Chocolate and ginger squares

• 300g ginger nuts, crushed
• 140g stem ginger, chopped
• 300g plain chocolate
• 100g butter
• 100g golden syrup

1. Line a 20 X 30 cm tin
2. Mix biscuits and ginger
3. Melt chocolate, butter and syrup
4. Mix with biscuits and ginger
5. Chill
6. Cut into 32

Blueberry, lemon and mint drizzle cake

115g soft butter
25g fresh mint
250g blueberries
1 lemon, zest + juice
250gflour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
225g caster sugar
2 eggs
120ml milk
25g desiccated coconut
100g granulated sugar

1. Pre heat oven to 180, GM4
2. Prepare loaf tin
3. Chop ¼ mint
4. Put in a bowl with blueberries and 1 tsp lemon juice
5. Cream butter and sugar
6. Fold in remaining ingredients
7. Spoon 1/3 mixture into tin
8. Add 1/3 blueberries
9. Repeat layering twice
10. Bake for 60 mins
11. Grind the mint leaves and 2 tsp sugar until it forms a paste
12. Stir in the lemon juice
13. Leave to infuse
14. Strain
15. Sprinkle over the cake
16. Leave to cool
17. Sprinkle over more sugar

Pecan Pie

1 pastry case
110g butter
110g Golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g brown sugar
3 eggs,beaten
285g pecan nuts, halved

1. Pre heat oven to 180, GM4
2. Melt butter, syrup, vanilla and sugar
3. Cool for 5 – 10 mins
4. Add eggs and stir well
5. Arrange nuts in the pastry case
6. Pour over the syrup mixture
7. Bake for 40 – 50 mins

Lemon, lime, ginger marmalade

1 tin prepared lemons
jam sugar as on the tin
knob butter
replace 125ml water with lime juice
3 balls stem ginger, chopped

1. Combine ingredients
2. Boil until setting point reached
3. Cool, bottle

Coffee Walnut Cake

Cake:
200g flour, sieved
1 ½ tsp baking powder
200g butter
100g light brown soft sugar
100g caster sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp coffee dissolved in
1 tbsp boiling water
100g chopped walnuts
25 – 50ml milk

Butter cream:
60g butter
125g icing sugar, sieved
2 tsp coffee dissolved in
2 tsp boiling water

Topping;
200g icing sugar
2 tsp coffee dissolved in
2 tsp boiling water
50g chopped walnuts

Equipment:
2 * 20cm sandwich tins

1. Cream butter and sugar
2. Add remaining cake ingredients
3. Divide between tins
4. Bake for 25 – 30 mins
5. Beat butter cream ingredients
6. Spread inside cooled cake
7. Beat icing ingredients
8. Spread over cooled cake
9. Decorate with walnuts

Roast chicken salad

1.5kg chicken pieces
150g lardons
10 shallots
few thyme sprigs
1 rosemary sprig
1 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
250ml white wine
crusty bread
green salad

1. Preheat oven to 200, GM 6
2. Place chicken in roasting dish
3. Add lardons, shallots, thyme, rosemary and chilli
4. Season
5. Drizzle with olive oil
6. Roast for 20 mins
7. Add wine
8. Roast for 25 mins
9. Serve with bread and salad

Potato mushroom persillade (2)

350g potatoes, sliced
50g butter
2 ½ tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
15g flat leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves
300g mushrooms, sliced

1. Boil potatoes for 4 mins, drain
2. Melt 25g butter, 1 ½ tbsp olive oil
3. Fry potatoes for 10 – 15 mins
4. Melt remaining oil and butter
5. Fry onions, garlic and mushrooms for 10 mins
6. Combine mushrooms, potatoes
7. Add parsley
8. Serve topped with a fried egg

Gruyere and mustard cauliflower cheese

1 large cauliflower
30g butter
30g plain flour
pinch mustard powder
150 ml milk
150 ml single cream
60g blue cheese
1/2 bunch chives, chopped
pinch cayenne pepper
large handful breadcrumbs
30g Gruyere, grated
pinch mutmeg

1. Heat oven to 200, GM6
2. Put cauliflower in roasting dish
3. Drizzle with olive oil
4. Cover with foil
5. Put in oven while it is heating up, for 30 mins
6. Make sauce
   
