The Groovy Food Company is all about being good to yourself.Versatile and tasty, you can pick the products up from supermarkets and health food stores all across the country or you can make life really easy and can order them on this site.

Recipes from of The Groovy Food Company: www.groovyfood.co.uk

The Groovy Food Company Steamed Orange Pudding

• Servings – 6 people
• Preparation time – 20 minutes
• Baking time – 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

For the puddings:

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 125g caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 eggs
• 250g self-raising flour, sifted
• Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• 80ml milk
• The Groovy Food Company Orange Chocolate Agave Sauce to serve

For the caramelised oranges:

• 2 oranges, unpeeled, sliced into thin rounds
• 440g caster sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a 1.25L pudding basin.
2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in an electric mixer until thick and pale. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in the flour and zest, followed by the milk until the mixture is a soft batter consistency.
3. Pour the batter into the pudding basin. Layer a sheet of foil on top of a sheet of baking paper, then fold a pleat through the centre. Use to cover the pudding, then tie with string. Place in a roasting pan, then fill the pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the basin. Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Stand for 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, place the orange slices in a saucepan and cover with cold water.  Simmer over medium heat, then drain. Repeat this blanching process twice. Place orange slices and sugar in a saucepan and add 500ml water. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then cook for 10-12 minutes or until the orange slices are tender and translucent. Set aside to cool in the syrup.
5. Turn the pudding out onto a platter and top with caramelised orange slices, then drizzle with The Groovy Food Company Chocolate Agave Sauce to serve.

The Groovy Food Company Fruity Mince Pies

• Serves – 8 people
• Preparation time – 30 minutes
• Baking time – 30 minutes

Ingredients:

To make the fruity mince meat:

• 225g (8oz) sultanas
• 225g (8oz) raisins
• 60g (2oz) dried cranberries
• 225g (8oz) dried apricots
• 110g (4oz) dried figs
• 110g (4oz) dried dates, pitted
• 110g (4oz) chopped almonds
• 3 dessert apples, washed, cored and chopped
• 2 pears, washed, cored and chopped
• 3 lemons, juice and zest
• 2tsp (10ml) mixed spice
• 1tbsp (15ml) ground cinnamon
• 1tsp (5ml) ground cloves
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 75ml (5tbsp) rum or brandy, optional
• 100ml (4floz) Groovy Food Agave Nectar Rich and Dark

To make the shortcrust pastry:

• 200g (8oz) plain flour, sifted
• 100g (4oz) unsalted butter
• 25g (1oz) ground almonds
• 50g (2oz) icing sugar, sifted
• 1 egg, beaten

To make the glaze:

• 1 egg yolk and 1tbsp milk
• 400g fruity mincemeat

Method:

To make the fruity mincemeat:

1. Wash the dried fruit.
2. Chop the apricots, figs and dates into small pieces with scissors.
3. Place all the dried fruit in a large bowl and cover with apple juice or boiling water. Leave to soak for an hour. 
4. Drain well and mix the dried fruit with the spices, fresh fruit, lemon zest and juice and nuts and place in batches in a food processor. 
5. Pulse gently to chop the mixture but do not over-process.
6. Warm the Agave Nectar slightly with the rum (if using) and add to the mixture making sure to mix well.
7. Place in airtight containers or jars and refrigerate or freeze in batches.

To make the shortcrust pastry:

1. Place the flour, butter, almonds, sugar and egg in a food processor and whizz until it comes together to form a ball.
2. Knead gently on a lightly floured work surface then cover in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 200ºC, gas mark 6.
4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and stamp out rounds to line a bun tin.
5. Fill each case with mincemeat.
6. If covering with a top, cut out slightly smaller rounds of pastry and dampen the edges. Press these on top of the pies and seal the edges well. Alternatively, stamp out little pastry stars and place on the top of the pies.
7. Mix the egg and milk together and brush over the pies to glaze.
8. Prick the lids with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.  Cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Dust with a little icing sugar and serve warm.

