The Count Down Begins...

It's officially on it's way, with songs on the radio and the decorations in full force, we can't hide from the Father Christmas… especially if you have children. Christmas is here!

BUT… you don't need to be afraid, we are here to help! We are giving you these best and easiest recipes that one could ever wish for! Don't believe me? Check this out…

A few weeks ago we gave you Parsnip soup, this week we are giving you… Buttery Biscuits. They're perfect for a homemade present or a tasty treat for yourself!

All you need is;

100g unsalted butter (softened to room temperature)
00g caster sugar
1 free-ange egg (lightly beaten)
275g plain flour
1tsp vanilla extract

and to decorate;
400g icing sugar
3-4 tbsp water
2-3 drops of your choice of food colouring
and Edible glitter of your choice

What to do;

First, start by preheating your oven to 190C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
Then cream the butter and sugar together in a bowl until pale, light and fluffy.

Then you should beat in the egg and vanilla extract, only a little at a time until it is well combined.

Stir in the flour until the mixtures comes together as a dough form. Once you have done this, you should then roll the dough out on a lightly floured work top surface to a thickness of around 1cm.

Using a biscuit cutter of your choice, cut all of the biscuits out of the dough and then place carefully onto the baking try.

You should bake the biscuits for around 8-10 minutes, or until alight golden brown.

Before decorating you should allow to cool. For the icing, sift the icing sugar and then mix it with water until it creates a smooth mixture, you should then add your chosen food colour.

Decorate to your own preference, and allow the icing sugar to harden before you sit back, relax and enjoy your tasty butter biscuits!

P.S We'd love you to send us a picture of what your biscuits look like! 

Out With The Pumpkin, In With The Parsnip!

Ok, we know that pumpkins are still in season, but it made a great title! With winter fast approaching and the temperatures dropping, we thought w'd share with you on of our favrouite recopies… our winer warming parsnip and chestnut soup!   

What you need;

100g unsalted butter

600g of roasted parsnips, chopping into small pieces

1 small leek, make sure you trim and chop it

150ml white wine

200g cooked chestnuts 

1.5liters vegetable stock

You should add the salt and pepper to your own taste preference. 

What to do;

Start by melting half of the b utter into a large saucepan over a gentle heat, make sure the butter does not colour on the heat. Add the parsnips and leek into the pan and gently fry them for about 4 minutes or until the parsnips are soft.

Then add the wine and chestnuts and again gently fry them for a further 7 or 8 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to your taste.

You should then add the stock to the saucepan and bring to a gentle boil and then leave it to simmer for 6-8minutes. Take the pan of the heat and blend with an immersion blender or a food processor until the soup is smooth. Once smooth you should then pass the soup through a fine sieve.

All that’s left to do is the washing up… 

Santa is on his way...

As the autumn leaves fall, are you wondering where the year has gone?... we are too. And we known that this only means one thing is around the is on it's way... Christmas! With 64 sleeps left, why not treat your family to some delicious home cooked food.

So here is one of the traditional favourites... the mighty apple crumble.

All you need is..

300g plain flour, make sure you sieve it and add a pinch of salt
1 pot of cane sugar porridge oats, or 60g plain oats
175g unrefined brown sugar
200g unsalted butter and a knob of butter to grease the ovenproof bowl


450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into small pieces
50g unrefined brown sugar
1tbsp plain flour

What to do...

You should start by preheating the oven to 18C/350F/Gas 4.

Then place the flour, oats and sugar into a bowl and mix well. Take a few cubes of butte at a time and rub them into the mixture. Use the tips of your fingers to mix together, you should keep rubbing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Then you should place the fruit into a large bowl and sprinkle over the sugar and flour. Make sure you stir well but be careful not to break the fruit.

Use the knob of butter to grease a medium size ovenproof bowl, spoon the fruit mixture into the bottom of the bowl, then you should sprinkle the crumble mixture on the top.

Bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes or until the crumble topping is a golden brown and you can see the fruit mixture bubbling. Of course, I don't need to say what's next but just incase.. serve with custard and watch the family enjoy!

Nutty Chocolate Oaty

Are you taking part in The World's Biggest Coffee Morning for Macmillan on the 26th of September 2014, or know someone who is? These Nutty Chocolate Oatys are the answer to all of your worries... the tasty and easy to make oatys are a favourite among the Hopper Team...


What you need...
100g  salted butter
3 X pots of Grasshopper Cane Sugar Porridge - Hopper pot
450g  rich dark chocolate
150ml  double cream
150g  almond nuts (chopped)
150g  hazelnuts (chopped)

What to do...
Start off by melting the butter in a pan. Add the oats and cook for three minutes. Then transfer to an baking tray that will fit in your fridge.

You should then place a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Add the chocolate and cream to the bowl and leave to melt for 15 minutes without stirring.

Add the almond nuts and hazelnuts to the oats and stir.

When the chocolate has fully melted, give it a little stir and then pour over the oats and nuts. Fold the chocolate through and then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

When set, break into pieces by hand, serve and enjoy these tasty snacks!

Homemade Granola- what's not to love?

Are you a kitchen goddess? Well get your apron on... you're going to LOVE this recipe! Even if you're a man, let your inner-goddess shine, you have no excuse not to try this!

