Compeition entry for cooperative electrical vouchers.

I am writing this post in hope that I win vouchers from The co - operative electrical, they have a competition running until 21/02/14.



The recipe I have chosen is a yummy treacle tart. I really love treacle tart of any kind and really at any time of the year. However warmed and with custard, it is the best winter recipe!

This particular treacle tart is one I make quite often for family and friends. When cooked it has a crispy pastry and the tart is topped with latticed pastry which is equally as crunchy!

What do you need to make this delicious winter recipe?

• 2 large eggs
• 454g can of golden syrup
• about 1tsp finely grated lemon zest
• 140g white breadcrumbs, made from a day-old loaf

For the shortcrust pastry (Obviously you can buy the shortcrust pastry ready rolled)

• 250g plain flour, plus extra for rolling
• 150g cold butter, cut into cubes
• 1 large egg, beaten

23cm tart tin or shallow pic dish

How to make:

To make the filling: Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the syrup. Add the lemon zest, then the breadcrumbs and mix really well with a wooden spoon. Set the mixture aside whilst you make the pastry.  

To make the pastry: Put the flour and butter into a bowl and massage with fingers to make breadcrumbs. Reserve some of the beaten egg for glazing the pastry and then put the remainder into the breadcrumbs and mix until they just come together as a ball. Remove and shape the ball into a slightly flattened ball.
Weigh the dough and set aside 150g for the lattice top. Form the rest into a flattish ball. Place on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a circle about the thickness of a £1 coin, turning the pastry and flouring the rolling pin regularly. Use the pastry to line the tin and then trim the edges neatly with a sharp knife. Prick the base lightly and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200oC/Fan 180oC/Gas 6. Stir the syrup mixture and then pour it into the pastry case and smooth the surface. Brush the pastry edge with the reserved egg. Roll out the rest of the pastry and use to make a lattice top.
Brush the top with more egg to glaze and bake for about 30 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and the filling set. Allow to cool a little before eating.

I think that this tart is served best with custard, however my family members also enjoy with ice-cream or a blob of cream.

Waiting again!

I got very excited on Tuesday as I received an email from my mortgage advisor to say that our documents had been accepted by the mortgage company and that they had arranged to go and complete a survey on the house the next day. I immediately rang my husband to tell him the good and exciting news.

However, as we all know, the mortgage process takes a long time and so we haven't heard anything about the survey or anything else! We are just hoping that no news is good news.

I have however been advised to keep pestering the mortgage advisor to get answer. This is not something that my husband or I feel comfortable doing but I did send them a polite email today to ask for an update. Guess what...I didn't get a reply!

We are waiting patiently and hope that we will hear something next week.

 

Please post if you can share any of your experiences!

Stressfull!

We have now been in the mortgage process for quite a few weeks and it is proving more difficult then we thought.
Virgin money decided on the last minute that they could no longer offer us a mortgage. My husband is in the RAF and he has less than 2 years left and therefore they have said that this is too risky for them!
Our mortgage advisor then needed to search for another mortgage company which had no fees to be paid to them
Note that when you start the process with a mortgage company they will often take a fee from you to start and if they decide that they no longer want to give you the mortgage then they get to keep the fee! - Cheeky I know!

We have now been offered a mortgage with Natwest and are currently going through the process with them. They have no upfront fees so that is much better!

These companies seem to take a long time and keep coming back and asking us for extra things for example, proof of deposit. Therefore I would advise that when you start the process try and ask them for a list of everything they will need - especially when you are stuck for time like my husband and I.

We are now hoping to here from the mortgage advisor in the coming week.

Have you experienced any other problems? Is it hard for all military personnel?
Please share your comments on my blog!