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Under the Henfluence
We can never pass up the opportunity to interview someone who loves hens SO much they’ve written an entire book about them, so here we catch up with author Tove Danovich, whose book Under the Henfluence is out now. To win a copy, check out our Golden Egg competition on page 21.
First up, for anyone who hasn’t read Under the Henfluence, can you explain what it’s about, in an egg shell?
Under the Henfluence is a book that looks at chickens, both in relationship to us and on their own. There's a mix of stories about my own flock, the many ways we interact with chickens besides raising them for food, and a lot of reporting on who chickens are on their own and what they're capable of.
We’re all chicken lovers here but we want to know, what inspired you to write a book about our feathered friends?
Five years ago, I got my first three chicks and fell absolutely in love with them. I was reading every book I could find on the subject, but none seemed to capture the delight of having chickens, so I set out to write the book I wanted to read!
You say in the book that hens can change your life – is it safe to say your chickens have changed yours?
Without a doubt! I don't even remember what I used to talk about with people before I got chickens because they seem to dominate the conversation these days. Whenever I'm having a stressful day, all I do is spend some time with the ladies and their chatty burbles and I feel so much better.
You’ve got the most gorgeous set up for your hens (we especially love the coop porch!) – would you say your hens are spoilt?!
Thank you. Honestly the new coop is as much for me (bigger coop means easier cleaning!) as for them but they are objectively very spoiled and loved chickens.
If you had to pick just one, what’s your favourite thing about keeping chickens?
You're really asking me the tough questions! I love how often they make me laugh. Watching a chicken bounce from side to side as she runs across the yard never gets old.
Finally, something we like to ask all our interviewees – what’s your favourite way to eat eggs?
My favourite breakfast is to semi-caramelize some onions, add tomatoes until most of the water has evaporated, add the eggs into the mixture, then add lots of feta and chopped parsley right as it's all soft scrambled together. I serve it with some bread or pita and it's a household favourite!
Brown sugar banoffees
INGREDIENTS
For the pastry: 100g soft unsalted butter 100g light brown sugar 2 eggs 325g plain flour Flour for dusting
To assemble:
1-2 ripe bananas 300g condensed caramel 300ml extra thick double cream or lightly whipped cream A little milk chocolate for shaving
Equipment – A shallow bun tin or mini muffin tin
Your tin can be any size but I like little ones that produce tarts which are about 2-3 bites in size. This recipe will make about 15-20 little tarts.
1. Firstly, decide which size tin you are going to use and then cut out circles of non-stick baking paper to fit snugly into the bottom of your tin, you will need these for baking blind.
2. To make the pastry, beat butter and brown sugar using an electric mixer until pale, about 5 minutes, then slowly add eggs and beat to combine. Add flour, beat until just combined, turn onto a lightly floured work surface, form into a disc, wrap in cling fill and chill for at least 30 minutes. Don’t be tempted to use your dough before the time is up, this dough needs its rest.
3. Preheat oven to 180C, fan160C, gas 6. When you are ready, roll your pastry on a lightly floured surface to the thickness of a fifty pence piece. Stamp out circles and fit them into the tartlet tin holes and chill for 30 minutes.
4. Line each hole with circles of non-stick baking paper and fill with baking blind beans. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove paper and baking beans and bake for another 5-7 minutes or until crisp. Remove from the tin and allow to cool completely.
5.Now you simply have to assemble the pies. Fill the bottom of your cases with condensed caramel, top with a little dollop of cream, a banana slice and a shaving of chocolate. Beautiful.
Raspberry loaf cake
Recipe provided by delicious. magazine
A simple raspberry loaf cake is a beautiful thing – easy to make, easier to eat and ready for whatever flavourful additions you fancy. We’ve opted for raspberries in this recipe, but you could easily swap them out for any other berries and/or chocolate. The cake will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.
Serves 6-8
Hands-on time 15 min Oven time 35 min You'll need a 1lb loaf tin
• 200g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 medium free-range eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
• 200g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 200g raspberries, plus extra to decorate
• 70g icing sugar
1. Heat the oven to 180°C fan/gas 6 and grease and line a 1lb loaf tin with butter and baking paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk. Add the eggs one at a time, ensuring each one is incorporated before adding the next, then stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then fold through the mixture followed by 150g of the raspberries. Pour the batter into the lined tin, then bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
3. While the cake bakes, make the icing. Mash together the remaining raspberries with the icing sugar and the lemon juice, then scrape through a fine sieve to remove the seeds. Allow the cake to cool for 5 minutes, then turn it out of the tin and set aside on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, drizzle over the icing, then decorate with fresh raspberries.