Twelve New Recipes I Enjoyed in 2025

  

What a delicious year it has been here in The English Kitchen.  When I look back on all the things I cooked and shared with you this year I am amazed at just how many recipes there were!  I have been doing this now, sharing new and fresh recipes with you almost every day since 2010.

Admittedly I have gotten much better at the art of presentation in the ensuing years since I began. When I look back at some of those early posts I just about cringe at how very unprofessional and poorly photographed they were, despite them being sound and delicious recipes. I really do need to take the time to go back and redo them and bring them up to date.

I thought it would be fun as we are nearing the end of the year to go back and pick out one favorite recipe that I cooked on here for each month of 2025. It sounded like it would be fairly easy for me to do that, but it really wasn't there were so many delicious things to share!

Nevertheless, I managed to tweak it down to just twelve tasty dishes, one for each month. I hope you enjoy the ones that made the cut, and that you will want to perhaps cook some of them yourself if you haven't already!

JANUARY - Rice and Smothered Cabbage Soup

Simple ingredients, cabbage, onion, garlic, a good olive oil, butter, cheese, a good stock. some rice. Seasoning. That is basically all you need.  Essentially very simple ingredients, but also good quality and fresh ingredients.

You begin by making smothered cabbage, which is a delicious side dish in and of itself.  Once done, a few simple ingredients are added to it to make one of the most delicious soups you could ever want to make and eat.  Truly.

If you make only one soup this week, I hope that it is this one. I can promise you; you will not regret it. It's quite simply fabulous! You don't want to pass this one by. I guarantee even the stoutest hater of cabbage will enjoy it.  The cabbage melts in the mouth.  This is a rich and flavorful soup that all will enjoy. 

FEBRUARY - One Pan Oven Spaghetti

The first thing that intrigued me about this recipe was the fact that everything cooked in the one dish in the oven. No need to cook a sauce or the pasta separately.  

Another thing which appealed was the simplicity of the ingredients.  If you keep pasta, tomatoes and stock in your store cupboard you have just about everything you need to make this, bar the cheese and the oregano.  Oh, and the olive oil. A bit of seasoning.

Simple ingredients. Simple cooking method. Delicious results. You certainly can't complain about that! This was a winner, through and through!

MARCH - Traditional Irish Boiled Fruit Cake

Traditional Irish Boiled Fruit Cake is a timeless classic!  It's a real keeper. Moist and stodgy, this is a cake that will keep in the cake tin for quite a while.

This is a plain and a simple cake. Country fare. The type of cake that might be offered to you along with a nice hot cup of tea if you were to go visiting of an afternoon, along with copious amounts of butter for spreading. 

It is nothing fancy, but those are the kinds of recipes and food that I enjoy most of all.

APRIL - Old Fashioned Tomato Mac & Cheese 

Macaroni & Cheese with tomatoes is something I have always made for my family and something they had always loved.  Usually, I just use a tin of chopped tomatoes drained and I stir it into the macaroni and cheese.

I have also done it the old-fashioned way where you stir the tin of undrained tomatoes into the hot macaroni and then add big chunks of tomatoes prior to baking it. This was the way my grandmother always made it and it is much beloved.  I also add cubes of buttered bread to it.  So yummy.

From the minute I saw this Old-Fashioned Tomato Macaroni & Cheese recipe on the Kitchen Magpie I had it bookmarked as something I just HAD to make! It was probably one of the most delicious macaroni and cheese dishes I have ever made. It became a real favorite!

MAY - Lost Kitchen Rhubarb Spoon Cake

This recipe for Rhubarb Spoon Cake comes from the Lost Kitchen Cookbook by Erin French.  I have always wanted to eat at The Lost Kitchen, but I will be honest, my budget just would never run to that expense, but I can enjoy some of the foods from there that are shared in her cookbook. Everyone that I have made has turned out beautifully.  This one was no exception.

I did take the liberty of cutting the recipe in half to make a small batch. It worked perfectly. A lovely dessert with a nice moist cake and lots of rhubarb compote. I did not half batch the compote so that I could have extra to serve with the cake.  Delicious call on my part!  I highly recommend you do the same! 

JUNE - Two and a Half Minute Jam Sponge Pudding

Think it's impossible to get a delicious dessert on the table in just a few minutes?  Think again!  This 2 1/2 Minute Jam Sponge Pudding recipe does just that! It totally delivers on its promise!!!

  A delicious jam sponge pudding that is cooked to delicious perfection in the microwave in only 2 1/2 minutes. 

With its sweet raspberry jam topping and a lush light and moist vanilla sponge, this pudding is the perfect dessert to make when the family is nipping at your heels in want of a delicious dessert and they want it NOW!  This pudding/dessert came out a clear winner in my books!  I could also see lots of variations that would be possible. A keeper for sure.

