The original name for the version of these biscuits that is sold commercially comes from a Beano comic book character called Roger the Dodger, who I believe was quite jammy. If you are feeling adventurous or reckless you could change the jam for another flavour....
Smoky baked beans with poached eggs and chive oil
Making your own baked beans is surprisingly gratifying. You can use haricot beans as we do here, or a mix of kidney, butter or black beans depending on what you like the best. They’re great for breakfast served with toast or Herbed soda bread (see here), but also make...
Shortbread cake
This is essentially a shortbread but, when you add self-raising flour instead of plain flour, the texture changes and becomes lighter and more crumbly. The French call it sablé Breton so, if you hear somebody talking about that, you can give a knowing look. Serve it...
Rum and raisin biscuits
Often a ‘rum and raisin’ recipe will ask for rum essence but it’s nowhere near as good as the real thing that we use here and, because of that, these biscuits have a bit more of a kick. There is a warning in the recipe which says not to overwork the buttercream, so...
Poached autumn fruits
Autumn brings an abundance of fruits, the flavours of which are greatly enhanced by gentle poaching. Damsons and quinces work well in this recipe too, if you can get hold of them. It’s important to poach each type of fruit separately, as they all cook at slightly...
Muesli crumble
This is not your regular muesli – we have incorporated a crumble into the mix which makes it a bit richer. If you do not have all of the nuts or fruits which are called for in the recipe, don’t worry, just substitute them with whatever you do have in the...
Herbed soda bread
This is the perfect recipe for those intimidated by the thought of making bread, because it uses a mix of bicarbonate of soda and baking powder instead of yeast. This means it’s faster to make, as you don’t need to wait for the yeast to activate; these sorts of loaves...
Gypsy creams
Our version of the nostalgic British biscuit, these make a legendary addition to any tea break. You can also try them filled with White chocolate icing or Salted butterscotch (see here and here). Or, if you can’t be bothered to make either of those, just have the...
Crisp salted toffee biscuits
This recipe has a neat little trick involving chocolate flavoured popped rice cereal; the kernels give an interesting crunch to the biscuits. Be careful when heating the chocolate, as it can burn easily. MAKES 8For the biscuits220g self-raising flour1 tbsp bicarbonate...
Chelsea buns
A little twist on a good old British favourite, as these are made with almonds and mixed peel. Although one of the more time-consuming recipes in this book, these are fun to make at the weekend and well worth the extra effort. The aroma as they bake is incomparable!...