Cooking up a big pot of soup and freshly baked bread with lashings of organic butter is my perfect winter meal. One of my favourite soups is Pea and Ham Soup and I like to add either cooked brown rice or quinoa for a complete meal. Otherwise my go to bread is Teresa Cutter’s Irish Soda Bread – a quick and easy to prepare recipe with no proving needed. This soup does take a bit of time but is well worth the effort. It tastes better on the second day when the flavours settle and it becomes thicker which I prefer. Using both green and yellow split peas gives a lighter and sweeter flavour instead of the traditional green split peas. The ratio of green to yellow is up to you, you might like all green.

PEA AND HAM SOUP

INGREDIENTS

300 grams yellow split peas

300 grams green split peas

1 organic ham hock

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 medium onions, diced

3 carrots, diced

bouquet garni – handful thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 6 black peppercorns

salt to taste

3 litres water

rice bran oil for frying onions

METHOD

(1) Soak the split peas overnight in a glass bowl and add water until it is 4 cm above the peas. Ensure the bowl is large enough to hold the peas as they will double in size.

(2) In a large pot add enough oil to brown onions and then add garlic and fry until garlic is cooked.

(3) Now everything goes in the pot. Split peas, carrots and ham hock. I like to cut some of the meat off the hock and place it in the pot. Add 3 litres of water and the bouquet garni. Bring to the boil. Then reduce heat to medium to low and simmer stirring occasionally over 4-5 hours. The peas will soften and the ham will fall off the bone. Be sure to keep an eye on your pot as it thickens because you don’t want it to stick to the pot and burn. If needed add more water.

(4) Remove the bouquet garni and the bone. I take out any ham skin so there is just ham meat in the soup. I also like to pull apart any bits of meat so it is not so chunky.

TERESA CUTTER’S SPELT IRISH SODA BREAD

I met Teresa Cutter a few years ago at our restaurant Agape Organic soon becoming a regular with her husband. She is passionate about organics, health and fitness. As a qualified chef she knows ingredients and creates healthy recipe alternatives and they are always scrumptious! A couple of years ago she developed a range of nutritional supplements including an Organic Pea Protein Powder and Organic Superfoods which are my pantry staples. Her quality is supreme, sourcing the best ingredients available.

I came across this recipe when I had guests coming for lunch and the bread recipe I had required overnight proving. Since then I have tried it with rye flour and added olives to the recipe with delicious results! It makes a great loaf bread or pull apart rolls add a farmhouse rustic feel to the dinner table. Many thanks to ‘The Healthy Chef’ Teresa for sharing her recipe with us.

 INGREDIENTS

500 g whole meal spelt flour
½ cup (50g)  ground flaxseed (linseed) or chia seed
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons baking soda (bicarb soda)
2 cups milk (soy, rice, almond or seed)
1 tablespoon honey
(60 ml) ¼ cup cold pressed olive oil or macadamia nut oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons seeds (sunflower, sesame, pumpkin)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180 C. (160 C fan forced)
Combine flour, flaxseed, salt and soda then mix through.
Combine honey, olive oil, lemon and milk.
Pour over the dry ingredients all at once and mix through lightly with your fingers. The dough should be lovely and moist much like a scone dough.
Place dough onto a lightly floured board and form into 1 large loaf or 2 smaller round loaves.
Place onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
Cut a small cross over the top of the bread.
Brush the top with a little extra milk then sprinkle with seeds.
Bake for 40 minutes then reduce the heat to 160 and bake for another 10 – 15 minutes until cooked through and the crust is lovely and golden brown. If baking smaller loaves reduce the time to 30 – 40 minutes total.
Cool for at least 10 minutes before you eat.
Makes 24 delicate slices

NOTES:

You need to treat this bread much like a scone dough.
Don’t kneed it too much, but just lightly enough for it to combine.
Make sure all the dry ingredients are distributed evenly before adding wet.
Make sure you add the bicarb?
Let it rest for 30 minutes before baking if you overwork the dough.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn x

Teresa Cutter is a qualified chef, author, blogger and has a range of nutritional supplements. Be sure to follow her website which has great healthy and delicious recipe alternatives.

