Onion soup

Ingredients
1 onion
1 beef stock cube dissolved in 300ml water
25g sugar
1tsp worcestershire sauce
1tsp dried thyme
Croutons

1. Fry the onions in butter on a low heat for about 10 minutes until they start to go soft

2. Add sugar and thyme and mix well. Cook for another 10 minutes until onions are brown and soft

3. Pour the beef stock over the onions, add the worcestershire sauce and stir

4. Cook for another 10 minutes until it has thickened

5. Add croutons and serve

Cheese and onion filled baked potato

Ingredients
1 baking potato
30g cheddar cheese, grated
30g butter
Half an onion, chopped
Olive oil
Salt

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

2. Wash the potato and stab all over with a fork. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt

3. Wrap potato loosely in foil and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, turning over halfway through

4. Cut potato in half and scoop out some of the insides. Place in a bowl

5. Add butter and mash. Add cheese and onion and mix well

6. Put this mixture back into the potato skins and bake for 15 minutes

Ginger biscuits

Ingredients

200g self raising flour
100g sugar

75g butter

2 tsp ginger powder

4 tbsp golden syrup

1 egg, beaten

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

2. Mix the flour, sugar and ginger powder in a bowl

3. Rub in the butter to make breadcrumbs

4. Add the golden syrup and egg and mix well

5. Place lumps of the mixture on a greased baking tray and bake for 15-20 mins until brown

Makes approx 30

Fish cakes with cheese

Ingredients
1 white fish fillet
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped in half
50g soft cheese
Small lump of butter
Dried parsley
2 slices bread, grated to make breadcrumbs
2 tbsp olive oil

1. Boil the potatoes until soft

2. Fry the fish and crumble it into small pieces

3. Put the potatoes in a bowl, add the butter and mash together

4. Add the fish and parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well

5. Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F / gas 6 and grease a baking tray

6. Divide mixture into 4 equal sized burger shapes and put the cheese on 2 of them

7. Put the other 2 on top of the ones with cheese and press the edges together

8. Stir the breadcrumbs and olive oil together and coat the fish cakes with it

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes

Makes 2

Biscuits

Ingredients
225 self raising flour
100g butter
100g sugar
1 egg, beaten
A few drops of vanilla essence

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

2. Mix flour, sugar and butter to make bread crumbs

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

4. Cut out shapes using a cookie cutter

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

Makes approx 30

Mini cupcakes with chocolate

Ingredients
50g self raising flour
50g sugar
50g butter
1 egg
Chocolate chips

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

2. Beat sugar and butter together

3. Add flour and egg and mix well

4. Put mixture into small paper cupcake cases on a baking tray

5. Push 3 chocolate chips into the top of each one

6. Bake for 15 minutes and leave to cool

Potato, bacon and onion in cheese sauce

Ingredients
2 small potatoes (sliced)
1 onion (sliced)
3 slices of bacon (chopped)
25g butter
packet of cheese sauce (to make about 150ml)
1 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp poppy seeds

1. Melt the butter in a pan and fry the potatoes and onions for 10 minutes.

2. Add the bacon and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the herbs and poppy seeds

3. Make the cheese sauce according to packet instructions and pour over the other ingredients in the pan

4 Stir well and serve immediately

Serves 1

Chewy cherry biscuits

Ingredients
30g demerara (brown) sugar
50g butter
3 tablespoon golden syrup
50g plain flour
50g glace cherries (chopped)
30g cornflakes (crushed)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas 4. Grease 2 baking trays

2. Melt the sugar, butter and golden syrup over a low heat. Stir in the flour

3. Add the cherries and cornflakes and stir

4. Put spoonfuls of the mixture onto the trays, well spaced out

5. Bake for 10 minutes

Makes about 10

Rocky road

Ingredients
300g plain chocolate, broke up
125, butter
100g digestive biscuits, broken into small chunks
100g mini marshmallows
3 tbsp golden syrup

1. Line a square tin (about 20 x 20cm) with greaseproof paper

2. Melt the chocolate  and butter in a bowl over a pan of simmering water

3. Stir in the golden syrup and biscuits

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the marshmallows

5. Pour into the tin and leave to cool then put in the fridge until ready to eat

Makes about 20

Fish Pie

Ingredients
500g white fish and/or salmon
500g potatoes, peeled, boiled and mashed
400ml milk
10 black peppercorns
50g butter
40g plain flour
1tsp dill
1tsp parsley
1tsp lemon juice
50g cheddar cheese (grated)

1. Place the fish in a pan and cover with the milk. Add the peppercorns and heat for 10 minutes until cooked.

2. Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F / gas 5

3. Remove the fish from the pan and place in an ovenproof dish. Remove the peppercorns and discard. Keep the milk

4. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour, stir in the milk and bring to the boil. Keep stirring into a thick sauce. Season

