Raspberry & white chocolate cake

200g butter, chopped into small cubes, plus extra for greasing

100g white chocolate, broken into pieces

4 large eggs

200g caster sugar

200g self-raising flour

175g raspberries, fresh or frozen

For the ganache

100g white chocolate, chopped

100g milk chocolate, chopped

250ml double cream

a little icing sugar, for dusting

1. 1) Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of 2 x 20cm round, loose-bottomed cake tins. Put the butter and chocolate in a heatproof mixing bowl, set over a pan of barely simmering water and allow to melt slowly, stirring occasionally.
2. 2) When the butter and chocolate have melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool for 1-2 mins, then beat in the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk. Fold in the flour and raspberries.
3. 3) Gently pour the mixture into the tins and bake for 20-25 mins or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (the raspberries may leave a residue on the skewer, so don’t be fooled by their juiciness). Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for 10 mins before turning out onto a wire rack.
4. 4) To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl with 100ml of the cream, set over a pan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate has melted into the cream and you are left with a smooth, glossy ganache. Leave the ganache to cool to room temperature, then beat in the rest of the cream.
5. 5) When the cakes have cooled, sandwich them together with the chocolate ganache. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

Ginger & plum cake

• Butter for greasing
• 500g plums 
• 175g butter
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
• 175g muscovado sugar
• 140g golden syrup
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
• 2 eggs beaten
• 200ml milk
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
• 300g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp bicarbonate soda
  
  

  
  

  
  

  
• 1 tbsp ground ginger 
• 1 tsp mixed spice
1. 
   
   1) Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line the base of a 23cm square cake tin with baking parchment. Butter the paper generously and sprinkle with the demerara sugar. Halve the plums and arrange in the base of the tin in 1 layer, cut-sides down.
   2) For the cake, melt the butter, muscovado sugar and syrup in a large pan over a low heat, stirring until smooth. 
   3) Cool for 10 mins, then stir in the eggs and milk. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then mix to a smooth batter 
   4) Pour the batter into the tin, over the plums, and bake for 45-55 mins until firm to the touch. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool. Will keep in the fridge, wrapped in baking parchment and foil, for up to 5 days.
   

   
   

Sweet Potato Curry

• 1 tbsp oil  
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 red onion, sliced
• ½ red chilli finely chopped
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp medium curry powder  
• 1 tsp tumeric 
• 2 tbsp tomato purée 
• 400ml/7fl oz vegetable stock 
• 250g/9oz sweet potato peeled and cut into small cubes
• 100g/3½oz carrot chopped into cubes
• 1 courgette cubed
• 1 large handful of spinach
• 1 spoonful Greek yoghurt (optional, leave out for Vegan) 

Method

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and shallots and fry until softened.
2. Add the chilli, cumin seeds, curry powder and turmeric powder and fry for a further minute to release the aromas.
3. Add the tomato purée and vegetable stock, stir well and bring to a simmer.
4. Add the sweet potato and carrot and simmer for 10 minutes, add the courgette and continue to simmer. When the vegetables are cooked through stir in the spinach and Greek yoghurt until the spinach has wilted. 
5. Serve with rice and/or naan bread. 
   
   
   
   
   

Easy Chicken Madras

1 onion peeled and quartered

2 garlic cloves

thumb-sized chunk of ginger peeled

½ red chilli

1 tbsp vegetable oil

½ tsp turmeric 

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1-2 tsp hot chilli powder (depending on how spicy you like it)

4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks

400g can chopped tomatoes

Mushrooms (optional)

Spinach (optional)

• Blitz 1 quartered onion, 2 garlic cloves, a thumbsized chunk of ginger and ½ red chilli together in a  food processor until it becomes a coarse paste.
• Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pan and add the paste, fry for 5 mins, until softened. If it starts to stick to the pan at all, add a splash of water.
• Tip in ½ tsp turmeric, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1-2 tsp hot chilli powder and stir well, cook for a couple of mins to toast them a bit, then add 4 chicken breasts, cut into chunks. Stir and make sure everything is covered in the spice mix.
• Cook until the chicken begins to turn pale, adding a small splash of water if it sticks to the base of the pan at all. 
• Pour in 400g can chopped tomatoes, along with a big pinch of salt, cover and cook on a low heat for 30 mins, until the chicken is tender.
• Add the sliced mushrooms 5 mins before serving, and the spinach 2 minutes before. Serve with rice and or naan bread. 

Leftover Christmas Turkey Curry

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic chopped
• 2 cm cube of fresh ginger chopped
• 1 stick celery, sliced
• 1 small red pepper

• 2 chopped mushrooms 
• 700g cooked turkey breast
• 15ml ground coriander
• 10ml ground cumin
• 10ml ground cinnamon
• 2.5ml ground turmeric
• 2.5ml ground chilli
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes 
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 2 tbsp double cream (optional)

1. Heat oil in a large pan, add onion, celery, garlic, ginger, pepper and onion.
2. Stir and soften for 4-5 minutes.
3. Stir in the spices.
4. Crumble in the stock cube, add the chopped tomatoes and mushrooms and cook for approximately 20 minutes, add more water if consistency is too thick. 
5. Add the turkey and heat until piping hot. Just before serving stir in the cream of using. 
   

Carrot & apple loaf

1 large egg

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cup Greek yoghurt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2  teaspoon baking powder

1/2  teaspoon baking soda

pinch salt, optional and to taste

1 large grated carrots

1 grated apple

• Preheat oven to 180 c. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tim
• In a large bowl, add the the first eight ingredients, and whisk to combine.
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, optional salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don’t overmix.
• Add the carrots, apples, and fold gently to combine.
• Turn batter out into the prepared pan, smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
• Bake for about 45 minutes or until the top is golden, the centre is set, and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter

Cheesy prawn pasta with vegetables

Serves 2. 

6 oz pasta of your choice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion roughly chopped 
1 clove garlic chopped finely 
300ml evaporated milk
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp English mustard
1 tsp thyme 
Handful of broccoli florets 
I small diced red pepper
1 handful of mange tout sliced into inch sized pieces 
100g cooked king prawns
Handful of grated cheddar cheese 

1) bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the pasta and the broccoli florets and cook for 10-12 mins until the pasta is al dente. 
2) whilst the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion and garlic until softened. 
3) remove from the heat and stir in the flour with a small amount of the milk and mustard to form a paste. Return to a low heat and stir in the milk in small amounts stirring constantly to make sure there are no lumps. 
4) when all of the milk has been added, add the thyme and stir well, bring to a simmer and add the red pepper and mange tout. 
5) simmer gently for 5 mins, then just before serving add the prawns and cheese, stir until the cheese has melted and the prawns warmed through. 
6) drain the pasta well, divide into bowls and top with the cheesy sauce.