To make Mincemeat Cake Bars:

1. In a large bowl combine 250g wholemeal self-raising flour with 2tsp baking powder.
2. Stir in 450g mincemeat, 4 beaten eggs and 2tbsp Groovy Food mild agave nectar.
3. Stir to combine then spoon into a rectangular shallow tray bake tin.
4. Bake in the oven at 180ºC, gas mark 4 for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
5. Cool in the tin then cut into bars.

The Groovy Food Company Gingerbread Snowflake Biscuits

• Serves – 25 people
• Preparation time – 40 minutes
• Baking time – 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 100g The Groovy Food Company organic virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled
• 85g The Groovy Food Company organic virgin coconut sugar
• 100g The Groovy Food Company Rich & Dark agave nectar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 350g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Beat the coconut oil, coconut sugar, agave, vanilla and egg together in a bowl with electric beaters for 4 mins, until thickened and pale.
2. Add the flour, bicarb and spices, and beat until just combined. Cover and chill for 30 mins, or until firm.
3. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Shape the dough into two discs and return one to the fridge. Place a large sheet of baking parchment on your work surface and dust with flour, top with a disc of dough and dust that with flour too. Cover with another sheet of parchment and roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Using your choice of cutters cut out the biscuits, re-rolling any leftover dough.
4. Transfer to parchment lined trays and bake in batches for 8 mins, until golden brown – if you like them extra crunchy bake for 10 mins.
5. Cool on a wire rack and repeat with the remaining dough. Once cool dust with icing sugar before serving or enjoy as they are.

The Groovy Food Company Mulled Wine Brownies

• Makes – 10
• Preparation time – 10 minutes
• Baking time – 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 100g dark chocolate
• 150g unsalted butter
• 200g The Groovy Food Company Coconut Sugar
• 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk
• 100ml red wine
• 50g cocoa powder
• 100g The Groovy Food Company Coconut Flour
• pinch of nutmeg and ground cloves
• ¼ tsp each cinnamon and ginger

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4, butter and line the base of a 20cm x 20cm brownie tin with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water.
3. Mix the flour and cocoa powder together with the spices and a pinch of salt set aside.
4. Using an electric whisk, beat the butter and sugar together until super light and fluffy then whisk in the egg and yolk.
5. Pour in melted chocolate, red wine and flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
6. Pour the batter into tin and bake for 15 mins until just set, don’t worry if there is a slight wobble in the centre, it will set up as they cool. Put into the fridge to firm up. 

Groovy Food Company Chocolate & Clementine Fridge Cake

• Makes – 18
• Preparation time – 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 clementines
• 175g equal mix of sultanas, dried cranberries and dried
• mango, roughly chopped
• 100g The Groovy Food Company organic virgin coconut oil
• 100g The Groovy Food Company organic agave nectar,
• light amber & mild
• 200g dark 70% cocoa solids chocolate, roughly chopped
• 50g cocoa powder
• 100g digestive biscuits, roughly broken into 2cm pieces
• 75g pistachios, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Line a 20cm square baking tin or dish with baking parchment.

2. Finely grate the zest of one clementine and set aside, then squeeze the juice into a bowl. Tip 150g of the dried fruit into the bowl with the juice, mix well and leave to soak for 30 mins.

3. When the fruit has finished soaking bring a small pan of water to the boil. Put the coconut oil, agave, chocolate, and a good pinch salt in a heatproof bowl and set over the simmering water, (making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Stir well until everything is melted and combined.

4. Remove from the heat and sift over the cocoa powder. Mix thoroughly, then stir through the fruit and its soaking liquid, the biscuits, reserved zest of one clementine, and half the pistachios. Once everything is combined tip into the tin and level. Scatter over the remaining pistachios, 25g dried fruit and grate over the zest of the second clementine.

5. Chill for 2-3hrs, or until set, then cut into bars.