Scone-making requires a gentle touch. Any heavy handling will result in flat, dense scones, because it risks overworking the protein (gluten) in the flour and that makes the scones tougher.Don’t be a slave to this recipe; if you want to use dark chocolate, or to...

As the story goes, Solange Luyon (or Sally Lunn from an English tongue) was a young French Huguenot refugee who fled to Bath in the late 17th century and began baking the brioche-like buns that became her namesake. They’re very delicious and should be eaten the day...

Browning the butter first gives the filling a flavour which is rather intriguing, while adding the vanilla at this browning stage produces a more pronounced taste, too. We use some spelt flour in the cake batter as it gives a delicious background nuttiness which...

This recipe uses buckwheat flour, which is gluten-free (despite the deceptive name), making it a great cake for anyone with gluten intolerance. Pears have a delicate flavour, so it’s best to buy them ahead of when you want to bake and let them ripen in a fruit bowl,...

Parsnips may seem an odd ingredient for a cake but, if you think about it, they are actually quite sweet; we don’t bat an eyelid at carrots in a cake. We pair parsnips here with malty Horlicks and toasted hazelnuts. You could add a more formal touch by serving the...

Cocoa nibs are what chocolate is made from and they will make a flavourful addition to your cooking. They are available from good chocolatiers or health food shops, although you will find that they are more reasonably priced in the latter. We know someone who used to...

The crumble element in this cake is quite easy to make, as you bake it separately so that you can sprinkle it on at the end. This keeps it crunchy, as you only need to add it shortly before serving.We use sunflower oil instead of butter for the sponge, as it gives a...

Using sunflower oil instead of butter gives a wonderful moist fluffiness to cakes and lets the flavour of the other ingredients do the talking. We use purple carrots, which turn the cake a beautiful deep blue colour, but, if you can’t get hold of them, regular carrots...

Tomatoes, with all their natural sweetness and vibrancy, make an excellent jam. You can use this as an alternative to tomato ketchup, or as a filling for savoury scones and sandwiches; it’s almost like a sweet chutney. It’s also a great way to use up leftover...