5. Pour the sauce over the fish in the dish, add the lemon juice, parsley and dill and stir well

6. Put the mashed potato over the top and sprinkle the cheese over

7. Bake for 30 minutes

Serves 4

Sausage and mash bake

Ingredients
400g sausages
800g potatoes
400ml water
2tbsp onion gravy granules
25g butter
1tsp sage

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

2. Boil the potatoes for 15 minutes then mash with the butter

3. Grill the sausages for 25-30 minutes then place in a baking tray/dish

4. Mix the water, gravy granules and sage and stir well. Pour over the sausages in the tray/dish

5. Spread the mash over the sausages

6. Bake for 30 minutes

Serves 4

Chocolate fudge

Ingredients
100g plain chocolate
200g icing sugar
50g butter
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Line a square/rectangle baking tin (about 20 cm) with greaseproof paper

2. Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl over a pan of boiling water then stir in the golden syrup and vanilla essence.

3. Stir in half of the icing sugar until dissolved then stir in the rest

4. While the mixture is still hot and soft, put it into the tin and press down to fill up to the edges and smooth out the top with the back of a spoon

5. Leave to cool, when hardened break up into pieces or cut into small squares

Mince and dumplings

Ingredients
500g minced beef
1 onion, chopped
1 tin of tomatoes
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 beef stock cube
1 tsp garlic powder

For dumplings:
100g self raising flour
pinch of salt
pinch of mustard powder
1 tsp dried herbs (I used oregano and basil)
1 egg, beaten
10g butter
2 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 220°C / 425°F / gas 7. Grease a baking tray

2. Fry the mince and onions until the mince is brown and the onions are soft. Transfer to a large pan

3. Add tomatoes, stock cube, worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Stir well

4. Cook for 15 minutes on medium heat

5. While the mince mixture is cooking mix the flour, salt, mustard powder and herbs

6. Then add the butter, egg and milk and mix into a dough

7. Shape into balls and bake for 15 minutes

8. Place dumplings on top of mince mixture in the pan and cook for another 5 minutes then serve

Serves 4

Corned beef and potato pie

Ingredients
225g plain flour
50g butter
50g lard
30ml water
pinch of salt
340g tin of corned beef
300g potatoes, boiled

1. To make the pastry mix flour and salt then rub in the fat to make breadcrumbs. Add cold water and mix into a stiff dough.

2. Preheat oven to 190°C / 370°F / gas 5. Grease a 20cm / 8 inch ovenproof plate

3. Divide pastry in half and roll out. Line the plate with one half.

4. Mash potato and corned beef together and place it in the pie.

5. Wet edges of pastry and cover the pie with the other half of the pastry. Seal edges

6. Brush with egg or milk and bake for 35-40 minutes

Chocolate cheesecake

Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits (crushed into crumbs)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

150g butter

900g soft cheese

4 eggs

200g milk chocolate

200g sugar

1 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 150°C / 300°F / gas 2. Grease a loose bottomed tin and line the bottom with greaseproof paper

2. Melt butter. In a bowl, mix biscuit crumbs and cocoa powder together then add the melted butter. Press into the bottom of the tin

3. Mix the soft cheese, sugar and vanilla essence then add the eggs and mix, one at a time. 

4. Melt the chocolate then add the cheese mixture slowly and mix

5. Put the cheese/chocolate mixture into the tin on top of the base and bake for 40 minutes or until set (should still be a bit soft in the middle)

6. Leave to cool then refridgerate for 12 hours. Decorate as desired

Prawn risotto

Ingredients
75g risotto rice
1 vegetable stock cube
200ml water
1tbsp olive oil
25g butter
60g frozen (cooked and peeled) prawns
1 small onion
parsley
dill
parmesan

1. Put stock cube in water and boil.

2. Heat butter and oil in a pan and fry the onions until soft. Add the rice

3. Pour stock over rice and cook until all liquid is absorbed

4. Add the prawns and cook for 10 minutes, stirring

5. Sprinkle with herbs and parmesan, stir and serve

Serves 1

Cheese scones

Ingredients

500g plain flour

1tbsp baking powder

1tsp mustard powder

pinch of salt

60g butter

100g cheddar cheese (grated)

1 egg

200ml milk

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

2. Mix flour, baking powder, salt and mustard powder in a bowl

3. Add butter and rub in to make bread crumbs. Add the cheese and stir in

4. Beat the egg and milk together and add to the mixture

5. Stir and knead to make a dough

6. Roll out to about 2 cm thick and cut out circles

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

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

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.

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