Mulled apple juice

 

Ingredients

• 1l apple juice
• strips of orange peel
• 1 cinnamon stick, plus extra to garnish, if you like
• 3 cloves
• sugar or honey, to taste
• Prep: 5 mins Cook: 10 mins
  Easy
  Serves 8

  Method

  1. Simmer the apple juice with the strips of orange peel, cinnamon stick and cloves for about 5-10 mins until all the flavours have infused. Sweeten to taste.
  2. Serve each drink with a little orange peel and a piece of cinnamon stick, if you like.

Rhubarb crumble muffins

 

Ingredients

For the muffin mix

• 175g caster sugar
• 175g rhubarb, halved lengthways then diced
• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 125ml buttermilk
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the crumble topping

• 50g light muscovado sugar
• 50g plain flour
• 25g porridge oats
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 50g butter
• Prep: 25 mins Cook: 15 mins - 18 mins
  Easy
  12

  Method

  1. Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Stir the sugar and rhubarb together and set aside while you make the crumble topping. Mix together the muscovado sugar with the flour, oats and cinnamon, then rub in the butter until clumpy with your fingertips.
  2. Stir the oil and egg, vanilla and buttermilk into the sugary rhubarb (don’t worry if it’s a little bit juicy). Now, add the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and stir well.
  3. Quickly spoon into the cases, then scatter each with a thick layer of the crumble mixture. Bake for 15-18 mins until golden and a cocktail stick poked into the centre of a muffin comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

Coffee cocktails & star biscuits

 

 

Ingredients

For the star biscuits

• 200g soft butter
• 140g caster sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 280g plain flour, plus a little extra for rolling

For the cocktails (per person)

• 50ml strong coffee, cooled
• 1 tbsp Kahlúa
• 2 tbsp double cream
• cocoa powder, for dusting 
  Prep: 20 mins Cook: 15 mins
  Easy
  Makes 40 biscuits

  Method

  1. Stir together the butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla using a wooden spoon. Stir in the flour – you might need to get your hands in at the end. Tip onto a floured surface and bring together into a smooth dough.
  2. Roll out the dough – half at a time if you like – and stamp out 5-6cm stars. Keep re-rolling trimmings, and you should get about 40 biscuits. Cut out a thin triangle about 2cm long and ½cm wide at one of the indents of each star. Arrange on trays lined with baking parchment, cover with cling film and chill for 30 mins.
  3. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6. Remove cling film and bake the biscuits for 8-12 mins until golden. Cool, then dust with icing sugar. The cooked biscuits can be frozen for up to 3 months.
  4. Mix the coffee and Kahlúa in a Martini glass. Slowly pour in the double cream over the back of a teaspoon so that it gently settles on the top of the coffee. Dust with a little cocoa and serve with a star biscuit slotted onto the glass and a plateful of Mint chocolate truffles, if you like (see 'Goes well with').

   

Beef massaman curry

 

 

Ingredients

• 85g unsalted peanuts
• 400ml can coconut cream
• 4 tbsp massaman curry paste (we used Bart)
• 600g stewing beef steak, cut into large chunks
• 450g waxy potatoes, cut into 2½ cm chunks
• 1 onion, cut into thin wedges
• 4 kaffir lime leaves (available from Thai shops or dried from supermarkets)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1 tbsp palm or soft light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced, to serve
• jasmine rice, to serve
•   Prep: 15 mins Cook: 2 hrs, 10 mins
  Easy
  Serves 4

  Method

  1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6, then roast the peanuts on a baking tray for 5 mins until golden brown. When cool enough to handle, roughly chop. Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
  2. Heat 2 tbsp coconut cream in a large casserole dish with a lid. Add the curry paste and fry for 1 min, then stir in the beef and fry until well coated and sealed. Stir in the rest of the coconut with half a can of water, the potatoes, onion, lime leaves, cinnamon, tamarind, sugar, fish sauce and most of the peanuts. Bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 2 hrs in the oven until the beef is tender.
  3. Sprinkle with sliced chilli and the remaining peanuts, then serve straight from the dish with jasmine rice.

