These cold dismal and dreary January days can get one a bit down after a while. Day after day of drizzle or snow . . . very little sun . . . blah, blah, blah.

Here's one way to perk them up and bring a bit of sunshine into your life! Have a tea party! You don't need anything special . . . or even to invite a whole bunch of people over. Some of the best tea parties of all happen when there's just two of you and a dog!



All you need is a table spread with a fine cloth and some tea . . . in a pot of course, (today we had blackberry and mint and it was delicious!) and cups and saucers.

The perfect afternoon tea should begin with some delicious savouries . . . finger sandwiches, sausage rolls, little toasts, savoury pastries . . . followed with scones (if you wish) and a selection of fancies and cakes.



I decided early on during this particularly dreary day that I was going to treat Todd and I to a traditional English Afternoon tea party. He had no idea what I was up to, as he sat upstairs engrossed in his war games on the computer.



Things don't always go to plan though . . . do they. The dog mischeviously ate half of my first Victoria Sponge when my back was turned. Bad doggie. I seized the engine on my new baby sized food processor, chopping the glace fruit for the florentines. Bad idea. Chop it by hand.



Never mind we got there in the end and Todd was so surprised when I called him down to lunch and he saw what I had been up to.



We sat there smiling and sipping and nibbling . . . all was right with the world, drizzle or not, dog eaten cakes . . . it was fun, plain and simple.



Don't forget to use your pinkies!



*Finger Sandwiches*
makes 18 to 24
Printable Recipe

What would afternoon tea be without a plate of tasty sandwiches? (Choose 3 of the below fillings)

12 thin slices of white or wholemeal bread, crusts removed
(I just buy the bread that already has the crusts removed,
easy peasy, lemon squeasy)
room temperature butter, for spreading
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper as desired

For the egg and cress filling:
2 TBS good quality mayonnaise
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest from an unwaxed lemon
2 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
a handful of mustard cress

For the Gentleman's Morsels:
1/4 pound shaved roasted ham
apricot jam, seived
Dijon mustard

For the Roast Beef:
1/4 pound thinly sliced rare roast beef
horseradish mayonnaise
a handful of rocket leaves

For the Parma Ham and Fig filling:
1/4 pound of parma ham
1 ripe fig
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp olive oil
handful of rocket leaves

For the Stilton and Pear filling:
50g of Stilton cheese, thinly sliced (1/4 pound)
1 ripe firm pear



To cut sandwiches, lay your hand on top of the sandwich and lightly press down. Using a serrated knife and a gentle sawing motion, cut diagonally into quarters or lengthways into 3 fingers.

For the egg and cress sandwiches, thinly butter 4 slices of the bread. Combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest, egg and season with some black pepper, folding together well. Spread evenly on half the slices of bread. Sprinkle with the cress and top with the remaining 2 slices of bread. Cut as above.



To make the Gentlemen's Morsels., thinly butter 4 slices of the bread. Spread 2 slices with seived apricot jam. Spread the other 2 with Dijon mustard. Lay the ham evenly over top of 2 slices and top with the other 2. Cut as above.

For the Roast Beef, thinly butter 4 slices of the bread. Spread 2 slices with the horseradish mayonnaise. Top with the roast beef and season to taste. Sprinkle with the rocket and top with the other 2 slices of bread. Cut as above.

For the Parma Ham and Fig sandwiches, thinly butter 4 slices of bread and fold ham on top of two of them. Cut the fig into thin wedges, remove and discard the skin and then arrange the wedges on top of the ham. Whisk the vinegar and oil together. Season with a bit of salt and pepper. Drizzle over the figs. Top with rocket and the remaining slices of buttered bread and cut as above.

To make the Stilton and Pear sandwiches, thinly butter 4 slices of bread. Arrange the stilton over 2 slices of the bread. Slice the pear into thin wedges, removing and discarding the core, then arrange on top of the cheese. Season with black pepper, then top with the remaining slices of bread and cut as above.



