Cinnamon Raisin Wholesome Muffin

Today I tested out a recipe from 'Leiths Baking Bible' for Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

I have called these muffins 'wholesome' because they use Wholemeal flour (with all the goodness of the grain) in addition to the usual plain flour. The recipe also calls for oats, and does not include an excessive amount of butter or sugar. They are relatively savoury but are livened up by the sweetness of cinnamon and make a great mid-morning snack for slow release energy.

The recipe yields 12 muffins, but I recommend dividing this by two to give 6 (or 5 large) muffins. The benefits of making a half batch are
a) For one full work-week you will only require 5 muffins, not 12.
b) The muffins would be past their best after 5 days, so there's little point making the large batch (unless you plan on freezing them).
c) Free's up space in the fridge, which, in my houshold at least, is at a premium.

This is a very easy recipe, and not very messy either. I only used 2 bowls, 1 spoon and 1 baking tray. Simply mix the wet ingredients together (gently - the trick with muffins is to always mix little and gently), add the raisins and bake for 20 minutes. Could it be simpler?

Tip: Bake these on Sunday night, ready for the week ahead.





I recommend Leiths books wholeheartedly. Many find them dull as they are not very colourful and contain few photos, however they are a godsend in the kitchen. Each 'Bible' contains all those basic recipes that any good cook needs under their belt like Mac n' Cheese, Fish Pie and a decent Chocolate Fudge Cake (yes, it's essential).

Sandwiches Hate Travelling

I can understand why people are put-off packing their own lunch. Despite their reputation as the lunch-box main course of choice, sandwiches are remarkably dissapointing after a jiggly bike ride in a backpack, and are further compromised by sitting in a slightly fusty plastic container in a desk drawer, waiting to be eaten.

When lunchtime does finally arrive, being greeted by a squished, soggy tuna mayo sandwich (because at 6:30am I can think of nothing more inventive than tuna) is a miserable dissapointment, enough to make the thought of jumping in front of, instead hopping onto, that train on the way home, sound appealing.

But, wait! Sandwiches are not the only answer to the lunch-box dilemma. It's actually remarkably easy to think of and bake new and exciting things for lunch, and you need not have the same thing day in-day out either. Follow my adventures in the kitchen, cooking up delicious lunch-box treats, and perhaps try some of them out yourself.