Ingredients

• Half a french stick or Ciabatta
• Shredded Iceberg, Cos or little gem lettuce
• Sliced Tomato
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 100g thinly sliced roast beef

For the dressing:

• 50g blue cheese such as Stilton or Roquefort
• 3tbsp rapeseed oil
• 3tbsp sunflower oil
• 2tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1tsp lemon juice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the horseradish mayonnaise:

• 3tbsp mayonnaise
• 1tsp horseradish sauce
• Dash of lemon juice

Method

1. First make your blue cheese dressing, simply combine all the ingredients in a food processor, or if you want a more textured dressing just crush everything together with a fork. Now make the horseradish mayonnaise by again mixing the ingredients together.

2. To assemble the sandwich cut your half a french stick lengthways into 2 halves, spread the horseradish mayonnaise on the bottom half and pile on your beef, season with salt and pepper then top with some shredded lettuce, stay away from your fancy lettuces here, little gem and iceberg give you the crunch and crispness you want, no other lettuce can give you that. Add your slices of tomato and drizzle some of the blue cheese dressing over the top (save whats left for salads). Top with the other half of the french stick and you are ready to go.

Ingredients

For the sponge:

• 225g softened unsalted butter
• 230g self raising flour
• 225g caster sugar
• 4 free range eggs
• 65g cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 6-8 tbsp boiling water
• 150ml milk

For the filling:

• 300ml double cream
• 50g icing sugar
• 3tbsp baileys irish cream

For the white chocolate ganache:

• 250ml double cream
• 400g good white chocolate

For the chocolate shards:

• 200g good dark chocolate

Optional decorations:

• Silver balls
• Edible gold spray
• Piping chocolate

Method

1. First thing to do is make your sponge, beat the caster sugar and butter together in a mixing bowl until pale and creamy, then add the cocoa powder to the boiling water, mix into a paste then add to the butter and sugar and mix again, whisk in the eggs until fully combined. Sift in the flour a bit at a time until nice and thick and lump free, start adding the milk (you may not need all of it) then mix until you have a thick but still runny mixture. Finally add the baking powder and give it a final mix.

2. Pre heat your oven to gas mark 4 (180°C/350°F). Divide your cake mix between 2 x 20cm buttered cake tins then bake for 20-30 minutes until the cakes come away from the sides of the tin easily, or when inserting a knife the blade comes out clean. Leave to cool completely.

3. To make the filling whisk the cream until thick, then fold in the sugar and baileys (add more baileys if you want a stronger flavour). Place in the fridge until ready to assemble the cake.

4. Now make the white chocolate ganache. Chop the chocolate into small pieces no bigger than your little finger nail, heat the cream until just boiled then pour over the chocolate and stir gently until fully melted and lump free. Place in the fridge until thick enough to use (it should be like a paste).

5. Making the chocolate shards is easy, simply melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, then pour out onto a baking paper lined tray then spread with a palette knife into a thin layer, then place another sheet of baking paper over the top and gently press out the air bubbles. Leave in the fridge for about an hour until set, then remove the paper and break into large shards.

6. To assemble the cake lay one sponge bottom side facing up and layer the baileys cream evenly over it, add the other half of the cake with the smooth side facing up and gently press until the cream just comes to the edge. Take the white chocolate ganache and smooth it all over the cake with a palette knife until evenly coated, now take your chocolate shards and press gently into the sides of the cake. Finish with some silver or gold balls, pipe on some melted chocolate (optional) and go completely mental with edible gold spray!

Ingredients

• 1 onion finely diced
• 1 large carrot finely diced
• 1 celery stick finely diced
• 2 fresh chilli’s de seeded and finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves finely diced
• 2 peppers, red and yellow in this case, de seeded and cut into strips
• 100g baby button mushrooms halved (don’t wash them, just brush off any dirt with kitchen paper)
• 3 x 400g tins of drained beans, I used black beans, chick peas and red kidney beans
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• Fresh coriander, remove the stalks and dice finely, save the leaves for later
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• Handful of chopped sun dried tomatoes
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Vegetable stock or water

Garnish

• Fresh coriander leaves
• Sour cream

Method

1. It is best to get all the prep done first, get all the vegetables, garlic and chilli chopped and ready as this will make assembling the dish much easier. Drizzle a pan with some olive oil and gently fry the carrot, onion and celery on a medium heat for about 5-10 minutes, don’t brown them, you just want the onions to soften slightly. Now add the coriander stalks and spices along with the garlic and chilli. Mix in and cook the spices out for a further 5 minutes. Lastly add the sliced peppers and mushrooms.

