Simplicity

Hearty Bean Bake

This hearty bean bake is just perfect as a warming meal after coming in from the cold.

It's based on a substantial soup - it needs planning ahead and making over the course of a couple of days, but the end result is well worth it.

King Alfred's Pudding

King Alfred burned the cakes - it's probably just a legend, but let's not allow facts to ruin a good story...

So When I accidentally (slightly) burned some cakes, I decided to use them to create this recipe

Fruity Oaty Bar (Not Mandatory)

This idea grew out of a previous experiment to make energy bars - but this time, I wanted to try making them with white chocolate so as to show off the fruit.

Also, I've long wanted to make something I could label 'Fruity Oaty Bar'.

Pickled Pancakes

These delicious pancakes packed in a jar of syrup are perfect for picnics or parties, they can be prepared in advance and will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.

Chocolate Beetroot Muffins

OK, this is not an original concept - everybody has been talking about chocolate and beetroot cakes and brownies - and I was curious enough to give it a try...

These chocolate and beetroot muffins are made to my own recipe and I was very pleased with their light sponge texture and rich chocolate flavour.

Mum's Cheese And Onion Slice

This cheese and onion slice is a teatime favourite from my childhood - to make sure I got it absolutely right, I asked my mother to spend an afternoon recreating it with me.

Acorn Falafel

While I was preparing acorns for cakes, I noticed their similarity to chickpeas in texture, flavour and consistency. I thought it would be interesting to try making them into a savoury snack - acorn falafel

Weigh The Same Carrot Muffins

These moist, yet light and fluffy carrot muffins couldn't be simpler to make - all the main ingredients weigh the same.

Acorn Gingerbread

Spurred on by earlier positive results with edible acorns, I went back and picked a whole basketful - now to see what I can make with them - starting with a rich acorn gingerbread

Bavarian Apple Cake

Here's a recipe for a scrumptious apple dessert that can't make up its mind whether it's a pie, cake or crumble.

Harvest Celebration Loaf

October 2009 - we were commissioned to make a traditional harvest celebration loaf for the harvest display at a local primary school - here's how we made it

Honey-Glazed Fennel Seed Crackers - From Your Pasta Rolling Machine

If you've got a pasta machine, did you know it can do other things besides making pasta?

Here's one of them - you can make these sweet glazed crackers

Crispy Jacket Potato Wedges

These crispy spiced potato wedges make an excellent alternative to fries

This oven-baked recipe is low-fat, gluten-free and really simple to make

Gnettle Gnocchi - A Wild Food Recipe

Stinging nettles are normally a wild vegetable for the springtime and early summer, but you can sometimes find them out of season

That's what I did - and I used them to make nettle gnocchi

Gingerbread Empanadas

This is a recipe for sweet, delicious dessert empanadas - made from gingerbread and stuffed with chocolate, marshmallow and raisins

Toad In The Hole

Toad in the hole is a classic English dish of sausages baked in batter - served with a rich onion gravy.

No amphibians were harmed in the making of this meal.

Mini Macaroons

These sweet little macaroons are deliciously nutty and chewy - the perfect accompaniment to a mid-morning coffee.

Rum And Raisin Chocolate Torte

This is a recipe for a dark chocolate torte with a luscious velvety texture, filled with rum-soaked raisins.

Baked Cheesecake With Oranges, Honey And Walnuts

This is a recipe for a rich baked cheesecake that can be eaten on its own or topped with fruit or other sweet things.

I topped this one with fresh orange segments, honey and walnuts - it was fantastic.

Butter Shortbread Hearts

These crisp shortbread biscuits are simple to make and are delicious on their own, or topped with yoghurt and fresh fruit or crumbled over ice cream.

Savoury Cheese Straws

These cheese straws are good with dips or salads, or just as a tasty snack.

Pear Brioche Tart With Anise Syrup

Here's a simple recipe for an outstandingly moist and delicious brioche tart - drenched with spiced syrup.

Box-Baked French Cheese Fondue

This is a meal based on really simple preparation of a few quite modest components, yet the result is an eating experience that seems truly luxurious - Box-Baked Cheese.

