Autumn and the start of winter is a beautiful time of year here in Northumberland.
Cold, clear, crisp mornings with short days and vivid sunsets. It’s still possible to head out on a walk or go for a picnic even if it’s just to the bottom of the garden.
A winter picnic, for me, must have at least three things…a big flask of tea (not coffee because that, to my mind, is for summer picnics of boiled eggs and sandwiches and steamy flasks of coffee. No, it must be tea!) and a piece of fruit cake…but first, a pastry or big homemade sausage roll!
So with that in mind, here’s my easy rough puff pastry recipe. It freezes well and will make savoury or sweet pies and pastries.
Recipes Archive
No churn ice-cream
This is my go to family party catering ice-cream. It’s so simple and quick to make!
Carrot & Chilli Chutney
A great chutney, it goes with everything from cheese, homemade pork pie, to cold sausage.
Lamb Kebab
At last I have perfected this lamb kebab recipe! Everything that is wrong with a kebab is made right with this garlicky, spicy, meaty treat.
No churn Blackcurrant ice cream
This has got to be the easiest ice cream recipe and yet it produces the creamiest, most luxurious result!
Blackcurrant Whirl Ice Cream
A deliciously luxurious ice cream that is very easy to make! Label the container as ‘chicken stock’ or it may be gone before you get the chance to try it yourself!
Country Cottage Pie
This is my adaptation of cottage pie – a true one pot family meal. You can swap a lot of the ingredients depending on what you have available, or what you enjoy eating.
If I’m feeding more than our usual hungry four, I add a couple of handfuls of lentils (pre-cooked and tender) but you could double up the meat if you like.
Basic Ratatouille
In January I think that I’ll never see another summer vegetable but then the warmer weather arrives and here we are at last with courgettes, salads, tomatoes and lots more, ripening and growing in the tunnel and outside in the garden.
This is my quick ratatouille recipe which is really a base for so many dishes and can be fancied up to be a meal in itself.
Warm Chickpea, Pepper and Fennel Salad
A lovely vegetarian salad, perfect for a lunch with some home baked bread, or as a side-dish with a main meal.
Fennel Remoulade
The perfect accompaniment for homemade rissoles, beef burgers or fish cakes.