Why do Brits don’t like their children?! Controversial I know but read on, there is a carrot cake recipe in it for you:)

Good Afternoon guys and Good Friday to you all.

So you read the headline and thought what on earth is she talking about?!? Let me stop you here. I know you love your kids / children / babies ! But have very strange way of showing it.

I have been living in UK for 9 years now and nearly most of time living here I either worked in a restaurant or dined there and amazing pattern emerged… Brits hate their kids. They love themselves. Don’t mind spending 60 -80 quid on two course meal for two, but truly hate their kids.

Recent example. Couple in their mid 30’s with two lovely kids age 5 and 7 (approx, I didn’t ask that would’ve been weird) ordered some goats cheese salad and whitebait to start with for themselves. Then lamb shank and seabass for mains…and what kids get to eat?!? Deep fried fish fingers and fries! For dessert ice cream and all washed down with coke. Parents on other hand share a bottle of decent wine and follow-up with loads of water (not tap!) and green tea (not coffee!)

What!?!?! Shouldn’t you be feeding your babies your flesh and blood something really nice?! Like seabass or at least chicken …

I don’t get it. I don’t have kids though so I did some research. I spoke to couple of friends first Russian then British.

Russian friend said: if they don’t eat what family eats then they don’t eat. Full stop. Her eldest is 13 and doesn’t like meat so she gets cheese instead but that’s about it, no other excuses. Her 2-year-old eats everything – fries and pizza are massive treat!

British friend said: kids eat kids food and we eat something nice. When pressed to find out what on earth is kids food …it transpires to be pizza, pasta, fries and chicken strips. She is a fitness fanatic but feels that pressing her kids into healthy eating early on is unfair on them. When I said that its unfair feeding them crap she said that as I do not have kids I am not allowed to say anything.

I am confused. Is anybody out there can help me?? How come in one of the richest countries in the world kids are eating the least nutritious food ?!

Confused. When I worked with single mothers on benefits I was amazed to find out that those women who do not work and get a lot of childcare free or nearly free never cook and survive on take outs and convenience food … for me free time means me time which is me cooking and treating myself.

I really don’t get it. Maybe that’s because I don’t have kids. But I do have two sisters and I do remember growing up and eating what was given to me. I don’t remember being allowed to have a choice when it came to food and family meals.  I remember very well being scared of not having food when crisis hit Russia in 1994 and me and my dad went round shops buying all available kinds of pasta, sunflower oil, pulses and stocking the storage we had in our flat. I also remember being 8 and standing outside the shop with another 300 people queuing for butter with little number scribbled in biro on my hand. Maybe that’s why I am so grateful now for every opportunity to eat and enjoy food.

It was 1996 winter when I first tried a snikers bar. My dad brought it home and after dinner (soup and buckwheat porridge with meatballs) he cut it into small pieces and we all had a little bit. It was divine. I am now 27 and I still cut it into small pieces and savour every little bit of it. It’s  a treat. After dinner treat and always will be.

Anyways I am ranting here. So here goes: is there anybody out there who can tell me why British parents feed their kids the way they do ? And is there anything I can do to help them?!?!

And since you have been really good and still reading my mad ramblings as promised here is a Carrot Cake Recipe. And some lovely kids helping me to make one:)

Ingredients:

300g plain flour
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g soft brown sugar
4 eggs
250ml sunflower oil
1 orange , zested
1 lemon , zested
200g carrots , finely grated
150g walnuts , chopped

For the frosting:

125g unsalted butter at room temperature
50g icing sugar
250g cream cheese

1. Heat the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Line a 20cm, 10cm deep cake tin. Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda together and stir in the sugar. Beat the eggs with the oil and citrus zests. Stir in the carrots and fold everything into the flour mixture. Fold in the walnuts. Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool.
2. For the frosting, beat the butter and icing sugar together until soft and then beat in the cream cheese. Chill the mixture until it’s thick but spreadable. Spread a thick layer on top of the cake, making sure the side of the icing is flat and continues upwards from the side of the cake.

It comes out delicious!!

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Zhenya x

Aubergine and Chicken Thigh Curry – cLean Results Cooking Class recipe

Good day girls and guys!

