe.  This is a delicious staple on the UK food culture. No trip to the seaside was complete without fish and chips and of course a soft whip ice cream cone but I digress.    Like or love fried food most people seem to enjoy traditional British fish and chips.   They key to delicious fish and...

Strawberry Fresh Cream Napoleon

This delicious recipe is a variation on the Napoleon Slice or as they call it n France Mille-feuille which means a thousand layers in English.  If you make it with three layers of puff pastry, then it will feel like a million layers fresh flaky and decadent.  You can make your own puff pastry and here is a good recipe Easy Puff Pastry but if you are not into making pastry then the shop bought sheets of puff pastry will work just...

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

I always serve these with a roast or as an accompaniment to several meat dishes. They are so tasty and every time I serve them, I am asked for the recipe. I make things up as I go along so here is my version of a recipe for roasted rosemary potatoes. Potatoes 2 pounds of potatoes - increase the potatoes depending on how many you are feedingOlive Oil for roastingSprigs of RosemarySalt for boiling the potatoes. Pepper Peel and cut the potatoes in...

Thai Yellow Chicken Curry & fried Okra

Curry is my favorite food and I love to cook it at least once a week for my curry loving husband. The mixture of the spices and the meat is just divine. I developed this recipe many years ago when I first arrived in the United States in Omaha Nebraska it was impossible to find a good curry. Having moved from London a haven for ethnic food it was quite a shock. I will also be posting some of Indian curry inventions later. Curry (serves 2) 2...

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns are very popular in Britain at Easter. They are eaten at the end of lent on Good Friday. You can read the history of Hot Cross Buns here. They are widely available in the stores in England, but the homemade version is so much better. Do not be put off working with yeast if you are not used to it. This recipe is easy to do. Make sure your yeast is not past its sell by date. They are a delicious fruit bun and can be made all year...

Chicken Parmigiana in 20 minutes

I know we have extra time on our hands with this lock down but conference calls, kids schooling, home working and keeping up with 25 group chats on Whats App is still time consuming. Even if you do not normally cook this recipe is very easy to make. I make this recipe in about 20 minutes and its delicious. If you do not want to waste your bread on breadcrumbs the shops do seem to have a small supply of pre-prepared breadcrumbs and I used those...