Seabrook Crisps - a review and giveaway

I fondly remember Seabrook Crisps from my childhood. Back then, they were the only crinkle-cut crisps around, and weren't widely available, so they seemed that bit more special than other crisps! Seabrook's are now stocked in all major supermarkets and have recently been repackaged and re-formulated to make all varieties both vegetarian and gluten-free.

Seabrook Crisps have launched their new packaging and the slogan: Lovingly Made in Yorkshire. The new packs introduce a modern design with imagery to promote Seabrook’s Yorkshire heritage, illustrating why it makes such tasty crisps.

My family and I willingly volunteered to try out the varieties in the core range: Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Cheese and Onion, Prawn Cocktail and Beefy (the Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Vinegar varieties are vegan). All the flavours were deliciously crisp and crunchy, although not as highly flavoured as I remember them (probably due to the absence of msg and other artificial additives, which Seabrook have removed from all of their products!). My favourite flavour is still prawn cocktail, which really reminds me of sitting in a pub garden as a child, with a warm glass of lemonade and a packet of Seabrook Crisps! 

You can find Seabrook Crisps on Facebook and Twitter.

One lucky reader can win a mixed box (approx. 48 bags) of crisps from Seabrook's core range. All you need to do to enter, is fill in the Rafflecopter form and leave me a comment telling me your favourite Seabrook crisp flavour. You can earn extra entries by liking Facebook pages, but this isn't compulsory. UK only.
Prize drawn ends at midnight 27th June 13.

Integrity Statement
I received some free samples of Seabrook crisps to review and a box to giveaway. I did not receive payment, and was not required to write a positive review in return. The views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family.

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Super Simple Peach and Strawberry Smoothie

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Shop bought smoothies can be quite expensive, so I wanted to come up with an economy (plus vegan and banana-free!) version for this months' No Croutons Required challenge over at Tinned Tomatoes. Unfortunately, I didn't realise that I was supposed to include a vegetable in my recipe (sorry Jac!), but as so many people confuse fruit and vegetables anyway (which incidentally is a pet peave of mine!), I'm hoping she'll let me get away with this minor omission!

Using store's own-brand tinned peaches, fruit juice and strawberries, this recipe costs around £1.50 for 750ml.

Serves 2-4 depending on portion/glass size.

• 1 (400g/14oz) tin of peaches in fruit juice
• 100g/4oz strawberries, washed, hulled and chopped into quarters
• 250ml/1 cup orange juice, chilled - a little more if you prefer a thinner smoothie

Tip the tinned peaches and the orange juice into a plastic container. Freeze for around 1-2 hours until icy but not frozen solid; this step is optional, but gives you a lovely, chilled smoothie/slushie.
Spoon this mixture into the liquidiser and add the chopped strawberries.
Whizz for a few minutes, until you have a thick, smooth mixture.

Pour into glasses and serve straight away, or chill until needed.

Alternatives: Vary the tinned, fresh fruit and juice to create your own smoothie. If you want to add a vegetable to this smoothie, I would suggest using carrot juice instead of the orange juice.
Add a shot of white rum and a dash of lime juice to each glass to make a daiquiri-style cocktail!

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Foxholes Castle campsite in Shropshire - a review

We spent a fabulous few days at Foxholes Castle Campsite, in sunny Shropshire, over half term. Yes, the sun actually shined on us for practically the whole weekend, which hasn't happened to us for about three years! I did, of course, pack the precautionary wellies and waterproof coats, but luckily we didn't need them at all.

Foxholes is located just outside the pretty village town of Bishop's Castle. While the site caters for caravans, camper-vans and tents (plus two on-site statics and a bunk house), there are no electric hook ups and most of the fields are gently sloping, so tenters were actually in a majority, which was a pleasant surprise.

Facility-wise, the site has a recently built toilet block with solar powered showers and rain-water/well-water flushed loos; these were clean and spider-free and impressively, the solar powered showers were hot too! There is also a covered washing-up area, campers' freezer, fridge and phone re-charging point and extensive waste recycling facilities. Most importantly for us though, was the availability of fire pits for hire (£3 per stay) and fire logs (£3 per bag).