Easy cheesy frittata

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 spring onions, ends trimmed off
• 4 tablespoons of frozen peas, defrosted
• 1 courgette, halved with the ends cut off
• 2 slices of ham
• 100g feta cheese
• 4 eggs
  
  Prep: 5 mins - 15 mins Cook: 30 mins
  Easy
  Serves 4

• Method

  1. Ask a grown-up helper to switch the oven on to 180C/ 160C fan/gas 4. Snip or cut up the spring onions and put them in a bowl. Add the peas to the bowl.
  2. Grate the courgette using your rotary grater, one half at a time, then add it to the bowl.
  3. Cut the ham into pieces with your scissors, if you do this over the bowl it will fall straight in.
  4. Break the feta into the bowl by crumbling it with your hands.
  5. Crack the eggs into a bowl and, if any bits of shell fall in, scoop them out with a spoon. Whisk the eggs until the yolks are mixed into the white.
  6. Pour the eggs into the other bowl and stir. Brush a round ovenproof dish, about 16cm across, with oil. Tip everything into the dish. Ask a helper to put the dish in the oven for 30 minutes or until the egg is set. Serve with salad and crusty bread.
   

Honey-mustard glazed duck

 

Ingredients

• 1 small duck, about 1½ kg/3lb 5oz
• 1 tsp sunflower oil
• 2 tsp five spice powder
• 200g clear honey
• 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tsp dry sherry
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
•   Prep: 10 mins Cook: 2 hrs, 20 mins
  Easy
  Serves 2

  Method

  1. About an hour before cooking, take the duck out of the fridge to come to room temperature. Heat oven to 140C/ 120C fan/gas 1. Pull out and discard any large lumps of fat from inside the duck, then rub it all over with some salt, the oil and five-spice powder. Sit the duck in a roasting tin, then roast for 2 hrs.
  2. For the glaze, mix the honey, soy, Sherry and mustard in a bowl. When the duck has had its time, remove it from the oven, pour off any fat from the tin and baste generously with the glaze. Turn the oven up to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and roast the duck for a further 20 mins until sticky and bronzed. Remove the duck to a clean dish to catch any juices and allow it to rest for at least 20 mins before serving.
  3. To make a simple gravy, pour the juices from the roasting tin into a jug or bowl and leave to settle. Use a ladle to remove the fat from the juices, then tip the juices back into the saucepan and reheat to serve.

Rhubarb & date chutney

 

Ingredients

• 50g fresh root ginger, grated
• 300ml red wine vinegar
• 500g eating apples, peeled and finely chopped
• 200g pitted dates, chopped
• 200g dried cranberries or raisins
• 1 tbsp mustard seed
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 400g light muscovado sugar
• 700g rhubarb, sliced into 2cm chunks
• 500g red onions 
  Prep: 25 mins Cook: 40 mins
  Easy
  Makes about 2.25kg/5lb

  Method

  1. Put the onions in a large pan with the ginger and vinegar. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the rhubarb, plus 2 tsp salt to the pan and bring to the boil, stirring. Simmer, uncovered, for about 10 mins until the apples are tender.
  2. Stir in the rhubarb and cook, uncovered, until the chutney is thick and jammy, about 15-20 mins. Leave the chutney to sit for about 10-15 mins, then spoon into warm, clean jars, and seal. Label the jars when cool. Keep for at least a month before eating.

Vegetarian club

 

Ingredients

• 3 slices granary bread
• 1 large handful watercress
• 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
• small squeeze lemon juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 dessertspoons reduced-fat houmous
• 2 tomatoes, thickly sliced
•   Prep: 10 mins
  Easy
  Serves 1

  Method

  Toast the bread. meanwhile mix the watercress, carrot, lemon juice and olive oil together. In a small bowl spread the houmous over each slice of toast. Top 1 slice with the watercress and carrot salad, sandwich with another slice of toast and top with the tomato. Lay the final slice of bread, houmous side down, then press down and eat as is or cut the sandwich into quarters.