*Dark and White Chocolate Florentines*
Makes about 24
Printable Recipe

Sticky, crisp, chewy, gooey. Moreishly addictive.

50g of butter (3 1/2 TBS)
50g of caster sugar (2 TBS)
3 TBS double cream
25g of flaked almonds (1/4 cup)
75g of mixed nuts, chopped (Pistachios, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.) 3/4 cup
4 glace cherries, chopped
50g of mixed glace fruits (apricots, pineapple, peel, angelica) chopped (1/3 cup)
25g of plain flour (1 heaped TBS)
50g of white chocolate
(2 ounces)
50g of dark chocolate
(2 ounces)

Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ Gas mark 4. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

Gently heat the butter, sugar and cream together until the butter melts. Bring to the boil and then remove from the heat. Stir in the nuts, cherries, fruit and flour. Mix thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them well apart.

Bake for 10 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and gently press back the edges with a rounded knife to keep a round shape. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before carefully peeling off the paper and setting on a wire rack to cool completely.

Break the white and dark chocolates into individual bowls. Melt carefully in the microwave without over-heating. (Be careful as white chocolate burns easily.) Alternatively melt in bowls over simmering water. Spread over the bottoms of the florentines, coating half with white and half with dark. Let set before serving.



Ohhh . . . doesn't she have a longing look in her face? I think half a cake is more than enough don't you?

One thing that I always do when I am frying bacon, is to fry extra. It just makes sense. If I am going to to the trouble and the mess . . . why not fry the whole pack instead of just a few slices.



The extra gets carefully wrapped and sealed in a zip lock bag and then frozen so that I have already cooked bacon to hand anytime I may need it. Why pay premium prices for already cooked bacon in the shops when you don't need to.



Cooked bacon is so handy to have in the freezer. Ready for sprinkling on salads, or casseroles . . . the perfect addition to grilled cheese on toast . . . chopped and sprinkled over pizzas . . . or chopped and stirred into these moreishly scrumptious savoury scones!!!



Crunchy on the outside and so soft and flakey on the insides . . . all buttery and stogged full of strong cheddar cheese and . . . lovely bacon. As we all know . . . everything tastes better with bacon! (Peanut butter, cheese, chocolate . . . even jam. Try it some time. You'll see I am right!)



These tasty scones are the perfect addition to a soup meal . . . or with a hearty stew. Great for breakfast . . . on their own or with an egg, scrambled or otherwise. Try making your own breakfast sandwich using these. Just fry an egg (or two) and sandwich them between one of these lovely scones, after having split and toasted it.

Oh man . . . sooooo good! Your husband will love you even more than he does now. I guarantee! They do say the secret way to a man's heart is through the stomach . . .



*Cheese and Bacon Scones*
Makes 15 to 20, depending on how big you cut them
Printable Recipe

Scrumdiddlyumpitiously savoury. Perfect with some sliced ham or cheese, or both. You can vary the spiciness of them by adjusting the amount of cayenne used.

16 ounces (1 pound) plain flour (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 level tsp of cayenne pepper (or to taste)
1 tsp salt
1 ounce of cold butter, cubed (2 TBS)
4 ouces bacon, grilled and finely chopped with a sharp knife, or
in the food processor
4 ounces strong cheddar cheese, grated (1 cup)
1 medium free range egg
375ml of sour milk or buttermilk (1 2/3 cup)

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Dust a large baking sheet lightly with flour. Set aside.

Sift the flour, soda, cayenne pepper and salt into a large bowl. Drop in the butter and then rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine dry bread crumbs. Stir in the bacon and cheese.

Whisk together the egg and milk.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Mix to a soft dough with your hand by running it around the bowl. Try not to knead it as this will develop the gluten which will toughen the scones. Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. (The dough will be quite sticky) Pat out with floured hands until you get a square 3/4 inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut it into 15 to 20 squares. (Alternately you can cut them out with a sharp knife or a 2 inch round cutter) Place onto the floured baking sheet leaving about 2 inches between each.

