Recipes
Roasted Sweet Potato and Carrot soup
Soups are very satisfying especially on a cold winters day. I regularly have soup for lunch as its also very healthy and filling. This is a vegetarian option and I often add other flavourings such as herbs and spices to give it a different taste as well as bacon or chorizo if you want to add meat but up to you. Serves 4. Enjoy!
Chicken Bacon and Potato Braise
This recipe works well for a family meal or casual entertaining. It is finished with tarragon but if you can’t find fresh just use half the amount of dried.
Self-Saucing Chocolate Orange pudding
This is an intense chocolatey orange sponge with the magic of a gooey sauce at the bottom once it's cooked. Good with ice cream or cream. Enjoy!
Three bean salad with citrus dressing
This is a lovely salad to make over the summer when runner beans are plentiful. The flavour is enhanced by the toasted sesame oil and you can easily turn it into a starter or main course by adding tuna or feta cheese. Serves 4, enjoy!
Cripsy prawns with zingy chilli
This simple dish is surprisingly versatile. Use strips of chicken breast or large pieces of white fish, plaice works really well. Add a lovely salad and crusty bread for Saturday lunch or just as a starter.
Cheats Vegetable Pissaladiere
This is the South of France version of a pizza. It is usually made with a rich bread dough but I have replaced it here with some ready-rolled puff pastry and it works a treat covered with pesto and lots of root vegetables. Its good hot or you can take it to work to eat cold. Serves 6, Enjoy!
St Clements drizzle cake
We all love lemon drizzle cake and the twist by adding a little orange just makes a change. I also like making some butter icing with the addition of lemon or orange curd and cutting the cake through the middle and layering it together, delicious. Enjoy!
Classic minestrone
This is a really good filling vegetable, bean and pasta soup. Very healthy and nutritious and great to have for lunch or supper. You can add any vegetables you like really and this makes a big pot so that you can freeze half for another day or portion up and freeze to take to work.
Light Christmas pudding with Butterscotch sauce
This is a great recipe from Sue Lawrence (Masterchef winner). No Weighing required just use a coffee mug with a 300ml capacity and make sure you fill it to the top. My family love butterscotch sauce and serve it with cream, custard, ice cream or all 3.
Spiced slow roast pork with braised red cabbage and apple
Autumn is here and I love Roast dinners on a Sunday. This is a cost-conscious recipe that is good value for all the family with lots of meat for leftovers! Goes really well with the red cabbage and apple recipe below.
Apple Streusel Cake
This lovely moist apple cake freezes really well. It makes a large cake so I cut it into portions wrap in baking parchment and then foil and then just take one or two out and defrost at room temperature when needed.
Fish and Prawn Gratins with an Oaty topping
A quick and healthy midweek supper that you can make in a flash. I love the spinach in the bottom of the gratins and it works really well with the cheats tomato sauce. You can change the fish to suit your own tastes.
Sausage and Egg picnic pie
This recipe was from one of my cookery demonstrations and was a firm favourite with everyone. It’s fairly straightforward to make and if you have visitors, serves a crowd.
Fattoush Salad
This Middle Eastern salad is very quick to make and uses a couple of new ingredients that can be found in the supermarkets; sumac, a seed & spice blend and pomegranate molasses, very popular in Turkish food. It also uses up any stale pitta bread and great for a lunch box. Just add chicken or fish to make it into a main course or add it to the table when having a BBQ.
Homestyle Piri-Piri Chicken
Anyone who has been to Portugal will immediately conjure up memories of sardines grilled over hot coals and fingers getting messy eating hot delicious piri-piri chicken. With the summer on its way this is a great dish to eat al fresco teamed with salad and hot potatoes or crusty bread to wipe the plate. It can also be put on the bbq and is very easy.
Ham cheese and chive muffins
This is such an easy savoury muffin to make. They are lovely warm with a bowl of soup or with a salad. You can take them to work as part of a packed lunch or on a picnic. Freeze them on the day they are made and then just warm through in the oven. I have used chives but rosemary works as well.
Chocolate Easter Cake
An easy chocolate sponge with 2 buttercreams to go on it. Decorate with Maltesers and flowers or with any Easter decorations you wish. (There are a lot of cake decorations in the supermarkets). The sponge will also freeze if you want to get ahead.
Lamb and Aubergine Moussaka with a twist
Heat a large non-stick pan until hot, add the mince and cook until browned all over, add the onion, garlic, spices and oregano and cook for 5 mins. Add the wine, tomatoes and tomato puree, bring to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Add the mint and remove the cinnamon stick.
Root vegetable bhajis with a coriander and lime dip
Transform root vegetables into something special by making them into bhajis. Anyone who likes spice cookery will probably have most of the ingredients in their store cupboard. The batter has the onions in and then you can split it up and make your different flavours just by adding your vegetables. Give them a go. Enjoy!
Smoked Haddock and Wild Mushroom bake
I love smoked haddock and this all in one dish is easy for a warming January supper. Ask the fishmonger to skin and bone your smoked haddock and if wild mushrooms are not available use chestnut mushrooms as they have a little more flavour.
Garlic-infused slow-roast Pork Shoulder with roasted Apples
This cut of pork takes quite a long time to cook but well worth it and the roasted apples make a nice change from apple sauce. Use the lovely juices to make your gravy and put the crackling under the grill to puff up. Enjoy!
Hot apricot souffles
A lot of cooks don’t try souffles because they think they are too complicated. They are in fact very easy and often I will turn out a cold sunken souffle, turn it upside down and bake it again! Plus, they can also be frozen. This recipe uses ready available dried apricots which are a good source of potassium and fibre. Great if you want to impress friends. Enjoy!
Coq au Chardonnay
A twist on the classic using white wine instead of red. With Autumn on the way it is time to think about casseroles and comfort food, which I love especially with buttery mashed potato.
Carrot and Coconut Bars
These moist crumbly cake bars are bursting with flavour and the sweet goodness of sultanas and pecans. Lovely with a cup of coffee or great for a lunch box. They will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days, but doubt they will last that long. Enjoy!
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