Strawberry Jam Fairycakes

I made these fairycakes a little while ago when some friends requested cake to feed their helpers when moving house. The only specification was that it should be gluten and nut free, and also fruity. So I did some thinking, and came up with the idea for these. And from the comments I got they seemed to work.

Makes about 20 small fairycakes

For the cake
130g butter
150g granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 pear
1 apple
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon glycerine
200g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
100g strawberry jam

For the icing
125g butter
150g cream cheese
500g icing sugar
2 tablespoons strawberry jam

Chocolate pieces for decoration


Preheat the oven to 180^oC.

Whisk the butter and sugar until it's white and fluffy. Add the eggs and mix well. Grate the pear and apple and add to the mixture, and also add the vanilla extract and glycerine. Sift in the flour and baking powder and carefully mix until you've got an even mixture. Finally add the strawberry jam. Stir until you have a marbled effect.
Place muffin cases in a cupcake baking tray and scoop the mixture into the cases. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until done. Remove from oven and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

For the icing; mix the butter, cream cheese and icing sugar until you have an even mixture. Split the mixture in 2, and add strawberry jam to one half. Use piping bags to add to the top of the fairycakes. Add chocolate buttons for decoration.

Eat & Drink for £1 a day (£7 a week) - 28 Day Challenge - Lessons Learnt

It's now over a week since the end of the challenge, and I've enjoyed the freedom of choice and flavour every day. So what, if anything, did I learn from my challenge? Well, for a starter I'm glad I don't have to permanently live below the poverty line. It is seriously pants.

I did have enough food, but the weekly shopping had to be done carefully to make sure there was both enough to eat and also some variety in vitamins and proteins, while staying within budget. And once I had done the weekly shopping there was no adding to it for another seven days even if I got a craving or ran out of something.

There were some days when I went to bed hungry, not because there wasn't enough food, but because I couldn't be bothered with eating the food I had in the house.

There were things I had to go without, such as my lovely herbs, spices, oils and tea. Over the years I have built up an extensive stock of spices, oils and vinegars that I use in my cooking. They are replaced as and when needed and most weeks I don't have to spend any money on them, but during the challenge I couldn't use them at all, and I really missed them. I also have a good selection of herbal teas, none of which could be used during the challenge and were much missed.

Being gluten intolerant I couldn't afford bread, flour or pasta, because the gluten free stuff is really expensive, so pasta was one of the first things I had after the challenge ended. I've also done some baking since the end of the challenge, just because I could.

You'd think that on a restricted diet like this I would have lost a lot of weight, but no. Apart from the restrictions in variety, this diet wasn't radically different to what I normally eat, with plenty calories, proteins and carbohydrates.

I'm not sure yet what sort of lasting effect this challenge will have on my eating habits. I may be more imaginative when shopping and planning my meals, I've certainly been more reluctant to spend lots of money on food this last week since the end of the challenge.

I've seen that it is possible to live on a very cheap diet, but it is not something I would wish on anyone. While you can survive perfectly well, there is no room for spontaneity or little treats. There's no extra money for meeting your friends for a coffee in town, or a bag of crisps if you get hungry while out and about. Everything has to be planned and prepared for in advance.

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project for the orphanage Kithoka in Meru, Kenya, http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day (£7 a week) - 28 Day Challenge - The Day After

I've been waiting for this day for a while now. Looking back over the last four weeks it doesn't feel like I've suffered at all, and the boredom is already forgotten. But I have to admit that I have enjoyed today. What I've eaten wasn't radically different from the challenge-food, but there were some small but significant differences. The food today had Flavours. I had a simple pasta dish for dinner, but there were fresh herbs, good quality olive oil, chilli, freshly ground black pepper, olives, and more. And it's those little things that I've missed while being on this challenge.

I had a mug of hot chocolate this afternoon as well, the first one in four weeks, and it was heavenly. I have to admit that there was almost as much Baileys as hot chocolate, but who's counting. It certainly was delicious.

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day (£7 a week) - 28 Day Challenge - Day 28

Last day! Finally, the day I've been waiting for for 4 weeks is here. You'd think that would make the day harder, but actually it's been the easiest day so far, probably because I know the challenge is now nearly over.

I started the day with a small portion of the stew that was left from the other day, and then throughout the day, while I was out and about, I had three apples.

My dinner was similar to yesterday's; boiled rice with green peas, borlotti beans, courgette, a clove of garlic and half an onion, all boiled together in water with bouillon powder and dried mixed herbs.

Now all I have to do is go to bed, and then when I wake up I'm free to eat whatever I want!

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya,   http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 27

Today has been just as deliciously lazy as yesterday. I started the day with a mug of hot bouillon and a DVD, and then a bit later on I had an apple. In between reading my book and playing with the kittens I also managed to have lunch, very conveniently I had made enough stew the day before yesterday to last me for another few days. It could have done with some fresh chopped chilli, but that might be added once this challenge is over if there is still some of it left.