Bake for 10 to 14 minutes until well risen and golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

For a long time in Ireland the only bread readily available, except for in the cities, was Soda Bread. Easy to bake on a hearth stone or in an oven, it was quick to make and as likely to be served with the main meal of the day to soak up gravy as it was to appear with breakfast in the morning.



The one I have here today is the cake type. Simply mixed, kneaded lightly and then shaped into a round and baked on a baking sheet or baking stone. There is also a flat type, or farl. which is more like a heavy pancake, rolled out and cut into triangles, and then baked on a griddle or in a heavy skillet rather than in an oven.



Both are equally as easy to make and delicious . . . as long as you follow a few rules, main one being to handle the dough as little as possible . . . kinda like scones or American style biscuits. I like to make sure all my ingredients, including the buttermilk are at room temperature as well.

Sift the dry ingredients together a few times to aerate the flour, and evenly distribute the soda throughout. Put the sifted dry ingredients in a good big bowl (you want stirring room) and make a well in the center. Pour about three-quarters of the buttermilk in, and start mixing in with your fingers, the two best tools ever invented. You are trying to achieve a dough that is raggy and very soft, but the lumps and rags of it should look dryish and "floury", while still being extremely squishy if you poke them. Add more liquid sparingly if you think you need it.



Blend quickly and lightly until the whole mass of dough has become this raggy consistency. Then turn the contents of the bowl out immediately onto a lightly floured board or work surface, and start to knead. Don't knead it for any longer than about 15 seconds. Any longer than that and you risk a tough bread. Lightly shape it into a rough round about 6-8 inches in diameter, and put it on the baking sheet (which should be dusted lightly with flour first). Then use a very sharp knife to cut a cross right across the round. The cuts should go about halfway down through the sides of the circle of dough, so that the loaf will "flower" properly.



Bake for a good 45 minutes, without disturbing, and then tap the bottom. If it sounds hollowish it is done! For a crunchy crust, put on a rack to cool. For a softer crust, as above, wrap the cake in a clean dishcloth as soon as it comes out of the oven. I Like mine warm and spread with butter and sweet red jam.

I think it's the child in me. I just can't help myself.



*Irish Soda Bread*
Makes 1 loaf
Printable Recipe

Quick, easy and tasty. Those Irish sure know what they are doing!

450g of plain flour (about 3 1/2 cups)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1 tsp baking powder
14 fluid ounces of buttermilk (1 3/4 cups)

Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Lightly butter a baking tray. Set aside.

Sift the flour, salt, and baking powder into a bowl. Whisk in sugar if using. Make a well in the centre. Pour in most of the butter milk, holding a little back. Use your fingers and get stuck in mixing it all well together to make a soft, but not sticky dough. If necessary add the remaining buttermilk.

Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. It's important not to overknead the dough. 15 to 20 seconds is enough time. . Shape into an 8 inch round. Place onto the prepared baking tray.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Test that the loaf is cooked by turning it over and tapping it on the bottom with yout knuckles. It should sound hollow. Place on a wire rack to cool. Serve cut into slices. Goes well with soup and stews.

I've just spend several hours going through my archives trying to pick out some of my best recipes that I've cooked and presented to you over these past 12 months. It was a really hard job! I never put anything on here unless it is wonderfully scrumptiously tasty! It was really tough narrowing it down to just a dozen or so! There are ever so many more tasty recipes than just these ones I am showing you at the moment . . . you'll just have to dig around and hunt for them.

I think I just gained ten pounds just looking at these! Happy New Year to you all and all the best to you in the months to come! I'm looking forward to an even tastier 2011, and I hope you are too!!




