Nut Roast (V)

So Christmas is fast approaching. You have guests coming for Christmas Dinner and your friend or family member is vegetarian. You want to make them something equally special so why not make them a nut roast. Can be prepared the night before so no rush, stick in the oven on the day. You will need a 2lb loaf tin.

Makes 1 Loaf

1 Onion, diced
2 Celery Sticks, diced
2 Garlic Cloves, crushed
200g Chestnuts, cooked and ready to use
200g Mixed Nuts
100g Breadcrumbs
100g Stilton, Smoked Cheese OR cheese with a strong flavour, grated or crumbled
1 Egg, beaten
2 tsp Sage
Butter
Salt and Pepper
Small savouy Cabbage, 6-8 leaves
1 Small Potato

1. Preheat the oven to 180c/160c fan assisted. Line a loaf tin with tin foil. Grease with butter.

2. In a frying pan add a knob of butter, fry the celery, onion and garlic until softened. Allow to cool slight and add to a large mixing bowl.

3. Blanch the cabbage in a pan of boiling water for about 2 minutes, take out the leaves should still have some firmness. Line the leaves. Leave some over hang.  Add the potato to the pan and boil until you can mash it. Add this to the mixing bowl.

4. Blitz the chestnuts and mixed nuts in a blender or with a hand blender until you get small pieces. Doesn't matter if there are a few bigger pieces. Then in the mixing bowl add the nuts, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, sage and plenty of salt and pepper. Give a good mix until combined. Add this to the loaf tin. Cover with the savoy cabbage.

5. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove foil then cook for a further 5 minutes. Slice and serve with vegetables.

Banana Bread (V)

Here is a sweet one for you to sink your teeth into. Not much of a bread and more of a cake but all the same tastes delicious.

Makes 1 Loaf

140g butter , softened, plus extra for the tin
3 tbsp Golden Syrup
75g Macadamia Nuts
75g Caster sugar
2 large eggs , beaten
150g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 very ripe bananas, 2 mashed and 1 sliced


1. Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Butter a 2lb loaf tin and line the base and sides with baking paper

2. Cream the butter, sugar and golden syrup until light and fluffy. Add eggs with a little flour. Fold in the remaining flour, baking powder, bananas and nuts.

3. Pour into the tin and add sliced bananas on top of the mixture. 

4. Bake for about 30 mins until a skewer can come out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then remove to a wire rack. Then leave to cool for a further half an hour.

Couscous Centred Chicken

So haven't posted much recently. Since its summer, going to start putting picnic style food. However if you are facing the British weather, just as nice eating the food inside. Have these by themselves or in a sandwich.

Serves 4

2 Chicken Breasts

1 Onion, finely chopped

1 Garlic Clove, crushed

Handful of pine nuts

Handful of Parsley, chopped

1 tbsp Mint, chopped

1 tbsp lemon juice

50g Butter

50g Couscous

200ml Chicken Stock

Pack of Streaky Bacon

75g Dried Apricots, chopped

1. Add the boiling chicken stock to a bowl with couscous. Leave for 10 minutes.

2. Lay out some tin foil and place the steak bacon on it. Flatten the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of cling film.  Lay this in the centre of the bacon.

3. Fry the onion and garlic in butter in a frying pan until softened. 

4. Once the couscous has soaked up the stock, add the lemon juice, onions, garlic, pine nuts, apricots, bit of butter, mint and parsely to the bowl. Mix well.

5. Put the mixture onto the chicken. Wrap the chicken around the couscous, then the bacon and then the foil tightly around the whole thing. Keep refrigerated overnight.

6. Preheat the oven to 160c Fan assisted/180c.

7. Cook in the foil for 30 minutes. Take out of the foil and cook for further 30 minutes. Let it cool and cut into slices. Serve.

Flapjacks (V)

An easy recipe that only needs 4 ingredients (5 if you want to top with chocolate).

Makes 12 Flapjacks

120g Butter

5 tablespoons of golden syrup

75g Brown Sugar/Golden Caster Sugar

280g Oats (Porridge Oats)

Optional Additions:

Dried Fruit and Nuts - Mix in with the main ingredients

Chocolate -  Add to the top or break into small chunks and mix.

1.   Preheat the oven to about 200c/ 180c fan assisted.

2.   Line a tin with baking paper. Make sure the tin is big enough to hold the mixture.

3.   Melt the butter in a pan. Once it has melted add the sugar and golden syrup.

4.   Take off the heat and add the oats to the pan. Mix well. Tip into the tin and press the mixture in. Make sure the mixture isn't too thin otherwise it will be too stiff and not to thick otherwise it wont bake properly.

5.   Bake for about 15 minutes. When done it should look golden. Leave to cool.

6.   Once cooled lift the flapjacks out with the greaseproof paper and cut the flapjacks into individual portions.