Dinner today was very similar to yesterdays as well, boiled rice with the remaining sweetcorn and half the remaining green peas. I also added some bouillon powder, half the borlotti beans, the rest of the red pepper, some courgette and the rest of the tomato purée.

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya,   http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 26

Today's been a really lazy day, and I've done nothing useful at all. I've just read my book and watched DVDs - a perfect Saturday. I started it with an apple, and then a bit later on I had some leftovers from yesterday.

In the afternoon I had an orange, and then for dinner I had rice boiled with a teaspoon of bouillon powder, some green peas, sweetcorn and a bulb of garlic. When it was done I added a pinch of dried mixed herbs and a squirt of tomato purée. Very simple, but still nice.

Please help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya,   http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 25

Only three more days to go after today, and I'm already fantasising about what I'm going to indulge in once this challenge is over. I think it will probably be pasta. And olives. And probably more too. But that's not yet. Today was another day on the challenge, and it started with a mug of hot bouillon, followed by an apple. Then there was lunch, which consisted of two baked potatoes.

Dinner was a warming stew made from 2 onions, 2 carrots (last ones), the remaining cabbage, half the remaining swede, a small handful of red split lentils, a tin of chopped tomatoes, half the remaining sweetcorn, and a generous helping of green peas. I added enough water to almost cover it all, a teaspoon of bouillon powder and some dried mixed herbs, and let it simmer for about half an hour. Then I added half a tin of pinto beans, and a tin of sliced mushrooms, left it all to simmer for another 15 minutes, and served it up with a squish of fresh lemon juice. It may not have been very exciting, but it was very nice and filling. And there should be enough for another couple of meals.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 24

Not feeling very inspired today I opted for simple eating solutions. There was an orange for my breakfast, a cup of bouillon mid-morning, and then a mouth-watering tin of baked beans for lunch. Ok, maybe not mouth-watering, but definitely nice. And easy to prepare.

Dinner was similarly easy today. I boiled some rice and added some chopped courgette and red pepper, and half a tin of pinto beans. Very simple, but both tasty and filling.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 23

For some reason I've been hungry all day today. Not only did I have both an apple and an orange for breakfast, but I also had a huge lunch of leftovers from two days ago. There was a bit more than a portion left, but I had it all, and shortly afterwards I was hungry again.

I managed to resist eating anything until dinner time, when I had two portions (all that was left) of the stew I made yesterday. I squirted a little fresh lemon juice over it, and also had the last avocado with it. And I'm still hungry. It's going to be a long evening, I'll have to get my knitting out to distract myself.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 22

First day of the last week. That's today. It's not like I'm suffering, but I'm getting  a little bit bored. There's enough food, and it's healthy, but there just isn't much in the way of choice. And I can't just spontaneously make a cake or pancakes or some other exciting thing, because my budget didn't cover those ingredients. Normally I would use some of the things I keep stocked in my larder as well as what my shopping brought in that week, but not these last few weeks.

I'll stop moaning now, because it is a new week, and that means a new shopping basket, and so at least there is a little bit of variation from last week. This week's shopping came to a total of £6.99, 1 penny under budget. What I got was:

1 bag of onions (1kg)
1 bag of potatoes (750g)
1 bag of frozen peas (900g)
3 tins of chopped tomatoes (400g)
1 tin of sliced mushrooms (290g)
4 oranges
7 apples
1 lemon
1 small swede
½ white cabbage
1 tin of borlotti beans (300g)
1 tin of  pinto beans (300g)
1 tin of baked beans (410g)

I wasn't very hungry this morning, so subsisted on water until I had an early lunch of leftovers from yesterday.  There's enough for another portion left, so that takes care of lunch tomorrow as well. In the afternoon I had an apple, before it was dinner time and I had a lovely stew served with rice and a drizzle of fresh lemon juice. I even had a starter today; half an avocado, some courgette and some tomatoes with a squirt of fresh lemon juice. Delicious.

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks

Eat & Drink for £1 a day - 28 Day Challenge - Day 21

I haven't really done much today, apart from sleep and eat, and read my book for a little while. I had a delicious salad for breakfast/lunch; the remaining spinach leaves, some red pepper, tomatoes, courgette, and a whole avocado. I may have had an after-breakfast nap before heading out to feed my friend's cats - two beautiful and gentle little boys.

Having arrived home I played with my own kittens, a proper cat-day today. Then it was dinner time, and I rustled up a hearty vegetable soup with the rest of my onion, the rest of the frozen broccoli and cauliflower from week 1, some frozen sweetcorn (also from week 1), 4 carrots, a courgette, a red pepper, the rest of my swede, 2 tablespoons tomato purée, 2 teaspoons bouillon, a handful of dry red split lentils, and enough water to submerge it all. I brought it all to the boil, and then let it simmer for about 40 minutes until it was soft. And the best thing - there's enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

I can't believe today is the end of week three, which means that I've already completed three quarters of the challenge! Only one more week to go and I can eat whatever I'd like!

If you would like to help by sponsoring the clean water project in Meru, Kenya, please go to  http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=stopcocks