A Christmas Countdown

November 27th, 2016

    Stay Ahead Of The Game This Christmas By Preparing In Advance… This is your one stop shop for a Stress Free Christmas. You will find over 30 Festive Recipes in the Christmas  Recipe section. Make your life easier by using this countdown for what to do each week on the run up to Christmas. Click the

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Zesty Crab Cocktail Cups

December 1st, 2010

Crab lovers will love this tasty filling served in crispy bread cups. The good news is you can make the filling a day ahead, refrigerated and stored in an airtight container. Easy! Makes: 20 canapes Effort Level: Dead easy Shelf Life: Eat immediately. Filling 1 day ahead Ingredients: 100g white crabmeat (Hebridean from Waitrose is good)

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Bread Sauce

December 1st, 2010

When I was a child, bread sauce filled me with dread. More often than not it was a gloopy mess, like something out of Charles Dickens and always got left on my plate. Not this one though. It’s creamy soft, light and aromatic. Serves: 4 Effort Level: Easy Preparation & Cooking Time:40 minutes Shelf Life: Will

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Miniature Mince Pies

November 26th, 2010

I hate to boast, but my miniature mincepies are legendary! Friends have been known to drive 20 miles to get their hands on them. It’s true you need an iron will to eat only one – it’s a case of once you pop you can’t stop! Yes I know they take time to make, but truly, the taste and texture

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Christmas Canapes

November 26th, 2010

Forgive me for posting this recipe blog again, but I thought it might come in handy if, like me, you’re having a New Years Eve party. I’ve made a lot of canapés – especially when I was a caterer. In general most people freak at the thought of making them, but canapés don’t have to be a nightmare.

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Christmas Baking – Time To Get Festive

November 16th, 2010

Christmas is less than 6 weeks away. Which means, it’s time to don the pinny, get the mixing bowls out and get cracking. If you’re planning to make your own Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies, you need to get on with them now, this week or over the weekend. And your reward besides producing  deluxe, home

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Luxury Christmas Cake

November 16th, 2010

I’ve tried out different recipes over the years, including Delia, Michael Smith, The Cookery Year, Good Housekeeping and more recently Nigel Slater. However, I think this version is best of all. It may take slightly longer to prepare than a boiled fruit cake, (now back in fashion thanks to Nigella). But frankly, when it comes to taste and

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Luxury Christmas Pudding

November 16th, 2010

No one in our family likes the traditional fruit laden Christmas pudding, it’s too heavy, especially after the Christmas lunch blow out. The one I make is deliciously rich and fruity with a light texture and it works brilliantly with my Boozy Rum & Orange Sauce. Makes: 1 x 3 pint or 2 x 1 1/2 pint puddings. Enough for

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Luxury Mincemeat

November 16th, 2010

Homemade mincemeat bares little resemblance to the shop bought stuff. Follow this simple recipe and transform dull mince pies into delicious sweet treats. Need I say more? Makes: 2 x 500ml pots – enough for 50 miniature mince pies Preparation Time: 20 minutes + overnight soaking Cooking Time: 2 hours Shelf Life: Up to 1 year

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Chilli, Prawn & Mango Sambals

December 1st, 2009

You’re looking at my No.1 Favorite Canape. Good looks aside, it tastes sensational. Plus you can make the prawn mixture 12 hours ahead of schedule so long as it’s refrigerated in a sealed container. Makes: 20 canapes Preparation Time:10 minutes Effort Level:Easy Ingredients : 300g small prawns 1 lime 1 medium mango 2 spring onions Handful of

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Asparagus Wrapped in Prosciutto

December 1st, 2009

Tasty, quick and easy, popular with everyone and vanishing in seconds. Once you’ve made these babies, you’ll do them again and again. For variation try fresh figs drizzled with a smattering of honey before wrapping in proscuitto. Mmmm… Makes: 20 canapes Effort Level: Dead easy Cooking Time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 100g packet mini asparagus tips 250g

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Gingered Salmon Tartare

November 1st, 2009

Light, clean, fresh and delicious. Enjoy as a first course or as canapés spooned into prawn crackers. The key to success is using extremely fresh, top quality salmon and finely dicing all the ingredients. Serving Size: 20 canapes or 4 for a first course Preparation Time: 20 minutes Effort Level: Easy Shelf Life: Eat the same day

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Greengage Conserve

September 12th, 2017

I made a potful of this glorious, bright yellow jam in all of 25 minutes using a punnet of greengages spied in my local Waitrose. I didn’t realise until recently that greengages, plums, damsons, bullaces and sloes are all members of the same family albeit distant relatives. Personally, I prefer my jam bordering slightly on the tart side, so

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Elderflower & Strawberry Jelly

June 1st, 2017

We had a brilliant dinner with some friends last Saturday, where everyone contributed by making a course. My pal Liz took along her delicious fresh and creamy crab soup. Our exuberant host followed this up by barbequeing an excellent butterfly of lamb and to finish off I brought along homemade jelly and ice cream using

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Three Bean Salad

March 14th, 2017

Feeling the need for something bright and cololourful brought on by a welcome dose of spring sunshine at the weekend, I decided to make my three bean salad. It’s deliciously crunchy and healthy with plenty of texture and bite and generously coated in a fresh, zesty dressing with a sprinkling of fresh herbs. This is the basic

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Crispy Squid With Sweet Chilli Dipping Sauce

February 28th, 2017

I probably make this  once a fortnight – it’s tasty quick and easy and is exceptionally good – crisp, tender squid served with a hot chilli dipping sauce.   Added to this you can literally throw it together in a matter of minutes. I know not everyone is a fan of our tentacled friends, but please

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Valentines Day Dinner

February 5th, 2017

With Valentines Day just around the corner I wanted to come up with a well balanced, three course, romantic dinner for you. One that’s pretty much stress free and can be prepared in advance. Brownie Points Please! Potted Crab & Prawns        Rack of Lamb                      Lemon Cream None of the courses take long. The starter and dessert take

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