Chocolate brownies

I often get asked about our chocolate brownie. Do we make it or buy it in, well I can safely say we make it. We are also often asked if we can let the customers have the recipe.

Well our usual reply is yes for a small donation to either the Guide Dog box or Devon Air Ambulance and I'll happily print a copy off, to be fair often they get a few more recipes out of me for there pennies.

I've had the same recipe for probably 15 years and it works for me, I don't think its any much different to many out there online or in cook books buts its the one we use here at The Swan
So for no cost at all we have printed it online.

Ingredients

1. 400 grams of good plain chocolate
2. 300 grams of unsalted butter plus a little extra for greasing the tray
3. 250 grams of castor sugar
4. 4 free range eggs (med size)
5. 100 grams of plain flour
6. 1 Teaspoon of baking powder 

Method

1. Set oven to temperature 180c or gas mark 4
2. Lightly grease a 20cm square baking tray and line with baking parchment 
3. Melt half the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. and keep the other half of chocolate . You will need to cut the chocolate into small lumps.
4. When the chocolate has melted add the butter and stir until it has all melted.
5. remove the mixture from the heat and add the sugar and beat in the eggs into the chocolate mixture until its really well mixed in.
6. Sieve the flour and baking flour into a large mixing bowl and slowly fold in the chocolate mixture.
7. Add the rest of chocolate pieces and if you so wish add some hazelnuts or peeled pistachio nuts.
8. Pour the mixture into your baking tray and bake for 25-30 mins until it feels firm.
9. Leave it to cool and then turn out on to a wire rack and allow to fully cool down
10. Cut it up into squares and and bingo you have brownies 
11. If you prefer it warm when its cooled down just place into a warm oven for 5 mins             

This recipe can be great fun to make with kids and as most kids love chocolate you bound to be a hit. 

We do hope you enjoy making it.

Scotch Egg Challenge 2013

Ok so we have been chosen out of hundreds of entries to be in the final 25 of the Scotch egg challenge 2013 at The Ship in Wandsworth a" Mighty fine pub" owned by Young's and run under the watchful eye of Oisin Rogers.

You might well be wondering, well its only a scotch egg, trust me when I say the scotch egg business in a lot of pubs nowadays is a serous business. Gone are the days of the over fried, hard crumbed, brown around the outer white of the egg and hard boiled within an inch of it's life, left under a plastic dome at the end of the bar for days on end, nowadays it is an art and is a highly sort after bar snack. It's there to be enjoyed with your pint of beer or a glass of your favourite wine.

If you consider that in this final 25, there are some serious contenders for this sought after title. You have the likes of The kitchen Table owned by James Knappet highly regarded as one of the best places to eat in london right now, Duck and Waffle very rarely out the news.

Along with a very impressive list of pubs and restaurants dotted around london and a couple outside of the capital.

The British Larder

Bumpkin Restaurants

The Canbury Arms

The Dairy, Clapham

The Drapers Arms, Islington

Fino & Barrafina

Fish Market

Gauthier Soho

The George Inn, Chideock

The Grove, Balham

The Henry Root

Marquis of Westminster

The New Inn, Baschurch

Peyton & Byrne

Porters

Princess Victoria, Uxbridge

Rivington Grill

Thatched House, Hammersmith

The Queen Adelaide

The Victoria, East Sheen

Whyte & Brown.

Tickets for the main area sold out very quickly, so its also a very popular once a year event with Scotch egg fans.

The other reason for taking part is and without doubt an organisation that does some terrific work world wide is it's raising money for www.actionagainsthunger.org.uk. Each competitor has to donate 12 eggs for a 60 hour auction. I will post more details as I know them.

So what ever happens on the night wether we have egg on our face because our egg didn't quite cut the mustard or return to Devon triumphant we hope to have raised a few quid for a very worthwhile charity.

From now until the end of september for every egg we sell we shall donate 50p to the charity.

We would also like to wish every competitor the best of luck and a big thanks in advance to all The Team at The Ship for organising a great event.