Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

Nice and tasty especially with the cinnamon. This amount serves 4.

·         Olive oil

·         knob butter

·         700 grams diced butternut squash and sweet potato

·         1 onion chopped

·         1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

·         1/2 teaspoon ground mace

·         500 ml semi-skimmed milk

·         1 litre vegetable stock

·         sea salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

1.     Heat a splash of olive oil and the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, squash and sweet potato. Gently fry for around 10 minutes.

2.     Add the spices and stir together so that everything gets coated in the oil and flavours. Pour in the milk and stock, season well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

3.     Check that the vegetables are cooked by sticking a knife in. If you’re happy, remove them from the heat and carefully whiz up using a hand blender or liquidizer. Taste the soup to see if it needs a little more salt or pepper.

4.     For a thicker soup omit the milk and add cream later.

Based on recipe from Nigella Lawson

Lamb Shanks in Red Wine sauce

The meat just fell off the bone - delicious

4 Lamb Shanks
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 sticks celery chopped
1 onion diced
1 carrot sliced
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
Salt & Pepper
2 Tbsp Tomato Ketchup
200 ml Red wine
1 beef stock cube made up to a pint
Cornflour to thicken sauce

1. Brown the lamb shanks in the olive oil
2. Place all vegetables in the slow cooker
3. Place shanks on top and sprinkle with sugar, salt & pepper
4. Add wine and tomato ketchup to stock and pour round the shanks
5. Slow cook for 8 hours
6. Remove lamb shanks and keep warm
7. Blitz sauce and thicken with cornflour

Mixed Mushroom Soup

 I used a mix of wild , brown and portobello mushrooms - very tasty. This amount serves 4 

·         Olive oil

·         400g mixed mushrooms, sliced (shitake, oyster, brown)

·         25g dried porcini mushrooms

·         1 onion chopped

·         2 garlic cloves, chopped

·         Thyme sprigs

·         200 ml cream or milk

·         1 litre vegetable stock

·         sea salt

·         freshly ground black pepper

1.     Pour boiling water on the porcini mushrooms to just cover them.

2.     Heat a splash of olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onion, garlic and thyme. Fry for 5 minutes.

3.     Add the mixed mushrooms and stir together so that everything gets coated in the oil and flavours. Then add the dried porcini mushrooms reserving the juice and fry for a few minutes.

4.     Pour in the stock, reserved juice and milk/cream, season well and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

5.     Carefully whiz up using a hand blender or liquidizer. Taste the soup to see if it needs a little more salt or pepper.

6.     Make some croutons by frying bread cubes in some butter.

7.     Serve soup with some chives and the croutons.

Based on recipe from BBC Good Food

Cauliflower and Stilton Soup

I don't like Stilton but I did have this soup at a Monkspath Soup a day so decided to use up some Stilton from a family gathering. It does taste really nice.

2 Shallots
1 veggie oxo made up to 1 1/2 pints
4 fl oz cream
1 head cauliflower chopped in florets
good chunk of blue stilton


1. Melt some butter in a pan and add chopped shallots; cook till golden
2. Add veggie stock and cauliflower florets; cook till tender
3. Add chopped Stilton and cream; cook for 15 minutes
4. Use a blender to puree the soup

Apple Custard Pie

This was really nice - I did 2/3 for 4 people but it was plenty for 6.

1 Puff Pastry Sheet
4 apples
4 Eggs
300 ml Milk
80 g Flour
60 g Sugar
50 g Butter, melted
Brown sugar

Cover a rectangular pie dish with the pastry and trim excess.
Peel and core the apples, cut in halves and slice.
Place apples on top of pastry.
Using a whisk combine eggs, milk, flour, sugar and butter.
Pour round the apples in the dish.
Sprinkle brown sugar all over.
Bake for 20 minutes at Gas 5 Fan 160
Serve with ice-cream and caramel sauce or custard.

Omlette Pie

This turned out very tasty and easy to do. You could change what's added to include tomatoes, peppers, onions. Recipe is for 2 people.

2 slices of bread cubed
4 slices bacon diced
8 mushrooms quartered
4 eggs
100 ml single cream (I used milk)
100 g shredded cheddar
100 g shredded mozzarella
chives

1 Preheat oven to gas 6, 180c
2 Fry bread in a little butter; place in bowl
3 Fry bacon till almost cooked then add mushrooms; place in bowl
4 Beat the eggs and add to bowl
5 Add cream, cheddar, pepper and salt to bowl
6 Mix well and pour into a buttered dish
7 Add shredded mozzarella and chives to top
8 Bake for 30 minutes

Blackcurrant Sponge Pudding

This is by Greg Wallace and was a definite success, I did not top with almonds.

500g (1 lb) blackcurrants, topped and tailed if fresh, defrosted if frozen

75g (3 oz) granulated sugar

125g (4 oz) soft butter

125g (4 oz) soft light brown sugar

2 eggs

125g (4 oz) self-raising flour

1 tsp baking powder

25g (1 oz) flaked almonds

Vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 9 inch (23cm) fluted flan dish.

Mix the blackcurrants with the granulated sugar, and spread over the base of the greased flan tin.

Put the butter, brown sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder into a bowl and beat well.

Spread the mixture over the blackcurrants, smoothing out the top.

Scatter the flaked almonds over the top, and bake for 30 – 35 minutes. Check after 25 minutes, and if it’s well browned already, cover with foil for the remaining time.

Serve warm with ice cream ,  crème fraiche or custard