Sticky slow-roast belly of pork

 

 

Ingredient

• 1.3kg piece pork belly, boned, rind left on and scored (ask your butcher to do this)
• 2 tsp sunflower oil
• 1 tsp white peppercorns, crushed
• 3 large onions, sliced
• 2-3 tbsp clear honey
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
•   Prep: 10 mins Cook: 3 hrs, 30 mins
  Easy
  Serves 6

  Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Lay the pork, skin-side up, on a rack in a roasting tin. Trickle with a little oil, then lightly press on the crushed peppercorns and a sprinkling of coarse sea salt. Place in the oven, then cook for 1 hr. Remove from the oven and baste with the juices. Continue to cook for a further 1½ hrs, basting every 20 mins.
  2. Put the sliced onions in the roasting tin under the pork. Mix the honey together with the cumin and chilli, brush it over the pork, then increase the oven to 200C/fan 180C/ gas 6. Cook for a further 30-40 mins, basting occasionally, until caramelised with a rich, golden glaze over the pork. Once cooked and tender (this can be easily tested by piercing the flesh with a knife), remove pork from the oven, then leave to rest for 10-15 mins.
  3. While the pork is resting, heat the tin on the stove with the onions, adding 2 tbsp water. This will lift any residue from the pan, creating a moist cooking liquor. Season the onions with salt and pepper, then divide between 6 plates. Carve pork into 6 portions, then serve on top of the onions. Pour any remaining liquor over and serve with the Pumpkin mash (below).

Hot-smoked salmon salad with a chilli lemon dressing forValentine's Day

 

Ingredients

• 500g new potatoes, halved
• 200g pack asparagus tips
• 250g bag mixed salad leaves (including young beetroot leaves and watercress)
• bunch each parsley and mint, leaves picked and roughly chopped
• 140g radishes, thinly sliced
• 8 x hot-smoked salmon steaks, skin removed
• 4 spring onions, sliced diagonally

For the dressing

• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 125ml olive oil
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 2 red chillies
•   Prep: 20 mins Cook: 10 mins
  
  Easy
  Serves 8 
   

  Method

  1. Boil potatoes in salted water for 10 mins until tender, adding the asparagus tips for the final 2 mins of cooking. Drain and allow to cool. Whisk together the salad dressing ingredients. then season to taste.
  2. In a large bowl, toss together the potatoes, asparagus, salad leaves, herbs and radishes. Add two-thirds of the dressing, thoroughly mix through the salad, then spread the salad over a large platter. Break the hot-smoked salmon into large chunks, then scatter over the top along with the spring onions. Finish by pouring remaining dressing over the top.

Quick & easy party nibbles for Valentine's Day

 

Ingredients

• See recipe method, below, for all the ingredients you'll need for your canapés
• Prep: 30 mins Cook: 30 mins
  Easy
   
   