   • Melt butter
   • Add flour - cook for 1 min
   • Add mustard and cayenne
   • Gradually stir in milk and cream
   • Simmer until sauce thickens
   • Remove from heat
   • Add blue cheese and chives
7. Pour sauce over cauliflower
8. Season with pepper
9. Sprinkle over breadcrumbs and Gruyere
10. Sprinkle over nutmeg
11. Bake for 20 mins

Slow Roast Lamb Pie (6)

1.5 kg lamb shoulder
200ml dry white wine
400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomatoe puree
200ml lamb stock
pinch sugar
2 tsp red wine vinegar
150g black olives
handful parsley, chopped
375g puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Paste:
5 garlic cloves, crushed
4 sprigs rosemary
1 red chilli, diced
handful parsley, chopped
olive oil

1. Preheat oven: 180, GM4, 160 fan
2. Whizz up paste ingredients
3. Rub over lamb
4. Cover with foil
5. Cook for 2.5 hours
6. Carve lamb into chunks
7. Skim off fat
8. Add remaining ingredients
9. Simmer for 10 mins
10. Add to pie dish
11. Cover with pastry
12. Bake 200, GM6 for 30 mins

Chocolate mud cake

250g butter
200g dark chocolate
1 tbsp coffee powder
100ml milk
250g SR flour
40g cocoa
250g sugar
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
150ml sour cream

Ganache:
150g milk chocolate
150g dark chocolate
100ml double cream
50g butter

1. Heat oven to 160, GM3
2. Line a deep 23cm tin
3. Melt chocolate, butter, coffee and milk, set aside
4. Sift flour and cocoa into a bowl
5. Add sugar
6. Fold in chocolate mixture, eggs, vanilla and sour ceam
7. Bake for 1 hr – 1 hr 10 mins
8. Melt ganache ingredients
9. Cool for 30 mins
10. Spread over the cake

Ham Turnovers (4)

1 tbsp olive oil
300g mushrooms, sliced
150g ham, chopped
1 packet garlic Philly
1 block puff pastry

1. Fry mushrooms for 8 mins
2. Add ham,fry for 1 min
3. Add Philly, cool
4. Roll pastry into 4 rectangles
5. Put ¼ mixture into each rectangle
6. Fold over to form a pasty
7. Crimp the edges
8. Bake 200, GM6 for 20 mins

Spiced Cauliflower Soup (6)

1 tbsp chilli oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp ground coriander
1 cauliflower, chopped
1 potato, cubed
1 lemon
1.4 litres chicken stock

1. Fry onion in chilli oil for 10 mins
2. Add a pinch of salt
3. Add garlic and coriander
4. Fry for 2 mins
5. Add cauliflower and potato
6. Cook for 3 mins
7. Add lemon zest and stock
8. Season
9. Simmer for 15 – 20 mins
10. Cool, purée, reheat

Chocolate and peanut butter swirl tart ( makes 2 )

2 sweet pastry cases
250g dark chocolate
200ml double cream
1 tbsp golden syrup
50g butter
2 large eggs, beaten
100g white chocolate
4 tbsp smooth peanut butter

1. Melt dark chocolate, cream, syrup and butter together in the microwave
2. Melt white chocolate and peanut butter together in the microwave
3. Spread 2/3 of the white chocolate mixture over the pastry base
4. Top with dark chocolate mixture
5. Dollop on remaining white chocolate mixture
6. Make a swirly pattern using a skewer
7. Bake 160, GM3 for 25 mins

Raisin and Apple Soda Bread ( makes 2 )

200g dried fruit
200g walnuts
500g plain wholemeal flour
10g salt
4 tsp baking powder
150ml apple juice
150ml water

1. Crush ½ the walnuts to a powder
2. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and walnuts in a bowl
3. Add fruit, apple juice and water
4. Mix to make a dough
5. Divide dough into 2 rounds
6. Cut a deep cross in each
7. Bake 200, GM6 for 20 mins

Walnut and Honey Soda Bread ( makes 2 )

200g honey
200g walnuts
500g plain wholemeal flour
10g salt
4 tsp baking powder
300ml water

1. Crush ½ the walnuts to a powder
2. Gently warm the honey
3. Combine flour, salt, baking powder and walnuts in a bowl
4. Add honey and water
5. Mix to make a dough
6. Divide dough into 2 rounds
7. Cut a deep cross in each
8. Bake 200, GM6 for 20 mins

