Category: Classics

Mocha éclairs

Those classic, reliable and delicious flavours of coffee and chocolate in these mini éclairs. Continue reading “Mocha éclairs”

Pheasant with apples in a cider & cream sauce

Pheasants cooked with apples and fresh herbs in a silky, creamy sauce. Deliciously comforting! Continue reading “Pheasant with apples in a cider & cream sauce”

Upside-down pear, almond & honey cake

A light almond sponge with lightly caramelised honeyed pears. Utterly delicious!
Continue reading “Upside-down pear, almond & honey cake”

Baked caramel lemon custard

This dessert is a cross between a crème caramel and a baked cheesecake, with a slightly denser texture than a crème caramel while retaining the divine, slightly bitter liquid caramel element. Continue reading “Baked caramel lemon custard”

Yorkshire curd tarts with a twist

My take on this great British classic is certainly not fully authentic – but in my opinion no recipe should be so precious that it can’t cope with being tinkered with! Continue reading “Yorkshire curd tarts with a twist”

Black Forest choux buns & éclairs

Fruity, tangy and suitable chocolatey, with a cheeky kirschy-kick! Continue reading “Black Forest choux buns & éclairs”

Chorizo, Manchego & caramelised onion tartlets

Packed with flavour, I return to these gutsy mini tarts frequently for simple snacks, as part of an Afternoon Tea spread or even for a picnic in the garden! Continue reading “Chorizo, Manchego & caramelised onion tartlets”

The best sticky BBQ wings with blue cheese dip

Sticky chicken wings and a punchy blue cheese dip: two very compatible bed-fellows that always guarantee foodie happiness. Not to mention very messy fingers! Continue reading “The best sticky BBQ wings with blue cheese dip”

Kaspressknödel – cheese dumplings

Deliciously simple pan-fried cheese patties, using left-over bread and a few staple ingredients. Continue reading “Kaspressknödel – cheese dumplings”

Fabulous fishcakes: my ultimate store-cupboard standby!

This is what I think is a real store-cupboard winner: they are delicious, take minutes to prepare and taste like you have spent ages making them!

Continue reading “Fabulous fishcakes: my ultimate store-cupboard standby!”

Thai chicken ballotine in lemongrass & ginger broth

Packed with Thai flavours and served with a simple and delicious broth, these rolled and stuffed chicken thighs make what I think is a light but gorgeous dish. Continue reading “Thai chicken ballotine in lemongrass & ginger broth”

The best Cranachan!

Cream, whisky and honey: three tremendous ingredient in their own right that combine to give the most delicious concoction: perfect as a filling for cakes, but wonderful mixed with toasted oats for a dessert such as Cranachan. Continue reading “The best Cranachan!”

The perfect gravy for a roast dinner

A delicious gravy brings together all the accompanying dishes in the most harmonious way to really make a roast shine. This recipe is my go-to gravy for all manner of roasts. A selection of some of my favourite roast accompaniments (including fool-proof Yorkshire Puddings and the best roast potatoes) is at the bottom of the page. Continue reading “The perfect gravy for a roast dinner”

Honey-glazed pigs in blankets with cranberry & apricot

For me, a roast is just as much about all the vegetables and other sides than the centrepiece itself: perhaps more so! And it’s little treats such as pigs in blankets that add even more bursts of pleasure when tucking into a roast.

Continue reading “Honey-glazed pigs in blankets with cranberry & apricot”

The perfect Brussels sprouts!

This is my ultimate Brussels sprouts dish: little goodies such as smoked bacon, slightly caramelised red onions and chestnuts adding exciting additional flavours and textures that complement the sprouts. Continue reading “The perfect Brussels sprouts!”

My ultimate carrots to accompany a roast

A simple, delicious and slightly extravagant carrot side dish that can be prepared in advance and then heated up just before serving

Continue reading “My ultimate carrots to accompany a roast”

Chocolate, orange & ginger pots

Chocolate, orange and ginger are great bedfellows and, for me, are some of the flavours that scream Christmas. This quick and very simple dessert is ideal over the festive period. A warning, though: it is very rich, so serve it in small shot glasses or espresso cups! Continue reading “Chocolate, orange & ginger pots”

Chocolate and cinnamon mini pavlovas

These mini pavlovas are not only a favourite dessert in my kitchen in the summer, when freshly picked fruit from the allotment gets put to good use, but it is a dessert I make over the winter months, often using fruit I had frozen months earlier. Continue reading “Chocolate and cinnamon mini pavlovas”

My ultimate coffee and walnut drip cake

A coffee and walnut cake is a classic for a reason: the flavours work so well together, it is always a crowd-pleaser (even in socially-distanced “crowds”!) and it tastes great.

Continue reading “My ultimate coffee and walnut drip cake”

Perfect roast potatoes

Shatteringly crisp potatoes with a very soft, fluffy and nicely seasoned interior are a must with any roast dinner. To be honest, though, I could eat them just on their own! Continue reading “Perfect roast potatoes”

Cake of Christmas Present!

While I sometimes love going “all out” when it comes to decorating cakes, when it comes to Christmas cakes, I tend to go for the simplest of approaches. Continue reading “Cake of Christmas Present!”