Beetroot, Blood Orange and Goats Cheese Salad

Ingredients 2 blood oranges 1 medium or 2 small beetroot Half a pack of creamy goats cheese (around 75g) Handful of rocket or watercress Olive oil Sea salt and black pepper Squeeze of honey 1tsp Dijon mustard 1 sprig of thyme, leaves picked Handful of walnut pieces Method Preheat your oven to 180°c (160°c fan)…

Clementine, Honey & Pecan Gingerbread Biscuits

I love food and cooking but I don't have much of a sweet tooth and am not the best baker in the world. But... there are certain times of year when you just have to roll up your sleeves and get your bake on! Christmas is definitely one of those times. I found this recipe…

Watermelon and Vodka Granita with Lime and Ginger Syrup

Woo hoo! Fruit and booze slushy with a sweet sticky syrup? What's not to love?! This is an absolute winner...   Ingredients 1 small watermelon, peeled and deseeded 130ml vodka For the syrup 150g caster sugar Zest and juice of 2 limes 40g fresh ginger, grated A few fresh mint leaves, chopped   To prepare…

Ricotta Torte with Nectarines, Honey and Walnut Drizzle

I hardly ever bake and, when I do, it's almost never a cake I'm making.  But when I came across this torte the other day I knew I had to have it. One of my favourite things to eat is plain yogurt with some nectarines, granola and honey and this torte seemed to encapsulate all…

Veggie Burgers with Avocado Salsa

These are really big, chunky burgers. You definitely won't miss the meat. I topped mine with a fried duck egg as well just to up the naughtiness level. Ingredients 850g sweet potatoes (peeled and chopped into small cubes) 150g brown rice 2tbsps sunflower seeds 1 red onion (finely diced) 1 red chilli (deseeded and finely…

Spicy Lamb Flatbreads with Houmous and Tzatziki

Walking around in the sunshine today, through Borough Market and along the Thames, I had a real craving for something I love to eat in this kind of weather. Crispy fried meat on warm bread with something cool and fresh to bring it all together.     I nearly picked up some ready made flatbreads…

Herby Courgettes with Chilli, Chickpeas and Halloumi

Such a summery dish. Courgettes are so versatile and work really well with the salty feta. The chilli gives a welcome kick. Ingredients  1 large or 2 small courgettes A pack of halloumi cut into 1cm thick slices Around 1tbsp each of mint and chives 1 tin of chickpeas Half a deseeded red chilli Zest…

Roast Meatballs, Aubergine and Lemon Cous Cous

Summer has arrived today, proper summer. My car seemed to think it had reached the heady heights of 28.5°c today! So I wanted something for dinner tonight to suit my summery mood. This dish fits the bill nicely... delicious oniony roast meat atop light and fluffy lemony cous cous. A little glass of something cold…

Pearl Barley Salad with Roast Veg and Feta

I eat salads like they're going out of fashion especially at this time of year. This one is particularly hearty and good if you're after something a little more substantial. Today I went for sweet potatoes but you could add almost anything to this salad and it would be good... squash, beetroot, goats cheese, boiled…

Lemon Chicken with New Potatoes, Asparagus and Corn

Tonight's dinner is a dish adapted from a recipe found in Sainsbury's Magazine which I first made last month. It's a one pan dish which is so up my street and it's incredibly simple to make. It was the recipe that really started my love affair with the joy that is roasted asparagus! I originally made…