You may have guessed that I love vanilla - but it has to be real vanilla (I am fussy like that), and anyone who has ever met me me knows how much I like to use vanilla bean paste. But it has to be a particular brand of vanilla bean paste, one that produces a delicious product and helps support the farmers on the equatorial belt that grow it. That brand is Little Pod.

I first came across Little Pod way back in 2010 when they approached me on twitter, sharing a similar name and a love of vanilla we bonded and it has been a match made in heaven ever since. 

So as you can imagine I was delighted to help spread the world about their National Real Vanilla Day event. Did you know that 97% of Vanilla flouring in the west is artificial!  

Little Pod are hosting a unique and exclusive two days of demos, classes and talks at beautiful Bickleigh Castle in Tiverton, Devon.

Well it is here! The Great British Bake Off final!

Who will win! Richard, Luis or Nancy!

I have just settled down with a bowl of bread and butter pudding (I can't watch it without eating a dessert of some type!) to watch it.  I am backing Luis, I like him, and think he is really lovely - though Richard is a close second for me!

I have to admit though, I am actually 3 weeks behind with watching the show. Life and business has taken over, September has been really busy with lots of lovely weddings so I am even more behind on the challenges too. 

However,  I did make some doughnuts the other day with my brand new shinny Kenwood mixer. I believe they made these in week 7 and I thought I would share my doughnut recipe with you below. They were so yummy and not too hard to make either.

Ingredients:

450g strong plain white flour

1 tsp salt

50g butter

50g caster sugar

7g sachet fast action dried yeast

1 egg

140ml lukewarm milk

Oil for deep fat frying

caster sugar for sprinkling

45ml jam

Method:

Put flour, salt and butter in bowl and mix until incorporated, then add in the sugar and yeast.

Add the egg, lukewarm milk and about 90ml lukewarm water until it forms a soft dough.

Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. 

Put it in a bowl and cover with lightly oiled cling film. Then leave in a warm place to rise until doubled in size.

Then knock the air out briefly on a lightly floured surface.

Tear off pieces of dough and shape little round balls, then place on a lightly oiled baking sheet (you may need two for this) and cover with lightly oiled cling film.

Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in size.

Heat the oil to 180C/35F

Cook the dough in batches of 3 or 4 for about 4-5 minutes, or until golden. Remove, place on kitchen towel and then roll in a bowl of sugar until covered. Then leave to cool.

Once cool, heat the jam with 1 tsp of water until warm. Then place in a piping bag and squeeze a little jam into each doughnut. 

*Recipe from Making Great Food Simple by Kenwood.