INGREDIENTS:
For the pudding:
100g caster sugar
40g butter (unsalted)
1 large egg
100g self raising flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
190ml water
100g pitted dates (finely chopped)

For the toffee sauce:
100g demerera sugar
25g butter (unsalted)
100ml double cream

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 200ºC.

In a small pan, bring the water to a boil then add the chopped dates. Boil for 2 minutes then remove from heat and leave in the pan.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg until light and creamy. Stir in the flour and baking powder until well combined then pour in the dates with its liquid. Stir well until you a have a gloopy texture. Pour the batter equally into four lightly buttered ramekins or into one lightly buttered 20cm cake tin. Bake for 30-35 minutes until set and a skewer when pierced into the centre comes out clean. Cool slightly and eat warm.

To make the sauce:
Place a saucepan over a moderate heat and sprinkle in the sugar. When the sugar begins to melt gently stir, removing the pan from the heat if it gets too hot. When the sugar is completely melted and is a rich golden brown colour add the butter and stir well. Add the cream and continue stirring well over the heat until all the toffee is incorporated. Simmer for 2-3 minutes until the texture is like double cream. Remove from the heat and cool for 3-4 minutes before serving.

SERVING:
Serve each cake with a generous pouring of toffee sauce. You can also serve alongside cream or ice-cream.

I picked up some Guinea fowl at the farmers market before Christmas and had buried them with other stuff in the freezer. Once they’d been uncovered and identified I was intrigued to give them a go. I didn’t want to braise them as I thought they deserved to be simply cooked to bring out the natural flavour, I also wanted a sweet sauce to accompany and settled on cumberland. Turns out it’s perfect for the slightly gamey Guinea fowl. Who knew!?

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
For the Guinea fowl:
2 Guinea fowl supremes
3 cloves garlic (skin on – lightly bruised)
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper

For the cumberland sauce:
1 lemon
2 oranges
225g redcurrant jelly
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup port
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS:
For the sauce:
Zest both the oanges and lemon with a citrus zester. Place in a pan with 1 cup of water and bring to a boil. Gently simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the liquid, retaining the zest. Combine the zest back in the pan with the juice of the oranges and lemon, redcurrant jelly, mustard and port. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer on a low heat for 15 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve and cover. Reheat to hot, but not boiling when you’re ready to serve.

This sauce freezes very well too.

For the Guinea fowl:
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a moderate temperature. When hot, fry the birds for 3-4 minutes to brown. Place the pan in the oven and cook the bird for a further 15 minutes. Check for doneness by piercing the flesh. When the juices run clear the bird is ready. Rest for 1-2 minutes before serving.

Pour some of the pan juices into the sauce if you like to bring add to the flavour.

SERVE:
Pour over a little sauce and serve with vegetables or salad. I served mine with truffle buttered French beans, baby salad leaves and crunchy deep fried beetroot crisps.

Blueberries were going cheap at the supermarket, so naturally I bought a little packet on a whim – then thought “What the frig am I going to make with these?” It’s not an ingredient I use a lot so I was a bit stuck. After trawling through a few recipe books I discovered it’s an ingredient a lot of people avoid! So, with no inspiration to spark me off I decided upon the old fail safe, a crumble. The resulting dessert was absolutely delicious. Who knew the blueberry had it in him!!

RECIPE: Makes 2

INGREDIENTS:
250g fresh or defrosted frozen blueberries
1 tablespoon cherry jam
1/2 lemon (juice of)
1/4 cup sultanas
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons plain flour
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch salt
2 tablespoons oats
2 tablespoons chopped blanched almonds

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat an oven to 200ºC. Mix together the blueberries, jam, sultanas and lemon juice and divide between 2 ramekins.

In a small pan, dry fry the oats for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Leave to cool on a plate. Meanwhile, mix together the flour, butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Rub together with your fingers until you reach a coarse bread crumb texture. Add more flour if necessary to keep the texture on the dry side. Mix in the oats and almonds. Divide between the two ramekins. Place in an oven for 25-30 minutes until the top of the crumble is crunchy and the fruit underneath has started to bubble up the sides. Leave to cool for 2-3 minutes then serve.

SERVING:
Serve with ice cream or cream or indeed some custard.