Hot Spiced Whisky

300ml whisky
400ml ginger wine
500mlapple juice
225ml water
6 cloves
zest of 1 lemon
1 cinnamon stick

1. Mix ingredients together
2. Warm gently for 10 mins

Cherry Loaf

Cake:
225g butter
225g golden caster sugar
4 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla extract
225g SR flour, sifted
375g cherries
175g white chocolate drops


Frosting:
140g mascarpone
100g white chocolate, melted
white chocolate curls
cherries to decorate

1. Line a 1 kg loaf tin
2. Cream butter and sugar
3. Add eggs, flour and vanilla
4. Add cherries and chocolate
5. Bake for 1 hour 10 mins
6. Cool completely
7. Mix mascarpone and chocolate
8. Spread on top of loaf
9. Add curls and cherries

Apple gingerbread loaf

150g butter
150g soft dark brown sugar
150g golden syrup
200mlmilk
250g plain flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
75g pecans, chopped
3 pieces stem ginger, chopped
2 apples, peeled, chopped

1. Line 2 litre loaf tin
2. Melt butter, sugar and syrup
3. Add milk
4. Sift flour into a bowl
5. Add spices and baking powder
6. Add sugar mixture
7. Fold in eggs, pecans, ginger and apples
8. Pour into loaf tin
9. Bake 180, GM4 for 50 minutes

Mustard and thyme carrots (6)

750g Chantenay carrots, trimmed
50g butter
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp fresh thyme

1. Cook carrots in boiling salted water for 4 mins, drain
2. Melt butter
3. Whisk in vinegar and mustard
4. Season
5. Toss in the carrots
6. Scatter over the thyme leaves

Velvet soup

1 cauliflower, chopped
1 potato, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
850ml milk
25g butter
175g mature Cheddar, grated
salt,pepper

1. Simmer cauliflower, potato and garlic in milk until soft, for 15 mins
2. Cool, purée
3. Return to heat
4. Add butter and cheese
5. Stir until melted
6. Season to taste

Baked Blueberry Cheesecake

50g butter
200g ginger biscuits, crushed
few drops vanilla essence
400g mascarpone
350g cream cheese
125g caster sugar
2 tbsp cornflour
3 eggs
1 orange, zest
300g blueberries

1. Grease a deep 24cm tin
2. Melt the butter
3. Stir in the biscuits
4. Press into tin to form a base
5. Chill
6. Beat remaining ingredients
7. Fold in the blueberries
8. Bake 180, GM4 45 mins – 1 hr

Baked potato

2 large potatoes, 300g each
salt

1. Scrub the potatoes
2. Prick with a fork
3. Sprinkle lightly with salt
4. Put on a baking sheet, not touching
5. Scatter the sheet with water by shaking wet hands over it
6. Bake 200, GM6 for 1 ½ hours

Cranberry coconut snowballs

250g salted butter
100g golden caster sugar
few drops vanilla essence
250g plain flour
125g cornflour
40g dried cranberries, chopped
200g white chocolate
desiccated coconut, to sprinkle

1. Cream butter and sugar together
2. Add vanilla
3. Add sifted flour and cornflour
4. Add cranberries
5. Mix into a dough
6. Roll into 30 small balls
7. Chill for 30 mins
8. Bake 170, GM3 for 20 mins
9. Cool
10. Cover with melted chocolate
11. Sprinkle with coconut

Panettone Pudding

50g butter, softened
250g panettone slices
2 eggs
142ml double cream
225ml milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp caster sugar
icing sugar for dusting
cream to serve

1. Grease 1 ½ pt shallow dish
2. Butter the panettone slices
3. Add to dish
4. Whisk eggs, cream, milk, vanilla and sugar
5. Add to dish
6. Bake 160, GM3 for 35 mins
7. Dust with icing sugar
8. Serve with cream

Merry Cherry Fizz

50ml cherry brandy
50ml kirsch
50ml amaretto
100ml vodka
750ml sparkling red grape juice
12 maraschino cherries

1. Pour spirits into a jug
2. Mix well
3. Divide between 6 glasses
4. Top up with grape juice
5. Add 2 cherries to each glass