Strawberry and Mint Scones - I am fairly certain that when you bite into one of these you will be in scone heaven. The dough is buttery and short, with just the faintest hint of mint throughout. The strawberry jam is like a sweet surprise in the centre and that lemon drizzle, well . . . it's just the perfect capper! Printable Recipe



Gingerbread Cupcakes with Lemon Icing - Now these dear friends . . . are totally moreish. I think it's the lemon glaze . . . that is, well . . . the icing on the cake! (Of course the preserved ginger in syrup on the top doesn't hurt either!!) Printable Recipe



Creamy Parsnip Soup with Ginger and Cardamom - I think the hazelnut/dried cranberry garnish on this soup makes it something really special. I really hope that you will try it. I just know you will love it as much as we do. And that, my friends, is quite an awful lot!!! Printable Recipe



Sticky Toffee Cake - This cake moreishly filled with dates with a scrummy toffee icing gilding the top is just to die for. You'll find yourself getting up in the middle of the night and raiding the larder for . . . just . . . one . . . more . . . piece. Printable Recipe.



Creamy Courgette Lasagna - A tasty vegetarian Lasagna filled with lovely courgettes, lots of cheese and a spicy sauce! Printable Recipe.



Lemon and Pistachio Cake - A lovely moist and buttery cake, filled with crunchy pistachios and lemon, and topped with lucious candied lemon and lime slices and of course, some more crunchily addictive pistachio nuts. (I love, LOVE pistachio nuts!) Printable Recipe.




Creamy Mustard, Sausage and Pasta Hot Dish - Imagine little meaty bites of a well flavoured sausage, in a creamy sauce filled with not one . . . but two tasty mustards, caramelized onions and cabbage, and a rustic homestyle pasta . . . perfectly shaped to hug and soak in all those lovely juices. Printable Recipe.



Bakewell Whoopie Pies - My attempt to create a truly "British" Whoopie Pie. What could shout out England more than the good old Bakewell Tart! These tasty little cakes have all the characteristics of a traditional Bakewell tart . . . an delicious cake batter, containing ground almonds . . . raspberry jam, the almond icing on top and the glace cherry. The only thing that is not traditional is that gorgeous whipped marshmallow filling. Printable Recipe.




Fudge Brownie Pie - A fudgy mouthful of rich moist chocolate brownie . . . stuffed with toasted pecans and then topped with oooey, goooey, sweet marshmallow . . . all smoothed over with a rich chocolate fudge frosting. Printable Recipe.



Tasty Tuna Baguettes - A fantastically delicious tuna baguette! Filled with lots of lovely flavours . . . lemon, onion, celery, mayo, sweet pickle, Dijon mustard . . . Perfect Picnic Food. Printable Recipe.




Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip and Oat Bars - Deliciously oaty bars with a creamy peanut butter filling, and stogged full of rich chocolate chips and crunchy toasted walnuts. Printable Recipe.



Rice Pudding - Perfectly baked rice pudding . . . with creamy, milky, sweet rice beneath a scrummy golden buttery crust . . . a feast for the eyes, stomach and soul . . . Printable Recipe.



Beef Stew with Herbed Dumplings - The meat . . . fork tender and the gravy thick and rich and filled with deliciously simmered root vegetables . . . the dumplings . . . rich and meltingly tender on the insides . . . herbily soaking up that lucious gravy. Comfort food at it's very best. Printable Recipe.



Bakewell Scones - Yummy sweet seedless raspberry preserves, sandwiched between two scone layers made all buttery and flakey with marzipan and butter having been rubbed in . . . with a touch of flaked coconut (not traditional I know) for some added texture, and then topped with an egg wash and flaked almonds. Baked until scrummily flakey and crisp on the bottom and top and then drizzled with an almond glaze and topped with a glace cherry half. Printable Recipe.




Sticky Ginger and Orange Chops with a Parsnip, Potato and Mustard Mash - Deliciously sticky chops with a hint of warmth, atop a bed of luscious parsnip and potato mash. Scrumptious! A feast for the eyes and the stomach! Printable Recipe.



Christmas Pudding Trifle - Without a doubt, hands down . . . this has to be the most delicious Trifle ever! There is just enough Christmas Pudding in it to give you a gentle hint of spicy flavour, without it going over the top. I don't think any die hard Christmas Pudding hater would be assaulted by it in the least . . . don't even tell them it's there. They probably won't even notice what it is, and even if they do, they will forgive you because it is that delicious that they will wonder how they ever got by in life without it thus far! Printable Recipe.

