January is, I think, my least favourite month. It follows what is a very social month, and just as I'm getting into my swing everyone disappears and the weather often takes a turn for the worse. This month already we've seen off a light sprinkling of snow, and colder temperatures are forecast and I've just spent a couple of days in somewhere where the daily high was a negative. Brrrr.
So you might be thinking what I've found to be cheerful about. Well, as it often is, it's something really quite simple. And that's freshly squeezed orange juice from blood oranges. Not only does the colour make me smile, it tastes delicious too.
It's a great start to the weekend and I'm sure it tastes even better because they have a relatively short season, only really appearing in our local greengrocers in January and February. Plus it gives me a good reason to use my new water glasses from Habitat in a more colourful way!
I do like the simple things in life, so juicing blood oranges is a good place to start, but you don't have to stop there. I've been looking around for other ways to enjoy them, and I couldn't get past this blood orange syrup pudding from Cherished by Me.
A blood orange syrup pudding
I like how it's a syrup pudding that's not steamed, which means it takes less time to cook and you can also make it with gluten free flour. But mostly I like it because it plays to the sweetness of the blood oranges and because the pretty flesh is still on show, and not because as Nova says, it's a generous sized dessert. Oh, ok, maybe it's a little bit of that too...
Image credit: Cherished by me
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Don't forget to make the most of this offer - and let me know what you buy, and how you enjoy your blood oranges.
* This is a collaborative post but all views and opinions are my own