3 Ingredient Chocolate Sauce

First of all this is not really a recipe. Because my family have been making this for decades to pour over ice cream and it defies quantifying. You gotta feel it in your heart. That being said, I keep forgetting it so I’m trying to write it down so I don’t have to text my mum every time I want it.

-Knob of Butter

– Huge spoon of golden syrup

– A large spoon of cocoa powder

– Melt in a small pan, stirring constantly.

How hot it gets determines the texture. If it’s just boiling it will be fudgy and chewy. If you bring it to a rolling boil it will form a hard shell when poured over the cold ice cream (so satisfying to crack with your spoon!) and then you chew it like toffee.

If it looks oily and isn’t coming together then add more golden syrup. If it seems chalky and dry and is burning you need more butter.

This can be reheated in a pan or a microwave to soften and then poured again but it’s more likely to form a shell after reheating than be fudgy.

Oatcakes

150g porridge oats

50g mixed seeds (poppy, linseed and sunflower seed here)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

50ml olive oil

A few tbsp boiling water

– Take half of the oats and blitz them to a fine meal in a food processor.

– Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.

– Add the olive oil and stir through evenly.

– Add a small amount of boiling water and mix well to bring it together into a dough. Be careful to add gradually as you do not want the mixture to become too wet.

– Roll out the dough to 3-5mm thick and cut out rounds. Place on a lined baking tray.

– Bake at 200°C for 15 minutes until just turning golden. Leave to cool on the tray. Store in an airtight box.

– Excellent topped with homemade herby cheese!

Fresh Herby Cottage Cheese

4 pints milk

6 tbsp lemon juice

Good quality sea salt

Fresh herbs

– Heat the milk to just boiling in a very large pan.

– Add the lemon juice and stir, the milk will start to separate into white curds and pale yellow whey. If it doesn’t separate or not much then add another tablespoon of lemon juice.

– Pour the curds into a cheesecloth in a sieve over a large pan or bowl.

– Leave to drain and then give a little squeeze to get out the last of the whey.

– Transfer the curds into a bowl and mix in your fresh herbs and salt. I like to use oak smoked sea salt for a nice extra flavour.

Milk and Honey Panna Cotta

6 gelatine leaves

200ml double cream

1 pint milk

75g local honey

1 vanilla pod, seeds reserved

– Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes.

– Rinse but do not dry your dariole moulds or ramekins.

– Heat the milk, honey, cream and vanilla in a pan until just boiling.

– Strain into a jug and then pour into the moulds or ramekins.

– Leave to cool then refrigerate until set.

– To unmould warm the outside of the mould in warm water then invert onto a plate.

– Serve with fresh fruit of your choice. Homegrown raspberry coulis was mine!

Cherry Chocolate Tray Bake

So good I forgot to take any more photos!

115g melted butter

200g light brown sugar

1 large egg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

150g plain flour

1/4 tsp salt

100g chocolate chips

250g fresh cherries (hulled)

– Heat the oven to 170°C and line a brownie pan.

– Mix the butter and sugar.

– Add the egg and vanilla and mix well.

– Add the flour and salt and mix until combined.

– Fold in the chocolate chips and cherries.

– Bake for 20 minutes.

– Leave to cool slightly in the tin then cut into squares.

– Serve warm for crispy almost cookie like squares or if you store it in a tin it will go soft and cakey.

Broad Bean, Pea, Feta and Mint Filo Pie

6 sheets filo pastry

5 eggs

400g feta cheese

A cup of broad beans (podded)

A cup of peas

Zest of one lemon

10 leaves of mint, chopped

1 tbsp fresh Parsley, chopped

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

– Heat the oven to 200°C

– Place a sheet of baking paper large enough to line a cast iron skillet on your work surface. Lightly Oil the sheet then scrunch it into a ball, then flatten it out again.

– Place 5 sheets of filo pastry on the sheet, rotating each one slightly so you get a sort of disc.

– Brush lightly with oil.