One thing I must have a little gripe about though, is their charge for teenagers. While I have no desire to share a site with hoards of rampaging teens, I equally feel that parents sharing a pitch with responsible teens should not be penalised. Our stay per night with a 12 and 14 year old was £24, but this will go up to £28 per night next year as both girls will be classed as adults. However, if we had two children under 12, the cost would have been a very reasonable £20 per night. I really don't see how 13 year olds can be classed as adults when sharing a tent with their parents, especially on such and isolated, rural site, which really isn't going to appeal to those who want to wreak havoc and disturb other campers!

On a plus point, we booked our pitch as a last minute getaway after seeing the good weather forecast. On arrival, the friendly owner offered us a choice of  'pitches' which, as there is no electric hook ups or hard standing, basically meant we could find a space anywhere we liked! We chose a spot on the gently sloping and very spacious main tent field. The outlook over the beautiful Shropshire countryside was amazing.

If you enjoy walking, the Stiperstones, the Long Mynd and the Shropshire Way are all within easy reach of Bishop's Castle; we also visited Mitchell's Fold stone circle and Powis Castle. I must just mention the Stiperstones Inn, where we received a warm welcome and had a lovely lunch after a walk across the Stiperstones ridge. This traditional pub serves a good range of clearly marked vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free snacks, sandwiches and meals (plus meat-based meals, of course!) and can prepare other dishes on request, depending on your dietary requirements.

Evening entertainment for us consisted of of stroll through fields along the Shropshire Way into Bishop's Castle for a drink in the local micro brewery, the Three Tuns, followed by a slightly slower stroll back to the campsite and dinner around the campfire. We smelt like smoked kippers, but we had a great time!

I would thoroughly recommend Foxholes to anyone who enjoys 'real' camping, and we certainly hope to return in the not to distant future. 

Integrity Statement
This holiday was taken at my own expense. I did not receive payment or any incentives from any of the businesses/websites mentioned. 

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Mexican Rice Burritos

This isn't a recipe as such, just a combination of convenience foods, which makes a tasty and filling meal suitable for camping or festival cooking. Double the ingredients if serving as a main meal.

Makes 4

• 1 bag (250g/10oz) ready-cooked Mexican rice (microwave type)
• 200g/8oz (1 small tin/½ large tin) of refried beans
• 100g/4oz grated mozzarella/cheddar/vegan melting cheese
• 4 Mexican tortilla wraps
• Salsa/guacamole to serve, optional

Tip the rice into a pan and add a few tbsp of water. 
Cook gently for around 5 minutes, until heated through.
Heat one wrap at a time in a large frying pan (no oil). 
Spread on 2 tbsp of refried beans, ¼ of the rice and top with ¼  of the grated cheese. 
Add a dollop of guacamole, or salsa if wanted. 
Fold the 2 sides of the tortilla in first, then fold the bottom and roll up into a burrito . 
Eat as soon as they are made or wrap all of the burritos together in foil to keep them warm until you are all ready to eat.

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The Vegetarian Pantry - a review

If I ever published a vegetarian cookbook, it would probably look something like The Vegetarian Pantry. The book contains a lovely mix of Mediterranean and Asian inspired vegetarian recipes, which are generally fairly easy to prepare and would go down well with all the family. 

The recipes don't contain any weird or wacky 'health-food' ingredients, so this would make a good book for new vegetarians or people cutting down on the amount of meat they eat. Many of the recipes offer a gluten free alternative, but most also contain dairy and/or eggs, so this book probably wouldn't suit the average vegan. 

I especially liked the 'small plates' section as we often cook a selection of meze style dishes for a weekend meal. The book also contains a range of recipes for breakfasts, soups, salads, main courses and desserts and is visually appealing with a full page image for each recipe.

I've tried out a few recipes from the book and I love the variations offered for each recipe. With the able assistance of Miss K. We made the courgette fritters and the halloumi goujons. Although, not the most healthy options from the book, they were delicious and quite straightforward to prepare.

Courgette Fritters with Minted Yogurt

These fritters are perfect for enjoying with drinks. We like them made with courgettes but you can use carrots, beetroot or onions, if preferred. You can add feta, herbs, spices and chilli for extra flavour – just experiment with whatever you find in your fridge.

