pelargonium-scented strawberry jam recipe Don't make strawberry jam in huge batches; it's harder to get it to set, and with endless boiling you lose the freshness of the flavour. Adding scented pelargonium (geranium) leaves to the jam,
pecan, apple and celery stuffing recipe I love the way that pecans remain really crisp in a stuffing mix. If you can't find pecans, use walnuts, but toast them for a few minutes first. To make sure that the heat penetrates the turke
pea soup with mint and dill This takes less than 10 minutes from start to finish, and it’s fine made with frozen peas instead of fresh. Many pea soups include a little sugar, but the dill here makes the soup sweet enough.
peach melba recipe A simple combination of vanilla ice cream, fresh peaches and raspberry coulis. It's not sophisticated, but it is delicious. You will probably make more of the coulis than you need, but it will k
shallot tatin with leftover cheese recipe You can make this fantastic tart with onion, but the sweetness of the shallots is what makes this recipe particularly delicious. It's ideal over Christmas or New Year – a brilliant use of all those ha
ginger biscuits recipe These are good on their own with a cup of tea, and ideal for smartening up any pudding. Try them with coffee or lemon mousse, or a bowl of homemade ice cream.makes about 30 biscuits 225g plain
toffee apples recipe Bonfire Night coincides with the apple season. Make plenty of these for it.Makes 6 6 small dessert apples (small is best here)225g demerara sugar1 tablespoon golden syrup30g butter2 teaspoons lemon j
sloe gin mincemeat recipe A perfect recipe for Stir up Sunday. You can use straight away, but it’s even better left for a while to mature and marinade. Makes 450g (Enough for 15-20 mince pies):80g fresh cobnuts (If using hazel
the best muesli This recipe, unlike many shop-bought mueslis, contains no added sugar. Make a big batch of the core recipe to last a couple of weeks and store in an airtight jar, then add the extras you like, c
roast parsnips rolled in parmesan recipe These are crunchy and sweet, lovely with any meat or stew, to eat with an aperitif, or as a first course dipped into crème fraîche flavoured with dill and/or chilli jam.For 6 600g parsnips100g fresh
slow-roast carrots with garlic lemon butter recipe The best way to eat winter carrots is to slow-roast them whole for about an hour; it brings out their sweetness and flavour. This is an ideal veg to have on Christmas Day when time and oven space is s
individual christmas cakes recipe Christmas cake never seems to get eaten in our house, so I tend to make several small ones rather than a single big one. These are also great for presents and for putting in people's stockings.
mrs titley’s chocolate and coffee éclairs recipe These éclairs are the best you’ll ever eat. They are ideal for a big family party – make two-thirds chocolate and one-third coffee – over Christmas or New Year. You can make the cases several da
moroccan harira with sorrel sauce recipe This is a traditional soup/stew – a meal in itself – eaten to break the month-long, daylight fasting of Ramadan. It's fragrant and spicy, typically served with little bowls of lemon juice to pou
mini pelargonium, blackberry and apple pies recipe The idea of combining pelargonium leaves with blackberries originates from Elizabeth David. She said the leaf of a sweet-scented geranium gives an incomparable flavour when cooked with blackberr
mini blinis with smoked salmon or roe recipe Using buckwheat flour mixed with plain sharpens the flavour of these blinis. Serve warm.for about 80 blinis 225g plain flour 225g buckwheat flour, sifted 4 teaspoons dried yeast 2 tabl