Raspberry pavalova

Serves 6-8

3 large egg whites
200g caster sugar
1& 1/2 tsp cornflour 
1/2 unwaxed lemon 🍋 
200ml double cream
350g raspberries 


1)preheat oven to 180 degrees celcuis and line a baking tray with baking parchment 
2)beat egg whites with an electric whisk (or by hand but it takes a lot longer!) until peaks have formed then beat in the sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is soft and shiny
3)sprinkle the cornflour over the meringue and grate the zest of the lemon into the mix and a tsp of lemon juice
4)fold everything together until well mixed in
5)mound on to the lined baking tray in a big fat circle (mine was a bit oval!) smooth the sides and top with a knife or spatula 
6)pop in the oven and immediately turn down to 150 and cook for 1 hour
7)turn off the oven and leave inside with the door open until cold
8)when ready to eat, whip the cream until thick and airy but soft enough to spread and cover the top of the meringue 
evenly 
9)top with the raspberries and serve 

✔️Top tip: use frozen raspberries and defrost ahead in accordance with the instructions. Change your raspberries for strawberries 🍓 
💡To use up the egg yolks, try my buttery biscuits recipe👍

Vegetable risotto

Serves 2 large portions, or 4 as a side dish or starter 

1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion finely chopped 
1 clove of garlic crushed
600ml vegetable stock
200g arborio risotto rice
100ml white wine
3 carrots chopped into small slices
2 handfuls of broccoli florets 
1/2 red paper
1/2 lemon
1 handful of spinach 
1 tbsp chopped thyme 
Grated Parmesan cheese

1)melt coconut oil in a large saucepan and fry onion, carrots and garlic for 5 mins
2)add the rice, stir well for 1 minute
3)add wine and bubble for 1 minute
4)add broccoli and stir into the rice
5)add stock a ladle at a time ensuring each one is absorbed before adding the next stirring regularly 
6)with the last ladle, add the pepper lemon juice, spinach and thyme and stir through
7)cook for 2 mins, cover and rest for 5 mins
8)season and serve with a sprinkling on Parmesan cheese 🧀 

✔️Top tip: add frozen prawns when you add the last ladle of stock, ensure they are cooked through before serving

Raspberry and peach muffins 🍑

Makes 12

4oz Trex softened at room temperature
4oz caster sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla essence 
4oz self-raising flour
1-2 tbsp milk
4oz fresh raspberries 
1 ripe peach stoned and thinly sliced (or 6-8 tinned peach slices)
2 tbsp runny honey
12 paper muffin cases



1)Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan 170°C, gas 5. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with the paper cases
2)Cream the Trex and caster sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy
3)Beat in the eggs until fully mixed in and stir in the vanilla essence 
4)Sift in the flour and fold using a metal spoon until all the flour has been mixed in, add the milk until the mixture is soft and smooth but not too runny
5)stir in the raspberries and peach slices to the mix and then spoon out evenly into the cases
6)Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until golden and just firm to the touch. While the cakes are still warm, brush the tops with honey and top each with a raspberry. Dust with icing sugar and serve either warm or cold.


 
✔️Top tip: you could use other soft fruits such as blueberries, a chopped plum, or strawberries. You can use frozen raspberries you can add these from frozen


Moroccan chicken

Serves 4

½ tbsp olive oil
2 x 460g pack chicken thigh fillets
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
2 tbsp harissa paste
2 tsp ground cumin
2 carrots, sliced
1 parsnip, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
1 large leek thickly sliced
150g easy cook rice, rinsed
4 dates, pitted and finely chopped
500ml chicken stock, made with a stock cube
2 tbsp pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 180 degrees c

1)
Heat the oil in a large casserole pot. Brown the chicken all over for approx 4 minutes on each side in two batches, until brown all over.
2)Remove from the pot and pop on a plate and pour out any excess fat from the chicken and discard. 

3)Add the onion and leek to the pan and cook for 3-5 mins until soft.
4)Add the ginger, garlic, harissa paste and cumin and cook for 2 minutes.
5)Add the carrot and parsnip stir well and cook for 1 minute, then add the rice, dates and stock.
6)Mix well and season, then place the browned chicken on top, skin side up. 

7)
Bring to a simmer, put on the lid and place in the oven for 45 minutes until the vegetables are tender, the chicken is cooked through and the rice is cooked. If the mixture is sticking to the pan, add a small amount of boiled water and stir in.
8)Remove from the oven and stir everything through and top with the chopped pistachio nuts.

✔️Top tip: swap the parsnip for cauliflower florets.

Slow cooked Leftover Lamb Curry with Vegetables

Serves 4

300g cooked cubed lamb
1 400 ml tin of chopped tomatoes
200 ml water
1 large onion
2 carrots cubed
1 large potato cubed
3 tbsp curry paste
2 handfuls of spinach

1) put the chopped onion, carrots and potato at the bottom of the slow cooker
2)add the chopped tomatoes, swirl out the tin with the water and pour in. Add the curry paste and stir well
3)add the lamb and give another stir
4)put the lid on and cook on low for 6-8 hours or medium 5-7 hours
5)30 mins before serving, add the spinach and stir and turn up the heat to high with the lid on

✔️Top tip: swap the potatoes and carrots - add finely sliced mushrooms and/or red pepper an hour  before serving

White chocolate rocky road

25 pieces

400g white chocolate broken into pieces
100g digestive biscuits broken into small pieces
150g mini marshmallows
90g smarties

1)line a 18cm x 18cm cake tin with cling film
2)put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Stir until completely melted and smooth
3)remove the bowl from heat and add the biscuits, marshmallows and most of the smarties
4)pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top with a knife, scatter with the remaining smarties, pushing them in with the back of a spoon
5)chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours
6)when set cut into 25 pieces, yummy!