• 250 g/3 cups grated courgette/zucchini
• 4 spring onions/scallions, finely sliced
• grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, plus extra for deep-frying
• 3 tablespoons gram/chickpea flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• sea salt 

For the minted yogurt

• ½ English cucumber, deseeded and grated
• 200 g/1 cup thick plain yogurt
• ½ garlic clove, crushed
• a handful of fresh mint, chopped
• a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Makes 4 servings 

How they should look!

To make the minted yogurt dip, put the grated cucumber in a strainer set over a bowl and leave for 10 minutes to drain any excess liquid. Alternatively you can squeeze out any liquid in
a clean kitchen towel. 

Put the drained grated cucumber in a bowl with the yogurt. Add and stir in the crushed garlic and the chopped mint. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, sugar and season well with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning with more lemon juice, sugar or salt if necessary.

To make the fritters, sprinkle the courgette/zucchini with salt and put it in a strainer set over a bowl for 10 minutes to draw out any moisture. Alternatively you can squeeze out any liquid in a clean kitchen towel. 

Put the drained grated courgette/zucchini in a bowl, add the spring onions/scallions, lemon zest and juice and teaspoon of vegetable oil, and stir till thoroughly mixed. Combine the gram flour and baking powder, sprinkle them over the vegetables, then stir until well combined.

...and our version, slightly larger and browner!

These fritters are best made in a deep-fat fryer. If you don’t have a deep-fat fryer, put about 2 cm/3⁄4 inch of oil in the bottom of a wok. Heat the oil until it is hot but not smoking. Drop teaspoons of mixture into the oil and cook for about 2 minutes until they are crisp and golden.
Remove the fritters with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. 

Sprinkle the fritters with sea salt while they are still hot. The fritters are best served immediately but will keep for a short time in a warm oven.

The Vegetarian Pantry by Chloe Cocker and Jane Montgomery (Photography by William Reavell) is published by Ryland Peters & Small at £16.99 and is available from www.rylandpeters.com.

Integrity Statement
I received a copy of The Vegetarian Pantry to review. I did not receive payment, and was not required to write a positive review in return. The views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family. 

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When is a child not a child?

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When is a child not a child? When they go out for a meal, go on holiday or visit an event or tourist attraction apparently! As a parent of 12 and 14 year old children, this REALLY annoys me.

These money-grabbing companies have decided that childhood should end somewhere between 8 and 16 (and usually at 12 for some reason)...but strangely, our adult-children get no extra perks except for having the privilege of paying a higher price than their infant equivalents; indeed, most of these companies also state that children under 16 or 18 must be accompanied by an adult. If they'e paying an adult price, surely they should count as an adult?

Kids' meals
These seem to have the widest variation in age restrictions, with some restaurants even deciding on eligibility for kids' meals by height, which is hardly fair! 

I've always tended to ignore these age requirements and if my girls want a kids' meal, I order them one, however some places are stricter about this than others. Take Disney for example - in the magical world of Disney dining, childhood officially ends at just 10 years of age! This actually worked to our advantage when we were there, as we got free dining, so then 10 year old Miss Kahonie qualified for adults' meals, which had better menu choices for vegetarians. Those with fussy eaters may well want to order from the kids' menu though. This is possible, but only if you've paid for an adult meal! Surely parents should be able to choose whether their child eats from the kids' or adults' menu and pay accordingly? 

It would also be nice to be able to order a smaller or half portion from the adults' menu, especially for tweens and young teens. Some Indian and Italian restaurants offer this option, but this still seems a rarity in the UK. 

Theme parks, tourist attractions and museums
Most UK theme parks seem to have come to the agreement that childhood ends at 12, whereas major tourist attractions and museums (with an entry fee) seem to prefer to end childhood at 14 or 16.

The exceptions to this are of course the US theme parks, including Disney and Universal Studios, where childhood again ends at the tender age of 10. Even though you'll have to pay full price for your 10 year old, they won't be able to go on all the rides, as these have height restrictions.

