Carrot and coriander soup 🍜

Serves 4 generous bowls of creamy gorgeous soup! 

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 onion finely chopped

1 leek finely chopped 

1 clove crushed garlic

6 medium carrots

1 tsp chilli salt 🌶 

1 tsp crushed coriander seeds

500ml hot vegetable stock 

Roast pepper soup

Serves 2

1 red pepper
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
3 cloves garlic
750ml vegetable stock
1/4 tsp thyme
1 lemon

1)slice the peppers in half, remove the seeds and place in a roasting tin cut side up
2)slice the garlic cloves in half, and put a half inside each pepper, squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the peppers and pop in the oven to cook for 1 hour.
3)leave to cool and set aside the garlic.  Remove the skins from the peppers and chop into small chunks
4)bring the vegetable stock to the boil, add the thyme and 1 crushed garlic clove then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 mins to reduce the stock slightly
5)add the chopped peppers to the stock and heat gently for a couple of minutes.
6)season with black pepper before serving

✔️Top tip: add a splash of chilli oil to the stock for a bit of a kick 🌶

Date cake

150g pitted dates
100g softened butter
100g soft brown sugar
3 eggs
30g black treacle
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
200g self raising flour

1)place the dates in a bowl and pour over 150g boiling water and leave to stand for minimum of 30 mins
2)preheat oven to 180c and line a 20x20cm tin with parchment paper
3)pop the dates and the soaking liquid in a food processor, add the butter, sugar, eggs and treacle. Blitz until smooth. Don't worry if the butter and eggs are splitting, it will. E ok. 
4)add the flour and bicarbonate and blitz until smooth. 
5)tip the batter into the lined tin and spread out so it's even then pop in oven and bake for 45 mins
6)when cooked remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 5 mins then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve straight away for a warm treat or leave until cool

✔️top tip: if eating warm serve with clotted or ice cream 🍧 Or it's nice served cold with a mug of tea ☕️

Halloumi & butternut squash burgers

1) slice the butternut squash neck into discs approx 1.5 cam thick
2) pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into an ovenproof dish and put the butternut squash slices on the top
3)sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of dried oregano, turn over and sprinkle anothe 1/2 tsp oregano on the top
4)pop in the oven for 20-30 mins until they are softened, remove from the oven
5)slice the halloumi into slices approx 1cm thick and pop a slice on top of the squash and return to the oven for 10 mins when the cheese is starting to soften and turn brown
6)serve at you BBQ as side dish or pop into a burger bun or pitta with lots of fresh salad

Carrot cake

175g light brown sugar
175ml vegetable oil

3 large eggs, lightly beaten
140g grated carrot (about 3 medium)
100g raisins
grated zest of 1 large orange
175g self-raising flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp grated nutmeg (freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

For the topping 

100g icing sugar
1 tbsp orange juice

1. 1)Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment. 
   2)Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon. Stir in the grated carrots, raisins and grated orange peel. 
   3)Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices, then sift into the bowl. Lightly mix all the ingredients – when everything is evenly amalgamated stop mixing. The mixture will be fairly soft and almost runny.
   4)Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. 
   5) beat together the icing sugar and orange juice in a small bowl until smooth – about as runny as single cream. I add small amounts of juice at a time to get the right consistency. 
   6)Pop the cake on a serving plate and drizzle the icing back and forth in diagonal lines over the top, letting it drip down the sides.

Spicy shepherds pie

Serves 4

Mash Topping 

1kg sweet potatoes

1 tsp salt

6 cardamom pods, cracked

peeled strips from 1 unwaxed lime and juice of ½ lime

approx 1 litre cold water

4cm piece fresh peeled ginger

Filling 

2 cloves garlic, peeled

4cm piece peeled fresh ginger, peeled

1 onion

seeds from 6 cardamom pods

2 tsps cumin seeds

2 tsps coriander seeds

2 tbsp coconut oil

2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp chilli oil

1 tsp ground turmeric

500g minced lamb

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

50g chopped and pitted dates

1 tsp salt 

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

4 tsp finely chopped pistachios

● Preheat the oven to 220C 

●Start with the mash topping, cutting each of the sweet potatoes into approx5cm chunks.

● Put the unpeeled potato chunks into a large saucepan (with a lid) and add the salt, cracked cardamom pods and lime strips then add just enough cold water to cover.

● Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly, put the lid on and cook for about 30 minutes – or until the sweet potato is tender – while you prepare the filling.

● Slice the garlic and ginger roughly, quarter the onion, and put them all into the bowl of a food processor with the cardamom, cumin and coriander seeds, and blitz until finely chopped. 

● Heat the coconut oil in a heavy-based pan (with a lid), and then tip the paste in.

● Cook for a few minutes to soften, stirring frequently, then stir in the garam masala, chilli oil and turmeric, and tip in the lamb mince, turning it in the onion mixture and breaking it up gently.

● Add the chopped tomatoes, then fill the empty can with cold water and, swilling it around, pour this in too

● Season with the salt and Worcestershire sauce, then bring to a bubble, put on the lid, lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, stirring a coupe of times to stop it catching on the bottom of the saucepan.

● When the sweet potatoes are cooked, drain them but keep the liquid, and leave until cool enough to peel away the skins. Put the potato into a large bowl.

● Mash the potatoes and slowly beat in some of the potato cooking water to make the mash easier to spread and squeeze in the juice of half the lime.

● Grate the peeled ginger for the topping on to a plate then spoon the grated ginger into the centre of a piece of kitchen roll. Quickly, pull up the edges of the paper so you have a little wrapped bag, then squeeze over the mash so the ginger juice will drip out. Beat this juice into the mash. 

