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

Cheese and cranberry twists

Ingredients
2 sheets of puff pastry
feta cheese
cranberry sauce

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

2. Spread the cranberry sauce thinly onto one puff pastry sheet. Crumble the cheese over

3. Lay the other sheet on top and press down

4. Cut out strips and lightly twist them

5. Bake for 10-15 minutes and leave to cool on a wire rack

Turkey pasta

Ingredients
500g turkey mince
300g pasta
1 onion, chopped
440g tomato pasta sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
dried oregano and thyme
fresh basil

1. Boil pasta until cooked. Fry mince and onion

2. Add the garlic and dried herbs to the mince, then stir in the sauce

3. Add the pasta and stir.

4. Serve with fresh basil

Serves 4

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

Cheese and bacon quiche

Ingredients
savoury pastry case
4 slices smoked bacon, chopped
70g cheddar cheese, grated
150ml single cream
2 medium eggs
dried thyme


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

2. Fry the bacon

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

4. Place bacon and cheese in the pastry case. Pour over the egg and cream mixture

5. Sprinkle dried thyme over the top

6. Bake for 20-25 mins

Tomato and mascarpone gnocchi bake

Ingredients
500g gnocchi
400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1tbsp tomato puree
250g mascarpone
50g parmesan
Basil
Oregano

1. Boil the gnocchi according to instructions on pack then drain

2. Pour over the tomatos and tomato puree and stir

3. Add the mascarpone, parmesan and herbs. Stir

4. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and bake for 10 minutes

Serves 4

Sausage and bean hotpot

Ingredients
8 sausages
1 chicken stock cube
200ml water
1 tin of baked beans
Cheddar cheese, grated

1. Fry the sausages until cooked

2. Dissolve stock cube in water and boil. Pour the hot stock over the sausages

3. Stir in the baked beans and cook for 5 minutes until heated through

4. Serve with grated cheese scattered on top

Serves 4

Cheese and bacon pasta bake

Ingredients
200g pasta, boiled
200g smoked bacon, chopped
4 eggs
200ml creme fraiche
100g mature cheddar

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F / gas 4 and grease a baking tin / dish

2. Fry the bacon until crisp. Put bacon and pasta into tin

3. Beat the eggs and creme fraiche together and add the cheese. Stir.

4. Pour mixture over the past and bacon in the tin and stir

5. Bake for 40-45 minutes

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

Chicken and mascarpone wrapped in ham

Ingredients
Chicken breast
2 tbsp mascarpone
Rosemary, chopped or dried
2-4 slices of ham
1 tsp lemon juice

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

2. Mix the rosemary into the mascarpone and season

3. Cut a slit in the chicken and put the mascarpone inside

4. Tightly wrap the slices of ham around the chicken until it is all covered

5. Wrap in tin foil and bake for 25 minutes until cooked through

6. Pour lemon juice over and serve