This granola recipe is one that all the family can get involved in (maybe not the animals - if you have any) 

Your ingredients -

125ml of maple syrup
2 tbsp of honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract
3 pots of coconut and date porridge oats
100g of flaked almonds or chopped 
100g of dried berries (find them in the baking aisle)


Method - 

First, make sure you preheat your oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2.
Then you should mix the maple syrup, honey and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Once they are fully mixed together- add the 3 pots of coconut and date porridge oats and mix well.

Add the granola to two baking trays and spread them evenly... bake these for 15 minutes. Then add the almonds and dried berries to the mix and bake for another 10-15 minutes. 
Once golden brown remove from the oven and leave on the tray to cool down. 


And voila, you have some delicious homemade granola!

Porridge for gold!

Firstly, we would like to say congratulations to Laura Trott on winning her gold medal! Well done, you've done us proud!
When asked what her secret was she said "I've been living of porridge". So we have decided to give you are Golden Oaty recipe containing porridge oats, so that you to can win gold (in the kitchen maybe)

Golden Oaty Crumble:

Ingredients:
3 eating apples
2 Bramley apples
350g of blackberries, you can use frozen if they are not in season!
100g of Demerara sugar
1 pot of cane sugar porridge
175g of plain flour
140g of soft brown sugar
185g of butter

What you do:

1. Before you do anything, preheat the oven to 170 degrees.

2. Core and quarter the apples, then put half of them into an oven dish and sprinkle with half of the Demerara sugar. Ad d the blackberries to the dish and cover with the remaining apples.  Put the rest of the Demerara sugar onto the apples. 

3. For the crumble topping,  pour the flour into a bowl and stir in the sugar and the porridge oats. Cut the butter into small squares and add them to the mixture. Rub it all together with your fingertips until the mixture has the texture of breadcrumbs. Lay the crumble mixture on on top of the fruit.

4.  place your dish into the oven and leave for around about 40 minutes, you will know when its ready its it will be a lovely golden brown colour.

Im sure this will go down a treat, you could even add some ice-cream or custard!

Kick start the day with a pot of fibre!

Today, new studies reveal that eating a bowl of breakfast cereal daily can increase a heart attack survivors' chances of living longer! 

Researchers found that diets with a fibre increase - especially cereals - was the link with lower death rates, and those who ate the most fibre had a 25% lower chance of dying in the nine years after their heart attack, compared to those who ate the least.

But remember this isn't the only benefit of fibre, as is also helps reduce blood cholesterol, improve glucose levels and lower blood pressure, just to name a few. 

A fibre based breakfast really is a great way to kick start the day... take our Porridge for instance, it's quick and easy to make, extremely tasty and packed full of fibre! 

Want to read more about the research and studies found? Click here to do so.

FLIPAROLO - BRAND NEW POT!

Calling all you left-handed people out there, we've got news for you... here at Grasshopper we have been developing a brand new pot just for you!

We don't want you to have to flip hands to make our Hopper Pots feel comfortable any more, that's why we have created the.. drumroll please... Left Handed Hopper Pot!

And guess what... we have 50 to giveaway!

Just hop onto our website to be in with a chance of getting one of these limited edition pots for yourself!

Mothering Sunday!

On Sunday it's Mothering Sunday... a day to pamper and treat your mum, for all the nice things she has done! But how will you be treating her this weekend?

Well, look no more... we have a couple of tricks up our sleeves that can help put a smile on your mums face! 

• Pamper Days

You can take your mum to a day of pampering at a beautiful spa, to help her unwind and relax. But this can end up being rather pricey, so spend the day with your mum at home while doing face masks, foot rubs, pedicures and manicures... all in the comfort of your own home, or your mums home! 

• Adventurous Walks

All mums are different... and if your mum is more outdoorsy, then put on those walking boots and get outside! Take in the brisk fresh air and head out on a walk around the local woods or lake... or jump on a train/car and explore a nearby village filled with walking tracks waiting to be explored! 

• Breakfast in Bed

You don't need to be a chef to treat you mum to breakfast in bed... especially when we make it so easy for you. Grab a delicious pot of our porridge, in your mums favourite flavour of course, and just add in hot water... make it extra special by putting it on a tray with a little flower and a glass of cool iced water with a slice of lemon, or a lovely cup of tea! 

• Movie Evenings

Some of us don't have the luxury of having work off on Sundays... so make the most of your evening by spoiling your mum by having a lovely evening watching her favourite films. But don't binge out on junk food, grab a pot of our noodles instead, which are super tasty and healthy! Even better, all you need to do is just add hot water into the pot - so you won't miss any of the exciting parts when the film is on! 

Looking for something tasty?

If you're looking for something tasty... then look no more!

We've got you covered here at Grasshopper... simply dive onto our website and see what delicious goodies we have to offer, and even better you can get free postage and packaging on ALL orders when entering code vip03 at the checkout.

Be quick, as this offer does end on Monday 31st March!

Did ewe say free shipping?

That's right... across the month of March we are offering free postage and packaging on all orders. All you need to do is head to our website, stock up on our delicious, nutritious pot wonders and enter VIP03 at the checkout... easy peasy!

OATS are on the rise

Healthista have done a great article about oats... and guess what Grasshopper porridge were featured - hurray!!

Head over and take a read for yourself here.

Singletrack Magazine

We were featured in Singletrack magazine, issue 86. Did you see us?
They tried, tasted and loved our delicious Hopper Pots, which comes as no surprise to us!

Remember that we are easily portable and extremely tasty - perfect when on-the-go!