Whist still warm, cut the scone in half, add a thick layer of butter to each side and enjoy!

What you need (makes 10 – 12):

• 1 leek cleaned and trimmed (doesn’t matter about the size and you can include some of the green leaf)
• 2 tablespoons of sunflower or vegetable oil
• 340g self-raising flour
• Pinch of cayenne pepper 
• 1 teaspoon of dry mustard powder
• A good pinch of salt
• 85g softened butter
• 55g grated mature cheddar cheese (and a bit extra for the tops)
• 125ml milk (I use full fat but any will work)
• 4 tablespoons of natural yoghurt – or extra milk (both work really well)

What to do:

1. Heat the oven on to high heat Gas 7 or 220
2. Trim the leek and slice finely. Fry the leek slices in the oil on a medium heat until browned and soft. (The charring brings out the flavour of the leek). Set to the side to cool.
3. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, pop the flour, salt, mustard powder, cayenne pepper and stir together.
4. Rub in the butter until fine breadcrumbs are formed.
5. Now stir in the cooled leeks and grated cheese to the dry mix.
6. Add the milk and yoghurt (or extra milk too) and with your hands, knead lightly pushing the mix together until a soft dough is formed.
7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and ‘pat’ until the dough is even across the top and the dough is about 1 inch in depth.
8. Using a 5mm cutter (or cutter to suit), cut out the scones and place on a greased or floured baking tray.
9. Add a bit more cheese to the top of each scone and pop the tray into the hot oven.
10. Bake for about 12 minutes – or until the tops are golden brown. 
11. Remove from the oven and leave to cool on a wire rack!
     

The Potty Plotters

The flavour improves as they get colder and taste lovely with medlar jelly and salad. Enjoy!

What you need:

• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 large onions
• 4 cayenne chilli peppers – or to suit taste
• 3 oz butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons of salt
• 1 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons of oregano (optional)
• 1lb grated cheddar cheese
• 6 medium eggs
• ½ pint milk 

What to do:

1. Put the oven on at 160
2. Wash and chop the potatoes into very small chunks. Cover with water in a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes until soft then drain and leave to cool
3. Chop the onions and chillies finely
4. Put the oil and butter into a large frying pan on a medium heat and add the onions, chillies, fennel seeds, oregano, salt and pepper and cook until all soft – stirring regularly then turn off heat and leave to cool (takes about 12 minutes)
5. In a very large bowl, whisk with a fork the eggs, crème fraiche and milk together. Now add the cooled potatoes and then the cooled onion mixture. And finally, the cheese. Stir together until well mixed. Your mixture should be thick and lumpy!
6. Grease well 2 x 12 holed muffin tins and carefully spoon the mixture into the muffin tins. The mix should make 24 muffins but this will depend on the size of your ingredients so is fine that it might make 18 or so……..
7. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes or until the muffins are firm to the touch and golden brown
8. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before removing the muffins carefully from the tins using a knife or spatula

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy!

Note: Use the same size cup through out the recipe 

1. Wash 4 unwaxed lemons
2. Peel the zest from each of the lemons and pop it in to a large kilner jar (or similar airtight container)
3. Add 1½ cups pf vodka to the peel. Seal the jar and shake the contents frequently over the next two weeks
4. Chop the lemons in half and squeeze all the juice from each one. Pour the lemon juice in to a bottle or airproof container and place in the fridge to keep for 2 weeks whilst you shake the zest and vodka!

Two weeks later………..

1. In a medium sized saucepan, mix 2 cups of white granulated sugar with 2 cups of water
2. Heat slowly together on the cooker just long enough until the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool
3. Remove the lemon juice from the fridge and strain to remove any residue/bits
4. Add the lemon juice to the sugar mix and stir 
5. Now strain the lemon zest from the vodka and throw away the zest 
6. Add the vodka liquid now to the sugar mix and stir together
7. Your limoncello is compete! Pour into small bottles and a perfect present is in your hands

Before serving, chill in the fridge and serve in small glasses (keeping back plenty for yourself)! Cheers!

A delicious easy way to use broad beans (even the big tough ones you would usually reject!) 

What you will need:

• Broad beans
• Garlic
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chilli flakes (optional)

To-do:

1. Boil a pan of water and add approx. 500g of broad beans. Cook for about 10 minutes or until tender.  Remove from heat, drain and plunge into a pan of cold water.
2. Drain beans and then make a small slit in each bean to squeeze out the tender middle. Do this with all the beans and then discard the skins.
3. Place the tender middles into a blender.  Add 2 grated cloves of garlic, 5 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon, and a good pinch of salt and pepper.  Now blend to a soft paste mix, if too stiff add more olive oil.
4. Taste. If required add additional chilli flakes to spice it up. Adapt to your own taste preferences.  Serve with pitta, toast or crudites.

What you need:

• 450grms (ish) of fresh ginger
• Cold water to cover
• 10oz white granulated sugar
• More water!
• 2oz dark muscovado sugar

What to do:

1. Peel approx. 450gms stem ginger or scrape so that the ginger is ‘clean’ 
2. Chop into about ½ inch pieces
3. Place into small saucepan and cover with cold water and cook on a medium heat for about 20 minutes to soften
4. Drain the ginger pieces from the water
5. Now mix the granulated sugar to a new ½ pint water. Add the dark muscovado sugar and heat all ingredients over a medium heat and bring to the boil. Boil for about 5 minutes on a high heat until the liquid starts to thicken slightly. Add the previously cooked ginger into the syrup and cook together for a further 5 minutes
6. Remove from the heat and spoon the ginger into a warm sterilised jar and cover with the ginger syrup. Keep in a dark place and will be ready to use after 4 weeks but the longer it is kept, the deeper and stronger the flavour of the ginger!