What's The Fastest Cake?

Scone.

Get it? Scone - 's gone.

Never mind. Here's a recipe for light and crumbly scones - the perfect centrepiece to a traditional Cream Tea.

Easter Lemon Meringue Biscuits

March 2009 - Easter is on its way - here's a recipe for crumbly lemon-flavoured Easter biscuits, topped with soft, marshmallowy meringue.

Yoghurt Bread

Yet another bread-related experiment - I wanted to try baking a loaf of bread using plain natural yoghurt as the main liquid ingredient.

Lebkuchenhaus

Christmas is nearly here! - It's the 21st of December 2008. Nearly everything is ready, but there's just time to make one more treat - a gingerbread house.

Festive Almond Sponge Slice

Christmas is coming! - fancy a change from mince pies? Here's a recipe for a delicious festive slice - crammed with fruit and topped with soft almond sponge.

Plum Pudding

Here's a great recipe for a good old traditional Christmas Plum Pudding. I made this one with prunes I dried myself.

Toffee Apples

Toffee apples, also known as candy apples, are something I always associate with fairgrounds, but I thought it would be fun to try making my own

Apple Juice Bread

Another bready experiment - I was curious about how a loaf of bread would turn out if fruit juice was substituted for all of the water in the recipe.

Weigh-The-Same Cookies

This is a recipe for delicious soft, oaty, cake-like cookies that are incredibly easy to make.

They're easy because all of the main ingredients in the recipe weigh the same amount - the only thing to remember is the ingredients list, but that's pretty simple too.

Blackberry And Apple Crumble

I went out for a stroll and in a few minutes, picked a couple of kilos of the biggest, juiciest blackberries I've ever seen. I decided to use some of them in a good old favourite pudding - blackberry and apple crumble

Cheesy Oaty Crumbly Crackers

A simple recipe to make tasty cheesy crackers that are crumbly, oaty and delicious - great with cheeses or dips, but nice enough to eat all on their own.

Feast Bread - To Tear And Share

Another recipe making use of my basic bread dough recipe - this time transforming it into Feast Bread - filled with bacon, cheese and onion - and designed for tearing, sharing, and eating with your fingers.

Mac N Choc

The classic dish of Macaroni Cheese - re-imagined as a dessert! - richly flavoured with dark chocolate instead of cheese.

Orange And Lemon Drizzle Cakes

Just a really simple recipe for tasty, light cakes flavoured with orange and lemon zest, and topped with a sugary citrus glaze.

Paneer

Paneer is Indian-style curd cheese - it's similar to ricotta or cottage cheese and it's very easy to make.

Real Macaroni Cheese

Here's how to make Macaroni Cheese - the real thing, with real ingredients. No packets required.

Stuffed Crust Pizza

This recipe makes use of my basic bread dough recipe - transforming it into Stuffed Crust Pizza

Edible Bread Bowls

They're edible - they're bread-ible! - Completely Consumable Crockery! - Tasty, Toasty Tableware - they're Edible Bread Bowls! (This recipe makes use of my basic bread dough recipe)

Garlic And Herb Focaccia

This recipe takes my basic bread dough recipe and turns it into Garlic and Herb Focaccia

Raspberry And Pear Sponge Pudding

Here's a recipe for a quick and easy hot dessert that's sure to impress: Raspberry And Pear Sponge Pudding

Treacle Spice Cookies

Another easy recipe - this time for crunchy biscuits flavoured with cinnamon and black treacle. Treacle Spice Cookies.

Hot Cross Buns

Traditionally made and eaten at Easter - here's my recipe for Hot Cross Buns - they're really good!

Cinnamon Bun Cookies

They look like little cinnamon buns, but they're cookies - easy to make - and they taste great too.

Pork-Less Pies

I have some friends who don't eat pork and they happened to mention one day that the one thing they really miss, since they gave it up, is a pork pie - this seemed to me more of a challenge than an obstacle, so I set about trying to create the Pork-Less Pie