Jack Monroe

5 Ingredient Salted Caramel Chocolate Mocha Yule Log, 38p

Posted by Jack Monroe | Dec 5, 2018 | Christmas On A Bootstrap, Dessert, Entertaining, Handy Hints, Kids, Recipes, Snacks & Treats |

This is a fairly cheeky little recipe, mostly because it involves very little work at all – and looks and tastes far more impressive than it should do, considering the sum of its parts. I should confess I didn’t make the Yule log in the centre; I bought one from Asda on a whim and made it better. I’m a busy person, and also, I’ve never successfully managed to roll a Swiss roll up without smashing the whole thing to bits with my clod-handed impatience, so I wasn’t going to take the risk. The good thing is, Asda Swiss rolls (and other premade brands are available, I just live near Asda) are alright; the right side of soft, generous with the buttercream swirl, and left out on the counter all night by accident, they stay pretty moist and squishy. Sometimes, just sometimes, you can treat yourself to cheating. Because who cares for blood and tears and martyrdom with fondant sugar, when it tastes this good? (If you object to Flakes, use milk or dark chocolate finely chopped into thin shards. None of these things are absolutes, they’re just ideas!) Serves 8 from 38p each – it’s pretty rich! Ready-made Cappuccino Swiss roll, £1 100g salted caramel icing, 44p (£1.75/400g) 4 Flake bars, £1 200g white chocolate, 60p Decorations of choice (I used an assortment of sprinkles) First grab a...

Hot Nurse, 20p

Posted by Jack Monroe | Nov 24, 2018 | Blog, Dairy Free, Entertaining, Gluten Free, Handy Hints, Healthy, Lunch, Recipes, Soups, Vegan, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian |

This recipe is known as Hot Nurse in my household for its ability to flush out a blocked up nose, soothe a sore throat, chase away a hangover and revitalise my tired head. It is a real kick in the cookies; so those of you who choose the mild curries in restaurants may want to halve the ginger and curry powder quantities. For the rest of you, ladle it into a mug and take your medicine! I keep a supply of it in the freezer in microwave-proof containers, for emergencies, and will be sipping it all through the winter to keep snuffles and grumbles at bay. Serves four, or one poorly person all through the day, from 20p each. (This post is not sponsored; I may earn a small commission if you click the links and purchase any products.) 30g fresh ginger, 10p (£3.49/kg) 6 fat cloves of garlic, 8p (4 bulbs/69p) 800g chopped tomatoes, 58p (29p/400g) 1 tbsp medium curry powder, 2p (£1.15/100g) 1 tsp turmeric, 1p (£1.15/100g) Salt and pepper The easiest way to make this soup is to pop all of the ingredients in a blender, except the curry powder turmeric as it will stain, and blast to a pulp. Then pour into a saucepan, and bring to a gentle simmer. Fill one of the empty cans of tomatoes with water and pour into the pan,...

#BlackFriday – up to 72% off Jack Monroe cookbooks 📚

Posted by Jack Monroe | Nov 23, 2018 | Bargain Bin, Blog, Recipes |

Hey folks! I’m not usually one for the behemoth of commercial greed and stampede that Black Friday seems to be all about, but I can’t help but notice that my books are significantly reduced in price today and it would be remiss of me not to point it out! I don’t know whether it’s because of Black Friday – I mean a cookbook on cooking with tins and basic pasta isn’t exactly a 55″ television with bells on – or whether it’s a lucky fluke, but do make the most of it while it lasts! Cooking On A Bootstrap – WAS £15.99, NOW £4.50. (I make that a whopping 72% off!) A Girl Called Jack – WAS £12.99, NOW £10.49 A Year In 120 Recipes, WAS £17.99, NOW £13.49 Tin Can Cook – WAS £6.99, NOW £6.15 Thankyou for looking! And I should add that yes I do get a small commission for these 🤭 but as usual I only promote things I genuinely use and think are brilliant! 😁 Jack...

Four Ingredient Christmas Cake, 16p

Posted by Jack Monroe | Nov 19, 2018 | Baking, Christmas On A Bootstrap, Dessert, Entertaining, Recipes |

Christmas for me is a disparate and disorganised affair – zipping between various peoples houses, delivering a Small Boy to all the relatives that want to pinch his cheeks and ruffle his hair, like an exasperated sugar-high parcel. Popping in on parents and grandparents, gathering waifs and strays at mine for my almost-annual ‘Make Christmas A Bit Less Shit’ gathering, and in all of that hullaballoo, well, I forgot to make a cake this year. I think I’m the only person that likes it, anyway. So a few weeks ago I dug out some old recipes of mine, from days yonder when buying three kinds of nuts and obscure dried fruits was de rigeur, and gawped at the sheer length of the ingredient lists. I set myself a challenge to make a Christmas-ish cake with fewer than nine ingredients. That was pretty easy, so I tried for eight. You can see where this is going! I ended up here; to be honest, the five ingredient cake was my favourite, but I can’t resist the simplicity of this once. It’s lighter than traditional Christmas cake, more of a Christmas-spiced fruit cake, but feel free to ramp up the flavours as you see fit. Use it as a base and add more of your favourite ingredients or whatever festive goodness you have to hand. I dredged mine with icing sugar to...

What (And Why) I’m Stockpiling For Brexit.

Posted by Jack Monroe | Nov 15, 2018 | Blog, Recipes |

A few months ago I was approached by several newspapers asking me to write a piece on stockpiling for Brexit. I refused, saying that I didn’t want to contribute to food shortages, panic and alarm across the country. This afternoon, I took a deep breath, and changed my mind. I have been overwhelmingly sad about the future of this country for two and a half years. I spoilt my referendum ballot, after campaigning for Remain, because the weight of the decision overwhelmed me on the spot. I went into the booth to mark my X in the Remain box, looked at the paper, and just scored a line through it so hard with my pen I tore it almost in two. I practically ran home, then to a bar to watch the results come in. I sat there with a notebook in my hand, with my predictions for each constituency in. I shouted at Jude Law for standing in front of the large television, braying with a bevy of beautiful women, to ‘sit the fuck down, I need to see fucking Redcar!’ I sat snapping biros, glued to the screen, overwhelmed with fear and guilt and a tiny, tiny pang of hope. That hope was dashed. Picked up and shattered and smashed to smithereens, and it has never quite recovered again. From the revelations about shady funding, to the...