  Method

  1. Bloody Mary shots with horseradish: For 10 shots mix 700ml tomato juice with 50ml vodka, juice from 1 lemon and a good splash of Tabasco and vegetarian Worcestershire sauce in a jug. Season then chill. To serve, pour into 10 shot glasses, add a thin cucumber stick to each as a stirrer, and top with a small spoon of creamed horseradish.
  2. Quails’ eggs with sesame dukka: Toast 1 tbsp each of cumin and coriander seeds and 85g hazelnuts, then whizz in a food processor until finely chopped. Mix with 50g sesame seeds and salt to taste, then serve in small bowls with 24-36 hard-boiled quails’ eggs, halved, alongside for dipping.
  3. Mini avocado tarts: Buy mini croustade cases from the supermarket, then put a small spoonful of sour cream in each case. Finely dice ripe avocados and mix with a little lime juice, some poppy seeds and finely snipped chives, then pile on top of the sour cream.
  4. Parsnip chips with maple-mustard dip: Peel a parsnip per person, then cut into chunky chips and roast with sunflower oil and seasoning at 220C/200C fan/gas 7 for 20-30 mins until crispy and golden. Mix a 200ml tub crème fraîche with 2 tbsp grainy mustard, 2 tbsp maple syrup and some seasoning and serve the hot parsnip chips alongside for dipping.
  5. Halloumi dippers with chilli pineapple salsa: For the salsa, finely dice 200g fresh or canned pineapple and mix with 1 finely chopped red onion, 1 finely chopped red chilli and juice of 1-2 limes to taste. Use a 250g pack halloumi per 5-6 people, slice into chunky strips, thread onto small soaked wooden skewers and grill, turning, until crispy. Serve with the salsa.
  6. Greek kebabs with houmous & tzatziki: Cook and cool bought falafel, then skewer each one with a chunk of cucumber, small cube of feta and a cherry tomato. Serve with pots of houmous and tzatziki on the side.
  7. Crunchy poppadoms with mango chutney: To feed a crowd, finely shred 3 peeled carrots, dice ½ a cucumber and finely slice 4 spring onions. Mix together with a squeeze of lemon juice and 1 tbsp toasted mustard seeds. To serve, pile into bought mini poppadom crisps, top with a small dollop of mango chutney and scatter with coriander leaves.
  8. Fig & blue cheese skewers: Skewer wedges of fig and cubes of blue cheese onto small cocktail sticks or skewers, then drizzle with a little runny honey and scatter with thyme leaves to serve.
  9. Christmas pudding truffles: Melt together 200g dark chocolate and 200ml double cream, then crumble in 100g leftover cooked Christmas pud (buy a vegetarian one), then chill. When firm enough, use a melon baller or roll into balls, then dip the tops in some melted white chocolate, scatter with edible decorations, then chill to firm.
  10. Mini cranberry & orange scones: Knock up a batch of scone dough, adding some dried cranberries and orange zest into the mix before stamping out 4cm rounds and baking. When cool, split and spread generously with orange or jaffa curd (we used Waitrose) and top with a small dollop of clotted or thick double cream.

Sweetheart choc & hazelnut sandwiches forValentine's Day

 

 

Ingredients

• 4 slices from a small sliced brioche loaf
• 3 tbsp chocolate hazelnut spreads
• 1 large egg
• 75ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp chopped toasted hazelnuts
• 1 tbsp butter
• icing sugar, for dusting
• ice cream, to serve
• raspberries, to serve
•   Prep: 5 mins Cook: 5 mins
  Easy
  Serves 2 
   

  Method

  1. Thickly spread 2 of the brioche slices with the chocolate hazelnut spread, then top with the remaining slices to make 2 sandwiches. Use a large heart-shaped cutter to cut the sandwiches into hearts.
  2. Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla and caster sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. Tip the hazelnuts onto a plate. Dip the sandwiches into the egg mixture, leave for 1-2 mins each side to allow the brioche to soak up the liquid, then dip one side of each sandwich into the nuts. The sandwiches can be chilled like this, covered loosely with cling film, for up to 1 hour.
  3. Heat the butter in a wide frying pan until melted and foaming. Add the sandwiches and cook for 1-2 mins each side until golden brown and puffed up. Dust with a little icing sugar and serve with ice cream and raspberries.

Angel’s kiss for Valentine's Day

 

Ingredients

• 400ml Tia Maria, chilled
• 16 tbsp (approx 250ml) double cream
• cocoa, for dusting
•   Prep: 10 mins No cook
  Easy
  Makes 8
   

  Method

  Pour the Tia Maria into small cocktail or liqueur glasses. Carefully pour the cream into the glasses over the back of a teaspoon so it floats on the surface of the Tia Maria and makes a separate layer. Dust the cream with cocoa by shaking it through a tea strainer, and serve.

