A simple but logical twist on a traditional rarebit. Brown sauce is not essential, but does make a nice addition .You can make extra cheese sauce for another day; it’s great added to cooked and sliced jacket potatoes and heated in the oven. SERVES 450g unsalted...
Just to clear up any confusion, globe artichokes are the big green spiky things and Jerusalem artichokes are the little knobbly things that look like potatoes. They have an unusual sweet flavour that is difficult to describe. Word of warning: they oxidise quickly, so...
Goat’s Cheddar is a wonderful thing; there are lots of varieties on the market and if you can get hold of a mature version it will make this recipe even better. These puddings are based on soufflés but are denser, so make for a more substantial dish. As they need to...
Making curds and whey is a nostalgic practice, a very basic form of cheese-making that can be done at home quite easily. You can buy vegetarian rennet online, at some supermarkets and at specialist and health food shops; some people still use it to make junket, a...
This dish marries some really great flavour combinations: the sharp, sweet apple with the earthy beetroot; the apple playing with the celery notes of the celeriac; the nuttiness and crunch of the hazelnuts tying it all together. The sugar and sherry vinegar glaze...
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...