Holidays and flights
12 seems to be the general cut off for most airlines and budget tour operators, whereas 16 seems to be the cut off for most major travel agents. Do 13 year olds, suddenly take up more space on a plane?

I would like to see a national age limit of 16 or 18 (if still in full time education) set for child prices in the UK. Of course most 16 year olds won't want a kids' meal, but they should certainly be charged a child's rate when visiting tourist attractions - after all, it's us parents who pay for them to get in! 

So there you go. Rant over for now.

Do let me know the most outrageous and annoying kids' age restrictions you've come across, by leaving me a comment.

Just in case you were wondering when childhood officially ends, here's the  NSPCC's Legal definition of a child'.

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Spinach and Feta Croquettes With Pasta

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Here's my slightly delayed post for National Vegetarian Week!

This recipe was inspired and adapted from one of Anthony Carluccio's, but I've altered it slightly to suit the ingredients I had to hand. I think the spinach croquettes would look a little more attractive if they were deep fried, but I shallow fried them and they still tasted good, and not too spinach-y.

Serves 4

For the croquettes:

• 300g/12oz fresh spinach, washed
• 1 medium egg
• 2 slices of bread made into breadcrumbs
• 100g/4oz feta cheese
• 1 large clove of garlic
• nutmeg and black pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil

For the pasta and dressing:

• 250g/10oz dried pasta
• 50g/2oz sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 50g/2oz roasted peppers (from a jar), chopped
• 2 tsp fresh chopped sage, or 1 tsp dried sage
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 50g/2oz feta cheese, cubed

Wash the spinach and microwave in a covered bowl (no added water) for about 3-4 minutes on high.

Allow to cool and then squeeze out as much water as possible with you hands.

Add all of the croquette ingredients to the food processor and blend until you have a thick, soft dough-like consistency  If needed, add some more bread crumbs.

Heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan and drop heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture into the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side and then drain on kitchen paper. 
Keep warm in the oven.

Meanwhile, make the pasta dressing by heating 2 tbsp of the reserved oil from either the sun-dried tomatoes or the peppers. Add the garlic and sage and fry gently for 2 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients, except the feta.

Cook the pasta until al-dente, drain and stir into the dressing.

Serve the pasta topped with the spinach croquettes and the cubed feta.

Alternative: You could blend the dressing ingredients to make a smooth pesto-style sauce if preferred.

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Paneer Tikka

These simple paneer tikka kebabs taste delicious cooked on the barbecue.

• 200g/8oz paneer, cubed
• 2 bell peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks
• 1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarters 

For the marinade:

• 2 tsp tandoori/tikka spice mix or paste
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 heaped tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tsp red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• Zest and juice of 1 large lemon

For the mint sauce:

• 1 cup of plain yogurt/dairy-free yogurt
• 1 small clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp garden mint sauce concentrate (the type you add your own sugar and vinegar to)
• A few dashes of chilli sauce

Mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.
Add all of the kebab ingredients and coat well in the marinade.
Cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for an hour.
Soak wooden kebab skewers in water for a few minutes (to help prevent them from burning), and thread alternate chunks of paneer, onion and pepper onto the skewers.
Grill or bbq for around 10 minutes, turning occasionally.
Serve in a warm pitta or naan bread with salad and mint sauce. 

To make the mint sauce, simply mix all of the ingredients together, adding chilli sauce to taste.

Alternative: Use diced meat-free 'chicken-style' fillets instead of paneer if preferred.
For an easy camping version, just swap the marinade ingredients, for a ready-made tikka paste.
Vegan version: Use whole button mushrooms or firm, pressed tofu instead of the paneer.

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Vegetarian and vegan camping dessert recipes

Unfortunately, as the weather was so terrible last summer, our usual camping trips were curtailed, so let's hope we have better weather this year! We don't always have a dessert when camping, but if we do, I tend to prepare something simple, sweet and tasty using seasonal fruits and convenience products. 