Pan-fried sea bass with citrus-dressed broccoli*Valentine's Day

Ingredients

• 2 sea bass fillets, about 140g each (see tips, below)
• 1 small head of broccoli
• 1 orange
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp small capers
• 6 anchovies, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon
•   Prep: 15 mins Cook: 15 mins
  Moderately easy
  Serves 2 

  Method

  1. Before you start cooking, get everything prepared. Trim each sea bass fillet so they are both the same shape, then score the skin, cutting into the flesh slightly, 5 or 6 times at about 1cm intervals. Set aside.
  2. Segment the orange – slice off the top and bottom, then cut away the skin and pith. Cut away each segment, then squeeze out the juice from the rest of the orange into a bowl. Cut the broccoli into medium-size florets.
  3. To make the warm broccoli salad, cook the florets in a pan of boiling salted water for 1 min until just cooked. While the broccoli is cooking, put a frying pan on to heat. As soon as the broccoli is cooked, drain it, then tip straight into the hot frying pan to ‘scorch’ out all the moisture.
  4. Turn off the heat, then scatter the orange segments over the broccoli. Toss for a few moments just to heat through, then tip into a bowl and dress with the orange juice and 2 tbsp olive oil. Season with pepper and a small sprinkling of sea salt, then set aside.
  5. Wipe out the pan. Season the fish with a little salt and pepper just before cooking. Heat the frying pan until very hot, then add 2 tbsp oil. Lay the fish fillets in the pan, skin-side down. As soon as it goes in, press each fillet down with your fingers or a fish slice to stop it from curling up.
  6. Reduce the heat to medium, then leave the fish to cook for 3-4 mins, undisturbed, until you can see that the flesh has cooked two-thirds of the way up and the skin is crisp and brown.
  7. Flip the fillets over, then fry on the flesh side for about 2 mins until just done, basting the skin with the oil in the pan as it cooks. Leave to rest on a warm plate, skin-side up, and baste with the hot oil and juices from the pan.
  8. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil into the pan and place it back on a high heat. Scatter in the capers and anchovies, then cook until they start to crisp. Grate over the lemon zest and squeeze in the juice of ½ the lemon. If there isn’t enough juices in the pan to drizzle over both plates, add a splash more oil. You are now ready to plate up.

   

Smoked salmon with prawns, horseradish cream & lime vinaigrette*Valentine's Day

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp crème fraîche
• 1 tsp horseradish sauce
• 4 slices smoked salmon
• 10 large cooked prawns, peeled but tails left on

For the salad

• juice 1 lime, finely grated zest of ½
• 1 tsp clear honey
• ½ tsp finely grated fresh root ginger
• 2 tbsp light olive oil
• 2 handfuls small leaf salad
•   Prep: 20 mins
  Easy
  Serves 2

  Method

  Mix the crème fraîche with the horseradish and a little salt and pepper. For the dressing, whisk the lime juice and zest with the honey, ginger and seasoning, then whisk in the oil. Lay the smoked salmon and prawns on 2 plates, then top with a dollop of the horseradish cream. Toss the salad in most of the dressing and pile on top. Drizzle the remaining dressing around the plate and serve.

Seared garlic seafood with spicy harissa bisque* Valentine's Day

 

 

Ingredients

• 400g can lobster bisque
• 1 tbsp harissa
• zest and juice ½ lime
• 2 tbsp single cream, plus a little extra for drizzling
• 8 large raw king prawns, peeled
• 6 scallops, roe removed
• 1 tbsp garlic butter
• small handful coriander, leaves picked
• ½ red chilli, thinly sliced
• toasted bread, to serve
•   Prep: 10 mins Cook: 5 mins
  Easy
  Serves 2 
   

  Method

  1. Heat the lobster bisque, harissa and lime juice In a small pan until bubbling. Add the cream, reduce the heat and keep warm while you cook the seafood.
  2. Season the prawns and scallops. Heat the garlic butter in a frying pan until starting to foam. Add the seafood and cook for 1 min on each side until the prawns are pink and the scallops are cooked and starting to brown, but still have a little bounce.
  3. To serve, pile the prawns and scallops into the centre of 2 shallow soup bowls, pour around the spicy bisque, scatter with a few coriander leaves, chilli slices, lime zest and a drizzle of cream. Serve with toasted bread.

