Balls! Italian balls at that. Arancini, if you’ve never had them, are deep fried rice balls. They taste far better than they sound in English. They are a real faff to make yourself but are quite an adventure, and really are worth it in the end as fresh Arancini are one of my favourite Italian…
Recipe – Classic Cream Tea Scones
A classic indeed, and quite simple to do. The really difficult part is not eating all of them as soon as they come out of the oven. These are light, crumbly and perfect with clotted cream and jam. To make 10, you will need: 75g unsalted butter, softened 250g self-raising flour 2 tablespoons baking powder…
Recipe – Bread and Butter Pudding – with Gluten Free option
I’ve been experimenting with recipes my Nan used to do, hot puddings with every single evening meal (not just on Sundays!) I’ve done the treacle sponge and had a go at another of her favourites, bread and butter pudding. If you like custard, it is a forgotten gem of a meal finale! This also works…
Recipe – Creamy Chicken, Bacon & Leek Bake
Chicken and bacon are a fantastic combo, one of my favourites (bacon is the answer to everything, of course). This is a great and simple meal centre for the whole family, even my 6 year old loves it (although he asks about having a yorkshire pudding with it!) For 4-6 you will need: 600g chicken…
Recipe – Lamb and Potato Pie
I recently did a live video on Facebook asking my followers what recipes they’d like to see, especially as we’re currently all staying home. Aside from some sweet treats and healthier dinners which kids can help with, a big theme that came out was pies and lamb pies at that! So using my shortcrust pastry…
How To – Shortcrust Pastry
I have never pretended to make my own pastry, it’s always been shop bought. But I was making a pie and couldn’t find any pastry anywhere so thought I’d give shortcrust a go. What a revelation! So easy and much better after baking than ready made. These amounts make enough for two large sheets, suitable…
How To – Slow Roast Lamb
It’s that time of year again! Spring lamb is a wonderful roast, superb flavour, the right level of fat and a real seasonal treat perfect for Mother’s Day or Easter. Lots of people worry about having a gristly and chewy roast but I covered a standard recipe to sort this out here. However if you…
Recipe – Raisin and Coconut Flapjacks
Flapjacks are the easiest things to make, they really are. So versatile too, you could swap the coconut and raisins for anything! My friend makes his with blueberries and they look lush. For 8-10 thick flapjacks you will need: 250g porridge oats 130g butter 3 tablespoons golden syrup 80g soft brown sugar 100g Californian raisins…
Recipe – Catalan Chicken and Chorizo Stew
At time of writing, global travel is being restricted and we’re all staying home more. So we need to bring a bit of Mediterranean warmth to our food. This is a wonderful stew, full of colour and flavour, inspired by fantastic pot stews I’d had on trips to Barcelona. For 4-6 people you will need:…
Recipe – Spicy Bean, Bacon and Eggy Bread Bake
I haven’t done a breakfast recipe in a while and after pancake day thought it was time to revisit one of my favourites. This is a really easy recipe to knock together and super tasty. For 4-6 you will need: 2 tins baked beans 1 tin chopped tomatoes ½ tablespoon paprika ½ tablespoon…