Hot

• Camp fire dampers - make up a sweet scone packet mix, reserving a small amount of the dry mix, for rolling. Add just enough water/milk to make a slightly sticky dough. Divide into golf ball sized pieces and roll each ball out into a long thin sausage using your hands and a little of the dry mix. Cover the end of some sticks in foil. Coil the scone mix around the foil covered stick, over-lapping the dough slightly so there are no gaps. Bake over the camp fire or bbq embers for around 10 minutes, turning regularly, until golden brown. Remove from the stick and fill with jam, cream, lemon curd, chocolate spread etc. (see photo). 
  n.b. The thicker the stick, the more filling you'll be able to add - They need to be around 50cm+ long, so that you don't cook your hands! 
• Cookie pancakes - make up a cookie packet mix or buy a tub of cookie dough. Drop spoonfuls of the mixture into a greased frying pan. Cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, flip and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve warm.
• Barbecued bananas - cut a slit lengthwise down each fruit (while the skin is still on). Insert chocolate buttons/dairy-free chocolate along the slit. Wrap in foil and barbecue for around 10 minutes.
• Fruit crumble - add some chopped cooking apples (and sugar to taste) into a pan with a drop of water. Simmer until the fruit is soft. Top with one packet of crumble mix. Cover pan and simmer on a low heat, until heated through.
• Sweet wraps - Warm a tortilla wrap in a frying pan. Put a spoonful or two of jam, peanut butter or chocolate spread in the centre. Top with sliced banana or strawberries. Fold the wrap like a burrito and flip over to warm through.
• Pancakes - re-heat ready-made pancakes in a frying pan, top with jam, chocolate spread, toffee sauce or lemon juice & sugar etc.
• Fruit skewers with a chocolate dipping sauce - Melt some chocolate/dairy-free chocolate in a pan and stir in some cream, evaporated milk or vegan cream to make chocolate sauce. Make some fresh fruit skewers (which you can cook on the bbq if you like) and dip these into the sauce.  
• Mini doughnuts with a chocolate dipping sauce - prepare the sauce as above.
• Shop-bought cake and ready-made custard 
• Barbecued fresh pineapple slices - cook on the bbq.

Cold

• Fresh fruit
• Strawberries and cream/vegan cream.
• Eton mess - simply mix cream (use canned squirty cream, mascarpone or crème fraiche) with crushed shop-bought meringues and fresh strawberries or raspberries.
• Deconstructed strawberry shortcake - make as above but using crushed shortbread biscuits (for a vegan version use dairy-free shortbread and vegan squirty cream).

Do let me know your favourite camping puddings and I'll add them to the list!

Find more camping recipes here.

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Veggie news and a special offer

I thought I'd post a couple of things which may interest you, if you live in the UK...

National Vegetarian Week runs from the 20th-26th May '13. This year, the theme is Going Veggie – it’s not rocket science, it’s surprisingly simple! so there are lots of  tasty recipes, tips, ideas and events for existing, novice and wanna-be vegetarians. It's also worth taking a look at the but what do veggies eat? gallery with hundreds of everyday food photos, all created by ordinary vegetarians (including me!).

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The V Delicious Veggie Good Food Show  is taking place at London’s Olympia, 7th-9th June '13 . The organisers have kindly offered  free printable tickets to all We Don't Eat Anything With A Face readers, saving you between £7.50 and £10 per person; not bad eh?

V Delicious will be a fantastic event, filled with vegetarian, vegan, ethical living and free-from stalls, product samples, cooking demonstrations, seminars, yoga and much more. The show opening times are as follows: Fri 7 Jun (10am-5pm), Sat 8 Jun (10am-5pm) and Sun 9 Jun (10am-4pm).

Integrity Statement
I did not receive any payment or incentives to promote these events.

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Paneer Makhani

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This is my version of paneer makhani (butter paneer masala) which is one of my favourite Indian restaurant dishes. The recipe is adapted from this one on Archana's Kitchen blog, but I changed the amounts of spices used and altered the ingredients slightly. I'm sure this doesn't give quite the same flavour, but the resulting gravy tasted pretty good to me (and the rest of the family). I made this recipe using my own home-made paneer cheese.

