Often called pot marigolds, calendulas are one of the hardest working flowers in the garden. Their bright orange and yellow petals attract pollinators, bring colour to borders, and are completely edible too.
The petals have a light peppery flavour and can be scattered through salads, baked into cakes, infused into oils or used to naturally colour rice, butter and broths.
🌱 Fun facts • Calendula, Calendula officinalis, has been grown for centuries in kitchen and medicinal gardens • The petals were once known as “poor man’s saffron” for the colour they bring to food • Calendulas will often self-seed happily around the garden each year
🧡 Nutrition notes • Rich in naturally occurring plant compounds called flavonoids • Traditionally used in balms, teas and infused oils • Loved by pollinators, especially bees and hoverflies 🐝
A flower that earns its place in both the garden and the kitchen.18h
Our naturally Grass-fed Cows graze on the green pastures grass of the island of Ireland. The beta carotene found in the lush grass gives our butter its golden yellow hues. The taste of our butter is very rich and creamy. An indulgent, comforting taste adding great depth of flavours to any application.
The secret of this salad success is all in the temperature of the mozzarella, says @eunicepower . Be sure to follow @RTEToday to stay up to date with all the latest from Maura and Dáithí.
Irish Yoghurt Clonakilty Cranberry and Orange Cake.
Ingredients
Cake
125g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra to grease
200g caster sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
½ orange zest and juice
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
250g plain flour
1 heaped tsp baking powder
2 tsp mixed spice
100g Irish Yoghurt Clonakilty Greek Style Yoghurt, plus extra to serve
150g fresh cranberries
Topping
150g fresh cranberries
½ orange, juice
60g caster sugar
150g icing sugar
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 23cm springform round tin with baking parchment. 2. Cream together the butter and caster sugar until pale and fluffy. 3. In a jug, combine the beaten eggs, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla. 4. Add this mixture to the creamed butter in 3–4 additions, fully incorporating each before adding more. 5. Fold in the flour, baking powder and mixed spice. 6. Fold in the Irish Yogurt Clonakilty Greek Style Yogurt until the batter is smooth. 7. Transfer ¼ of the batter to the tin. Scatter a handful of cranberries in a line over this layer. 8. Fold the remaining cranberries into the rest of the batter and spoon into the tin. 9. Bake for 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 10. Leave the cake in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Topping
1. Heat the cranberries, orange juice and caster sugar in a small pan for about 5 minutes until half the berries have popped and the rest are softened. 2. Strain through a fine sieve, reserving the softened fruit. 3. Mix 2–3 tablespoons of the strained liquid with the icing sugar to make a thick icing. 4. Stir the softened fruit into the remaining strained liquid. 5. Pour and spread the icing over the cooled cake and allow it to drip slightly down the sides. 6. Top with the softened fruit.
Serving suggestion: Serve with a spoonful of Irish Yogurt Clonakilty Greek Style Yogurt.
Chefs’ tips:
If the batter begins to curdle while adding the egg mixture, add a spoonful of the flour mixture — it stabilises the batter and keeps the cake light.
Scatter a little orange zest over the icing for a bright, fragrant finish.
For a decorative flourish, add a few candied rosemary stalks on top. To make these, dip fresh rosemary sprigs lightly in sugar syrup, then toss in caster sugar and allow to dry — they look frosted and pair beautifully with the cranberry flavour.
flahavans If you (or someone in your house!) is sitting exams this month, think smart about snack time and try to choose healthier options in between meals to maintain energy and concentration levels. Oats are the perfect ingredient when preparing healthy snacks ahead of time. Try our recipe for Peanut Butter Protein Balls – easy to prepare, tasty and ready-to-hand whenever you need a healthy energy boost! ✨ #FlahavansOats
INGREDIENTS:
150g quick oats 100g mixed nuts & dried fruit 3 tbsp. chia seeds 2 tbsp. Honey 2 tbsp. peanut butter, melted 2 scoops of whey, vanilla or chocolate Few drops of milk, about 50ml 100g dark chocolate, chopped 1 teaspoon of coconut oil
METHOD:
1. Add all the dry ingredients (except the chocolate) to medium sized bowl and mix well, then add honey, melted peanut butter and mix well. 2. Vital step, add the milk bit by bit slowly and mix well until the mixture becomes clumpy. Don’t allow it to get too wet. 3. Then using a table spoon and your hands form the mixture into medium size balls. 4. Place on a plate then when you have formed all the balls. 5. Melt the dark chocolate with a tsp of coconut oil then roll each protein ball in the chocolate and place on a lined plate. 6. The last step is to put into the fridge to allow the balls the to set 👍 Tip – if the mixture gets too wet then add some more oats, it will make it less sticky!
Foodaware 