Wild Flours + Mabo Kids - A Collaboration of Style and Food

We have been fans of Mabo Kids for years. Ever since we received our first parcel of organic cotton stripy basics back when we lived in America some five years ago we've been fans. The quality of the cotton basic tees is so good once Helena and Florence have outgrown them they get passed on to friends. Never fading or shrinking, keeping their softness and colour each time. 

Alongside the organic collection of tees, leggings and pajamas, Emily designs a seasonal collection of stylish pieces using a strong colour palette to match. Each season Emily surprises us with more unique pieces which encompass the beauty of childhood. Keeping her pieces simple and strong just like childhood should be. 

Taking Emily's latest colour palette of olive, plum and floral we put pencil to paper (using our very special Kitchen Notes book) and came up with three unique recipes to work alongside Mabo Kids pieces. For a healthy lunchbox idea we made nourishing olive, tomato and cheese muffins; as an after school treat we made warming plum pasties and for a special weekend celebratory treat we made floral shortbread biscuits. Each of our recipes are budget friendly, each are healthy alternative snacks and above all each need to be made together as a family, encouraging each other along the way and enjoying special moments in the kitchen and at the table. Here's how to make all three. 

Olive, Tomato and Cheese Muffins (makes approx. 14)

Ingredients:

• 9 oz self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 pinches of ground black pepper
• 2 pinches of sea salt
• 1 tsp English mustard powder
• 4 oz grated mixed cheese (we've used Red Leicester and Scottish cheddar for this mix)
• 50 ml olive oil
• 5 tbsp milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp dried tarragon (chopped fresh tarragon is equally good)
• 12 black olives (cut into quarters)
• 8 cherry tomatoes (cut into quarters)
• pumpkin seeds

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180 degree C. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper and the English mustard powder. Then add the grated cheese giving it all a good mix. 

• In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil, milk, eggs and tarragon together. Then add it to the dry ingredients. 
• Add the olives and the cherry tomatoes and gently fold through the mixture. 

• Using a tablespoon add the mixture to the muffin cases and top with pumpkin seeds. Bake for 20 minutes until they are golden brown. 
• They are so delicious as an afternoon treat, popped into lunch boxes are for a larger lunch with soup. Enjoy! 

Plum Pasties

Ingredients: 

• 1 sheet of shortcrust pastry (keep it simple and buy a ready made roll from the supermarket)
• 6 ripe plums
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 tbsp organic coconut sugar
• 1 egg + 1 tbsp milk for the topping

Method:

• Preheat the over to 190 degree C. Ensure the plums are washed and cut into small chunks. In a bowl add the flour, coconut sugar and the plums. Mix together coating the plums with the flour mixture. 
• Using a 98mm round cookie cutter cut our circles in the pastry and place each one on a baking tray lined with baking parchment. 

• Simple fill one side of each circle with approximately a tablespoon of plum mixture. Fold the pastry over making a semi-circle and pinch the edges to seal. 
• Brush the egg mixture over each pastie and sprinkle with a little extra coconut sugar.

• Bake for around 20 minutes until they are golden brown. Serve immediately. 
• The pasties will keep for a couple of days in a sealed container. They make a perfect lunchbox treat and an equally perfect afternoon school snack. Delicious! 

Floral Shortbread 

Ingredients:

For the shortbread (makes approx 20 biscuits)

• 8 oz soft butter
• 4 oz caster sugar
• 12 oz plain flour

For the icing:

• 7 oz icing sugar
• a splash of organic milk
• dried edible flowers such a cornflowers and roses 

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 150 degree C. Beat the butter until it is soft and creamy and then add the sugar. Continue to mix until the mixture turns pale. Add the flour to the butter and mix using your hands. Try not to over mix. It's not a cake batter we're making and we don't need to add air. Keep it gentle to ensure a light crisp bake.

• Once it's formed into a stiff dough ball gently roll it out onto a floured surface until you have a thickness of a pound coin. Cut out using fluted round cookie cutters.
• Place onto a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Sprinkle with a light dusting of caster sugar and bake for 40 minutes.  Leave the shortbread to cool completely on a wire rack.
• For the icing, mix the icing sugar with a splash of milk in a bowl until you have a slightly thick consistency. Using a piping bag transfer the icing mixture into it and fit with a round nozzle. It's a good idea to practise piping first on baking parchment so the children get used to holding the piping bag and piping. When the children are ready start piping around the edge of the cooled shortbread biscuit. They do love this process and they will love to lick their fingers from the icing mixture!! 
• Decorate with edible flowers and allow the icing to set before eating. (We grew our own cornflowers during the summer and simply dried them in the airing cupboard. Then we transferred the petals into a jam jar and we use them regularly in our baking. We don't have much success in our garden with roses so we buy our dried roses from Sous Chef and they have a great selection of other dried edible flowers.)
• The shortbread will keep for around three days in an airtight container. They are such a crowd pleaser and I do think they'd make super sweet party bags for a floral birthday party. 

Mabo's current collection is available online. In these images Florence wears the nona blouse and the tilda a-line skirt in denim and the mimi blouse in forest green with the james pleated pant in liberty floral. Helena wears the mimi dress, the mimi blouse in cream and the otis trouser shorts in olive. 

Enjoy and please do feel free to share our recipes you bake with us using #wildfloursmabokids.

Vanessa x