Ingredients
Young cauliflower leaves (alternatively you can use French beans with carrots and tomatoes, or white cabbage – not purple)
2-3 pips (cloves) of garlic
2-3 shallots
1 tsp. of Chinese white wine (or if preferred 2 tbsp. of oyster sauce)
1 tsp. cornflour
8 cups of water
Cooking oil and salt

Preparation

1. Chop garlic finely and slice the shallots.
2. Wash the young cauliflower green leaves (leave the old ones as they are tough and chewy). Cut and break the leaves into 1" lengths. Separate the leaves and the stems.
3. Mix cornflour with the water.

Cooking

You need to be quick when stir frying, so make sure everything that is needed is close to hand.

1. Heat the cooking oil first, and then fry the garlic and shallots together until slightly brown or they produce a nice aroma.
2. Put in the cauliflower stems first, and then turn the heat higher to fry until they look semi-cooked before adding the leaves.
3. Add the mixed cornflour and water. Keep stirring the vegetables until the mixture looks crisp, not wilted.
4. Add salt to taste if needed.
5. Add the white wine or oyster sauce.

This recipe will make 112 cookies.

Ingredients
2 cups of butter
4 cups of flour
2 tsp. of soda
2 cups of caster sugar
5 cups of oatmeal
4oz. chocolate chips
2 cups brown sugar
1 tsp. of salt
1 x 8oz chocolate bar (grated)
4 eggs
2 tsp. of baking powder
2 tsp. of vanillas essence
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

Method

1. Pre-heat oven at 375 degrees.
2. Measure and blend oatmeal to a fine powder.
3. Cream the butter and both sugars.
4. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder and soda.
5. Add chocolate chips, chocolate bar and nuts.
6. Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a baking sheet
7. Bake for 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 red pepper, washed de-seeded and finely chopped.
2-5 dried chillies, topped and tailed, de-seeded and finely chopped.
1 tsp. of cumin
1 tsp. of paprika
½ glass of white wine vinegar
½ glass olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

1. Put everything but the oil into a liquidiser and process slowly.
2. Put into a screw top jar, and add most of the oil and shake well.
3. Store in the fridge for a month thinning down with extra virgin oil and water and a touch of vinegar before serving

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 x 8oz bar plain chocolate
1 x 15oz can ready to serve custard
4 tablespoons sweet sherry
1 packet chocolate chip & nut cookies
10oz glacé cherries
¼ pint double cream
6 walnut halves

Method

1. Melt chocolate in a small basin over a saucepan of hot, but not boiling water.
2. Beat in 2 rounded tablespoons custard.
3. Chill remaining custard.
4. Pour sherry into a saucer. Dip one biscuit at a time into sherry on both sides.
5. Sandwich 3 biscuits together with chocolate custard and repeat to form a ring of 6 piles on a serving plate. Pour over the remaining sherry.
6. Cover with foil and chill for 2 hours or overnight.
7. Chop the cherries and reserve.
8. Whisk cream in a chilled bowl until it holds its shape in soft peaks (same thickness as the custard).
9. Using a large metal spoon gently fold in 4 rounded tablespoons of remaining custard. Spread over biscuit ring.
10. Place small groups of cherries and walnut halves alternately on top of ring to decorate.
11. Chill until ready to eat.  

Ingredients
1 kilo rhubarb
1 kilo preserving sugar
1 orange

Method

1. Prepare rhubarb by washing it and trimming it. Then cut it into pieces about 1 inch in length.
2. Slice orange into thin slices. If orange is a large one cut slices into quarters. Put into large bowl and add the preserving sugar.
3. Cover the bowl and leave overnight.
4. Next day, boil all ingredients until setting point is reached approx. 20-30 mins.
5. Put into prepared jars, and wait until it is cold before sampling it!!!!
    

Ingredients
100g (4oz) mixed dried fruit
2 tbsp. rum
2 tbsp. port
450 ml (15 fl oz) fresh single cream
3 egg yolks
100g (4oz) caster sugar
150ml (5 fl oz) fresh whipping cream, whipped
1 orange, grated zest
1 tsp. mixed spice (or more if desired)

Method

1. Mix the dried fruit, rum and port, leave to marinate.
2. Gently heat the single cream to simmering point
3. Beat the egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale yellow in colour. Pour on the hot cream, stirring.
4. Strain the mixture into a heavy-based saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until the custard thickens to coat the back of a spoon. Allow to go cold.
5. Fold in the whipping cream, dried fruit, rum, port, orange zest and mixed spice. Pour into a container and freeze.
6. Beat the mixture twice at hourly intervals. Cover, seal and freeze. 
    

Serves 4

Ingredients
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
50g (2oz) English butter
100g (4oz) sugar
2 eggs, separated
50g (2oz) self-raising flour
300ml (1/2 pint) milk

Method

1. Add the lemon rind to the butter and sugar and whisk the mixture until pale and fluffy. Add the egg yolks and flour and beat well. Stir in the milk and 30-45 ml (2-3 tbsp.) lemon juice.
2. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, fold in and pour the mixture into a buttered ovenproof dish.
3. Stand in a shallow tin of water and cook in the oven at 200^oC (400^oF) Mark 6 for about 45 minutes, until the top is set and spongy to the touch. This pudding will separate into a custard layer with a sponge topping. 
    

