Ingredients (serves 3-4):

• 8-12 lasagna pasta sheets
• 250g of ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 6 balls of frozen spinach
• 1 x tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 small onion – chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves – finely sliced
• 50g of grated parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon of basil
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 190 degrees C.

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the garlic and onion for a couple of minutes before adding the nutmeg and spinach.  Continue to cook in the pan over a low to medium heat, with the lid on to help steam the spinach.  Cook until the juices have been mostly soaked up by the spinach.

While that is slowly cooking pour the tinned tomatoes into another pan and add the basil and oregano to it.  Bring it to the boil and then simmer for ten minutes or so.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While those two pans are cooking away mix together the ricotta and egg along with a grind of salt and pepper.

Once the tomato sauce and spinach is all cooked, switch off the heat from the pans.  Get an oven dish and pour a little of the tomato sauce on the base then place 2 or 3 lasagna sheets over the sauce.  Pour a third of the spinach mixture and a third of the cheese mixture over the pasta sheet.  Place another 2 or 3 pasta sheets over the mixture and repeat the process.  Pour the final thirds of both the spinach and cheese mixtures over the top of the dish and then top with the remaining tomato sauce.  Finally, grate over the parmesan cheese.

Cover the dish with tin foil and bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes.  Remove the tin foil and continue cooking for a further ten minutes or so until the top goes nice and golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving up with some salad and/or crusty bread.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 1):

• 1 x ribeye or sirloin steak
• 50g of unsalted butter
• 2 shallots – finely diced
• 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons of red wine
• 1/2 tablespoon of brandy
• 2 tablespoons of double cream
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Season the steak with salt and pepper, rub with a little oil and fry in a hot pan with half of the butter for a minute or so on each side then remove from the pan and wrap in tin foil while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce, start by melting the other half of the butter and saute the shallots for five minutes or so on a low heat until they have softened.  Add the Dijon mustard and Worcestershire sauce to the shallots and stir in well.  Then add the wine and simmer until reduced by half; probably a minute or so.  Add the brandy and carefully set alight then simmer until the flames go out, again probably another thirty seconds to a minute or so.

Add the peppercorns, parsley and cream to the sauce and stir in until consistent.  Taste and season with any salt if required.

Now return the steaks to the pan with the sauce in and warm through, basting the steak with the sauce.

Serve up the steak along with some fries and vine tomatoes, simply roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and top the steak with the diane sauce.  Enjoy with a glass of red! 🙂

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

• 3-4 chicken thighs – cut into bite sized chunks
• 50ml of soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 50ml of pineapple juice
• 1 clove of garlic – very finely sliced
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of sherry
• 20 or so chunks of pineapple
• 2 apples – cored, peeled and cubed
• 2 large potatoes – cut into wedges
• 1 heaped teaspoon of dried rosemary
• Salt and pepper for seasoning

Start by marinating the chicken.  In a large bowl mix together 1 tablespoon of the oil, the soy sauce, pineapple juice, garlic, sugar, vinegar and sherry along with a grind of salt and pepper.  Add the chicken, apple and pineapple to the marinade, cover with cling film and allow to marinate for 20 minutes or so.

When you ready to cook, pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C ready for the wedges.  Toss the wedges in the other tablespoon of olive oil along with the rosemary.  Place them onto an oven tray and put them into the oven for about 30 minutes or until cooked and crispy.

While the wedges are cooking take the marinated mixture and alternate pieces of the chicken, pineapple and apple onto wooden or metal skewers.  Lay the completed kebabs onto a foil lined tray as you go.  Cook them under the grill on a medium to high heat until the chicken is cooked through.  Baste whenever you turn them over.  They should take 6-10 minutes per side dependant on the heat of your grill.

Serve the kebabs with the wedges and enjoy this different combination of flavours!

Ingredients (makes 4):

• 200g of dark chocolate (75-85% cocoa solids)
• 120ml of warm water
• 3 large eggs – separated
• 40g of golden caster sugar

Start by melting the chocolate in with the water.  You do this by getting a pan and bringing about 2 inches of water to the boil then reducing to a simmer.  Then get a glass bowl that’s big enough to sit over the pan but not touching the water.  Place the chocolate and water in the bowl and reduce the heat on the pan to the minimum and stir the chocolate and water until melted and consistent.

Once fully melted, remove the bowl from the pan and place it to one side to cool for 2-3 minutes.  Separate the egg whites from the yoks, and stir the egg yolks into the chocolate with a wooden spoon.

In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until soft peaks hold, then whisk in the sugar a little at a time until it’s all mixed in and the mixture is white and glossy.

Using a normal spoon, take a spoonful of the egg white mixture and stir it into the chocolate mixture.  Slowly fold the rest of the egg whites into the chocolate a few spoonfuls at a time.  Be gentle when you’re doing this as it will keep the mixture light and airy.

Once all the egg whites have been combined with the chocolate mixture and the whole mix is lovely and consistent, divide it between ramekins or serving glasses and then cover them with cling film and chill for a couple of hours.

You can have the mousse with some fruit or cream or just enjoy them on their own!

