A creamy and delicious Slimming World friendly risotto recipe!

I love a good risotto, and once I learnt how to make one properly, there's not looking back!

With risotto, you can add in or remove as may flavours as you like. This is chicken, bacon and mushroom, but you could leave the meat out to make this vegetarian if required. 

This slimming friendly version is syn free, simple to make, and very tasty!

1. Choose arborio rice. This will absorb the stock well, giving you that lovely thick, velvety texture.

If you follow me, you will know that I love to create delicious but healthy versions of my favourite takeaways, also known as the Fakeaway. 

I was even dubbed the 'Queen of the Fakeaway' by the press, back in lockdown!

By making your own Fakeaway favourites you're not only saving money but saving on calories too. 

Feta is in itself very salty, so don't add too much salt when seasoning. 

In the quest for making a living through food, you may try numerous approaches. Whether you are looking at being a nutritionist, or you may think that you want to start running a food delivery business out of your home, if you have a way with words, being a freelance food writer could be the perfect option. But, what does it take?

You don't need a background in culinary school to be a food writer and many food writers online have to supplement their income by doing other things. And this means that you may have to bid on driving work or work a part-time job. But being a freelancer is the perfect way to diversify our efforts. Instead of just being a freelance food writer, you can write other things as well. But the first thing you should do would be to set up your own blog. Doing this gives you the opportunity to develop a portfolio of work, but also make you fine-tune your writing voice.

It's not enough to say that you want to write about food. You've got to break it down into some niche category. Many people write about food in general, but what can you do to sell yourself to the masses? Some people talk about foods in terms of their travel experiences, and others talk about the approach with regards to vegan foods. There are so many different websites out there, from websites dedicated to breakfast to the foods at Disney theme parks. The most important thing for you to do is to find something that you are passionate about that is also unique to you. When you decide what type of food writer you would like to be, this will inform the type of articles you'd like to write. You could write reviews of restaurants, or you could approach food in terms of tourism sustainability. This will make it easier for you. You might think that it's best to diversify your efforts, but when it comes to pitching articles to publications, they want to see that you have a running theme.

You might think that being a freelance food writer gives you the ability to write about anything. But you have to remember that when you are writing about food, there are many other experts out there. It can certainly broaden your horizons as a freelancer, but it is a constant learning experience. And if you do it right, you don't just find new angles and experiences, but it's the perfect way to broaden your life in so many different ways. You may very well find that you inevitably get more nutrients into your diet, but food can be a bridge to another culture. And sampling food from around the world, even if it is just down the road from your home gives you a unique perspective and we'll make you appreciate things a lot more.

A creamy ice cream with Lotus Biscoff flavour that is dairy free, vegan and slimming friendly

This is probably one of the easiest things that you could ever make, and is as simple as blending up some bananas!

Believe it or not, frozen bananas blend into a beautiful, ice cream like texture when blitzed in a food processor. 

If you are looking for a vegan option, or just a dairy free alternative to Ice Cream, this recipe is for you. 

Once mastered, you could play around with any flavours you like.

It does have a banana flavour to it as well, which works perfectly in this flavour. 

So Valentines may be a little different this year...but all the more reason to create a magical evening in the comfort of your own home. 

Here are some great ideas for Valentines day. I was gifted these items, however all opinions are totally honest and my own.

Wines 2U and the lovely people at Yorkshire Lean Meat have collaborated to bring you a stunning ‘Fine Wine & Dine Box’ range.

These boxes are the perfect meal for 2 or 4 people and bring an element of restaurant dining to the home. Yorkshire Lean Meat are award winning meat suppliers, they only provide the finest quality produce and have been doing since 2015.

Wines 2U have a range of exclusive wines from award winning vineyards and use ethical sustainable winegrowers to provide wines that are unavailable in the shops. Together these boxes mean that you as a customer will be treated to restaurant quality food and wine at a fraction of the price. 

All the boxes include the ingredients required, a good discount and free nationwide delivery. Why not treat yourself or someone you love to a quality night in and create some amazing home dining experiences. 

This is the rack of lamb box, and it was absolutely amazing. It came with Yorkshire grass fed 3 bone lamb, Red wine sauce, Baby new potatoes (which I roasted) Stem broccoli , Bunched carrots, Plain cheese biscuits , Selection of cheese Bottle of Malbec/Cab Sauvignon.

It was absolutely delivious, and nice to have everything you needed for the evening within the box. 

The box is £54.99 and available to order here. 

One of my favourite thins in the world is to sit and graze at a Charcuterie platter.  The Plattery is offering national delivery on it's Valentines offering. It was pre-preapred and vacuum packed for freshness. All I had to do was pop the salmon on the blinis!

It is £35.00 and available to order here

This one doubles up as a gift and a dine in experience. If you're a sushi fan, why not enjoy the experience of making some together!

The kit comes with everything you need to prepare some of your favourite rolls. 

The kit is a great way to get into making your own sushi at home or great as a gift for food lovers. 

This kit comes with enough ingredients for your first serving of maki rolls. All you have to do is add your own fresh fillings.

Kit including everything that you need: Rolling Mat, Chopsticks, Nori, Sushi rice, Rice Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Wasabi and Ginger. You also have the option to include recipes. 

I really enjoyed making my own sushi, and it was such a help having the kit./ 

It starts at £19 and is available here

Ticklemore Goats Cheese (v) - Devonshire’s zesty Ticklemore goat's cheese with spinach, red onion and sweet comfy onion marmalade (no mozzarella).

 Shropshire Coppa (cured ham) from award-winning Wenlock Edge Farm, with chestnut mushrooms and spring onions.

The bases are already rolled, meaning even less mess for you to clear up! There were plenty of toppings included, and of course were absolutely delicious!  

Available from Prezzybox.com here for £19.99