This section contains recipes I have created or modified significantly from existing recipes.
In recent years, gin has become really popular with more varieties popping up and more choices of tonic water to complement them. Throughout October, Forever Manchester is holding Caketober – a month-long celebration combining fancy dress and cakes. Forever Manchester is a charity which raises money to support community activities in Greater Manchester. As part of the celebrations, they have sent me a secret ingredient to use as part of a bake; 50ml of Hoxton Gin!
I’ve created this cocktail in conjunction with Corky’s Schnapps who have rebranded in November with a gorgeous new sleeve to their bottles. Corky’s Schnapps come in five awesome flavours: Sour Apple, Sour Cherry, Raspberry Glitter, Blueberry Glitter and Mango Glitter; they are the only glitter schnapps on the market! This recipe uses the Raspberry Glitter. *
Hot cross buns are one of my favourite things to eat when I was young. Having grown up with Chinese bread which is quite sweet, I have a special affinity with sweet bread in general. This pear and cardamom hot cross bun recipe combines two of my favourite flavours into one bread, and I hope you give this a go!*
I grew up in Northern Ireland and these no-bake treats were a staple in the cake section of any cafe, alongside British classics like the Millionaire’s shortbread and flapjacks. It was only on leaving to come to England did I realise that they don’t exist across the water. Indeed, it appears they’re not even popular in the Republic of Ireland.
They are called fifteens as are made from three main ingredients of which you need 15 of each: digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glacé cherries. I share with you this easy classic recipe that kids can also help out in. Make these the day before you wish to serve them so they can chill in the fridge. I sometimes make these for St. Patrick’s Day.
Use vegetarian marshmallows if you wish to make them veggie friendly. Examples of brands include Dandies Marshmallows if you’re in the States or Freedom Mallows in the UK.
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This Chinese beef and tomato stir-fry is something I grew up eating when I was a kid and is a very popular Cantonese dish. It is very warming and the ingredients are quite basic that you can probably grab everything from a standard supermarket. I’ve modified the family’s recipe, which has traditionally used tomato ketchup as the base for the sauce instead of passata.
This warming spicy sausage casserole is very suitable for the colder months of the year. Feel free to replace the sausages with a meat-free variety or leave them out to make this vegetarian-friendly!
I’m using sausages from Grandad’s Sausages and they are really amazing. I really recommend trying them as they don’t skimp on flavours and the sausages remain moist after cooking! They are based locally in Bury too! The vegetables were from my vegetable box from Veg Box People!
Support local!
