Nothing says home more than a nice big platter of perfectly scrambled eggs in the morning. So comforting . . . and, well . . . cosy. There is nothing tastier than an egg that's been well scrambled.

A well scrambled egg . . . with soft and moist folded curds . . . along with some hot buttered toast, is bliss . . . pure bliss.



It's not that hard to cook them properly, although some people do seem to be a bit mystified as just how to proceed, and still others seem to overcook them so much that they end up as dry little rubbery curds. What you are looking for is something that luxuriously, meltingly creamy.

Scrambled eggs are not something that you want to cook in a hurry . . . slow and steady definitely wins the race here.



First of all you need to start with a good egg. I know I don't need to lecture you on the difference between a cage grown egg and a free range egg . . . we've all heard that spiel . . . Let's just say that I prefer to pay more and use free range. For me it's more than just taste . . . it's a matter of conscience.



You want to use a skillet that's not overly heated, in other word, warm, but not hot. Then you want a nice lump of butter, softly foaming in the pan . . . and finally you want the perfect mix of beaten eggs, cream and milk . . .



You add this mixture to the warm pan, and then you just let it sit without disturbing it . . . not for long . . . just long enough that it begins to set on the bottom. Only then do you want to start moving the eggs. I like to use a wooden spatula or spoon. I commence to folding my eggs, slowly . . . from the outside edges into the centre of the pan. Not stirring . . . but folding . . . a constant, and slow movement . . . which I keep doing . . . just until the eggs are almost set, but still moist. At this point you will want to take them right off the heat. The eggs will continue to cook for a bit longer from the residual heat in the pan, but what you end up with is a lovely moist product, not dry at all.



In short . . . perfection.



I have been known to sit down to a plate of scrambled eggs late at night when I get home from work . . . tired and starving. They fill that gap beautifully. Tis a special thing to come home to.



*Cheese and Chive Scrambled Eggs*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

Fresh chives and a good strong cheddar together with perfectly scrambled eggs, create a hearty breakfast dish just packed with flavour.

12 large free range eggs
2 ounces whole milk
2 ounces cream
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
2 TBS butter
4 TBS finely chopped fresh chives
4 ounces of a good farmhouse strong cheddar cheese, grated
(I use Davidstow)



Whisk the eggs, milk, cream salt, black pepper and hot pepper sauce together in a large bowl. Heat the 2 TBS of butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Once the butter begins to foam add the eggs. Allow to sit for several minutes, without stirring, so that the eggs can begin to set on the bottom. Begin to draw a wooden spatula or spoon across the bottom of the skillet to form large curds. Cook, continuing to fold the eggs with the spoon slowly, working from the outside edges into the middle until the eggs are thickened but still moist. Do not stir constantly or you will end up with small curds, you want thick moist ribbons. Remove from the heat to a warm platter. Sprinkle the hot eggs with cheese and the chives. Serve hot with warm toast, if desired.

Ahhh . . . the perfect baked potato. Crisp and slightly salted on the outside, and creamy white and fluffy on the inside.

The first meal I ever had in England was a Jacket potato, served at one of those fast food kiosks at Euston Station. We were waiting for the train to take Todd and myself up to Chester, and it was a long wait. We were both starving. I had never seen anything like it in my life. The potato was enormous and came wrapped in silver foil, sitting in a styrafoam type of bowl/box. Split open, right through the foil, and mounded with oodles and ooodles of cheese.



I know . . . I was playing it safe. I had never heard of the toppings they suggested on the menu before . . . things like Tuna and Sweetcorn, Coleslaw, baked beans etc. Cheese seemed to be the least wierd to me.

Oh, we had baked potatoes at home, but we called them baked potatoes. Somehow the term Jacket Potato sounds exotic and even more delicious. Back home we would more than likely top them with some butter, sour cream, chopped spring onions and bacon bits . . . and they would be for the most part an accompaniment to a main course . . . usually a steak . . .

