Recipes, SummerVanessa GerbrandyWEE magazine, Food, Interview, granola sconesComment

Sharing a Family Recipe & an Interview in WEE Magazine Vol 2

Recipes, SummerVanessa GerbrandyWEE magazine, Food, Interview, granola sconesComment
Sharing a Family Recipe & an Interview in WEE Magazine Vol 2

I could talk about my love of cooking with my children over and over again. We all gain so much from cooking together. The time spent on task, working together, sharing our creations at the table - cooking is something I hope every parent can share with their children. My parents shared it with me and some of my most memorable moments are from preparing food together.  So when WEE magazine asked me to share a family recipe and talk of my love of cooking with children I was thrilled. You can read below the full story taken from WEE Volume 2:FOOD.

1. Please introduce Yourself

I am Vanessa. An English mother to two young children, married to a Dutch man. Together we have travelled the world, living and working in many countries. I am the creator of Wild Flours, a website where I share inspiration to encourage parents to cook wholesome foods with their children using fresh distinctive ingredients. My recipes are adapted from my own childhood and modernised together with the help of my children. The recipes we share are about delighting and exciting children about food, giving them confidence in the kitchen and embracing food from each season.

All the girls in the studio .jpg

2. When is this dining table the day of your family?

As busy as we all, we always make time to eat together at least one meal a day. During the week it’s usually in the evening when we come together and talk about our day - our adventures and our hopes for tomorrow. At the weekend we love having long lazy breakfasts which roll on into lunches. Being together and eating together is so important for our family as it’s a time where we recharge, laugh and tell stories and catch up on the days ups and downs. 

3. What does food mean to you?

Food to me means family and the moments we connect with it. It’s the memories we share together from the times we’ve grown it, foraged for it or shopped for it. When the children take joy in seeing how food is grown from the seasons and the natural way we eat it. It’s the time when we roll up our sleeves and discover ingredients and transform it into our own wholesome creations. Most importantly it’s the time we share it - together.

4. Please tell me the story about this food?

I have very strong memories of food and cooking when my mother and I would bake together. I would climb up onto the step so I could reach the worktop and she’d tie her apron to me, shortening it in someway so that it didn’t trail onto the ground. She’d bring out her huge brown baking bowl and together we’d make scones. Every Saturday at the weekend, first thing in the morning and they’d be gone by the afternoon - devoured every one of them. We have so many different versions of scones - cheese scones, simple plain ones, wholewheat ones and these delicious granola scones. Traditionally eaten with jam and Cornish clotted cream they are best eaten the same day they are made. This recipe I share today is a modernised version with a topping of coconut cream and fresh seasonal strawberries. Delicious and perfect for sharing together.  

GRANOLA SCONES WITH COCONUT CREAM & STRAWBERRIES

Makes 8 - 10 scones 

Ingredients: 

  • 8 oz (225g) self-raising flour
  • 2 oz (50g) butter at room temperature
  • 1.5oz (42g) demerara sugar
  • 2 oz (50g) of granola
  • Enough milk to make a small dough
  • 1 egg whisked with a little milk (to brush on top of scone) 

For the topping:
A small tin (160ml) of coconut cream 8 -10 strawberries (chopped) 

Method: 

1. Pre-heat the oven to 220 degree C (fan 180 degree C).
2. To make the scone dough I prefer to use a bowl rather than a food processor. I think it’s important for children to learn how to feel food and understand how the process of mixing and cooking works. And they have such fun getting their hands messy!

3. Place the flour in your large mixing bowl and add the butter. Using your hands hide the butter into the flour by rubbing both ingredients together.
4. Add the sugar and the granola and mix, again with your hands. (The secret of a good scone is not to handle the mixture too much so as much as the kids will enjoy the messy part they do need to work quickly and carefully.)

5. Make a well in the middle of the mixture and pour in the milk. Using a blunt knife, mix until you have a soft dough.

6. On a floured surface carefully press out the dough with your hands to a 2 cm thickness and cut into rounds. We used a mixture of cocktail size cutters and medium cutters.

7. Brush the tops with the egg and milk wash and sprinkle a little demerara sugar on top. This will form a lovely crunch when baked.

8. Bake for 10-15 minutes until the tops turn a golden brown. 

To serve, cut the scones in half and spread thick coatings of coconut cream and top with the chopped strawberries. Enjoy with a hot pot of English earl grey tea. Delightful!

Vanessa x