Serves 4

• 1 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
• 1 onion, grated
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 2 heaped tsp grated ginger
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) or 1 tsp ground fenugreek
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 whole green cardamom pods
• 1 chilli, deseeded and finely chopped (add more or less to taste)
• 500 ml/1 pt passata
• 2 tsp sugar (add more or less to taste)
• 3 tbsp double cream or 25g/1oz grated creamed coconut, optional
• 200g/8oz paneer, cubed and fried in 1 tbsp vegetable oil

Heat the butter/oil in a pan and add the onion, garlic and ginger.
Fry on a gentle heat until the onion just starts to colour.
Add the remaining spices and cook for a further minute.
Add the passata and sweeten to taste.
Simmer on a low heat for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, fry the paneer cubes until golden brown, remove and blot on kitchen towel.
Add the paneer (or vegan alternative) to the sauce and simmer for a further 10 minutes before removing from the heat and stirring in the cream/creamed coconut, if using. 
Serve with rice, naan or chapatti.
Remember to remind everyone about the cardamom pods!

Alternatives: Use meat-free/Quorn 'chicken' pieces instead of paneer if preferred. Add to the sauce as above and simmer for 15 minutes.
For a mild, child-friendly curry, omit the chilli, remove the children's portions, checking for cardomon pods, and then add a little hot chilli sauce to the remaining adults' portions. 
For a vegan or lower-fat option, swap the paneer for pressed, firm tofu (fry as for paneer), or tinned chickpeas and sliced mushrooms (lightly cook the mushrooms and drain the juices before adding to the sauce).

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Pisto Manchego

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Pisto Manchego is basically a Spanish version of ratatouille, which is generally served topped with an egg. It's one of the few traditionally Spanish vegetarian dishes, although if you eat this in Spain, do check that it doesn't include any ham, before you order!

Serves 4

• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 medium courgette
• 1 Spanish onion
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 large clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp paprika
• Black pepper to taste
• A pinch of sugar
• 1 egg per person or fresh mozzarella/melting vegan cheese

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan.
Throw in all of the vegetables and garlic, and gently cook for around 5 minutes until softened.
Add the chopped tomatoes and seasonings, plus a pinch of sugar.
Allow to simmer with the lid on, for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve con huevos - topped with a fried egg, or with a less traditional slice of mozzarella or vegan cheese and some sauteed new potatoes.

This also makes a good pasta sauce or bruschetta topping.

I've entered this post on the #eggmainsinminutes linky on BritMums.

Find more egg recipes here: Egg mains in minutes.

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Holland & Barrett Veg.Out Products - a review

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Holland & Barrett have recently launched a whole range of ready-to-eat vegetarian snack foods. Most of these use meat substitutes and closely resemble their animal-based counterparts! This might be disconcerting for some veggies, but I think they would particularly appeal to new vegetarians and people who want to reduce their meat consumption. 

The O family tried out the Veg.Out meat-free Italiano, Cornish-style and Jerky Jamaican lattices (pasties), plus a porkless pie, Scotch egg and jumbo sausage roll.

Our least favourite product was the porkless pie, which had way too much pastry and not enough filling. We had mixed views on the lattices; Mr O preferred the Cornish-style, I preferred the Jerky and the children preferred the Italiano. All of the pasties tasted distinctly different from each other, but again these were a little on the slim side and would have benefited from a bit more filling and a little less pastry. Our favourites were the veggie Scotch egg and jumbo sausage roll. The girls had never eaten vegetarian Scotch egg before, so they enjoyed the novelty factor as well as the taste!

Although we were divided in opinion about some of the products, we all agreed that they would make a good sandwich alternative if you wanted something quick to grab and go, or as a vegetarian/vegan addition to a picnic. All of the products, except for the Scotch egg, are suitable for vegans and are available from Holland & Barrett stores nationwide. RRP from £1.15-£1.55 per product.

Integrity Statement
I received some free samples from Holland & Barrett to review. I did not receive payment, and was not required to write a positive review in return. The views expressed are genuinely those of myself and my family. 

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Fuengirola on a budget - a review

Over the Easter holidays, we went to Fuengirola on the Cost Del Sol in Spain, for a budget week away. Fuengirola was far more 'Spanish' and cosmopolitan than I expected. It's a working town and port rather than just a tourist resort, so was quite busy even in low season. Although there were plenty of British bars, they were quite low key and scattered between other bars, restaurants and shops.