Sometimes my mom would even dig out the insides and mix the potato flesh with cheese, butter, onion and milk . . . and then she would stuff it back into the skins. Those were one of our favourite treats when I was growing up. We'd each get one half of a potato, and it was never enough . . . we were always left wanting more.



I had never heard of them being used as the whole entree.

It was good. Hot, filling and very cheesy. The potato could have been cooked better through. Wrapped in foil, it was for the most part steamed . . . you couldn't really call it baked . . . but when you're starving, you're just not that picky.

Once you have tried a tasty baked potato, that has been washed, lightly salted and then baked in a hot oven directly on the oven rack . . . once you have bitten into that crisp brown and salty skin, covering a beautifully fluffy rich centre . . . you'll never settle for a second rate tinfoil steamed potato again.

Seriously.



You want a nice fluffy type of potato to begin with . . . something like a Maris Piper, or a King Edward, my personal favourite. Waxy potatoes just won't do. They don't fluff up, but remain solid. You also want a biggun. That's if you are going for a whole meal experience. You can do smaller ones of course, and in truth the small ones are quite tasty when baked in the convection oven.

The toppings are where you get to let your imaginations run wild, and where you can turn this delicious beast into a full meal instead of a pale accompaniment . . . Tinned baked beans, hot and steaming and slathered with grated cheese, which melts into all that beany goodness, which in turn is soaking into that potato fluff. Tuna salad, with lots of chopped red onion, mayo and celery, spooned onto the top and into that creamy white fluffy crevice. If you are feeling really brave, add some sweet corn, (it's not as strange and inedible as it sounds) . . . A nice fat tub of coleslaw (I like the cheese coleslaw) ladled on top, all crunchy and saucy, just perfect with that soulful mealiness beneath . . . simple cheese, bacon and onion, along with a splash of sour cream . . . perfection, simple butter, sea salt and pepper, bliss . . . bliss . . . bliss . . .



I love that name . . . Jacket Potato . . . it sounds like something all dressed up and fit for a king.

In truth . . . this is fit for a king. Simple??? Certainly. Common??? Definitely not. Nigel Slater recommends Karate chopping it open, but me, I'm not that brave. I just hack it open with a knife . . .




*Jacket Potato with Chili and Cheese*
Serves 2
Printable Recipe

Comfort food at it's best.

2 large baking potatoes
sea salt
410g tin of chili con carne
(I used Stagg)
2 ounces strong cheddar cheese, grated

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Scrub the potatoes well and then while they are still damp, dust them lightly with the sea salt and allow to air dry for several minutes. Prick in a few places with a fork so that they don't burst in the oven and then place them into the heated oven, directly on the oven rack.

Bake until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. (They will yield lightly when pressed with a gloved hand) This will take between 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the variety and size of your potatoes.

About 10 minutes before the potatoes are done, empty the chili into a saucepan and heat over low heat, stirring occasionally until heated through and bubbling. Grate the cheese on the large holes of a box grater.

Take your baked potatoes from the oven. Cut an x into the top of each and squeeze them slightly to fluff up the insides. If you want, now is the time to fork in a bit of butter. Place the potatoes onto two heated plates. Spoon the hot chili over top of each, and sprinkle on the grated cheese, dividing it between both potatoes. Serve immediately.

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Surrounded by Orchards as we are, it is no surpise that one often finds apples on the menu here in my English Kitchen. In the autumn we are free to pick up as many windfalls as we can from off the ground and our freeze is soon filled with applesauce and other apple goodies. Fresh ones are stored in the cold room, wrapped in newspaper. They last a good long while this way.

One of our favourite apples to cook with are the Bramley apples. No surprise there really, as they are considered to be the best apple here in the UK for cooking with.



Found only here in the UK, the first Bramley tree grew from pips planted by a young girl named Mary Ann Brailsford, in her garden in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England back in 1809. The rest is history and we've been loving them ever since.



They are excellent in pies and tarts and crumbles. Bramley apples are rather unique in that they contain a higher acid content and lower sugar levels which makes for a stronger and tangier tasting apple whose flavour is retained when cooked. They also have the most wondeful texture when cooked . . . moist and melt in the mouth. Exceedingly delicious!