✔️Top tip: swap smarties with other sweets of your choice 

Slow cooked sausage casserole

Serves 3

6 good quality sausages
1 400ml tin chopped tomatoes
500 ml chicken stock
1 onion
1 red onion
2 carrots
4 large mushrooms
2 handfuls of butternut squash cubed
Splash of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp thyme
Big grind of Salt and pepper

1. Peel and chop the onions and carrots and add to the slow cooker
2. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and fennel seeds
3. Add the sausages and mushrooms and stir well
4. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or medium 4-5 hours
5. Just before serving add salt and pepper taste

✔️Top tip: for extra veggies, add frozen veg of your choice 30 mins before serving.  Serve with plain boiled rice or for extra flavour add cloves, turmeric and cardamom pods to the rice whilst cooking. 

Banana Muffins

These are so quick and easy and great as a daytime snack - or something different for breakfast! 🍌 

Makes 12 muffins 

200g plain flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp cinnamon 

Pinch of salt

3 ripe bananas mashed

150g caster sugar

1 egg

75g trex

1)preheat oven to 180 degrees c and place 12 muffin cases in a muffin tin

2)sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, cinnamon and salt in a bowl

3)in a separate bowl mix together the trex and sugar until creamed. Add the egg and mashed banana and mix well

4)fold in the flour mixture until smooth

5)spoon into baking cases and cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes until a skewer comes out dry

✔️Top tip, if you don't like trex use softened unsalted butter. 

Baked chilli cod

This is a simple, healthy but tasty dish

Place the pieces of cod on a sheet of tin foil, add a slice of 🍋 and splash with chilli oil and a sprinkle of salt. 

Fold the foil to make a pouch and then put on a baking tray and pop in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 mins. 

Serve with boiled potatoes and mixed vegetables or a salad. Yummy 😋 

Chocolatea cake

This is my take on Nigella's chocolatea cake. I love chocolate but a sponge cake and chocolate icing is a bit too rich for me.  Raspberry jam in the middle complements the butter cream and chocolate sponge perfectly. I love this cake!

10-12 slices

Cake:
125g softened unsalted butter
50g cocoa powder
100g light brown sugar
250ml boiled water 
1 tea bag
150g caster sugar
Zest of 1/2 orange
1/2 tsp baking powder 
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tbsp juice from a orange
2 large eggs

Cook at 180 degrees C/gas mark 4

Butter icing:
30g softened unsalted butter
90g icing sugar
Splash of milk
1 tbsp orange juice

150g raspberry jam for the filling

1)grease and line 2 x 20cm fixed bottom round sandwich tins
2)put the cocoa and sugar into a jug and add the boiling water, whisk until smooth and add the teabag to steep
3)cream the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy, then grate in the orange zest and beat again
4)in a separate bowl measure the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate and stir and put to one side 
5)add the orange juice into the butter and sugar and mix well. Drop in 1 egg and then a spoon of flour, then the second egg, mix well and add the remaining flour and mix well
6)remove the teabag from the chocolatey mix and then pour in a little at a time mixing well
7)once all added and mixed well, divide between the 2 tins evenly
8)cook in a preheated oven for 20-25 mins until cakes are firm to touch and a skewer comes out clean
9)take the tins out and leave to cook in tins for 5-10 mins then turn out onto a wire rack and remove paper and leave to cool
10)add the icing sugar to the butter and cream together until soft and fluffy, to loosen add a splash of milk and the orange juice, add more milk to get the right consistency 
11)turn one of the cakes with its topside down and cover with the raspberry jam, spreading evenly 
12)cover the bottom of the second cake with the icing and place on top of the other cake
13)dust with icing sugar - ta da!! 

Chicken ratatouille

Serves 2

2 chicken breasts cubed
1 red onion sliced
1 onion sliced
1/2 red chilli chopped finely 
1 carrot sliced
1 leek sliced
6 broccoli florets
1/2 green pepper sliced
1 large mushroom sliced 
6 cherry tomatoes cut in half
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 
1 tbsp red sauce 
1 tbsp olive oil
200ml cold water

1)heat the oil in a large pan
2)fry the onions, carrot, leek and broccoli on a medium heat for 5 mins when they start to soften 
3)add the chilli and stir for another minute 
4)add the chicken and fry until browned
5)stir in the pepper and mushroom and stir in the balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce stirring well
6)add 200ml water and bring to a simmer
7)cook for another 5 mins making sure the chicken is cooked through before serving 

✔️top tip:change the chicken for cooked prawns or use half chicken half prawn. Add prawns at the same time as the mushrooms