It's time for another UK & Europe edition of foodie pen pals!
This month I got to send a parcel to Caroline who blogs over at What's Happening At My House, a great blog with a bit of everything! Caroline is a cook rather than a baker so I got to put together a fun box of savoury treats for her.
A lovely lady called Hilary sent me a parcel this month and it was so thoughtfully put together including some homemade honey, cinnamon and almond granola (perfect for breakfast), some wonderful Cheshire cheese with Rioja and caramelised onion, some spiced sea-salt to add to my rapidly growing-out-of-control collection and a restaurant journal to keep track of my favourite places to eat.
Hilary also slipped in a jar of 'proper' (her words, not mine!) French mustard with tarragon. I like to make a little something with one of the ingredients in my parcel and it was this mustard that I alighted upon.
You see, first Kathryne made these baked fries. They went on my list to try. Then Gina made them. And then they zoomed straight to the top.
As soon as I saw the mustard, I knew it was destined to coat some fluffy on inside, crunchy outside fries and I wasn't at all disappointed with the results.
Both Kathryne and Gina have blogged the method to make these perfect fries so I don't really feel the need to reinvent the wheel. Before baking, I coated my potatoes in a heaped tablespoon of mustard and the zest of half a lemon. The mustard added a great kick of flavour without being too overpowering and the lemon brought a freshness that made it seemed entirely appropriate to eat these fries alongside a cold glass of white wine.
For various reasons (mostly holiday related), I'm not going to be able to take part in the next couple of months of foodie pen pals but the number of participants is getting bigger and bigger every month. If you're based in the UK or Europe and want to get involved, head over to Carol Anne's blog to check out the details.