Recipe – Simple Family Fishcakes

The staple of many a family meal, together with their finger counterparts, fishcakes are a great meal centre and they really are very simple. The recipe below uses cheap, frozen Pollock but you can use fresh or mix it up and use salmon or a smoked fish. For 6 fishcakes, you will need: 500g potatoes…

Recipe – Crème Brûlée Tarts

One of my absolutely favourite things are set custards: in trifles, creme caramels and especially egg custard tarts. Crème Brûlée is in my top three puds and if I see it on a menu it’s tempting to ask for that as a starter! Looking around the shops I’ve wondered what I could do with pre-made…

Recipe – Leftovers Turkey (or Chicken) & Ham Pie

Who doesn’t have a load of turkey left after Christmas? Even after your have countless snadwiches I bet there is still enough for a pie… Don’t forget that the dark meat actually makes a fantastic pie, so don’t chuck it out, make a pie instead! The below is a recipe using cooker turkey but you…

Recipe – Christmas Pudding Rice Krispy Bites

These are a great option for a tasty festive treat, perfect for Christmas parties or if random family descend on you! They last for ages too, so you can make up to a week in advance. For 12-15 you will need: 30g mini marshmallows 2 standard Mars bars (or 3 multipack ones) 50g unsalted butter…

Recipe – Battenberg Trifle Showstopper

Every year I attempt something new and a bit scary for our Christmas lunch dessert. Previously I’ve done ice cream bombs and huge trifles. Everyone in our house loves a trifle, so this year I thought I’d create something of my own, a Battenberg Trifle. This has all the components of a trifle but looks…

Recipe – Chicken Liver Pate with Brandy and Orange

Pate. It’s a bit like Marmite, you either love it or hate it. Our house is split down the middle as I love it but Samantha really doesn’t… but that doesn’t stop us having some for Christmas for the rest of the family. This year, I thought I’d have a go at an indulgent homemade…

Recipe – Christmas Biscuits for Children

There is a lot you can do at Christmas which doesn’t take a lot of time but can give a great result and make you seem like the Don of the kitchen! This recipe is for very simple vanilla biscuits, which you can make into festive themed treats with the right kit. Even pound shops…

Recipe – Sage & Onion Stuffing (Vegetarian)

This is one of those things that is a default ‘packet’ part of your cooking but is relatively simple to do yourself and tastes so much better! I swear, once you try it, you’ll never go back to a packet 🙂 To serve 4-6, you will need: 6 slices stale white bread with crusts removed…

Recipe – Ham & Cheese Mini Frittatas

Quick and easy ‘throw together’ family meals are a wonderful thing, especially if they use stuff you probably have knocking about. These are great kid-friendly meal centres which are easy to do and you can mix the ingredients to anything your kids like. To make 6, for 2 grown ups and 2 kids, you will…

Recipe – Cranberry Sauce with Port

It’s never to early to prepare for Christmas lunch and homemade cranberry sauce is not only incredibly easy to make but can easily freeze a few weeks in advance of the big day. Or make it a few days before Christmas Day or any day you’re having poultry.  For 8-10 people, you will need: 300g…