JULY - Air Fryer Egg & Cheese Toast with Crispy Breakfast Potatoes

I really love having a Breakfast for supper every now and then, and this delicious breakfast that is completely cooked in the Air Fryer was just the ticket for me. I love using my air fryer, especially in the summer months when I am not wanting to heat up the kitchen.  Breakfast for supper, cool kitchen? It's always a win/win for me.

I was really pleased with the way the potatoes came out. They were nicely crisped up with golden-brown edges. They also had bags of flavor with just the right amount of spice. 

The Egg and Cheese Toast came out perfect as well. The bread was nicely toasted and crispy edged, with a beautiful buttery flavor. My egg was a bit more done than I wanted, but that was purely a matter of timing on my part. It still tasted excellent!  That smattering of cheese melted over the top was incredibly moreish and the perfect topper!  

AUGUST - One Bowl Chocolate Cake for Two

I found a new favorite Birthday Cake that was perfectly sized for me this month. As we are all aging in my family, none of us wants a cake that is hanging around for too long. Health and diet means that not only should cakes be a rare treat, but the smaller sized ones are what we should be baking and enjoying.

Designed to be the perfect size for just two people, it is a delicious chocolate buttermilk cake, composed of a single layer.  A six-inch layer, which you split in two through the middle, and then fill and frost with your favorite frosting!

You don't have to bake it in a six-inch layer cake tin, however. A 1/8 sheet pan also works well or a 6 by 9-inch casserole dish, and, if you live on your own like I do, I highly recommend you make the investment!

This was moist and delicious with a rich chocolate flavor that I really enjoyed.

SEPTEMBER - Steakhouse Steak and Chips

Steak has gotten so expensive that it is a really rare treat for me and as such I am always looking for the most delicious way to cook it.  This was a clear winner.   Perfectly pan grilled to medium rare. Nothing fancy needed, just salt and black pepper.  And a nice hot pan. 

Served with a simple parsley chimichurri sauce which had a beautiful flavor and was also simple to make as well.  Just blitz the ingredients in a food processor. Fresh parsley, vinegar, olive oil, red onion, seasonings and crushed chili flakes. I use a mini food processor. If you don't have one, you can also make your sauce by hand, but it will take considerably more work to chop everything to the right size.

The chips are begun in the microwave which makes fast work of them, and then they are finished off in the pan juices from where you grilled your steak, which adds flavor and color to them.  Easy peasy. 

Altogether this makes for a really delicious meal. It is the perfect steak dinner! Quick, easy and delicious.  (I think I am getting lazy in my old age.)

OCTOBER - Root Vegetable Gratin 

Not only was this simple to make but it was also really pretty and it was exceptionally delicious.  You can adapt it to use any root vegetables you have on hand or that you enjoy. I used Sweet Potatoes, Parsnips and Beetroot.

One of the things which made this side dish so irresistible was the balance of texture and colors of the vegetables combined with the rich and creamy sauce, which is basically just an infused cream.

The cream thickens into a sauce while it is cooking along with the juices of the vegetables with most delicious results. The use of two cheeses in this dish complements the natural earthy sweetness of the root vegetables perfectly.

Easy to make without requiring a lot of effort, impressive to look at when done, and delicious.  What more could you ask for?

NOVEMBER - Mediterranean White Bean Soup

I had bookmarked this particular soup recipe on a blog called Peas and Crayons. It sounded super simple to make and used things that I always pretty much have in my kitchen and larder. I love making recipes that don't send me running to the shops to pick up extra ingredients. Simple works well for me! 

This went together very quickly and easily and did not require a lot of time or effort on my part to cook it.  I did cut the recipe in half as there is only me in the house. I ended up with a nice hearty bowl of it and enough for me to pop into the freezer to enjoy on another day. 

This was, simply put, delicious. I enjoyed it with a dusting of fresh Parmesan and some hot buttered toast on the side. I was quite happy with it and think you will be as well!

DECEMBER - Air Fryer Sage & Onion Roast Potatoes 

I will end the year with a real winner. Potatoes are one of my favorite vegetables and I think I love roast potatoes more than any other kind of potato. With their crisp and golden exterior and fluffy insides, I could easily eat a whole plate of these and nothing else! 

This recipe went together very easily, and the end result was fabulously delicious.  The potatoes came out nice, crisp and golden brown on the outsides and were lovely and fluffy inside.  The finishing touch of a sage flavored salt was what really made these stand out from the rest. Add to that the ease of cooking them in an Air Fryer and you have a winning combination!

And there you have it my twelve favorite recipes for 2025.  I could have easily chosen more.  What were some of your favorite recipes I shared with you this year if any?  I really would love to know!  Drop a comment in the comments section to let me know!

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