● 5 mins before the lamb filling is cooked, add the chopped dates and remove the lid and simmer for 5 mins. Spoon into an ovenproof dish approx 30 x 20 x 5cm deep and top evenly with the mash

● Place on an oven tray and pop in the oven for 30-35 minutes. The mash should be piping hot with the mince bubbling underneath.

● On serving, sprinkle 1 tsp of chopped pistachios over the top of each portion. 

Prawn and pea risotto

Serves 3
 

1 onion finely chopped 
1 bell pepper chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
400g arborio risotto rice
100ml white wine
600ml hot vegetable stock
200g frozen vegetables 
150g cooked peeled prawns
A handful of Spinach 

1)heat the coconut oil in a large pan and gently fry the onion for 5 mins
2)add the rice and stir well for 1 min
3)add the wine and pepper and bring to a bubble for another minute 
4)add the hot vegetable stock a ladle at a time, making sure each ladle is absorbed before adding the next 
5)with the last ladleful, add the frozen veg, spinach and prawns and stir through, cook for 3-4 mins, season with salt and pepper then put on a lid and leave to rest for 5 mins before serving. 

✔top tip:remove the prawns and swap with haloumi for a vegetarian option

Chocolate & orange fairy cakes

Makes 12 fairy cakes or 6 muffins

4oz softened butter
4oz caster sugar
1 egg
Zest of 1 orange
1 tbsp orange juice
4oz plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder

1)cream together the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy
2) beat in the egg until fully mixed in
3)grate in the zest of the orange
4)mix together the flour, baking powder and cocoa powder in a separate bowl then gently sift into the butter mix
5)add the orange juice and fold in gently until fully mixed. If a little dry, add a splash of milk
6)in a 12 hole bun tin, line with fairy cupcake cases and carefully fill each case equally with the cake mix
7)pop into a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15 mins, test with a skewer in the middle of one of the cakes and if it comes out dry they're ready. If not leave for another 5 minutes and check again
9)leave for 5 mins then remove from the tray and leave to cool on a wire rack

✔top tip: add 2 tbsp of chocolate chips for an added chocolate kick 🍫

Penne with Halloumi and tomatoes

A tasty vegetarian dish which is very simple to prepare and so tasty!

Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped finely
2 carrots sliced
1 red chilli finely sliced 🌶
1 clove of garlic crushed
Sprinkle of chilli salt
250g cherry tomatoes
400g penne
1250g halloumi cubed into 1cm cubes
400g chopped tomatoes

1)bring a pan of water to the boil and add the penne and carrot, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 mins
2)whilst the pasta is cooking, in a separate pan heat the olive oil and add the cherry tomatoes, sprinkle with chilli salt and cook for 5 mins on low heat
3)remove the tomatoes and put to one side
4)add the red chilli, garlic and onion to the pan that the tomatoes were cooking in, and fry for 2-3 mins
5)add the halloumi to the pan and cook for 1-2 mins on each side, add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 2-3 mins
6)add the cherry tomatoes and oregano and cook for another minute then season with salt and pepper
7)drain the pasta and serve in warmed bowls before topping with the tomato and halloumi sauce
8)top with grated Parmesan cheese 🧀

✔️Top tip:top with slithers of advocado and chopped spring onions

Chicken and mustard crumble

This is a great way to use up any left over roast chicken. Simple to make and very tasty. 

Serves 2

2 cooked chicken legs 🍗 
2 sliced leeks
1 red onion roughly chopped 
1 carrrot
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
Splash of white wine
500 ml chicken stock
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 slice of bread 

1)heat the oil in a large frying pan
2)gently fry the onion, leek and carrot until it starts to soften. Season with salt and pepper 
3)chop up the meat and add to the pan, cook gently for a few mins 
4)remove from the pan and put into an ovenproof dish and keep warm
5)add a splash of wine to the pan that cooked the vegetables and chicken and bring to a bubble and then add the wine leave to simmer gently 
6)melt the butter in a large pan and add the flour to form a paste
7)slowly add the chicken stock and wine liquid to the flour/butter mix stirring well
8)bring to the boil and stir until the sauce has thickened
9)add the mustard and stir until the mustard is fully mixed in
10)pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables, stir
and then grate the bread to form breadcrumbs and sprinkle over
The dish
11)pop in a preheated oven at 180 degrees c for 20 mins or u r the dish starts to bubble and is browned on top

✔️Top tip: add half of the breadcrumbs, top with grated cheese then top with more breadcrumbs

Buttery biscuits

These are a great way to use up left over egg yolks if you've made my pavlova!

3 egg yolks
100g butter 
50g caster sugar
50g soft brown sugar
100g plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp vanilla essence 
1/2tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon 
3 tbsp milk chocolate chips

1)cream the butter and all of the sugar until fluffy
2)beat the egg yolks, lemon juice and vanilla extract then add to the creamed butter and sugar and mix everything together
3)mix together the flour, cinnamon and baking powder then fold into the butter mix once mixed in, sprinkle on the chocolate chips and stir in
4)line a 30x25 (doesn't have to be exact) baking tray with baking parchment and spread the mixture thinly on to the top leaving a gap around the edge (when cooking the mixture will spread out across the tray)
5)pop into a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees c for 10-15 mins until it starts to brown
6)remove from the oven - it will still look wobbly and soft but it will set once it cools
7)leave on the tray for 5 mins to cool slightly then slice into small (or big!) biscuits
8)delicious still warm or cold

✔️Top tip:replace the chocolate chips with raisins