{Pea + Ham Soup + Teresa Cutter’s Irish Soda Bread}

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This is my spin on the fabric covered boards that usually have the ribbon in a criss cross pattern. I have made them in all shapes and sizes for weddings, christenings and parties. They make a great escort card or DIY photo booth board to peg your instant polaroid photos. I had so much fun styling and shooting these lovelies. These are way too pretty for take away menus and utility bills!

At home I like to lean them against a wall so I can move them around when I want a quick make over. You can cover them in a neutral tone and then add colour with what you dress it with or add a pop of colour, texture or pattern with unique vintage or lightweight upholstery fabrics.

They are great gifts especially for creatives or to decorate a child’s room. The most recent one I made was for my friend Mercedes. She received a jar filled with personal handwritten notes from her two daughters for Christmas – one for each day of the year. What a lovely and thoughtful gift idea for Mother’s Day to receive a reminder everyday from your children how loved and appreciated you are. Love to see what you come up with on instagram with the hashtag #creatingbeautyeveryday and tag @inallthingsbeautiful.

DIY FABRIC COVERED BOARD

MATERIALS

art canvas, width12″ height 16″ depth 3/4″

cover fabric, medium weight 45cm x 55cm

backing fabric 33cm x 43cm (this can be any medium weight fabric or you could glue felt onto the back with a hot glue gun)

3 x 50cm lengths ribbon or cotton binding, width 10mm

35cm cord, with double knots each end (optional)

staple gun

staples

HOW TO

(1) Lay the cover fabric right side facing down on a flat surface and position canvas in the centre of the fabric. Starting from the middle of SIDE A (see the image below) staple the fabric to the wooden frame, then staple another staple each side of the middle staple with a 5cm gap between the staples. Repeat this step on SIDE C – you will need to stretch the fabric so it is taught and has no wrinkles. If you are using a striped or patterned fabric ensure the stripes or pattern in straight. The corners are stapled down after SIDE B and SIDE D have been stapled. 

(2) Starting from the middle of SIDE B staple the fabric to the wooden frame, then staple two on each side of the middle staple with a 5cm gap between the staples. Repeat this step D – stretching the fabric and stapling.

(3) For the corners fold the fabric of SIDE B so it is flush with the canvas edge. Fold the fabric on SIDE A as you would wrapping a present and staple the fabric to the wooden frame. Repeat this on the remaining three corners.

(4) Using the measurements in the above image staple each length of ribbon to the wooden frame. Starting from SIDE D and ending at SIDE B. Ensure that the ribbon is straight before you staple to the frame.

(5) Fold a 2cm seam on all four sides of the backing fabric and using an iron press the fabric. Using the same method as above staple SIDE A and SIDE C – this time stapling the corners and allowing a 1cm allowance from the edge of the canvas. Repeat this on SIDE B and SIDE C.

(6) If you would like to hang your finished board mark 15cm from the top (SIDE A) on both SIDE B and SIDE D. Staple the cord to each side – the knots will keep the cord secure.

In all things beautiful,

Lyn xx

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When I met my husband to be we deliberated on where to settle. We both grew up in the same area of Sydney. However, I had moved to the other side of the bridge to be closer to the restaurant. We decided it would be more practical for us to be closer to G’s parents because the children love spending time with their Nanna and Pa. Pa is still fit in his 80’s helping with J’s paper run and Nana is the quintessential Grandma that bakes, knits, crochets and is a very talented watercolour artist.

We found a run down house to rent in a lovely leafy suburb of Sydney. I love older homes they have a lot character and charm. I don’t mind the odd bump and crack but this place needed a lot of love and a good paint job! The owners painted the inside all white and I took to the brush and painted the wooden shelving, panels and doors in the sunroom/dining room. Using my ever reliable Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Pure White. No prepping or undercoat necessary just a clear wax ‘topcoat’ to seal the paint. It took 3 coats to cover up the dark wood but was worth every minute. It brightened up the room and makes the space feel roomier. This is my favourite room in the house. It is light and bright and has a beautiful warmth. This is where I take all my pics for IATB and my Etsy shop. The natural light makes for a good make shift photography studio!

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