Ms February - my sunny valentine

"My funny valentine
Sweet comic valentine
You make me smile with all my heart
Your looks are laughable
Unphotographable (!?)
Yet you're my favourite work of art"*

Our February Valentine had to be sweet, smooth white chocolate set against fruitful, feisty cranberry. Purists will not allow the word chocolate to apply to the white stuff. But the white chocolate we cut into these muffins is so good it has to be hidden from the family to have a chance of making it into the mix. Made with cocoa butter (not a hint of palm oil in these babies) it fades into the muffin mixture creating a luxurious texture to set against the palate-teasing cranberry (with which ladies have a particular affiliation). Maybe a little sweeter than most of our muffins but, hey, Valentine's day is a treat for loved ones.

Valentine's Pack - 8 x white chocolate and cranberry (UK only) (From 13th Feb, will switch to "Morning Muffins" unless you contact MagogMuffins@gmail.com with other request.)

Order between now and mid-day on the 11th Feb, for your muffins to be delivered in time for Valentine's Day.













*My sunny valentine, according to Sylvia Aprile

For tailored treats (Mr November is a good foil for Ms February) contact MagogMuffins@gmail.com

Warming up to 2010

A quartet of hot drinks to warm up the chilly start to the year - hot ginger, warm lemon tea with honey, chunky cappucino and our new flavour - hot dark chocolate with a hint of chilli. If you have never tried chilli with chocolate, give this a go. The slightly delayed "nip" just amplifies the chocolate hit. Naughty and nice, but not really new - the ancient Aztecs and Mayans were the first known civilizations to serve hot chocolate, flavoured not with sugar, but with chilli pepper. A real multi-tasker that chilli.... flavoursome, fiery and fabulous. For in-depth chilli Magog Muffins enjoys "Nagachilli"'s blog (and twitter @nagachilli) where we found this Aztec offering for hot choc drink:

One and two thirds cups milk, half a vanilla bean, split lengthwise, one red chili pepper, split with seeds removed, one cinnamon stick of around three to four inches, half an ounce of chocolate (bittersweet) . Simmer milk in a saucepan with vanilla bean, cinnamon and chili. Heat through for about a minute. Whisk in grated chocolate, and continue to simmer until melted. Remove from heat and let ’steep’ for another 10 minutes. Strain out the spices and serve. For maximum impact drink with a choc/chilli muffin......


And the Royal Mail is still getting them through, despite the snow. Until our new website and payment mechanism is up and running you can still order by e-mail or PayPal - see post "Magog Muffins on the Move" or MagogMuffins@gmail.com.

Sacrifice of a muffin

We couldn't resist borrowing this beagle puppy called Muffin to pose with our own little beauty. Model 1 - 8 weeks old. Model 2 - 8 minutes old.

Of course, we had to sacrifice the muffin, and help was on hand in the snowy garden (the evidence is in the snow on the lower chops...).













We are taking a break through Boxing Day but for orders from 27th and over the turn of the year, please contact MagogMuffins@gmail.com

Meanwhile, a happy festive season from MagogMuffins and friends.

Muffin Poetry Award for Palm oil free campaigner

The forest on the left in the north of Sumatra Island is storing carbon and other ecosystem services, providing habitat for orang utans and other creatures, as well as livelihoods for people living nearby. The palm oil plantation on the right has knocked out this biodiversity, destroyed the ecoystem services and slewed the local economy.

Haiku competition panel have awarded the Muffin prize to twitterer @kusasi for his ethical content - congratulations Neil (and his palm-oil-free website)

paper overflows
sweet sponge chocolate or fruit
palm oil free goodness

Runner up is the double Haiku offered by twitterer @miametro (and her lovely photography)

you should take flavour
suggestions - PB&J
definitely yum!

or maybe perhaps
a bit more traditional
cherry almond, NOM.

Magog Muffins is struggling slightly with the concept of peanut butter and jelly flavour........ but thinking of trying this for a Fourth of July offering or in celebration of Barak Obama's Nobel Peace Prize. All flavour suggestions very welcome here in our ecokitchen - please use comment form (or tell us on twitter @MagogMuffins). If we take any up we will gladly send you a sample from the first batch out of the oven.

And that guest judge? He declined to be named this time around, but might reveal himself if we run another competition next National Poetry Day (perhaps combine with a tweet up eat up?)

Muffin haiku

National Poetry Day Haiku:






Luscious summer muse
I yearn for your sensation
sweetly on my lips.






Go on then - only 17 syllables - send us your
muffin-inspired haikus.


Free muffin for the best, as selected by Magog Muffins
plus a specialist guest judge (to be announced).

Happy National Poetry Day UK from Magog Muffins.

Ms October - Apricot & Almond

As autumnal breezes brushed away the hazy, lazy heat of the Provencal summer, Ms. October packed her bags and headed home. Ground almonds and squadgy apricots, topped with a toasted flake or two, help keep the spirit of summer alive and the encroaching winter at bay. Available to taste this week at Gog Magog Hills - together with the even hotter Stem Ginger, currently under consideration for the Ms. November title.

Muffin Art - Apricot & Almond