This was one of those dishes where I really couldn’t be arsed to cook anything. I was sat, lounging about with little or no enthusiasm. After a quick inspection of the freezer, I was reminded that the sausage quota was at an all time high due to another win at the local meat raffle. I keep winning the cheap sausage tray! It was absolutely delicious. Use good quality sausages and who knows what magic you could achieve?!

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
8-10 pork sausages
2 chorizo sausages (cut into large slices)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 stick celery (finely chopped)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon tarragon (dried)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
250ml tomato passata
250ml red wine
300ml beef stock
1 teaspoon sugar
salt & pepper
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large pan with the olive oil over a moderate heat. Fry all the sausages and chorizo until browned on all sides. Remove from the pan. Add the onions, celery and garlic and fry gently for 6-7 minutes until soft. Turn up the heat and add the paprika, tarragon and bay leaf – stir briefly then add the red wine. Sizzle for 30 seconds then add the passata and stock and sugar. Bring to a simmer then return the sausages and chorizo to the pan. Season well with salt & pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes. Stir in the fresh parsley then serve.

SERVING:
Serve with fresh crusty bread or with mashed potatoes.

After suffering one of the worst hangovers in recent years all day I decided something healthy and easy was the order of the day. I was desperate to redeem myself after throwing all manner of unhealthy rubbish in my mouth all day – so, fish and vegetables it was. This is one of the easiest ways to cook fish and together with some home spun tartar sauce it’s a deliciousness on a plate.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
2 salmon filets (skin off)
2 tablespoons dill (chopped)
1/2 lemon (thinly sliced)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper

1 tablespoon pickled cornichons (finely chopped)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 spring onion (finely chopped)
1 cup good quality mayonnaise
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
To make the tartar sauce combine all the ingredients together and leave in fridge for at least 1 hour to allow the flavours to develop.

Place 2 slices of lemon in the centre of a large square of greaseproof paper put a fish fillet on top then sprinkle over some dill and season with salt & pepper. Drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Bring the front and back edges of the foil together, folding to seal. Leave a slight gap above the fish and seal the sides. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Turn the heat off, open the oven door and rest the fish in there for 5 minutes before serving.

SERVING:
Serve with the smallest chat potatoes you can find and some vegetable. Dollop over some of the tartar sauce.

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A lot of people can’t get the basics right. Here’s my recipe for perfect roast potatoes. It’s pretty fool proof and the results are crispy little morsels that have me coming back to the tin all evening picking at the leftovers. The key to this dish is having not too much fat in the tin.

RECIPE: (for 2-3 people)

INGREDIENTS:
4 large potates (peeled and cut into biggish chunks)
3 tablespoons sunflower oil (or if you’re super fancy – goose or duck fat)
salt & pepper
6 garlic cloves (skin on)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 200ºC. Pour in the sunflower oil or goose fat to a large roasting tin, add the garlic cloves and put in oven to heat. Meanwhile bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and add the potatoes. Cook for EXACTLY 10 minutes then drain of the water. Put the lid on the pan and give it 3-4 firm shakes. The outer flesh of the potatoes will have fluffed up. Slide the potatoes into the roasting tin and give it a good shake to coat. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Bake, turning once or twice for 35-40 minutes until the outer skin is crispy and the inner flesh soft.

SERVING:
Use your imagination. I love these potatoes with a steak or roast beef.

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This is something I would always turn my nose up at, as I universally hated cauliflower. But I must say, I’ve done a 360º on this and it’s now one of my top 10 hangover cures. It’s fanstastic on it’s own and even better with roast meat. It may not be the most exotic of dishes, but that doesn’t stop it being incredibly satisfying. This will serve 4-6 people.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
450g cauliflower (separated into florets)
45g butter
4 tablespoons plain flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
pinch of grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
175g Gruyere cheese (grated)
salt & pepper

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 180ºC. Lightly butter a large gratin dish or ovenproof dish. Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the cauliflower for 6-8 minutes until just tender, drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and add the flour and cook until just turning golden.Pour in 1/2 the milk and stir vigourously until smooth. Stir in the remaining milk and the bay leaf, nutmeg and a little salt & pepper. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat, pick out the bay leaf and discard. Add 1/2 the cheese and stir in well until completely melted. Arrange the cauliflower in the oven dish and pour over the cheese mixture. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until beautifully browned and bubbling.