The resort had a long sandy beach, which sloped gently into the sea, so it would be ideal for families with children of all ages.  

Budget
My top tips for booking a cheap holiday are to book flights directly with a budget airline, watching out for extra costs such as luggage charges. Then look for the best deal for your accommodation.This may be booking directly with the owner, or booking through a low-cost travel broker. I always look at Trip Advisor for reviews and then pick accommodation with the highest star rating for the lowest cost! By booking separately rather than booking a package, we saved several hundred pounds. However, it's worth remembering that you get more financial protection if you book a package holiday through an ABTA/ATOL registered travel agent.

We stayed in the cheap and cheerful Ronda 4 Apartments, which were right by the beach in the quiet area of Los Boliches. We were really please with the location and the quality of the accommodation and would be happy to stay there again.

Food
Before going, I did a bit of research on vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the area. It's worth knowing that vegetarianism is still viewed as a strange concept to many Spanish people and that ham, meat-stock, fish and lard are sometimes included in dishes which may appear vegetarian on the menu. For example, when we were last in Spain I ordered a green salad along with a pizza. The salad came topped with tuna!

I found a couple of useful guides before I went: one from Span Expat and one from Piccavey.
I also discovered that there are several exclusively vegetarian restaurants in the area. We visited two of them: El Vegetariano in Malaga (in a side street just behind the castle) and Restaurante Vegetalia on Calle Santa Isobel in Fuengirola.

El Vegetariano served a full menu for lunch and dinner, with a range of tapas dishes as well as main meals, whereas Restaurate Vegetalia had an all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet and an a la carte dinner menu. Both restaurants were surprisingly busy and had a good atmosphere. The food in both places was great and there were various vegan options.

We found plenty of other veggie-friendly places to eat in Fuengirola along the paseo (beach front). There were several Indian restaurants, all offering a selection of vegetable dishes plus a good choice of Italian restaurants serving a limited selection of vegetarian pizza and pasta dishes. There was a lot of competition, so the prices were really reasonable.

We self-catered for lunches and breakfasts. There were several large supermarkets (and loads of mini-markets) and we found that most food and drink was a little cheaper than in the UK. We also noticed a couple of health food shops: Bio Casa Health and Bio Natura. Although we didn't go into them, they may well stock vegan foods such as dairy-free milk if you need them.

Integrity Statement
This holiday was taken at my own expense. I did not receive payment or any incentives from any of the businesses/websites mentioned. 

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How to make paneer cheese

After reading Christine's post on making ricotta cheese (Thinly Spread), I thought I'd have a go at making my own paneer. A friend of mine told me that she always makes her own paneer and that it's really simple, so I bought myself some muslin cloths (from the baby section in ASDA) and got cheese-making. Although a little time consuming, it really is pretty straight forward and would be a great activity to do with the kids.

This recipe makes around 200g/8oz of cheese, but you could easily double the recipe and freeze any left over cheese. Making in bulk will also save you money.

• 1 litre/2 pt full-fat organic cow's milk (preferable un-homogenised)
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pour the milk into a large saucepan.

Bring to the boil (on a medium heat), stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat (reduce the heat to low) and stir in the lemon juice.

Return to the heat and stir gently until the curds to separate.

If this works, you will see the watery whey separate from the white solid curds (see top right hand photo). If they don't separate initially, add some more lemon juice.

Remove from the heat.

Line a colander with a muslin cloth.

Pour the curds and whey into the cloth and allow to drain for a few minutes.

Then tie the muslin so that it is hanging from the kitchen tap and allow to drain for an hour.

After an hour, twist the cloth gently and squeeze out a little more whey (see bottom right hand photo).

Open the cloth carefully. Without moving the curds, gently place them on a plate and cover with the muslin (so they are sandwiched between the cloth).
Top with another plate and weigh down with a pan full of water. Press for a further two hours, draining off the whey if necessary.
Remove the pan and plate and unwrap the cheese. Finally, cut into cubes.

Refrigerate and use within two days, or freeze until needed.

Recipe adapted from Anjum Anand's Indian Food Made Easy.

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