Oh and by the way - the syrup is scrummy on the top of ginger cake or ice cream or over sticky toffee puddings!

This recipe is suitable for freezing but I would leave out the crème fraiche or cream until ready to warm through again after thawing. 

What you will need:

• 1 pumpkin 
• 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil
• 1 large onion - chopped 
• 2 small potatoes - peeled and chopped into chunks
• 4 vegetable stock cubes dissolved in 1 pint of boiling water
• 2 pints of boiling water
• I x tub crème fraiche or ¼ pint double cream
• 1 x teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon of white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon curry powder
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

To do:

1. Cut off the top stalk off the pumpkin 
2. Chop the pumpkin flesh into slices and then into chunks (about 1 inch in size)
3. Remove the skin off each piece by simply chopping it off and then remove the stringy bits that are inside the pumpkin too and throw this away
4. Remove the seeds and place on one side in a bowl – see recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
5. Heat the oil on a medium heat in a large saucepan or pot.  Add the chopped onion and potatoes with the salt, pepper, curry powder, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to coat all the vegetable pieces and make sure that they don’t ‘catch’ on the bottom of the pan and burn
6. Dissolve 4 vegetable stock cubes in one pint of boiling water and add to the pan. Then add 2 more pints of boiling water to the pan. This liquid should now cover all the vegetables. If not, add more water until it does!
7. Now stir occasionally and bring to the boil. Put the lid on the pan and leave the vegetables to cook until soft (about 15 minutes)
8. When the vegetables are cooked – remove the pan from the heat. Taste. Add more seasoning if necessary and stir.
9. Using a blender stick, whizz over the liquid until smooth soup is formed
10. Add the crème fraiche or double cream and stir in until it’s ‘melted’ into the liquid. Taste for seasoning again and enjoy!  

Don’t throw away the seeds from your pumpkins! Instead why not try roasting them as a snack? Cooked this way and kept in an airtight container the seeds will keep crunchy for about 4 days.

1. Remove the seeds from the pumpkin and place in a colander
2. Wash the seeds thoroughly and rinse through COLD running water. This will make it easier to remove any flesh that may have stuck to them
3. Dry on a kitchen towel and leave to dry over night or for up to 4 hours
4. Place the seeds in a small plastic bag
5. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper and 1 teaspoon of rock salt
6. Heat the oven to 180 degrees
7. Place the oil mix into the bag with the seeds and mix thoroughly so that all seeds are evenly coated with the oil mix
8. Spread the seeds onto the baking sheet and level out so they do not overlap each other
9. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook the seeds for about 5 minutes then stir to move the seeds about and continue this until the seeds are cooked. This will take about 20 minutes but watch them carefully as they burn very quickly! 
10. Remove from the tray and place into container when they are cool

A delicious way to make use of a pumpkin. Easy to make. Lightly spiced and moist. Reminiscent of carrot cake.

Ingredients

• 220g Stork margarine
• 440g light brown sugar
• 300g plain flour
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 350g pureed pumpkin
• 100g walnuts pieces
• 50g sultanas
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180°C or gas mark 4. Grease and line a baking tin 30cm x 20cm x 5cm.
2. In a large bowl mix together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. 
3. In a separate bowl sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Mix together.
4. Alternating between the eggs and dry ingredients slowly combine with the pumpkin mix until smooth.
5. Finally add the walnut pieces and sultanas. Stir until evenly distributed.
6. Pour the cake mix into the tin and place in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
7. When cooled the cake may be finished with a cream cheese frosting, dependent upon taste.

Perfect for using up your apples and beetroot at the end of the season!

What you need

• 2 lb cooked beetroot (chopped into very small cubes)
• 2 medium onions (finely chopped)
• 1 lb cooking apples (finely chopped)
• 8 oz sugar
• 1 pint malt vinegar
• 1 table spoon lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon salt

What to do

• Put all ingredients into a large saucepan EXCEPT the cooked chopped beetroot
• Stir and heat on a medium heat until boiling point reached
• Simmer now for about 30 minutes to cook all the contents
• Add the chopped beetroot to the mix and simmer again for another 15 minutes until the mixture is thickened
• Pop into warm sterilized jars
• Label and leave for a couple of months to mature!

Home-made fruity yummy cordial – tastes as good as the fruit you have made it out of and will keep happily in your fridge for up to 3 months. I often use up to 4lb of fruit at a time in the recipe and alter the rest of the ingredients accordingly.

What you need

• 1lb ripe blackberries or other soft fruit
• Approx. 12 oz granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon citric acid (optional)

Note

In order to get as much of the fruit’s natural flavour, always use a very slow gentle heat to get the juices. The amount of water needed to do this depends entirely on the juiciness of the fruit you are using but for soft fruits use a thin film of water to cover the bottom of the pan as you heat. For thicker skinned fruits such as blackcurrants use 5fl oz per 1lb of fruit

What to do

1. Put the fruit in a large pan with thin film of water on the bottom of the pan. Slowly heat the fruits to extract as much of the juices as possible in the shortest possible time. This can be enhanced by squashing the fruits as they heart with a potato masher of the back of the spoon. (Should take 10 minutes).
2. Strain the puree mix through a sieve into a clean bowl and push through to get the juices. 
3. Measure the juice obtained in a jug. Per 1 pint of juice you have now got, add 12 oz of granulated sugar. 
4. Mix the sugar and juice together until the sugar has dissolved and add citric acid if using.
5. Pour the syrup into warm sterilized bottles and seal and store in the fridge until required.

I also use this syrup over ice-cream, in trifles to soak the sponges and as a drink topped up with fold water or fizzy water with ice-cubes! Enjoy!