2. You may at this point need to transfer the mixture to a larger pot depending on the size of your pan, so now is the time to do so. Now add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato puree and the beans. Now cover with just enough stock or water so you can just see the mix, don’t flood it with too much otherwise the chilli will be too watery. Add the chopped sun dried tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes until the carrots are cooked through and the sauce has reduced to a nice thick consistency.

3. To serve, pile into nice deep warm bowls, top with a big dollop of sour cream and as much fresh coriander leaves as you desire.

Ingredients

Makes 4-6

• 600g Maris piper potatoes
• 350g fish, half cod half salmon
• 1½ tbsp fresh dill
• Zest ½ lemon
• 1 tsp chopped capers
• 1 tbsp chopped chives
• 3 spring onions finely chopped
• 100g fresh bread crumbs
• About half a cup of plain seasoned flour
• 2 beaten eggs (separate)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• A dozen or so peppercorns

For the dipping sauce

• 4 heaped tbsp creme fraiche
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped coriander
• 1 tsp freshly chopped mint
• Juice of ½ lime
• ½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and simmer in a pan of salted water for about 15 minutes until they are tender but not soggy. Drain and leave in the pan to let the steam off and cool. Next place your fish in a pan and cover with milk or water until it just covers the fish, add the peppercorns and bay leaf, simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the fish is just on the point of being cooked. Remove from the pan and place to one side to cool.

2. Once the potatoes have cooled mash with a potato masher or a fork, it doesn’t need to be completely smooth, a few chunks left in is fine and adds texture. Don’t be tempted to add any butter to the mash as this will make the cakes fall apart. Once the fish has cooled remove any skin and tear the flesh into nice big thumb sized flakes, add to the mash and gently fold in. Add the chopped dill, chives, lemon zest, spring onions, capers and 1 of the beaten eggs, season lightly with salt and pepper and gently mix, being careful not to break up the fish too much as you want nice big flakes in the finished cakes.

3. Form the cakes into patties and chill in the fridge for half an hour until firm. To make the sauce simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl until combined.

4. Once the cakes are firm to the touch it’s time to bread them. Beat the other egg in a dish, then in 2 separate dishes place the flour and breadcrumbs. Now dip the cakes first in the flour (patting off any excess) then in the beaten egg and lastly the breadcrumbs. Place in the fridge for another half an hour to firm up again. It’s important to let them chill, if you don’t they will turn to mush in the pan.

5. Once the cakes have firmed up it’s time to fry. Add some oil to a pan on a medium heat, add the fish cakes and fry for 3-5 minutes each side until golden brown each side, drain on some kitchen paper and serve with the sauce and a wedge of lemon.

Ingredients

• 1 medium sized free range chicken
• 2 ribs of celery sliced
• 3 large carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 whole chilli
• About 5-8 sprigs of fresh thyme
• Piece of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb
• 2 small leeks finely sliced
• 2 handfuls of frozen peas
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Spring onions and red chilli to finish

Method

1. Place your whole chicken in a large stock pot adding the giblets too if they came with the chicken, add the carrot, celery, ginger, thyme and the chilli. If you want the soup less spicy then remove the seeds from the chilli beforehand. Cover with cold water until the chicken is just covered, bring to the boil then turn down and simmer for about 1 and ½ hours until the chicken is cooked.

2. Once the chicken is cooked remove from the pot and leave to one side. Remove the vegetables and place in a dish. Strain the stock through some muslin cloth, or if you don’t have any, line a sieve with some kitchen paper and pour it through to remove any impurities and excess oil that may have come from the chicken.

3. Place the strained stock back on the heat and boil for about 20 minutes until it has reduced by a quarter, then add the carrots and celery back in along with the sliced leeks, peas, season to taste with salt and pepper and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Whilst it’s simmering pick the meat from the chicken into nice pieces.

4. To finish the soup simply fill your bowls with the veg and some nice pieces of the chicken, then ladle over the gorgeous, clear, intensely flavoured stock, top with some sliced spring onions and fresh red chilli.

