All posts filed under: Recipes

Vegetarian Christmas | Stuffed Butternut Squash

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A good friend of my Mum’s recently snuck a request in through her for a veggie option at the Christmas dinner table that outdoes a nut roast. I’m hoping to churn a few out before the big day but here’s my first go, this one’s for you, Rachel! Despite being a mere vegetable, half a butternut squash is a serious tummy-filler so if you plan to serve this up with your Christmas feast you might wanna go easy on the roasties and yorkshire puds. Appetite aside, this is a simple but out of this world combination of textures, tastes and smells. Enjoy! 1 organic butternut squash 50g pecans 50g dried cranberries 2 red onions, sliced 120g soft goats cheese, sliced Pre-heat your oven to Gas Mark 6 (conversions here). Chop the squash in half down the middle (from the top hat to the bottom i.e lengthways) and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Chuck the seeds away or do something cool with them, your call. Score the flesh with a sharp knife quite deeply, …

Christmas Cupcakes | Brandy Buttercream & Amaretti Biscuits

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I may not be the first to do this, and I definitely won’t be the last – but brandy buttercream is now officially the idea that I am most proud of. Brandy butter is one of my favourite Christmas treats, so I thought I’d see how it tasted as part of a buttercream topping for cupcakes. As you’ll soon discover if you try this recipe, it tastes amazing. With the addition of crushed amaretti biscuits, these cupcakes are a gloriously boozy grown-up treat for the festive season. 100g salted butter, softened 150g caster sugar 2 tsps vanilla bean paste 2 large free range eggs, beaten 175g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 4 tbsps milk 100g salted butter, softened 50g brandy buter 280g icing sugar 5 or 6 amaretti biscuits Cupcakes: Pre heat the oven to Gas Mark 4 (conversions here) and line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake cases. Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl using a wooden spoon then add the vanilla bean paste and beat until combined. Gradually …

Marmalade Muffins

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Last week, I made my own marmalade for the very first time in honour of Paddington Bear. This is all well and good and I was feeling ever so clever, until I realised that I don’t know anyone else who likes marmalade (bizarrely) and so now have the stuff coming out of my ears just waiting to be used up. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life so far it’s this: when in doubt, make muffins, especially if it’s Christmas. I had some pecans knocking about as well left over from other Christmas food adventures so I chucked them in for the sake of it, but I think they get along quite nicely with the marmalade. These would be perfect for a casual Christmassy brunch, and a great bake to have on hand for festive visitors who hate mince pies (you know, the difficult ones). 250g plain flour 1 tsp baking powder 50g caster sugar pinch of salt 150ml milk 1 egg, beaten 25g butter 3 heaped tbsps marmalade 25g pecans, chopped roughly …