(Balsamic blueberries with vanilla ice cream)Valentine's Day

Ingredients

• 125g blueberries
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 4 scoops good-quality vanilla ice cream and crisp biscuits, to serve
  
  Prep: 10 mins Cook: 2 mins 
  Easy
  Serves 2 
   

  Method

  Tip the blueberries into a pan with the sugar, vinegar and 1 tbsp water. Heat very gently for 1-2 mins until the berries soften, but don’t burst. Set aside until ready to serve. Spoon over the ice cream and eat with crisp biscuits.
   

Valentine's Day*Vodka & cranberry blush*

Ingredients

• 200ml/7fl oz each vodka and Cointreau
• 600ml cranberry juice
• 400ml orange juice
• strips of peel from 2-3 limes
• crushed ice, to serve
• Prep: 10 mins
  Easy
  Serves 12 
   

  Method

  1. Pour the vodka and Cointreau into a jug, then add the cranberry juice and orange juice. Stir well.
  2. Pare strips of peel from 2-3 limes. Fill 12 glasses with the crushed ice, then pour over the cocktail. Finish each glass with a strip of lime peel.
   

Valentine's *Love bug biscuits*

Ingredients

• 175g plain flour
• 100g chilled butter, cubed
• 85g icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk

To decorate

• 500g ready-to-roll fondant icing
• red food colouring
• 100g icing sugar
• black food colouring
• edible pearly ball decorations

You will also need

• 8cm heart-shaped cutter
• 6cm heart-shaped cutter
•   Prep: 30 mins Cook: 12 mins Plus chilling
  Easy
  Makes 20
   

  Method

  1. Put the flour, butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolk in a food processor. Dribble in 1 tbsp water and blitz until the mixture comes together to form a dough. Tip onto a work surface and knead briefly to bring together, then wrap in cling film and chill for 20 mins.
  2. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the dough to the thickness of a £1 coin. Use your 8cm heart cutter to stamp out heart shapes – you’ll have to re-roll the trimmings to make 20 biscuits. Put the hearts on 2 baking trays and bake for 12 mins, swapping the trays over halfway through, until pale golden and crisp. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
  3. Dye your lump of icing with red food colouring and wrap in cling film until ready to roll. Mix the icing sugar with enough water to make a thick icing. Dye the icing with the black food colouring. Pour the icing into a piping bag with a small plain nozzle attached (or use a small sandwich bag and snip off the corner). Roll out the red icing to 3mm thick and use your 6cm cutter to stamp out hearts. Stick onto the biscuits with a little of the black icing.
  4. Use the black icing to give your love bug a head at the pointy end, draw a line down the centre to give it wings, then add spots. Stick 2 pearly balls onto each love bug’s head, then leave to set on a wire rack. You can pack your love bugs into boxes or cellophane bags to give as gifts for Valentine’s Day.

Squash, orange & barley salad

 

Ingredients

• 175g pearl barley
• 1kg peeled squash or 1 butternut squash, unpeeled
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• zest and juice 1 orange
• 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• small bunch mint, chopped, reserving a few leaves to serve
• small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped, reserving a few leaves to serve
• 2 handfuls rocket
• Prep: 40 mins Cook: 40 mins
  Easy
  Serves 6 
   

  Method

  1. Boil the barley for 20-25 mins until just tender but with a little bite. Drain.
  2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. If using butternut, thickly slice into rounds, flicking out the seeds as you go, or slice small, round squashes into thin wedges. Toss with 1 tbsp oil, the orange zest and seasoning. Spread over a baking sheet and roast for 40 mins until golden and tender, turning halfway. Set aside while you finish the dish.
  3. Mix the orange juice, vinegar and remaining oil with the pearl barley and plenty of seasoning. Stir in the onion and chopped herbs, then layer up on a platter with the squash, rocket and remaining mint and parsley leaves.
   

