What`s for dinner Clarey?: My furry Valentines

What`s for dinner Clarey?: My furry Valentines:  For Valentines, galentines and all the precious souls I love to feed. Including my trueloves Charlie and Lola my furry valentines 365 days ...

My furry Valentines

 For Valentines, galentines and all the precious souls I love to feed. Including my trueloves Charlie and Lola my furry valentines 365 days a year !

This week at the homelessness prevention charity I cook at we were super busy. As well as sexy mince and lovely chocolate nut bread pudding we served marry me chicken!

I only called it that as a provocation , so the queue of 65 hungry guests didn't just stand in line and accept what was on offer, they all asked " what's marry me Chicken?" I assured them it was so delicious they would all want to marry me after they'd tasted it.

I got a few proposals mostly indecent ones but dinner service went playfully well. I think positive people have one thing in common, they don't take themselves too seriously. They haven't forgotten that life is one big game to be played well. They're not luckier than anyone or born with "happy genes" they just infuse everyday with a healthy dose of daftness.

So I tend to spend my days working hard and feeding the 7000, but it's fun and I love it.I tittyfart the day away being kind and having a laugh if I can. None of us are getting out of this World alive so we might as well make everyday a good one for ourselves and others. 

Marry me chicken

12 chicken thighs

Olive oil, garlic, smoked paprika

Salt, black pepper

Honey, soya sauce

1 big pot double cream

4tbs wholegrain mustard

1tbsp tarragon

Squeeze of lemon

Marinate the thighs in a healthy slosh of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, 2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed, a slosh of soya sauce  ,drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of smoked paprika. Leave for 30 mins then roast in a hot oven for 30 mins until the skin is Crispy.

Then tear it up once it's cooked and put in a pan, pour on cream and bring to boil, stir in mustard and tarragon and a tsp of sugar. Loads of black pepper at the last minute and serve on buttered rice.

When not on duty as Venus of the soup kitchen I would add a dash of sherry in homage to little Mu my Heavenly Nanna, who couldn't cook for Toffee but lived til 92 on a diet of pork pies and Harvey's Bristol cream sherry.

Mmmmm ❤ 

I just love crisps!

 This week has been cold, wet, rainy, sunny, windy, busy, happy, gentle and a bit mad in equal measure.

I find myself nostalgic for a kinder, gentler World. The 1980s when I was a bright eyed ra ra skirt wearing , Madonna and Prince devotee were such fun.

I remember the music was amazing and I loved driving in my mums suzuki jeep with the roof down singing " thinking of you" by sister sledge. That wah wah pedal at the start transports me right back to when all I had to worry about was the state of my perm and what was for tea.

The years have flown but I'm still bopping to work singing along to The smiths and The Cure. I go to aquafit as often as I can and I jump about like a happy hungry hippo to walking on sunshine, crocodile rock and Gloria.  Absolute bangers that motivate my old banger of a body to keep going.

Tonight I've made a spinach and paneer curry and almond rice but the loaded crisps I've made for Lily are delicious.

Remark on the remarkable ...ooof these are fit...

2 large bags of kettle chips

1 brie

Mature cheddar

Parmesan

1 pack of salami and parma ham

Put the crisps in a baking tray top with all the charcuterie you can spare , tuck a ripped up brie underneath, top with cheddar cheese and grated parmesan and bake for 20 mins til oozy and golden.

I might drizzle some hot honey and chilli flakes ontop but I'm a complete domestic slut on a Friday!

At Manna House today we had 65 for a free lunch of carrot and cumin soup, spaghetti bognese , mac n cheese and veggie curry and rice. Panettone pudding and custard.

Everyone I met today were so grateful and happy to eat a delicious home cooked meal for free.

Love on a plate is real 😋💜

Lily had a great first day at a new job today, so these deluxe loaded crisps are for her #fridayiminlove 💜

I love you truffles

 It's February 2026 and I cooked 7323 free meals last year at Manna House in Kendal. A statistic to be proud of and I  was busy compiling a recipe book "World on a plate"for the homelessness prevention charity. I love my job and helping others is a privilege but this year I need to carve out a little time to write my own recipes and share them here...

Scores on the doors last year were :-

Manna  7323  What's for dinner Clarey 0!! 😉

So here goes! I'm hoping journalling my daily eats and treats will make you smile and maybe try one of my recipes.

I love you truffles

These little beauties were made out of leftovers from Christmas 

1 whiskey soaked fruit loaf cake

Baileys

2 bars of dark chocolate(  I love Bourneville)

1 tub of brandy butter

3tbsp golden syrup

Cocoa and caster sugar to roll in

Break the fruit loaf into crumbs and soak with leftover Baileys. Melt the chocolate and butter and syrup to make a chocolate sauce. Stir into the crumbs and roll into small balls. Dredge with cocoa and a little caster sugar. Put in a tin and refrigerate until they are firm .

My nickname at my house is chocolatey Clare ( chocolate eclair) these would be lovely served in threes with pouring cream or squirty if you're trashy like me.

Tomorrow at Manna House...

In the Learning kitchen we will be making 

Spicy parsnip soup

Chicken pie and cheesey mash ,savoy cabbage and bacon

Broccoli cheese

Cinnamon roll bread and butter pudding

Cinnamon custard

Last week a homeless guy paid me the biggest compliment by saying " thank you that didn't taste like a free meal". 

It's 2026 we need to do better for those who are not doing well in our society.

As a teenager in the 1980s Prefab Sprout was my favourite band . "The Venus of the soup kitchen" was on my Walkman on repeat.

These days in my encore career I'm always teaching people to make soup, souper Tuesdays are dedicated to spinning straw into gold! Whatever free vegetables arrive from supermarket waste or from our allotment we whizz up into liquid gold.

Spicy parsnip soup

Chop the tops off 3 bags of wonky parsnips. Wash but don't peel ( fibre is my 2nd favourite F word!) Chop into chunks put in a pan

Cover with a carton of uht full milk

Add 1tbs curry powder,  2tsp cumin, 2tsps garlic granules, black pepper and salt

2 veg stock cubes

Bring to a simmer and when the parsnips are soft whizz them up with a soup wand .

If you're feeling flush add a pot of double cream and a handful of chopped coriander before serving.

I always have a big pan of soup on the go , super tasty and full of the vitamins we need to stave off the Winter bugs.

To me food equals joy and when Joy is in short supply , a bowl of soup made with love, kind of saves the day.

My great Auntie JOYce is 97 today , she is my beloved Nanna's youngest sister and when I speak to her on the phone its like phoning heaven. She has the same little Yorkie voice and giggle and sounds so much younger than her age. What a woman. 

So this year I want to be more joyful like Auntie Joyce and like my soup a little bit spicy! Bland is banned.