Cheese biscuits

Ingredients
100g self raising flour
75g cheese (mature cheddar etc)
50g butter
pinch of salt
1tsp mustard powder
1 egg (beaten)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas 4

2. Mix flour, salt and mustard poweder

3. Add butter and mix to make breadcrumbs. Add cheese

4. Add egg and mix to make dough

5. Roll out to about 5mm thick and cut out circles

6. Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes

Vol-au-vents

1. Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F / gas 6

2. Roll out a block of puff pastry to about 1cm thick (or use ready rolled pastry)

3. Cut out circles (about 6 cm diameter), then make a smaller circle inside (but dont cut all the way through) and prick holes in the middle circle with a fork

4. Place on a greased baking tray and brush with beaten egg or milk

5. Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the pastry has risen

6. Leave to cool then push the middles down to make a hole. Fill the holes with soft cheese

Bacon spaghetti with pea sauce

Ingredients

300g spaghetti

8 slices of bacon (preferably smoked)

1 vegetable stock cube

2 tbsp olive oil

100g frozen peas

2 tsp dried mint

mozzarella ball (chopped into small cubes)

1. Cook spaghetti and peas in boiling water until cooked

2. Pour 200ml of the boiling water over the stock and mix. Add the peas and crush. Add the mint and oil

3. Drain the rest of the water off the spaghetti and pour the pea sauce over it. Mix

4. Add mozzarella cubes, stir, and serve

Serves 4

Kedgeree

Ingredients
75g rice
1 white fish fillet, cut into small chunks
30g cooked prawns (optional)
1 vegetable stock cube
1 egg, hard boiled and peeled
chopped parsley

1. Fry the fish for 5 minutes then add the prawns

2. Dissolve stock cube in 200ml water, pour over the fish and bring to boil

3. Add the rice and cook until water (stock) has soaked up

4. Mash the egg in a bowl and add to the other ingredients. Add the parsley and mix

Serves 1

Ham and leek quiche

Ingredients
savoury pastry case
75g ham, chopped
1 leek (white part), chopped
150ml single cream
2 medium eggs
chopped fresh parsley
dried thyme
70 g cheddar cheese, grated

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas 6

2. Fry the leeks in butter until soft

3. Beat the eggs, add the single cream and mix

4. Place ham, leeks and parsley in the pastry case. Pour over the egg and cream mixture

5. Sprinkle cheese over the top and some dried thyme

6. Bake for 20-25 mins

Chicken and chorizo pasta

Ingredients
1 chicken breast cut into chunks
a few slices of chorizo cut into smaller pieces
75g pasta
2 large tomatoes (or 4 small one), chopped
400ml water
chicken stock cube
rosemary, thyme and sage

1. Fry the chicken and chorizo in oil, then add the chopped tomatoes and stir until the meat is cooked and the tomatoes are mushy

2. Dissolve the stock cube in the water and pour into the pan

3. Add the pasta and cook until all of the liquid has soaked into the pasta / boiled off

4. Add the herbs and stir in

Easter chocolate cakes

Ingredients
75g self raising flour
25g cocoa powder
100g sugar
100g butter
2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas 4

2. Beat margerine and sugar together then add the eggs and beat in, one at a time

3. Add flour and cocoa powder and mix.

4. Put mixture into paper cupcake cases and bake for 20-25 minutes

5. When cooled, decorate with icing rolled into egg shapes.

Fish and tomato couscous

Ingredients
1 fillet of white fish (I used pollock) cut into chunks
50g couscous (dry, uncooked)
1 vegetable stock cube
400ml water
4 tbsp tomato puree
parsley, chopped
50g parmesan, grated

1. Fry the fish in oil and season with salt/pepper

2. Dissolve stock cube in water and bring to the boil. Add the couscous and cook until the water is soaked up

3. Stir tomato puree into the couscous. Add the fish, parmesan and parsley and stir

4. Serve

Serves 1

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
225g self raising flour
100g sugar
100g butter
1 egg (beaten)
a few drops vanilla essence
100g plain chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas 4

2. Mix flour, sugar and butter to make breadcrumbs

3. Add vanilla essence, egg and chocolate chips and mix to make a dough

4. Pull off small balls of the dough and make rough cookie shapes

5. Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes

Bacon wrapped chicken with scrambled eggs and tomatos

Ingredients

1 chicken breast

3 slices of bacon

soft cheese

mixed herbs (I used chives, parsley and sage)

tomatoes

2 eggs

1. Preheat oven to 220°C / 425°F / gas 7

2. Cut a slit in the chicken and fill with cheese and herbs. Wrap the bacon slices around the chicken

3. Wrap in tin foil and bake for 30 minutes

4. While the chicken is cooking, chop the tomatoes into chunks. Fry and stir until mushy then add eggs and stir until set

Serves 1