Chocolate, orange and cardamom loaf cake
I had a really hard work day on Friday, and when I finally clocked off I decided to bake something to relax. …
Banana-chocolate pancakes with peanut butter sauce
I made a batch of these American-style pancakes for my banana-loving partner this morning. They were a little slapdash in terms of …
Easy chickpea Tagine
This is a really quick and easy recipe that is also very flexible – add any veg, beans or dried fruit you …
Peanut butter-banana-chocolate cake
I’ve got a friend who is gluten intolerant and has recently gone vegan, so for her birthday I attempted my first vegan …
Plum and almond upside-down cake
It was 18 degrees yesterday, and it’s mid-October (and we live in the NORTH now!), but nonetheless I was feeling autumnal. We …
Quick garlic-chilli greens and pasta
A super-quick dinner of green vegetables cooked in garlic and chilli, served with pasta. Kale, spinach, broccoli, or other green vegetables of …
Butternut squash, chestnut and beetroot-top Wellington
Cooking for vegetarians at Christmas? This makes a great centrepeice, and can served with all of the usual trimmings. Serves 6, with …
Double chocolate parfait
Serves 8 You will need a 1lb loaf tin, cling film, three large bowls and a freezer. 60g white chocolate 120g dark …
Onion soup
Serves 2, generously Six white onions Two cloves garlic Bay leaf Tarragon (optional) White wine The best stock you can find (I …
Squash-stuffed pasta shells in cream sauce
We were kindly given some black truffles last Christmas and haven’t really known what to do with them! We decided to use …
Pistachio and peach cake
An upside-down cake made with ground pistachios and tinned peaches – it’ll come out a lovely pale green. I tin peach slices …
Cheese, tomato and basil muffins
Savoury muffins – good for a picnic! (Yes, the brief window of March sunshine has gone to my head…) makes 24 little …
Apple and amaretto crumble
Slightly alcoholic, very warming. Serve with custard. Lots of custard. Serves 6 (or 4 greedy people) For the underneath: 2 large cooking …
Risotto
My best friend works on a cheese stall and, yes, that is as good as it sounds. She gave us one of …
White fish with tomatoes, wine and cream
I ate something similar to this in a Turkish restaurant in early December and tried to recreate it for Christmas dinner. Use …
Leek and potato soup
Tasty soup for a cold day. This is ridiculously easy to make! Serves 4 5 leeks 4 big potatoes 2 litres veggie …
Chocolate orange praline booze mousse death cake
We had an early Christmas meal with some friends, and since one is gluten-intolerant, Christmas pudding is out. I made this to …
Bitter chocolate and caramel tart
We had a small party on Saturday, mainly celebrating the fact that we have a garden at the moment and it’s sunny …
Strawberry daiquiri sorbet
All I want to eat in this weather is ice cream, but in the interests of avoiding diabetes/obesity, I’ve been making sorbet …
Lentil, squash and goat’s cheese salad
Quick, simple summer supper – serve with bread if you like, but it’s pretty filling. Serves 2 1 can lentils, well-drained Double …