Lemon & poppyseed cupcakes

Ingredients

• 225g self-raising flour
• 175g golden caster sugar
• zest 2 lemons
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds, toasted
• 3 eggs
• 100g natural yogurt
• 175g butter, melted and cooled a little

For the icing

• 225g butter, softened
• 400g icing sugar, sifted
• juice 1 lemon
• few drops yellow food colouring
• icing flowers or yellow sprinkles, to decorate
•  
  Prep: 40 mins Cook: 22 mins Plus cooling

  Skill level:Moderately easy

  Servings:Makes 12 Makes 12

  Method

  1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake or muffin cases. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon zest and poppy seeds together in a large mixing bowl. Beat the eggs into the yogurt, then tip this into the dry ingredients with the melted butter. Mix together with a wooden spoon or whisk until lump-free, then divide between the cases. Bake for 20-22 mins until a skewer poked in comes out clean – the cakes will be quite pale on top still. Cool for 5 mins in the tin, then carefully lift onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
  2. To ice, beat the softened butter until really soft in a large bowl, then gradually beat in the icing sugar and lemon juice. Stir in enough food colouring for a pale lemon colour, then spoon the icing into a piping bag with a large star nozzle.
  3. Ice one cake at a time, holding the piping bag almost upright with the nozzle about 1cm from the surface of the cake. Pipe one spiral of icing around the edge, then pause to break the flow before moving the nozzle towards the centre slightly and piping a second, smaller spiral that continues until there are no gaps in the centre. Slightly ‘dot’ the nozzle into the icing as you stop squeezing to finish neatly. Repeat to cover all the cakes, then top with sugar decorations or scatter with sprinkles.

   

Coffee semifreddo

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp instant coffee
• 1 tbsp Tia Maria or brandy
• 4 large eggs, separated
• 100g golden caster sugar
• 300ml pot double cream
• 100g/4oz pack honeycomb Toblerone, finely chopped
• dark chocolate curls, to decorate 

  Cooking time

  Prep: 20 mins Plus freezing

  Skill level:Easy

  Servings:Serves 8

  
  

  Method

  1. Oil and line a 1-litre loaf tin with cling film. Put the coffee, Tia Maria or brandy, egg yolks and sugar in a bowl and stir to dissolve the coffee. Put the egg whites in a large bowl and pour the cream in another.
  2. Beat the egg whites until stiff with an electric whisk, then quickly beat the egg yolk mixture until thick and leaving a trail. Now beat the cream until it holds its shape. If you beat everything in this order, you don’t need to wash the whisks in between.
  3. Fold the cream into the coffee mixture, then carefully fold in the whites. Fold through the Toblerone and tip into the loaf tin. Lightly cover the surface with cling film. When frozen, overwrap in foil and freeze. Will keep for up to 6 weeks. You can make the chocolate curls (see video link, above, for instructions) and keep them in a airtight container or freeze.
  4. To serve, unwrap and turn onto a platter. Strip off the cling film and serve topped with the chocolate curls.

Sweet mustard salmon with garlicky veg

 

Ingredients

• 750g baby new potatoes, halved
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• juice 1 small orange
• 2 tsp clear honey
• 4 skinless, boneless, salmon fillets, each weighing about 140g/5oz
• 2 orange or red peppers
• 250g sugar snap peas
• 2 tbsp olive oil (garlic-infused if you have it) 

  Cooking time

  Prep: 15 mins - 20 mins Cook: 20 mins - 25 mins

  Skill level:Easy

  Servings:Easy

   

  Method

  1. Preheat the oven to fan 180C/conventional 200C/gas 6. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes until tender. Meanwhile, whisk the mustard, orange juice and honey together in a bowl to make a marinade. Turn the salmon fillets in the marinade until evenly coated, then set aside. Deseed the peppers and cut into thick strips.
  2. Drain the potatoes and tip into a shallow ovenproof dish or roasting tray with the peppers and sugar snap peas. Drizzle over the oil, salt and pepper, then toss everything together. Put the salmon fillets on top of the vegetables and pour over the marinade. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the salmon is cooked and just starting to brown.

  
  

Superhealthy salmon burgers

 

 

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless salmon fillets, about 550g/1lb 4oz in total, cut into chunks
• 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
• thumb-size piece fresh root ginger, grated
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 bunch coriander, half chopped, half leaves picked
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• lemon wedges, to serve

For the salad

• 2 carrots
• half large or 1 small cucumber
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp golden caster sugar

• Cooking time

  Prep: 20 mins Cook: 10 mins

  Skill level:Easy

  Servings:Serves 4

   

  Method

  1. Tip the salmon into a food processor with the paste, ginger, soy and chopped coriander. Pulse until roughly minced. Tip out the mix and shape into 4 burgers. Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, then fry the burgers for 4-5 mins on each side, turning until crisp and cooked through.
  2. Meanwhile, use a swivel peeler to peel strips of carrot and cucumber into a bowl. Toss with the vinegar and sugar until the sugar has dissolved, then toss through the coriander leaves. Divide the salad between 4 plates. Serve with the burgers and rice.

