Easter treats … Fresh and from frozen

Here are the two loaves fresh out of the oven :

Here's one of them sliced and ready to be devoured!

My immediate instinct is to slice, butter and consume – cook's privilege surely!

However – stoically I resisted and in the interests of all things practical - I also foil wrapped a loaf and popped into the freezer.

Here's that loaf, defrosted, sliced, toasted (on a grill please note – not in a pop-up toasted) and buttered liberally. It sliced perfectly and so clearly does not deteriorate after freezing.

The verdict – not that I am in any way biased you understand – it was lovely – the ability to freeze the loaf is an added bonus – you can use one loaf and freeze the other.

Here's the veggie option I mentioned - top a toasted slice and add mushrooms in balsamic :

Mushrooms in Balsamic

Serves 4 as a topping

4 tbsp rapeseed oil

500g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

4 cloves of garlic or paste

pinch of salt4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp soft brown sugar

60g shaved parmesan

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook on high for 5 minutes until browned. Mix the vinegar with the sugar and pour over the mushrooms. Stir until syrupy – 1-2 minutes – toast your slices of Cheese and Onion Muffin Loaf and top with the mushrooms, garnish with shaved parmesan.

Variety is the spice of life!