Our friends Elina and Valantis run a tavern in the small Greek island of Halki.

They make all their own sausages and hamburgers (no horse involved – sorry could not resist adding that one in). They are the most delicious sausages and hamburgers you can ever clap your laughing gear around. Elina is a charismatic lady who is truly dynamic when it comes to serving more than 100 people a day on the tables alone, not to mention countless numbers who use the grill bar’s original take away service. Elina always does this with a smile and a witty comment fast on her lips that makes you giggle. She is a diamond of a waitress, so amazingly fast, and having done silver and gueridon waitressing myself she has my huge respect and I love watching her perform magic with her customers.

Everything made at Valantis is fresh. It is a small island so food, including meats, is either grown here on the island or brought in by boat which is the only way to get to the island. If it is brought in it is done so alive and butchered locally. That might be a little too much information but if you eat meat that is how it is. In many ways their animals have a far nicer existence by comparison to some of our intensively reared stock. The hamburgers and sausages are made with herbs and seasonings from the island, and I would say are more of a real and pure food then many of the hamburgers and sausages we get in our supermarkets and take away bars – eat your heart out ALL FAST FOOD HAMBURGER CHAINS – you haven’t lived without trying one of these babies, anything else fades into insignificance. They are truly delicious and have no need of a silly little gherkin and pathetic toy in a box or anything else for that matter.

Valantis likes a joke and constantly calls my son Jack Sparrow. In fact there have been reported sightings of friendly pirates trying to smuggle Valentis’s sausages along with his very secret treasure (the recipes) from him. So far the pirates have been unsuccessful. Elina and Valantis are experts when it comes to pirates and the history of the island boasts an impressive castle made in the 12^th century as a deterrent to all passing pirates from stealing from them…a very clever ploy on their part.

Thankfully today the pirates that visit this very small and peaceful Dodecanese island are far friendlier, although a little bit cheeky and it is hard these days to work out who are the pirates and who are just ordinary visiting boat folk. Many boats of all shapes and sizes are often stopping to re-fuel and grab some lemons and ouzo so they may continue along their passage. Not being a pirate expert myself I thought that Valantis and Elina could fill me in on what to look out for…

Modern day friendly pirate tips from Elina and Valantis and the Grill Bar:

Pirates are often in disguise in order to integrate into the normal population – watch out for bare footed people they could be pirates. According to Elina their favourite food at the Grill Bar is either crackling pork or sausages. I must admit I too could be seen as a pirate as this pork cooked on a roasting spit is very yummy. Apparently they are also quite partial to one of the Grill Bar’s homemade cheese burgers.

Elina also admitted that they have quite a few pirate friends, one called Thomas who we were introduced to and who has been seen wandering around the small harbour of Halki bare-footed.

My suspicions were also confirmed when I asked the most daring questions of all: “Is Valantis a secret pirate?” This was confirmed by Elina to be the truth of the matter. He has in his possession a black skull and crossbones flag which definitely confirms it for me.

So if you want to meet a real but very friendly pirate who makes real food, why not visit Halki and the Valantis grill bar. But whatever you do don’t ask him where he has hidden his treasure.

Today I was out walking with my dog in the lovely sunshine, thinking about the recent comments concerning Rickets on the increase in children in the UK. It struck me how incredible vitamins and minerals are. I find them most fascinating and I guess that’s why I have done so much studying on the little darlings.  We need these babies for our bodies to function well and to prevent illness.  For instance without Vitamin A our children could develop night blindness; in fact in developing countries there are more than 250,000 malnourished children who go blind every year and half of them die within a year of going blind. To me it all rings enormous alarm bells to ensure that my children are getting plenty of variety in their diet such as eating lots of carrots, mango, cantaloupe melon and more green leafy yummy stuff  for Vitamin A.

Rickets is caused by lack of Vitamin D which is provided by sunshine and substances like milk (being one of the best providers), oily fish and eggs. There are, however, some people that for genetic reasons find it difficult to absorb these necessary vitamins and for them there is medical help available. For the rest of us it is about ensuring our children have a marvellous, colourful display of healthy foods.

My son Jack is a funny fish! Quite literally as he is a pescetarian. He also eats veg, fruit and definitely chocolate, cake, biscuits and sweets (only gelatine free of course). In Jack’s early years, if he had been allowed, his diet would have just consisted of chocolate. This decision to not eat meat is, I hasten to add, all of his own making and has in a funny sort of way made his diet more varied and healthier. This is the boy who at the ages of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 would rather wear his food then eat it and certainly perished the thought of eating anything green. He has decided too much meat is not good for the environment and it’s cruel to eat animals, but not fish? Mine is not to argue why but to parent him the best I can and we aim to be flexible (within reason). So Jack has made up this recipe filled with some of his favourite vegetables and fish of course – hope you enjoy it we all did.

Packet of rice noodles

Spring onions

Ginger

Green beans

Courgettes

Crushed garlic

Thinly sliced carrots

Beansprouts/water chestnuts

Sesame seed oil

Fresh squid cut into rings

Tiger prawns

Fresh coriander leaves to garnish

Cook all the ingredients together in a Wok if you don’t mind your veg being crunchy or if you prefer the veg soft cook for a couple of minutes before adding the squid and prawns. Jack was fascinated by the fact that prawns change colour from grey to pink – he thought that was some magic trick.  Cook the noodles separately following the instructions on the packet then add them just before serving.

You might like to add a little chilli or coconut milk to this recipe but this is Jack’s recipe so very child friendly or for those not keen on chilli. We are working on those chilli taste buds in our house and will soon have him eating chillies like apples off a tree.

As it is springtime and the birds are busy building their nests here are a few egg facts:

Eggs are one of the most complete naturally produced foods, containing lots of essential nutrients for a balanced diet. They are also still one of the cheapest available sources of good nutrition.

Decorating eggs and giving to each other in springtime has been a tradition that has been going on for hundreds of years as an egg is seen as a symbol of the new life that grows in the spring.

Children are amazing. I am so very impressed with my group of six year olds who decorated these cakes. This was a creative workshop we did in school recently.

But cakes? Is that really setting an example of healthy eating?

Well yes it can be. Part of the balance of a healthy diet is accepting that cakes do exist – they are not a figment of our imagination! They should be allowed occasionally, not as a treat or as a part of an everyday well balanced diet, but as an exception to the rule. Our world is full of cake and buns and all sorts of other fat and sugared foods. It is the world we live in and is unavoidable. I do not see cake as a useful food that enriches our lives in a nutritional way. We are all aware of the dangers caused by too much fat and sugar and the impact on our bodies. However there are ways of making cakes healthier, using fruit or vegetables, less sugar, natural colours and wholegrain flour. Making your own means that you have much more control over what goes into them, how much sugar and what kind of fat is used. Shop brought cakes often have lots of hidden nasties including far too much sugar, salt and the wrong kind of fats.

Hello and welcome to the new Cookies website.

This is just the start of our 2013 re-launch, with many new features being introduced over the coming months – so please check back for more updates.

Looking forward to hearing from you and having more Fun with Food.

Michele

Cookies have 10 years experience of cooking with kids and was one of the first cooking schools set up in Buckinghamshire.