A recipe from guest contributor and Great British Bake Off competitor Will Hawkins (See this month’s feature item – Great British Bake Off: The Frenchay Connection) One of the things I’ve learnt being on the Great British Bake Off is to write and develop recipes. I like creating new treats but also updating …

Read More

Great for a nibble with celebration drinks with neighbours and friends over Christmas and the New Year. These are so easy and so much cheaper than buying them. Ingredients 100g soft margarine (or whatever cooking spread is your preference) 50g semolina 85g self-raising flour 75g well flavoured Cheddar cheese Salt ½ …

Read More

This is the most deliciously warming soup for a cold day and serves 6 to 8. Ingredients 750g mushrooms roughly chopped, ideally darker varieties such as chestnut or Portobello 1 onion, roughly chopped 2 celery sticks, sliced 1 medium carrot, scrubbed or peeled and finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced 75g …

Read More

This is a wonderfully warming casserole which can be made up to 2 days ahead of serving or frozen. It will serve 6-8. Ingredients Approx 3 tablespoons sunflower oil 700 gm stewing venison cut into 2.5 cm pieces 700 gm good stewing beef cut into 2.5 cm pieces 600 gm shallot onions, skinned 2 garlic cloves, crushed 75 …

Read More

Tomatoes Preheat oven to 220C/Gas 7 Ingredients 500 gm on-the-vine cherry tomatoes cut in half 2 teaspoons Maldon salt or 1 teaspoon table salt ¼ teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon dried thyme 2 tablespoons olive oil Method Set the tomatoes side by side on an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the salt, sugar, thyme and olive …

Read More

Prep 20 min Cook 30 min Makes 6 servings Ingredients 1kg adult spinach, or frozen whole leaf spinach Salt 2 tbsp olive oil 1 red onion or leek, finely chopped 4 spring onions, chopped 300g feta, crumbled 25g dill, chopped 20g mint, leaves removed and chopped 3 sprigs oregano, chopped 50g bulgur wheat (optional) 2 …

Read More

I always have a bag of frozen squid in my freezer as a standby. This recipe makes a great snack with drinks, a starter for 4, or a quick supper for 2 with a salad. Make the garlic mayonnaise by mixing ½ a clove of garlic and 100g best quality mayonnaise and adjust according to taste and make more if you feel it will …

Read More

Herb Sauce Ingredients 4 tbsps chopped fresh parsley 2 tbsps chopped fresh dill 4 tbsps low-fat crème fraiche 4 tbsps light mayonnaise 4 spring onions, finely shredded 1 tbsp chopped capers Juice of ½ lemon Salt and freshly ground pepper A little caster sugar Method Mix all the ingredients together and season to …

Read More

This is a quick and easily prepared meal for 2 cooked in less than an hour. For 4 double everything but only use an extra 250ml of liquid. Ingredients 1 tsp oil ½ red onion chopped ½ inch ginger chopped ½ to ¾ tsp cumin seeds 3 cloves of garlic chopped 1 tsp coriander powder ½ tsp garam masala or use curry powder or …

Read More

This recipe serves 8 but the types and volume of fruit and can be to altered to ones taste. Healthy but warming on a cold day. Ingredients 1 orange – rind thinly pared in one long spiral if possible ¼ litre of fresh orange juice (I juice fresh oranges for this) ½ tsp ground ginger 8 cardamom pods, crushed 5cm …

Read More