SERVING:
Serve on it’s own with bread or on it’s own with roast beef!

CAUTION: Be very careful eating this as cauliflower has a tendency to retain heat like nothing else and it’s pretty easy if you’re impatient like me, to burn your mouth if you’re too greedy.

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There’s one dish that always gets me a little glassy eyed whenever I think about it. It’s a dish that has always been a favourite of mine. Ever since I was a little boy I would get excited at the thought of eating Toad In The Hole. For those who don’t know what I’m referring to, Toad In The Hole is a glorious combination of sausages and batter mix. The two, when baked together form one of the most satisfying meals there is. It doesn’t get more delicious than this.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
8 good quality pork sausages
equal measures of plain flour, eggs and milk
salt & pepper
vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
In a measuring jug, pour in some flour until it reaches the 300ml mark (levelled out). Add to a bowl, break as many eggs as it takes into the measuring jug to reach the 300ml mark. Add to the bowl and beat in gradually, then measure 300ml milk in the jug and add to the bowl gradually, stirring constantly. Mix together using a whisk for 4-5 minutes to form a batter, season with salt & pepper. Leave to rest for 1/2 hour then whisk again for 2 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a roasting tin and place in the oven for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, fry the sausages in a non stick pan for 4-5 minutes until golden brown all over. Open the oven door and slide out the shelf. Add the sausages to the dish, then quickly pour over the batter mix. Close the oven door and bake for 35-40 minutes until well risen and golden.

SERVING:
No Toad In The Hole would be complete without lashings of onion gravy and mashed potato.

I always remember hating fish cakes. And it’s not surprising, when I recall the nasty little things my mother would buy from ‘Iceland’. They were vile, and I’m sure they had as much fish in them as a steak pie. But these lovely little patties are quite the opposite. They’re literally brimming over with fish. Salmon to be precise. Lovely.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
200g fillet of fresh salmon
100g smoked salmon (chopped)
1 onion (coarsley grated)
500g potato (cooked and mashed without butter and cooled to room temperature)
3 eggs
1 heaped tablespoon chives (chopped)
1 heaped tablespoon parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
salt & pepper
3 tablespoons plain flour
4-5 cups medium breadcrumbs
4-5 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Steam or bake the salmon until cooked. 5-7 mins for steaming, 10-15 mins for baking. Cool and then break up into small pieces into a large bowl. Add the onion, potato, smoked salmon, 1 egg, chives, parsley, mayonnaise, 1 cup of breadcumbs and salt & pepper to taste.
Arrange three bowls. One with the flour, one with 2 beaten eggs and the other with the remaining breadcrumbs. Divide the fish mixture into 12 balls and roll in the flour, then dip in the egg and then cover in breadcrumbs. Flatten the balls out slightly into patties.
Arrange on a large plate and leave in the fridge for about an hour.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry each fish cakes for about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden.

SERVING:
Serve hot with salad, lemon wedges and mustard mayonnaise:
1 heaped tablespoon of good quality mayonnaise mixed with 1 heaped teaspoon of dijon mustard, 3 tablespoon of warm water and some finely chopped parsley.

If there was one meal that I grew up on it was beans on toast. Not to say my mother was lazy at all, but it was an easy meal to whip up out of nothing. I love a tin of beans but after deciding to have a go at making some from scratch I can safely say that I will probably never go back. They were fabulous. Well deserving of their “top tea” status. For any vegetarians who want a slice of the action, just simply leave out the chorizo.

RECIPE:

INGREDIENTS:
1 cup northern beans (dried)
700g tomato pasatta
1 onion (diced)
1/2 chorizo sausage (diced)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon smoked paprika

DIRECTIONS:
Soak the beans in cold water for at least 8 hours.
Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the beans and simmer vigourously for 25-35 minutes. They should be tender. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a separate large pan over a moderate heat. Fry the onions with a the salt for 3-4 minutes until transparent. Add the chorizo and fry for a further 3-4 minutes. Add the paprika, thyme, sage and pepper and stir a couple of times. Add the tomato pasatta and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring this to the boil and simmer gently for 15 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in the sugar then add the cooked beans and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes until thickened.

SERVING:
Toast two thick slices of freshly cut bread and spoon over some beans. Delicious!