Ingredients
4 eggs
¼ cup of margarine
1 cup of white sugar
½ cup of flour
¼ tsp. of baking powder
2 cups of milk
1 cup of coconut
1 tsp. of vanilla

Method

1. Place all ingredients in a blender at one time, and blend until mixed together.
2. Pour into a buttered 10 inch pie dish, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.
3. When done, the crust will be on the bottom, custard in the middle, and the coconut on top - right where they belong.

Serves 4 generously

Ingredients
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
6oz mushrooms, washed and sliced (or button mushrooms left whole)
4 tbsp. of oil
1 ½ lbs of braising steak, cubed or sliced
2 tbsp. of seasoned flour
2 tbsp. of tomato purée
1/3 pint of stout (Guinness pref)
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tsp. of thyme
1 bay leaf
6oz of blue Stilton, cut or sliced to small pieces

Method

1. Sweat the vegetables in two tbsp. of oil for five minutes.
2. Remove from heat and place in the bottom of a large casserole dish.
3. Toss the steak in the flour, and fry until brown over a high heat, add the remaining oil.
4. Place the fried steak on top of the vegetables and place the mushrooms over the top of the meat.
5. Mix the stout, purée, seasoning, herbs and the bay leaf and pour this over the dish.
6. Cover and place in a 180^oC 350^oF mark 4 pre-heated oven and cook for two hours.
7. Remove the bay leaf and adjust seasoning to taste.
8. Stir in the blue stilton two or three minutes before serving
9. Serve with broccoli, carrots, and baked potatoes.

Ingredients
4oz self-raising flour
4oz margarine
4oz sugar
2oz dried fruit
2 eggs

Method

1. Soften the margarine and then add sugar to sweeten, and beat until converted into fluff.
2. Add the beaten eggs and sift in the flour gently.
3. Add the fruit of your choice to give the cake an individual flavour.
4. Turn into an already prepared deep cake tin (greased and lined) and bake at 180 ^oC for about 25-30 minutes.
    

Serves 6

Ingredients
2 onions
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
1 small turnip
1 small swede
8oz mushrooms
¼ cauliflower
1 tin chopped tomato and juice
2 tsp. chopped fresh or 1 tsp. dried rosemary

Method

1. Chop up everything into large chunks
2. Fry the onions in a saucepan with 2 tbsp. of oil for 5 minutes
3. Add the rest of veg, cover; cook for 15 minutes (add little water if drying up to prevent browning).
4. Finally add tomatoes and cook until veg. is to your liking, soft or crunchy.
5. You could put a cheese and breadcrumb topping to this and finish off in moderate oven for 15 minutes, or just use the veg as a delicious accompaniment to your course. It is also a nice mix to add to a stew to make it go further or even to turn into a winter soup using one of the many choices of stock cubes. But above all it is wholesome, cheap and seasonal! 
    

Rhubarb and Lemon Cooler [Printable page]

Ingredients
4 sticks of rhubarb
2 Lemons
4.5 litres (8 pints) water
450 g (1lb) sugar

Method

1. Wash and chop the rhubarb, wash and slice the lemons and place together in a large bowl.
2. Boil the water and pour it over the fruit.
3. Stir in the sugar until dissolved.
4. Cool, cover and leave overnight.
5. Strain, and serve chilled.

This is a very refreshing drink. Store in the fridge (if any is left over after the family have sampled it).
Make it and then enjoy it!!
 

Potato Cakes [Printable page]

Ingredients
1lb cooked floury potatoes
1 teaspoon salt
2 oz butter, softened
4 tablespoons self-raising flour

Method

1. Sieve potatoes into large bowl mix in butter and salt.
2. When well beaten work in sufficient flour to make a soft dough, which is easy to handle.
3. Roll out onto floured board, use pastry cutter to form 2cm deep little cakes – scone size.
4. Place onto HOT greased griddle or frying pan, brown and turn over and repeat.
5. Keep warm and then serve with plenty of butter.
 

Naughty potatoes for Good Mums and Dads [Printable page]

Ingredients
Six washed potatoes
1 x pack 142g Garlic Boursin Cheese
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon rock salt

Method

1. Using the corer make cavities into the centre of potato and fill with cheese leaving a little space to plug up hole with some of discarded potato.
2. Brush over with olive oil and sprinkle salt on.
3. Bake for one and half hours - serve immediately.
   

Ingredients
2oz butter, cut up
4 oz ground almonds
2oz soft white bread crumbs
1½ oz flaked almonds
1½ oz pine nuts
1½ oz hazelnuts
½ tsp herbs de Provence
2 garlic cloves, crushed
freshly grated parmesan if poss.

Method

1. Rub together as for pastry- butter, ground almonds, breadcrumbs, then add other nuts, garlic and herbs and mix thoroughly.
2. Grease dish, 7 inch oven proof, and line with croustade, pressing it into place about ½ in deep.
   Bake until golden brown - 15/20 mins.
3. Meanwhile saute onions and toms in butter until tender then add mushrooms and cook for futher 3 mins.
   Then add flour and cook on for 4 mins stirring gently.
4. Reduce heat and add milk and cream gradually. Once it has thickened add herbs and season to taste.
   
5. Turn heat up in oven to 250C, 475F, Gas 9.
   
6. Spoon in filling to the croustade and pop into oven for five mins and sprinkle with parmesan cheese just before serving.
   
   A tossed green salad or a couple of potatoes are a perfect accompaniment to this dish.