– Carefully lift the sheet into your cast iron skillet and gently press it into shape to fit the pan.

– In a large bowl place the eggs and feta. Roughly beat with a fork to combine.

– Add the beans, peas, lemon zest, herbs and salt and pepper. Mix.

– Transfer the mixture into the filo pie. Smooth out.

– Gently fold the filo over the top of the filling, pressing down gently. Scrunch up the last sheet of filo and use to cover the centre area where the sheets don’t reach.

– Brush the top lightly with oil.

– Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes.

– Remove and leave to stand for 10 minutes before serving (or in my case an hour, it was still nice and warm!)

Chocolate Syrup

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup water

Pinch of salt

Bring to a boil in a large pan, careful, this will easily quadruple in size! Then pour into a bottle, cool and refrigerate.

Add to milk or pour over desserts.

5 Minute Microwave Honey Drops

I saw a version of this recipe and felt sceptical. No way would it work. And no way would it take five minutes! So to make sure of this I cut the ingredient list to just two items. Sugar and Honey. No corn syrup here! But miraculously this was a quick and easy recipe for something almost impossible to buy. Plain honey drops. No lemon. No medicine. Just honey.

I first came across these long before I became a beekeeper when I lived in Japan and caught the most appalling cold. I was struggling badly so I took myself off to the pharmacy and threw myself on their mercy with my limited vocabulary. (I’m pretty sure their cold medicine still contains amphetamines or something but by god it worked!) They also gave me these most wonderful honey drops and I’ve never forgotten how soothing they were!

Makes approx 24 drops

200g granulated sugar

100g honey

⁃ Microwave together in a large Pyrex jug, covered, for 3 minutes.

⁃ Carefully remove the cover and stir well. (It will have bubbled up and release steam as the cover comes off. Be careful!)

⁃ Replace cover and microwave for another two minutes.

⁃ Carefully remove the cover and stir again.

⁃ Pour into greased silicone moulds in trays of cold water.

⁃ Leave to set for 5-10 minutes then pop out.

⁃ Dust with icing sugar for storage. Store in an AIRTIGHT*

⁃ Consume within one week.

*This is important. Honey is hydroscopic and will absorb moisture and your drops will go sticky.

Cheat’s Lobster Macaroni Cheese

500 g macaroni

25 g butter, plus extra to grease

25 g cornflour

125 ml semi-skimmed milk

100 ml white wine

400 g tin lobster bisque

1/2tsp salt

200g grated mozzarella and cheddar mix

125 g cooked king prawns, roughly chopped

⁃ Cook your pasta according to instructions.

⁃ In a saucepan melt your butter, add the cornflour and whisk to remove lumps.

⁃ Add the milk and whisk to combine.

⁃ Add the wine and lobster bisque, stir and then heat until the sauce starts to thicken.

⁃ Add the salt and half of the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted through and the sauce smooth.

⁃ Heat the oven to ~ 180°C (or use your grill if you prefer)

⁃ Combine the cooked pasta with the sauce.

⁃ Pour into a greased oven dish.

⁃ Scatter the remaining cheese and the chopped prawns on top.

⁃ Heat in the oven until the cheese is melted and bubbling on top.

⁃ Serve.

Beef Brisket Slow Cooker Stew

This is one of those vague “feel it in your heart” type recipes. Just dump it all in, go to work and come back to magic!

• Beef brisket (whatever size will fit in your slow cooker/be appropriate portions)

• Baby new potatoes, quartered

• Carrots, cut into chunks

• 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt

• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp smoked paprika

• 1 tsp coarse ground black pepper

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 beef stock cube

• 500ml hot water

• 1/4 cup ketchup

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon tomato paste

• 1/2 cup red wine

– Put everything in your slow cooker. Cook for 6-8 hours on low.

– Add dumplings (see parmesan dumplings previous recipe) 2 hours before serving.

– Shred the beef before serving. It may be easiest for you to lift it out, shred it and put it back in for serving.