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 onion – finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks – finely chopped
• 2 carrots – diced
• 4 garlic cloves – finely sliced
• 1 tablespoon of tomato purée
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• 250g of mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon of dried basil
• 2 x 400g cans of chopped tomatoes
• 250g tagliatelle
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated parmesan to serve

Heat a pan up over a medium heat and add the oil along with the onion, celery and carrots.  Fry for 3-5 minutes until the vegetables start to soften.  Add the garlic, tomato puree and balsamic vinegar, give it all a quick stir and then pour in the tinned tomatoes along with the basil and mushrooms.  Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper as you go.  If the mixture starts to dry out at all, add some water to it.

While the sauce is simmering away, put the pasta on to cook as per the instructions and drain once done.

Serve up the pasta in nice big bowls followed by a good portion of the ragu and grate a little parmesan over the top to finish to dish off.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes about 10 eclairs):

• 25g butter
• 40g plain flour
• 1 egg
• 170ml of double cream
• 70g of dark chocolate – broken into pieces

Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C while you prepare the mixture for the eclairs.

Melt the butter in a pan and add the water then bring to the boil and remove from the heat soon after.  Stir in the flour and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed together.  Lightly whisk the egg and add it to the butter, water and flour mixture a little at a time, whisking constantly.  When the mixture is smooth and doesn’t stick to the sides, transfer it to a piping bag.

Pipe out 5cm lengths of the mixture onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.  Don’t worry about them being perfect, they’ll taste just as good even if they’re wonky! 🙂  Bake them in the oven for 20 minutes until they become golden coloured then remove them and make a slice down each one.  Return them to the oven for up to a further 5 minutes, making sure that they don’t over cook.  Remove them and allow them to fully cool.

While the eclairs are cooling, you can make the filling and melt the chocolate topping.  Whisk the cream until soft peaks form and either spoon of pipe the cream into each of the eclairs.  To melt the chocolate, place the pieces into a bowl sat over a pan of simmering water and stir until completely melted.  Spoon the chocolate over the eclairs and allow it to cool and solidify.

Enjoy the eclairs once the chocolate has set, or before if you can’t resist! 🙂

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 2 gammon steaks
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• Small knob of butter
• Fresh ground pepper

In an oven dish mix together the honey and mustard along with a good grind of pepper.  Melt the butter either in a microwave or in a pan and add it to the honey mustard sauce.  Take each gammon steak and turn it oven in the sauce several times to make sure that they’re well coated in the sauce then place them side by side in the dish.

Place the oven dish until a medium heat grill and cook for 6-8 minutes either side until nicely cooked.  Baste the steaks when you turn them.

Serve up with seasonal vegetables simply boiled and then tossed in butter.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil
• 3-4 chicken boneless chicken thighs – cut into cubes
• 2 tablespoons of chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons of water
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon of ketchup
• 1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch
• 2 carrots – finely sliced
• 1 onion – finely chopped
• 1 small bunch of broccoli – cut into small chunks

Heat some oil in a pan and fry the chicken over a medium heat until cooked through.  While the chicken is cooking prepare the sauce in a bowl by combining the chicken stock, water, sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chilli flakes and cornstarch.  Add the carrots and then the onion to the chicken and stir fry for 3 minutes or so.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and vegetables and fry for a further couple of minutes.  Add the broccoli and stir fry for a further couple of minutes until the sauce thickens.

Serve up over some freshly boiled rice.  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 1):

Peppercorn sauce:

• 2 tablespoon of mixed peppercorns – crushed
• 20g of butter
• 2 shallots – finely chopped
• 40ml of brandy
• 50ml of double cream
• Salt to taste

Other ingredients:

• 1 x ribeye steak
• Handful of salad
• Balsamic vinegar
• New potatoes
• Knob of butter
• Mixed dried herbs

Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the potatoes.  Cook until done to your liking and then add in the knob of butter along with the mixed herbs and give the pan a shake until the potatoes are nicely covered in the butter and herbs.

Whilst the poatoes are cooking, season your steak and pan fry it to your liking (Get the pan nice and hot and rub some oil onto the steak before frying it for a couple of minutes per side).  Remove the steak from the pan, wrap in tin foil and keep warm in the oven while you make the peppercorn sauce.  You can make the sauce in a separate pan whilst you are cooking the steak and potatoes if you prefer.

To make the peppercorn sauce, start by sauteing the shallots in the butter over a medium heat for about 3 minutes.  Add the brandy and saute for a further 3 minutes, stirring throughout.  Just before serving, add the cream and peppercorns and simmer for a couple of minutes.  Don’t allow the sauce to boil at any point.  Once you’re happy with the sauce, season it with salt to your taste.

Serve up the buttery potatoes, steak and salad (dressed with the balsamic vinegar) and pour the peppercorn sauce over the steak.  Enjoy with a nice glass of red! 🙂

You can serve the peppercorn sauce with veggie burgers or other meats also.

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 carrots – finely chopped and sliced
• 1 large onion – chopped
• 800ml of vegetable stock
• 1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
• 200g of frozen peas
• One pack of tortellini – your choice of filling
• Grated parmesan

Heat the oil up in a pan and fry the carrots and onions for around five minutes until the carrots just start to lose their bite.  Add the stock and tinned tomatoes, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer for five minutes.  Add the frozen peas and continue to simmer for a further five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour the tortellini in to the sauce and simmer for 2-4 minutes until the pasta is cooked.  Serve up straight away with some grated parmesan over the top to finish the dish off.  Enjoy!

You can reduce the sauce further by simmering it for a little longer before putting the peas in to give a sauce consistency rather than a soup one.  Adding a little chilli is always an option too!