Ingredients (makes 8)

• 500g strong white flour
• 60g caster sugar
• 100g unsalted butter cubed
• 10g dried yeast or about 1 and half sachets
• 2 eggs
• 200ml warm milk
• 1 tsp salt

For the filling:

• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 large Bramley apple
• 100g caster sugar

Method

1. First make your dough, place the flour, sugar, yeast and salt into a mixing bowl and mix through. Next add the cubed butter and rub in with the flour with your fingers until it looks like fine breadcrumbs. Whisk the eggs then mix with the flour and finally add the warm milk (make sure the milk is warm, if it’s piping hot it will kill the yeast). Mix roughly with a fork first then get your hands in and start working the dough together. Empty out on to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it’s bouncy, smooth and elastic, place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for an hour or until doubled in size.

2. Once the dough has risen take it out and knead again for a couple of minutes to knock it back. Roll the dough out flat into a rough square to about the thickness of a £1 coin or 3mm. The square should be about the size of 1 and a half sheets of A4 paper. Trim off the edges of the dough so you have a nice even square to work with.

3. To make the filling simply peel, core and dice the apple into small chucks no bigger than your little finger nail and mix with the sugar and cinnamon just before your about to make the rolls.

4. To assemble the roll, brush the surface of the dough square liberally with melted unsalted butter then scatter your filling evenly across the square. Gently roll the whole thing into a sausage shape. With a sharp knife slice the sausage into 2 ½ inch rolls. Space out evenly on a deep sided baking tray lined with baking parchment. Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise again for about an hour or until they have almost doubled in size. Pre heat your oven to gas mark 4 (180°C/350°F).

5. Once the rolls have risen, lightly brush with some milk then bake on the middle shelf for 20-30 minutes until the tops are nice and golden, checking regularly that they don’t burn on the bottom.

6. Remove from the tray, brush with some milk and leave to cool before icing. The icing is super simple, just place sifted icing sugar in a bowl and add cold water a tablespoon at a time until you have a thick paste about the consistently of double cream, drizzle over the buns and leave to set.

Ingredients

• Whole piece of belly pork (size will depend on how many you want to feed)
• Fennel seeds
• Good quality salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 300ml good cider
• Cup of water
• 1 onion halved

For the mash:

• 4-5 medium sized sweet potatoes
• 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 100g unsalted butter
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Take your belly and if your butcher hasn’t already done so, score the fat with a sharp knife being careful not to cut into the meat, then sprinkle with enough fennel seeds to just cover (about 2 tbsp) then add a pinch of salt and a few turns of the pepper mill. Push the mix into the scored fat making sure it’s evenly covered and in between all the gaps. Any excess fennel seeds, salt and pepper that fall off can be rubbed into the flesh side of the belly. Pre heat your oven to it’s maximum setting then place the belly on the halved onion in a roasting tray.

2. Roast the belly for 20 minutes until the skin starts to brown slightly and puffs up. Then turn the heat down to gas mark 4, (180°C/350°F) pour in the cider and water into the tray being careful not to splash the belly skin as moisture will kill off the crackling. Roast for about 2 hours, until the crackling is crisp. leave to rest whilst making the mash.

3. To make the mash simply peel and quarter the sweet potatoes and bring to the boil in salted water, simmer for about 20 minutes until tender. Pass through a potato ricer or use a masher until nice and soft. Fold in the butter, pick off the thyme leaves and add, season with salt and pepper. Place the mash in a dish then dot with a few knobs of butter, place under a grill until the top is nice and crispy.

4. Once the pork has rested, slice into nice thick slices, serve with the mash and a nice pot of good quality whole grain mustard. You can if you like drizzle the resting juices back over the meat before you serve.

Ingredients

• 200g unsalted butter
• 200g peeled and cooked shrimp (Morecambe bay ones are the best)
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp white pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt

Method

1. First thing is to clarify the butter, although this is not completely necessary it does prolong the life of the potted shrimp, if you are going to eat them in a day or 2 I wouldn’t bother. To clarify the butter, simply heat in a pan until the white solids come to the surface, then drain through a cheese cloth or sieve through kitchen paper until the milky white solids are left behind.

2. Add your melted butter to a pan and add the cayenne, white pepper, nutmeg and a pinch of salt, simmer for a minute or so then add the shrimp. Take off the heat and leave the shrimps to steep in the butter for about 5 minutes.

3. Now take 4 ramekins and fill them with just the prawns almost to the top and gently press down with the back of a spoon until level. Now pour the butter the shrimps were steeped in over until the shrimp are just covered. Place in the fridge for about an hour until the butter has set hard. Garnish with a light sprinkling of cayenne and serve.