Mango season is the time to make a Mango Lassi, the traditional Indian yoghurt drink which is as refreshing as the morning dew and perfect for a hot summers day. I’ve included the option to make this dairy free as well!

Mango Lassi – Dairy Free

Gavin Wren Drinks, Recipes

There is an abundance of mangoes in the world as the fruit comes into season across South Asia, flooding the streets of London with it’s sweet, sweet flesh. When life throws you lemons, you make lemonade. When life throws you mangoes, you make mango lassi.

Mangolia.

Mango season is firmly upon us. This is massive news in my swathe of East London, the entire area goes mango crazy for a few months, seeing shops transform themselves from DVD stores, perfume shops or clothes retailers into mango traders. Any shop whose mango range numbers less than 6 different boxes is passed over as amateur as the street buzzes with people sniffing, prodding and squeezing the mangolian landscape whilst weighing up prices between vendors. My naive innocence of the way of the mango was highlighted last year when I asked to buy just one. The vendor chuckled, explaining I needed… come and read more…

Roasted broccoli is a revelation! It’s a great way to cook this green, adding a welcome texture which can easily be ruined by boiling. Coated with garlic and olive oil, along with slightly crisped and browned edges, it brings a completely different flavour to this Brassica. Throwing in some chickpeas and a herb yoghurt rounds it off beautifully, making a truly engrossing vegetarian side dish to bring to the table.

Roasted Broccoli with Herb Yoghurt

Gavin Wren Recipes, Side dishes, Vegetables, Vegetarian

A Big Day.

Today is spectacular milestone in the history of my blog.

It’s the day that I publish my two hundredth blog post. I can feel a huge surge of pride and satisfaction having created such a significant body of work. This is a very special moment for me, I feel a sense of joy, in recognition of the commitment required to reach two hundred blog posts.

I love a few stats, so here’s what 200 posts consists of, since 31st July 2014…

33 months, 1003 days, 193408 words, 1325 images, approximately 1280 hours writing, cooking, photographing and editing

…not to mention untold hours researching, using social media or swearing at Wordpress and my theme.

What have I learned?

A lot, I’ve learned a phenomenal amount whilst creating this blog. I have gained a heightened knowledge, not only about writing, photography, cooking and creating a

Mc Donalds vs Mince Pies

Mince Pies – Burn After Reading

Gavin Wren Food Opinion Pieces, Writing

Now that Christmas is merely a hazy memory akin to my recollection of the precise location that I last parked my car, I feel the need to do a post-mortem analysis on the whole sorry affair, focusing in particular on a cornerstone of the festive foundations; mince pies. It’s a Deal, it’s a Steal. On the second day of January this year I was re-stocking our pantry at the local comestibles super-emporium when I picked …

Low sugar dark chocolate spelt brownies made using dates to sweeten, providing a delicious rich brownie recipe with only a fraction of the sugar of most brownie recipes. These delicious brownies make a great treat if you're cutting out refined sugar or if you simply want to reduce your sugar intake without foregoing some delicious baked treats! Time to get baking!

Low Sugar Dark Chocolate Spelt Brownies

Gavin Wren Baking, No Added Sugar, Recipes, Spelt & ancient grains

Today’s recipe is low sugar dark chocolate spelt brownies, a rich and dark recipe sweetened with dates instead of mountains of refined sugar. Cakes with no refined sugar can present challenges to the baker, because sugar gives structure to cakes as it’s a solid once cooled. Luckily brownies are all the better for being thick, squidgy and gooey, which are boxes these spelt brownies comprehensively tick. Whether you’re simply wanting to cut down on your …

A quick, versatile and tasty vegetarian carrot and chickpea salad that you can add your own ingredients to for if you want to experiment. Made with carrots, chickpeas and parsley, it's a simple base that gets flavoured up with sumac, yoghurt, lemon juice and tahini so that there's no chance of your taste buds left wanting. It makes a great side dish or just fill your bowl and have it as a main course!

Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Sumac Yoghurt

Gavin Wren Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Side dishes, Vegetarian

Today I’ve made a quick, versatile and tasty vegetarian carrot and chickpea salad that you can easily play around with and add your own ingredients if you want to experiment. Made with carrots, chickpeas, red onion and parsley, it’s a simple base that gets flavoured up with sumac, yoghurt, lemon juice and tahini so that there’s no chance of your taste buds left wanting. It makes a great side dish or just fill your bowl …

A bright and full flavoured summery vegetarian BBQ Courgette dish which uses full flavoured charred courgette slices topped with thick, creamy labneh and rich, tangy mint sauce. It's a dish to have both vegetarians and meat eaters drooling!

BBQ Courgette with Smoked Labneh and Mint Dressing

Gavin Wren Main Dishes, Recipes, Salads, Side dishes, Small Bites, Vegetables, Vegetarian

This recipe for BBQ courgette features beautifully charred vegetables topped with creamy smoked labneh and a tangy, fresh, minty dressing to liven it all up. It makes for a fantastic summer side salad or vegetarian option at your BBQ and will have any meat eaters drooling with jealousy. Hold the Front Page! I’m going to put myself out on a limb today, especially as a food blogger. We’re at the fast acting, quick to publish, …