Honey flapjacks

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins
Makes 12
Vegetarian


Ingredients

- 200g/7¼oz unsalted butter
- 200g/7¼oz demerara sugar
- 200g/7¼oz honey
- 400g/14¼oz porridge oats
- 50g/1¾oz nuts, dried fruits or glacé ginger, chopped or desiccated coconut (optional)
- You will also need a 20cm x 30cm (8in x 12in) cake tin, greased

Method

1. Put the butter, sugar and honey in a saucepan and heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved. Add the oats and nuts, fruit, ginger or coconut, if using, and mix well.
2. Transfer the oat mixture to the prepared cake tin and spread to about 2cm (¾in) thick. Smooth the surface with the back of a spoon. Bake in a preheated oven at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden around the edges, but still slightly soft in the middle. Let cool in the tin, then turn out and cut into squares.

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How to make Waffles

Preparation time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Cooking time: less than 10 mins
Makes 15-17
Vegetarian

Ingredients

- 250g/9oz plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½-1 tsp ground cardamom (optional)
- 2-3 tbsp sugar
- 6 free-range eggs
- 250ml/8½fl oz cream (whipping or double)
- 250ml/8½fl oz milk
- 200g/7oz butter, melted and cooled


Method

1. In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom and sugar. Add the eggs, cream, milk and butter and mix with a hand-mixer until it becomes a smooth, thick batter.
2. Let the batter rest for a minimum of 30 minutes, or overnight in the fridge.
3. Preheat the waffle iron on a medium heat.
4. Put a medium ladleful of the batter mixture in the waffle iron, making sure not to overfill. Cook each waffle until golden-brown and cool on a rack so that they don’t steam up and get soggy.
Top recipe tip
The mixture will keep for three days in a covered container in the fridge.

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Banana muffins

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: 10 to 30 mins
Makes 10
Vegetarian


Ingredients


- 75g/3oz melted butter
- 250g/9oz self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- pinch of salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 115g/4oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large, ripe bananas
- 2 medium eggs
- 125ml/4fl oz milk
- 10 walnut kernels (optional)
To serve
- 2 bananas, sliced
- 50g/2oz walnut kernels
- 2 tbsp crème fraïche or yoghurt
- 2 tbsp runny honey


Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Melt the butter and allow to cool. Mash the bananas well. Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl, add caster sugar and stir through.
2. With a fork, beat together the eggs, vanilla extract, melted butter and milk in a second bowl. Add the mashed banana and stir through.
3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the egg mixture, stirring roughly with a fork (don't over mix) until it is a lumpy paste.
4. Set paper cases into the moulds, or grease the moulds well with a little extra oil or butter and spoon in the mixture until almost full. Top each one with a walnut kernel if you like.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins come away from the side of the pan when touched. Rest the muffin tray on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins and leave on the rack for another five minutes before serving.
6. Serve the muffins with sliced banana and a dollop of creme fraiche, scattered with walnuts and drizzled with honey (or with Caramel yoghurt).

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Bircher muesli

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: no cooking required
1-2
Vegetarian

Ingredients


- 100g/7oz oats
- 25g/1oz dried apricots, chopped
- 25g/1oz dried prunes, chopped
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- fresh berry fruits, to serve
- milk, yoghurt or fruit juice, to serve
- 100g/7oz oats
- 25g/1oz dried apricots, chopped
- 25g/1oz dried prunes, chopped
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
- fresh berry fruits, to serve
- milk, yoghurt or fruit juice, to serve


Method


1. Mix the oats, dried apricots, dried prunes, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds together and spoon into a serving bowl.
2. To serve, scatter over a handful of fresh berry fruits and pour over the milk, yoghurt or fruit juice.

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Sweetcorn fritters with homemade ketchup

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves 4

Ingredients


For the fritters
- 100g/3½oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- pinch smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 free-range eggs
- 75ml/2½fl oz milk
- 350g/12oz sweetcorn kernels (if using tinned, drain well)
- 6 finely chopped spring onions
- 125-150ml/4½-5fl oz vegetable oil, for frying
For the homemade ketchup
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 onion
- 1 stick celery
- ½ bulb fennel, finely chopped
- 2.5cm/1in fresh ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded
- 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed
- 2 cloves, tied into a muslin bag
- 500g/1lb 2oz plum tomatoes, skins removed
- 300ml/10½fl oz water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 100g/3½oz soft brown sugar
- 200ml/7oz red wine vinegar

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Eggs Florentine

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: less than 10 mins
Serves 2
Vegetarian


Ingredients


For the hollandaise sauce
- 100g/3½oz butter, cut into cubes
- 2 free-range egg yolks
- ½ tbsp cold water
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- salt and freshly ground white pepper
For the eggs Florentine
- 2 English muffins, split in half horizontally, buttered
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach, steamed
- 4 free-range eggs, poached


Method

1. Preheat the grill to medium.
2. For the hollandaise sauce, place 75g/2½ oz of the butter into a small saucepan and melt slowly over a gentle heat. Once melted, remove from the heat and set aside.
3. Place the egg yolks into a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (take care not to let the bowl touch the water) and beat until pale and thickened. Add the water, lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper to the egg yolks and beat for another 30 seconds.
4. Add half of the remaining butter to the egg mixture in the bowl and stir for 1-2 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and beat in the rest of the butter.
5. Slowly pour in the melted butter, whisking constantly, until the sauce reaches the consistency of double cream. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Keep the sauce warm by resting the bowl in a pan of lukewarm water.
6. Place the buttered muffins onto a baking tray.
7. Arrange the steamed spinach on top of the muffins, top with the poached eggs and pour the hollandaise sauce over the top
8. Place the tray under the preheated grill for 1-2 minutes, or until the top is bubbling and just turning golden-brown.
9. Transfer the eggs Florentine onto two serving plates and serve immediately.

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Fluffy American pancakes

Preparation time: less than 30 mins
Cooking time: less than 10 mins
Serves 4-6
Vegetarian


Ingredients


- 135g/4¾oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 130ml/4½fl oz milk
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tbsp melted butter (allowed to cool slightly) or olive oil, plus extra for cooking
To serve
- Maple syrup
- Butter


Method

1. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and caster sugar into a large bowl. In a separate bowl or jug, lightly whisk together the milk and egg, then whisk in the melted butter.
2. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture and, using a fork, beat until you have a smooth batter. Any lumps will soon disappear with a little mixing. Let the batter stand for a few minutes.
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add a knob of butter. When it's melted, add a ladle of batter (or two if your frying pan is big enough to cook two pancakes at the same time). It will seem very thick but this is how it should be. Wait until the top of the pancake begins to bubble, then turn it over and cook until both sides are golden brown and the pancake has risen to about 1cm (½in) thick.
4. Repeat until all the batter is used up. You can keep the pancakes warm in a low oven, but they taste best fresh out the pan.
5. Serve with lashings of real maple syrup and extra butter if you like.
Top recipe tip
For extra-fluffy pancakes substitute self-raising flour for plain flour and still use the baking powder. Serve the pancakes with fresh strawberries and good vanilla ice cream. Use half buckwheat flour and half plain flour and serve with maple syrup and bacon. You can also add one teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the buckwheat batter and serve with caramelised apple slices and thick double cream.

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