There is nothing I enjoy more than taking a traditional British baking idea and adding my own creative twist to it. Call me crazy, but . . . I get a whole lot of satisfaction out of this activity.



One of my favourite flavours over here has to be Bakewell anything . . . tarts, pudding . . . I think it's just fabulous.



Bakewell tarts are little shortcrust pastry tarts filled with jam and almond flavoured sponge. Topped with an almond fondant icing and a cherry, I even enjoy the cheap grocery shop versions.



Bakewell pudding traditionally has a flakey pastry base, covered with jam and an almond frangipane filling, and is exclusive to the Derbyshire town of Bakewell.



Call it what you will, I just love the elements of Bakewell . . tart, pudding . . . whatever. If you have almonds cherries and jam involved, I am there!



I have made the traditional Bakewell Tarts on here in the past, and then I have played with the flavours a bit more and created Bakewell Whoopie Pies. (Oh my but they were good, good . . . GOOD!) I even once baked a Raspberry Bakewell Cake from a recipe I found in BBC Good Food Magazine.



When we got home from church today I thought I would bake some scones and I thought to myself . . . hmmm . . . Bakewell Scones might be tasty!



Imagine it now . . . yummy sweet seedless raspberry preserves, sandwiched between two scone layers made all buttery and flakey with marzipan and butter having been rubbed in . . . with a touch of flaked coconut (not traditional I know) for some added texture, and then topped with an egg wash and flaked almonds. Baked until scrummily flakey and crisp on the bottom and top and then drizzled with an almond glaze and topped with a glace cherry half, I have only two words to describe these little delights.



Moreishly Moreish!!

Sooooooo scrummily yummy! I bet you can't stop at eating just one . . .



Sinful I know! But what a wonderfully wicked way to go! I think I have found a new weakness to add to the rest . . . sigh . . .



*Bakewell Scones*
Makes 8
Printable Recipe

Raspberry preserves sandwiched between two layers of a scrummy almond and coconut scone dough, topped with crunchy flaked almonds and then finally glazed with an almond glaze and topped with a glace cherry!

8 1/2 ounces plain flour (2 cups)
2 TBS caster sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 ounces flaked sweetened coconut (1/2 cup)
3 1/2 ounces marzipan, chilled (about 1/3 cup)
2 ounces chilled unsalted butter (1/4 cup)
100ml of milk (1/3 cup)
1 large free range egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 TBS seedless raspberry preserves
1 egg yolk, beaten together with 1/2 tsp water
3 TBS flaked almonds
To glaze:
2 ounces icing sugar
a few drops of almond extract
water
4 glace cherries halved

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*f/ gas mark 5. Lightly butter a baking sheet and set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and coconut together in a bowl. Cut the marzipan and butter into bits and drop them into the flour mixture. Rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Whisk the whole egg, milk and extracts together. Add all at once to the flour mixture and stir in with a fork to make a soft dough. Divide in half and pat out 3/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Stamp into 8 rounds with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, gathering the scraps and repeating until you have 8 rounds. Place the 8 rounds on the baking sheet. Top each with 1/2 tsp of raspberry jam, keeping it in the centre. Pat out the remaining dough to the same thickness as the first lot and stamp out 8 more rounds, once again gathering the scraps and re patting. Place these rounds over top of the jam topped rounds, pressing gently around the edges to seal the jam inside. Brush the tops of each lightly with the egg yolk mixture and sprinkle with flaked almonds, pressing them in gently.

Bake in the heated oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until well risen and golden brown on the tops and bottoms. Remove from the oven to a wire rack.

Whisk together the icing sugar, almond extract and enough water to make a smooth drizzable glaze. Dribble this over the warm scones and top each with a cherry half.

Delicious served warm or cold. Store in a tightly covered container.