Creamy tarragon chicken bake

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp rice flour (we used Doves Farm)
• 300ml soya milk (we used So Good)
• 4 chicken breasts, skin removed
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 250g punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
• 250g asparagus spears, blanched
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 150ml vegetable stock (we used Kallo yeast-free vegetable stock)
• 3 tbsp chopped tarragon
• 4 tbsp gluten-free breadcrumbs (we used Sainsbury's 'Free From' English muffins)
• 1 tbsp grated dairy and lactose-free cheese (we used Cheezly)
  
  Prep: 20 mins Cook: 30 mins
  Easy
  Serves 4 
   

  Method

  1. Mix half the oil and flour in a saucepan (off the heat), then blend in the soya milk (it must be well blended before heating). Bring the sauce slowly to the boil, whisking constantly, then simmer for 1 min. Remove from the heat, cover with greaseproof paper and set aside.
  2. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Heat remaining oil in a frying pan, add the chicken, then fry for 2-3 mins or until brown (it won’t be cooked through). Transfer to an ovenproof gratin dish. Add the onions to the pan and fry for 2-3 mins. Spoon over the chicken, then top with the tomatoes and asparagus. Set aside while you prepare the sauce.
  3. Put the sugar and vinegar into the pan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is a dark caramel colour, then add the stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 min. Whisk into the milky sauce until blended, season, then add the tarragon. Spoon sauce over the chicken and veg, sprinkle with crumbs and cheese, then bake for 20 mins or until cooked through.

Zesty haddock with crushed potatoes & peas

Ingredients

• 600g floury potatoes, unpeeled, cut into chunks
• 140g frozen peas
• 2½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• juice and zest ½ lemon
• 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp snipped chives
• 4 haddock or other chunky white fish fillets, about 120g each (or use 2 small per person)
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• broccoli, to serve
•   Prep: 15 mins Cook: 20 mins
  Easy
  Serves 4 
   

  Method

  1. Cover the potatoes in cold water, bring to the boil, then turn to a simmer. Cook for 10 mins until tender, adding peas for the final min of cooking. Drain and roughly crush together, adding plenty of seasoning and 1 tbsp oil. Keep warm.
  2. Meanwhile, for the dressing, mix 1 tbsp oil, the lemon juice and zest, capers and chives with some seasoning.
  3. Dust the fish in the flour, tapping off any excess and season. Heat remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan. Fry the fish for 2-3 mins on each side until cooked, then add the dressing and warm through. Serve with the crush and broccoli.

Vegetable & bean chilli

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• thumb-sized piece ginger, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 courgettes, diced
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
• 1 tbsp chilli powder
• 100g red lentils, washed and drained
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 195g can sweetcorn, drained
• 420g can butter beans, drained
• 400g can kidney beans in water, drained
•   Prep: 10 mins Cook: 30 mins - 35 mins
  Easy
  Serves 4 
   

  Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the garlic, ginger, onion, courgettes and peppers for about 5 mins until starting to soften. Add the chilli powder and cook for 1 min more.
  2. Stir in the lentils, tomato purée, tomatoes and 250ml water. Bring to the boil and cook for 15-20 mins.
  3. Add the sweetcorn and beans, and cook for a further 10 mins.

Classic winter fruitcake

Ingredients

For the decoration

• 1 egg white
• 50g caster sugar
• small bunch black grapes
• holly or bay leaves
• 20cm/8 inch round fruitcake
• 1-2 clementines
• 1-2 just ripe figs
• a few kumquat
• a few physalis (Cape gooseberries)
• approx 65cm red or gold ribbon

For the frosting

• 2 egg whites
• 175g icing sugar
•   Prep: 20 mins
  Easy
  Enough icing for the top

  Method

  1. Lightly beat the egg white in a shallow bowl and spread out the caster sugar on a baking sheet or tray. Dip the grapes and the holly or bay leaves into the egg white, or use a paintbrush. Shake off the excess, then coat in the sugar. Set aside to dry for at least 10 mins, ideally about 30 mins.
  2. When you’re ready to decorate, make the frosting. Put a large bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Put the egg whites and icing sugar into the bowl and whisk for 5-7 mins until you have a thick, very glossy frosting. Use a spatula to clean around the edges of the bowl every so often as you whisk. Scoop the frosting onto the top of the cake and spread it around with a flat-edged knife, swirling as you go to create a snowy effect (see Knowhow, below).
  3. Halve the clementines, figs and kumquats, then arrange on top of the frosted cake with the physalis, frosted grapes and leaves. Fix a ribbon around the base and leave the cake somewhere cool – but not the fridge – until your guests arrive.