Here is a very easy but very tasty recipe for you to enjoy this Easter weekend. This is for when you are tired of chocolate eggs, lamb roast dinners and want something easy warming and filling.

So let’s get down to eating and cooking business. I was hoping to show you a step by step photo recipe but that would have to wait till next week when a professional photographer takes a stage and does a better job then me … my pics ended up looking less then appetizing so keep an eye on this blog for more inspiration.

Here goes the recipe. Remember that you can always take some things out and add some things in. Check your fridge out, there is always a carrot or a moldy cauliflower lurking in the corner and both will taste ace in this easy curry. Just make sure you cut mold off!

 

Ingredients:

 

Feeds 4 (or 2 very hungry people)

 

4 tbsp olive oil ( I know! As promised already working on healthier alternatives)

2 medium shallots (or one large banana shallot from Abingdon street market), chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp of garam  masala

1tbsp (or 2 or 3 depending how hot you want it) cayenne pepper

1 tbsp coriander seeds, ground

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 aubergine cut into 2cm dice

1 courgette cut into 2cm dice

2 large protobello mushrooms cut into 2-3 cm dice

4 chicken thighs (or 3 breasts) diced

400g/14oz tinned chopped tomatoes

salt

 

1. Heat half the olive oil in a large pan and cook the shallot, garlic and spices for five minutes over a medium heat.
2. Add the remaining olive oil and the dice courgette and aubergine. Cook for ten minutes, stirring often, until the aubergine is coloured.
3. Add mushrooms and chicken thighs, stir often so its doesn’t stick to the pan.
4. Add the tomatoes and a pinch of salt, then cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the aubergine is soft and chicken is cooked.
5. If you using oven proof dish, like I did, then pop it in the oven (fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3) for 30 min to finish off. If cooking on the stove let it simmer on very low heat for 20-25 min with lid closed.
6. Chop some fresh basil or coriander and sprinkle the dish before serving.
7. Enjoy!

 

Have a great weekend guys and I will be in touch again very soon. Any questions? Just drop me a line 🙂

 

 

Happy cooking!

 

Zhenya x

Ireland. Food and Music Mixed Together.

I have never been to Ireland. I do have some sort of strange longing to go there tho. Maybe because that most Irish people I met were pretty amazing and seem to be really really close to Russians in spirit.

And Irish really seem to enjoy their food. Maybe that’s got something to do with potato famine, I don’t really know. I do find it that the tastiest and the most inspired cooking and food comes from poorest places. And they like to mix their music and food together. My favorite thing. Honestly.

So before I had to bed I am going to share this lovely video of a band called Flogging Molly and song that really makes me smile and sends me straight to the kitchen to make simple Irish potato soup.

Love and Light. Good Night All

Zhenya xx

This is not another April Fools Joke. This is my new blog. Welcome.

So. Hello and Welcome to my new blog.

My name is Zhenya and I am currently in the process of setting up the “Sunshine Cookery School”.  Originally from Russia – Saint Petersburg, I spent last nine years living in UK. I will expand on that in my later posts.

The idea to set up a cookery school came to me when I think I was about 13 years old. Basically I wrote an essay at school saying that when I grow up I would like to teach people how to cook lovely food.

Then I grew up and did loads of other things, like sell clothes, sell music CD’s, cook food, serve food, save peoples houses, help people to become bankrupt and all sorts of other things.  But every time I got bored.

And somehow the notion that I can make people happy and myself happy by cooking and teaching others to enjoy food as much as I do never left me.

I like to eat and I love to cook. For me to cook is a pleasure. I love the idea that I can choose what I eat and I love the fact that I can eat really whatever I want.  That means that every now and again I eat so called crap food and more often then not I make myself really nice things.

Apart from food I love music. I find that my cooking is so much better when I have a some music on. Especially something like Al Green or Raftven or Gogol Bordello.  But about that later.

Tonight I am going to leave you with a lovely video of my  motherland – I am from Russia. I am Russian and I miss Russian springs and Russian language around me. So enjoy this lovely young man – he is singing bout Russian version of Spring. I love music a lot in this videol. My dad used to play accordion.

Follow this blog and you sure find out much more about me and my family, food recipes and music suggestions.

Love and Light. Enjoy Spring and Sunshine.

Zhenya x x