In our new foodie series championing British produce, Jenny Jefferies, author of two award-wining cookbooks will share monthly recipes with Farmers Guardian.
I am a farmers wife and a mother to two young girls living on our 304 hectare (750 acre) arable farm in South Cambridgeshire.
At Fullers Hill, we also enjoy hosting nine successful luxury self-catering holiday cottages on a private airfield.
There is so much life in and around our home; from visiting guests and pilots to walkers, horse riders and wildlife and, this is what I love. I feel incredibly grateful that my family can enjoy everything that the immediate countryside and our diversified businesses bring.
I am also an award winning author of two cookbooks that celebrate British harvest. For The Love Of The Land and For The Love Of The Sea were born out of my ignorance about general food provenance. I sincerely hope that this monthly series of food, farming and recipe blogs, exclusive to the Farmers Guardian, will inspire and engage with you, the reader.
Fathers Day is different for so many; it can be sad but memorable, celebratory, and emotional. However, our food and drink can be at the centre of all such occasions and remains a constant and consistent source of both comfort and joy.
This chocolaty treat is perfect to celebrate with as you can prepare and bake with your children and you can all lick the bowl clean with your fingers. You may wish to substitute the chilli chocolate for plain chocolate to make it more child friendly, but, of course, feel free to add in extra chilli chocolate for even more spice for that special man in your life. These brownies are very versatile too; you may wish to serve these brownies up as a desert, as an accompaniment to an afternoon tea, or as a very welcome snack and energy boost for a football match, concert, play date, family road trip or holiday. They are great for camping, delicious with family and friends, and equally delightful as a gift wrapped up with brown paper and pretty ribbon.
recipe
Chilli chocolate brownies, by Heather and Steve Waters, Martin and Kaz Phillips of The South Devon Chilli Farm
These brownies are really popular in our on-site caf, particularly served with clotted cream. We use our 60 per cent cocoa orange chilli chocolate, but they would be equally good with our original chilli chocolate which gives your classic brownie a delightfully different twist, with just a touch of spice.
PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES | COOKING TIME: 30-40 MINUTES | SERVES: 12
Ingredients
360g unsalted butter, melted
150g cocoa powder
600g caster sugar
Few drops of vanilla essence
200g plain flour
11?2 tsp baking powder
8 eggs, lightly beaten
220g South Devon Chilli Farm Orange Chilli Chocolate, broken into pieces (or 160g chilli chocolate and 60g plain chocolate)
Preheat the oven to 160c. Line a 24 by 32cm (6cm deep) baking tin with baking parchment.
Mix the melted butter, cocoa, sugar and vanilla in a food processor until just mixed. With the machine running slowly, add the flour, baking powder and eggs until combined.
Turn off the mixer and fold in the orange chilli chocolate pieces. Pour the brownie batter into the lined tin and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until its just setting and the surface is beginning to crack.
Allow to cool in the tin and then cut into portions.
