Every autumn, my neighbour’s blackberry bush produces far more fruit than either of us can eat. Last September, I found myself with a colander overflowing with berries and a bag of Bramleys from the market, and these crumble bars were born. They’re essentially a blackberry and apple crumble in bar form — all the crispy,…
Forced rhubarb is one of the first signs that spring is on its way. Those gorgeous pink stalks start appearing at the market in early March, and I can never resist buying far more than I need. This tart is my favourite way to use them — sharp, rosy rhubarb baked in a silky vanilla…
Blood oranges have the briefest of seasons and I look forward to them every January. Their extraordinary colour — somewhere between ruby and sunset — makes any bake look spectacular. This polenta cake is naturally gluten-free, incredibly moist, and has a wonderful slightly gritty texture from the polenta that I find completely addictive. I found…
When the first properly cold day of November arrives, I find myself reaching for warming spices and seasonal fruit. This spiced pear and ginger loaf is my answer to those chilly afternoons — the kind of cake that fills the kitchen with the most incredible aroma while it bakes. I picked up a bag of…
One of my favourite fillings for crumble is strawberries and rhubarb – both the strawberries and rhubarb were picked from my garden and so it was more or less a free pudding. The downside of this filling is that it looks more than a bit of a mess when it’s served up and I think…
I love strawberries dipped in chocolate, I also love looking at them sitting on a cloud of meringue and cream. Sunshine, the odd glass of bubbly, a BBQ and the perfect dessert to end a meal……happy:) For the meringue:4 large egg whites¼ tsp cream of tartar225g caster sugar2 tsp cornflour1 tbsp white wine vinegar For…
The cream filling is softly whipped double cream mixed with natural yogurt – this lightens the cream and also gives a subtle tang. The fruit is a pack of good quality frozen summer berries mixed with a few frozen redcurrants from my garden. Tip the frozen berries, with the exception of the raspberries, into a…
I love a good homely crumble and every now and again I like to use individual ramekins instead of making one large pud. This is a very quick pudding – the crumble mix is stashed away in the freezer, the same for the berries, which are fruits from my garden. I used a mixture of…
Raspberry Tiramisu is always delicious and very easy to make. A handful of raspberries are sprinkled over the coffee and brandy soaked sponge fingers and then hidden under a blanket of mascarpone cheese. It’s always best to make a Tiramisu the day before because it gives the flavours a chance to blend and get to…
Bramley apples are perfect for baking and if you take them out of the oven at exactly the right time the apple within will be lovely and fluffy. They are filled with layers of butter, brown sugar and dried fruits, it’s as simple as that. Cinnamon mixed in with the layers would be good too….
