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Recipes for the enthusiastic home cook
Beer Braised Beef Cheeks are wonderfully tender with a deep, meaty flavour. Either slow-cooked or pressure cooked, the cheeks absorb the braising liquor of dark beer and beef stock flavoured with vegetables, garlic, and thyme. The result is an easy, comforting dish of spoon-ably soft …Read more
Multigrain Seeded Bread is a tasty, nutritious loaf with wholemeal, rye, granary, and white flours plus oats and seeds. It’s also super-simple with my no-knead, overnight method. Just stir up the dough the night before, cover, and leave it. In the morning shape it, prove, …Read more
Chicken, Ham and Leek Pasties make a hearty meal either on their own or with potatoes and greens. For the filling in these delicious pasties, I’ve combined leftover roast chicken plus chunky ham in a lightly creamy sauce with leeks and a touch of garlic …Read more
Homemade Hot Dog Buns are better than any you can buy. Made with an easy, overnight dough enriched with butter, eggs, and milk, they have a full flavour I think you’ll love. The texture of these light, brioche buns, while delectably soft and fluffy, is …Read more
Cassoulet is a rich and filling, slow-cooked bean and meat stew from the southwest of France. In my take on the classic, cooking time is reduced by using tinned instead of dried beans. But with sausages, bacon, duck legs, vegetables, garlic, and herbs, it’s still …Read more
Cheese and Onion Soup features a classic flavour pairing in a simple, lightly creamy, cheesy broth. But simple doesn’t mean dull. Top each bowl with bubbling, golden brown cheese toasts and you’ll see what I mean. MAKE A MEAL OF CHEESE I …Read more
Fruit and Nut Chocolates are easy, no-bake treats that are incredibly good. Cut into squares or made into bars, they’re the perfect homemade gift. Simply mix melted chocolate with your favourite nuts, dried fruits plus any other flavourings you fancy. Stir in some alcohol for …Read more
Mince recipes are some of the most useful to have in your repertoire. Whether it’s minced beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, chicken, or turkey, minced or ground meats are so versatile. Often quicker to cook than meals using large cuts of meat, in many mince …Read more
Porter Cake is a fruity and spicy cake that’s traditional in Ireland. It takes its name from the inclusion of dark porter beer which adds complexity of flavour and a hint of the pleasant bitterness ale drinkers love. If you don’t have porter, swap in …Read more
Venison Bourguignon is inspired by the classic French bœuf bourguignon. Delicious and surprisingly easy to make at home, my version replaces the traditional beef with chunks of venison. Slow cooked with bacon, red wine, stock, garlic, and herbs, plus mushrooms and whole baby onions, the result …Read more
Plum Cinnamon Batter Pudding is an easy, sweet and fruity take on old favourites, Yorkshire pudding and toad-in-the-hole. Just add chopped plums to a baking tray of sizzling butter then sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Pour over a simple batter of flour, eggs, milk …Read more
Chocolate Peanut Oat Balls are a delicious, easy treat or foodie gift that need no baking. Oats combined with rich peanut butter, pieces of chocolate, roasted peanuts, vanilla and coconut, are sweetened with maple syrup and rolled into balls. Dipped and completely covered in melted …Read more
Salmon and Vegetable Soup is inspired by the fish soups of the Nordic countries. Easy but delicious, it features leek, potato, carrots, and salmon. These are cooked in a lightly creamy, buttery broth of stock and milk flavoured with fresh dill. With simple, everyday ingredients …Read more
Moroccan Lamb Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce are easy but delicious. Similar in flavour to traditional Moroccan tagines but cooked in a fraction of the time. Juicy, browned lamb meatballs flavoured with a Moroccan-inspired spice mix nestled in a rich tomato sauce imbued with the …Read more
Seeded Scottish Oatcakes are easy, wholesome savoury biscuits or crackers packed with nutritious seeds and oats. But not only are they good for you, I think you’ll love their toasted, nutty flavour and crunchy texture. Great with cheese, pâté, nut butters, or alongside soup, they’re …Read more
Haslet is an old fashioned but much-loved English pork meatloaf flavoured with sage and onion. It’s usually served cold in sandwiches, with pickles, or salad. Great fried until golden brown and eaten as part of a cooked breakfast too. These days, it’s less common to …Read more
Fruit Soda Bread is a quick and easy teatime treat or snack. I love slices of this soft and light loaf spread with butter and sometimes jam too. With no yeast, no proving, and no kneading, you can put it together in less than 10 …Read more
Cheese Soda Bread, with no kneading, proving time or yeast required, is a super-quick, soft, and moist cheesy loaf. It’ll take you less than 10 minutes to put together and bakes in half an hour. If you’ve never made soda bread before, or if you’ve …Read more
Mushroom, Lentil & Kale Stew is rich, thick, and tasty. Packed full of veg and pulses in a lightly creamy, garlic and thyme flavoured broth, it’s a comforting bowlful. Using tinned lentils, this easy vegetarian (and vegan adaptable) stew is perfect on chilly days. Serve …Read more
Spicy Carlin Pea Soup with Roasted Peppers is easy, satisfying, and full of flavour. Using everyday vegetables, tinned pulses, and jarred peppers, this warmly spicy soup cooks in around thirty minutes. I’ve used British grown carlin peas, but you could swap in chickpeas or your …Read more
Coconut Cake is an indulgent treat that’s so easy to make. Two layers of coconutty, moist sponge cake sandwiched and covered in a rich coconut buttercream icing. Perfect with a cuppa, as part of an afternoon tea or a dessert, I think this gorgeous cake …Read more
Iced Tea is one of the most refreshing, cooling drinks there is. But there’s no need to buy expensive bottles because it’s so easy – and cheap – to make at home. Brew a litre of your favourite tea (black, green, fruity, or herbal) then …Read more
Pork Kebabs: minced pork flavoured with toasted fennel seeds, garlic, orange zest, and oregano. Eat these juicy full flavoured kebabs, inspired by the flavours of Greece, in a flatbread, with a tahini-yogurt sauce, salad, plus grains, flatbread or cauliflower ‘couscous’. Based on a recipe by …Read more
Homemade Strawberry Jam is one of my favourite seasonal treats. In this post I’ll show you how to make a beautiful, soft-set strawberry jam filled with luscious pieces of whole fruit. It’s easy to make even for beginners, with no special equipment needed. If you …Read more
Sardine Fish Cakes, flavoured with dill and lemon, are soft within and have a golden crispy breadcrumb coating. Economical and good for you, richly flavoured tinned sardines make a fantastic and easy fish cake. I love to eat them with a super-quick mayo and yogurt …Read more