BBQ Steak with Zesty Watercress Salsa

Hurrah! The sun decided to come back again, and it has been very welcome after that chilly spell when I was almost tempted to put the heating on. 

I'm in the process of painting the teens' bedrooms but took a break last weekend, as nobody wants to be indoors painting in this weather. Instead I took the opportunity to sit in the garden for a while, and had a bit of fun involving Nerf guns, wet sponges and plastic 'tin' cans. It was also a chance to cook the dinner on the bbq, and save on extra washing up or having to turn the oven on.

For the past couple of weeks I've been going through a bit of a detox. On a whim I decided that I would cut out caffeine, starting on Tuesday of all days. Who even starts a diet or detox on a Tuesday? That would be me then. I've been embracing dairy free, sugar free, caffeine free, gluten free diet for 2 weeks now, and I'm feeling so much better for it, after the initial caffeine withdrawal headache, and the slight hangover after my birthday. 

It was during the first week of embracing clean eating food that I used a lot more flavours on a daily basis and came up with this watercress salsa. It's dairy & gluten free and can be enjoyed on salad, potatoes and roasted vegetables, but it is AMAZING on steak.

When it comes to cooking on barbecues many of us stick to the old favourites of sausages, burgers and chicken. I've been using steak more and more on the barbecue recently, whether it's cooking the odd one or two or slicing more up to make kebabs. I'm usually a 'medium' kind of girl, but with a good steak and sauce I do enjoy it on the rarer side, especially when it's sliced thinly.

I love a simple barbecued steak, but with a great sauce a good steak can become an amazing steak. Serving this salsa with a platter of thinly sliced medium-rare steak will really impress your guests at your next BBQ, and there will be no going back to simple sausages.

When choosing your steak (or any other cut of beef or lamb), look out for a quality mark like the Red Tractor logo, which means that the meat is farm assured and responsibly produced, by people dedicated to providing great food. For this recipe I used rump steak, as it's a reasonably priced steak that doesn't break the bank when cooking or the whole family.

BBQ Steak with Zesty Watercress Salsa by Helen Jessup on Scribd

For everything you need to know about beef & lamb, including recipes and information about Red Tractor beef & lamb, visit www.simplybeefandlamb.co.uk, and #RaiseTheSteaks at your next BBQ.

a commissioned post for Simply Beef & Lamb

Strawberry Milkshake with Organic Free Range Milk from Arla

As babies milk is our first and only source of food, whether it comes from the bottle or breast. Some of us go on to love a glass of milk morning, noon and night, whilst others may only have a little,  in a bowl of cereal or cuppa. I'm the latter, along with my teen girl, but my boys can't get enough of the stuff, particularly my youngest, who still loves a mug of milk at every bedtime.

We all want what's best for our children, and when it comes to milk Arla Organic Free Range milk is right up there. The free range milk is provided by cows that graze outside whenever possible, and for over 200 days of the year, on grass and clover that's grown without the use of artificial weed killers or fertilisers. In addition to the high standards already met by being free range, additional standards are met on animal welfare, quality and sustainability required for the milk to be classed as organic. Arla is also farmer owned, meaning that when you buy an Arla product you know that you're helping to support their farmers and their families.

You're probably now thinking 'but does it taste any good'? The best person to answer that would be our family milk expert, 8 year old Jack.

Before I let Jack try the milk I asked him what he thought organic and free range milk was, and whether he thought it would taste better than the non organic/free range milk that he's used to.

He didn't really know much about organic, and despite hearing the term 'free range' he didn't really know what that meant either. I gave him a quick run down about the cows being happier if they were allowed room to wander around outside and eat nice fresh grass that hadn't had any nasty sprays on, and that if the cows were happier they would produce better quality milk. After thinking about it he concluded that he thought that happy cows that ate good food would probably produce nice milk.

Was he right?

I think we'll take that as a yes. Thumbs up for Arla Organic Free Range milk & Mum's strawberry milkshake, on a roasting hot day.

Strawberry Milkshake - serves 2

handful of fresh strawberries

500ml Arla Organic Free Range milk

scoop of vanilla ice cream

• Add all the ingredients to a blender & blend until smooth
• Serve immediately in a tall glass with a straw & a sprig of mint

In collaboration with Arla Foods