Winter crunch salad

 

Ingredients

• 1 x 170g ready-to-bake garlic bread
• 2 heads of chicory
• 2 celery sticks, cut into thin diagonal slices
• 1 bunch of radishes, trimmed and quartered
• 50g shelled walnuts or pecans, toasted and roughly chopped
• 2 red-skinned eating apples, cored and cut into slim wedges
• 175g Stilton (or any leftover cheese)
• 4-5 tbsp ready-made honey and mustard dressing, to serve
• Ready in 20-30 minute
  Easy
  Serves 4

  Method

• Preheat the oven and cook the garlic bread according to packet instructions.
• While the bread is in the oven separate the chicory into leaves and toss in a large bowl with the celery, radishes, nuts and apples. Crumble the stilton in large chunks over the top.
• To finish the salad, cut half the garlic bread into the marked slices. Cut the remainder into chunks and toss into the salad with as much dressing as you like. Serve with the remaining garlic bread on the side

The River Cafe's winter minestrone

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 head of celery, coarsely chopped, keeping the leaves
• 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled
• 1kg Swiss chard, leaves shredded and stalks roughly chopped
• a good handful of parsley, finely chopped
• 400g can peeled plum tomatoes, drained of most of their juices, roughly chopped
• 1kg cavolo nero, stalks removed, leaves shredded (or savoy cabbage)
• 410g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• about 700ml boiling chicken or vegetable stock
• a few sprigs of winter herbs such as thyme or sage, chopped
• freshly grated parmesan
• extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
•  Ready in 1¾ hours
  Easy
  Serves 5

  Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and slowly fry the carrots, onion and celery until soft and dark. This will take about 20 minutes but it’s worth it – the slow cooking gives a lovely taste. Add the garlic, chard stalks and half the parsley, and stir to prevent sticking. Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes or until reduced.
  2. Add half the Swiss chard leaves, half the cavolo nero, three-quarters of the beans, and the boiling stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Pour in more stock if needed – don’t add too much – it should be thick.
  3. Add the remaining Swiss chard and cavolo nero and blanch briefly so they remain green and crisp. Season when slightly cooled.
  4. Purée the remaining cannellini beans coarsely in a blender with some of the cooking liquid. Add to the soup – it should be very green. Stir in the herbs and serve hot with Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Hubble bubble pumpkin pot

Ingredients

• 2 leeks, thickly sliced and washed to remove any grit
• 8 rashers smoked bacon, chopped
• 350g/12oz pumpkin flesh, cut into chunks (or use butternut squash)
• 50g butter
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 250g long grain rice 
  Ready in 35-45 minute
  Easy
  Serves 4 hungry trick or treaters
•  

  Method

  1. Hubble. Toss the leeks, bacon and pumpkin together in a large microwaveable bowl. Dot the butter on top and cover the bowl with cling film or a plate. Pierce the cling film a couple of times if using and microwave on High for 5 minutes until everything’s hot and starting to cook.
  2. Bubble. While the veg is cooking, bring a kettleful of water to the boil and make 700ml/11⁄4 pints stock using the cube. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and uncover, watching out for the hot steam. Tip in the rice and season with salt and pepper, then pour in the stock and stir to mix.
  3. Worth the trouble. Cover the bowl with a fresh piece of cling film or the same plate and microwave on High for 10 minutes. Uncover and give it a stir, then microwave for 5-10 minutes until the rice is cooked. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before giving everything a final stir. Serve scooped straight from the bowl.