I don't just eat vegan cake and drink liqueur, but...

How long am I going to keep banging on about having a working oven? Well, the novelty's not worn off yet, sorry good folk of the internet, I just have to keep going on about it. Look at all the wonderful things you can make in an oven:

When you discover, courtesy of Fat Gay Vegan, that Whole Foods is stocking one of the best vegan cake ranges a vegan's ever put in their mouth, you know you've got to try it.

I can't remember what the one above is called, but it's basically a vegan lava cake. The packaging recommended microwaving the delicious goodies within, but I don't have one of them. You know what I do have? A WORKING OVEN! You're getting the idea now, I guess. A few minutes in a hot oven and there was an incredible chocolate lava cake, with all the sort of warm oozing middle and crisp outer you could ask for.

(Note the presence of a cake fork there too - a recent present from my mother in law. Cool huh? I don't know who thought the world needed a separate eating iron for dessert, but they're alright by me.)

Also from Lujuria Vegana, this (non-ovened) chocolate and hazelnut cake. Imagine the best Ferrero Rocher in the world, and you're half there.

London-based vegans, consider Lujuria Vegana a must-eat (is there such a thing as a must-eat? There is now if not). It's not cheap, but it's worth it. Fingers crossed Whole Foods put them in more stores.

On the homemade side of things this week, I've been attempting some liqueur making. Back when lychees were cheap, I bought a few bags and left them to steep in some vodka with some ginger and lime zest. I finally got around to decanting it and adding the sugar syrup recently.

It went this rather fetching pale peach-yellowy colour:

The flavour was pretty nice, but sadly too faint - I guess if I was making it again, I'd stick some extra lychees in, and bit less sugar. The recipe's here if you want to give it a go. 

The other thing I have to share with you is my first attempt at sourdough. Sourdough is a bread for the patient, and I am not one of them, more's the pity. But, when my rather kindly boss passed on some spare sourdough starter, I thought I should address my failings and get on with it.

Despite all the kneading proving (no pun intended) a bit too much like hard work, and the waiting hours for the dough to rise testing what little patience I possess, I was quietly impressed with the result. 

I used this recipe on the Guardian, and apart from an overly crusty exterior, it wasn't bad for a first try. Next up, I'm going to find a no-knead recipe!

And now, in an effort to prove I do eat other things that aren't a) bread b) cakes, here's a meal from the other day that was taken in dodgy light, but I'm going to try and pretend I've put a whack Instagram filter on (the broccoli wasn't really that colour, I promise you!)

Aside from the slightly wonky coloured broccoli, there's some butternut squash, spring onion, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and a load of gnocchi. (I'm having a gnocchi phase right now, I can't get enough down my gullet). There was also a load of lemon juice, parsley, and chilli in there, and it was wonderful - and not an oven in sight.