  
  
   

Bows with tuna, olives & capers

Ingredients

• 400g pasta bows
• 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 x 200g cans tuna, drained
• 85g pitted olives, halved
• 2 tbsp capers, rinsed
• small bunch flatleaf parsley, roughly chopped
•   Prep: 10 mins Cook: 10 mins

  Skill level:Easy

  Servings:Serves 4 

   

  Method

  1. Cook pasta following pack instructions. Drain, reserving a few tablespoons of water in the bottom of the pan.
  2. Return the pasta to the pan over a low heat, stir in the olive oil and garlic and allow to infuse for 1 min. Toss through the remaining ingredients, season and serve.

  
  

Winter root mash with buttery crumbs

Ingredients

• 650g parsnips, cut into even chunks
• 650g swedes, cut into same size chunks as the parsnips
• 142ml tub soured cream
• 1 rounded tbsp hot horseradish (English Provender is good)
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• butter, for greasing

For the butter topping

• 50g butter
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 50g fresh white breadcrumbs (from about 4 slices)
• a small handful thyme leaves, plus extra for scattering
• 25g parmesan, coarsely grated
•   Prep: 50 mins - 1 hr Cook: 40 mins

  Skill level:Easy

  Servings:Serves 10

  
  

  Method

  1. In a large pan of boiling salted water, cook the parsnips and swede, covered, for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain well, then mash them together using a masher or food processor until reasonably smooth but still with a bit of texture. Stir in the soured cream, horseradish and thyme and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Spoon into a buttered shallow ovenproof dish and put to one side.
  3. Make the topping. Melt the butter in a frying pan and cook the onion for 5-6 minutes, until gorgeously golden. Mix in the breadcrumbs and stir to brown and crisp a little. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme. Take the pan off the heat. Spoon the mixture casually over the top of the mash. Scatter over the parmesan. (Can be made ahead to this point and kept covered in the fridge for up to a day. Or can be frozen for up to a month.)
  4. Bake with the turkey (190C/gas 5/ fan 170C) for 35-40 minutes if doing from cold, 25-30 minutes if not, or 11⁄2-13⁄4 hours from frozen (put foil on top, and remove it for the last 10 minutes) – until golden and crisp on top. Serve scattered with a few more thyme sprigs and leaves.

Little Eccles mince pies

Ingredients

• 500g block all-butter puff pastry
• flour, for dusting
• 450g mincemeat (see 'goes well with')
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• golden caster sugar 

  Cooking time

  Prep: 30 mins Cook: 30 mins

  Skill level:Moderately easy

  Servings:Makes 18

   

  Method

  1. Roll the pastry out to about the thickness of a 50p piece on to a floured surface, and cut out 10cm circles, then continue to re-roll and cut out until you have about 18 circles.
  2. Place 1 tsp of mincemeat in the centre of each circle, brush the edges with egg white, then gather together tightly to completely encase the mincemeat.
  3. Flip the pies over so the sealed edges are underneath, then squash them with your hand so you have a small puck-shaped pie.
  4. Cut two small slits in the top of each pie, brush generously with egg white and scatter with sugar. The pies can now be frozen for up to 2 months. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6 and bake for 15 mins from raw or 25-30 mins from frozen.

  
  

No-fuss shepherd's pie

 

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 medium carrots, chopped
• 500g pack lamb mince
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• large splash Worcestershire sauce
• 500ml beef stock
• 900g potatoes, cut into chunks
• 85g butter
• 3 tbsp milk
  

  Cooking time

  Prep: 15 mins Cook: 1 hr

  Skill level: Easy

  Servings: Serves 4 

  Method

  1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan, then soften the onion and carrots for a few mins. When soft, turn up the heat, crumble in the lamb and brown, tipping off any excess fat. Add the tomato purée and Worcestershire sauce, then fry for a few mins. Pour over the stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 40 mins, uncovering halfway.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 180C/ fan 160C/ gas 4, then make the mash. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10-15 mins until tender. Drain, then mash with the butter and milk.
  3. Put the mince into an ovenproof dish, top with the mash and ruffle with a fork. The pie can now be chilled and frozen for up to a month. Bake for 20-25 mins until the top is starting to colour and the mince is bubbling through at the edges. (To bake from frozen, cook at 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 for 1 hr-1 hr 20 mins until piping hot in the centre. Flash under the grill to brown, if you like.) Leave to stand for 5 mins before serving.