One of the ways I love to cook them most is as baked apples. A tasty little dessert in it's very own compact shell. Oh, they are so good, with those lovely moist insides, especially when accompanied with cream . . . the juices of that lovely cooked apple mingling with the cream is so very scrumptious.



But what's even more scrumptious is when you stuff the insides with a tasty spicy fruity stuffing before you bake them. These are totally moreishly delicious!



Guaranteed to become a family favourite. It's also nice to know that if you don't want to go to all the trouble of making a filling, you can fill the juicy hollows with mincemeat and they are even more scrumptious, but for today . . . we have all the flavours of Eccles Cakes.



These are very good to say the least.



*Eccles Cake Baked Apples*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

Beautiful baked apples with a spicy fruity filling. Yummo!!

4 large Bramley apples
Filling:
50g butter (3 1/2 TBS)
50g light muscovado sugar (1/4 cup)
50g dark muscovado sugar (1/4 cup)
250g currants (1 1/2 cups)
1 tsp ground all spice
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
finely grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 TBS Juice

Melt the butter for the filling in a saucepan. Add both the sugars and stir to remove any lumps. Remove from the heat. Stir in the currants, spices, lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside to cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Using a sharp knife cut out the stem core of the apples, and then using a melon baller, hollow them out slightly , leaving the bottom totally intact. Score each apple lightly around the middle, horizontally. This will stop them from bursting in the oven. Place in a shallow buttered baking dish.

Fill the cavities in the apples with the currant filling, piling any excess on top. Spoon 2 TBS of water into the dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, cover lightly with foil, and then return for a further 20 to 25 minutes, until the apples are soft right through. Serve immediately with the juices from the pan and some custard, thick cream or vanilla ice cream.

Note - These should be served immediately as they will collapse upon standing.

At work I mostly cook fancy food. There always has to be a sauce with everything and they would never dream of eating anything like sausage and mash . . . seriously.

They don't do carbs as a rule, and they don't do leftovers. So I have to be really careful when I do my planning and shopping so that I cook only enough the first time around, and there's no waste.



Here at home I like to cook simple and wholesome food and sometimes the leftovers are the best part of a meal! I have always found that some foods taste even better the second and third time around. It's like they have a chance to ripen or something . . . and the flavours have time to develop more fully.



Perhaps it goes back to my pioneer heritage where my ancestors used every part of the animal that they could use, and nothing went to waste. Not even so much as a vegetable peel. It all got used up.

I hate waste.



We had some roast and vegetables leftover from our New Years Eve dinner, and they needed to be used today. I thought about making a Beef Pot Pie, which we do both really like a lot, but then . . . I decided to make Todd a delicious cottage pie, which I knew he would absolutely love . . . him being a meat and potato's man after all. I went a tiny step further though, and made a potato and parsnip mash for on the top instead of a plain old mash.

It was a hit if I don't say so myself. (Hard to photograph though!!) Just perfect for this C-O-L-D winter day we are having. This be plain and simple comfort food . . . the best kind!



*Cottage Pie with Potato and Parsnip Mash Topping*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

This is a delicious way of using up some of the leftovers from your Sunday Lunch. You can make this with fresh ground beef of course, but we love it made with chopped leftover roast beef. I also like to use any leftover cooked vegetables in the filling as well. Usually it's just peas and carrots, but sometimes there is some swede as well. Just make sure you chop your cooked carrots and or swede into roughly the same size as the peas. French beans chopped are also nice. You can use leftover gravy if you wish, but I normally don't have any leftover so have made my own sauce.

2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 large parsnips, peeled and cut into coins
1 spring of thyme
a knob of butter and a splash of milk
salt and pepper to taste
For the filling:
2 cups chopped leftover cooked roast beef
1 cup leftover cooked vegetables, chopped into small bits
2 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
2 TBS plain flour
4 cups boiling water
3 to 4 beef bouillion cubes
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 heaped dessert spoon of tomato ketchup
1 TBS horseradish sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste

Place the potatoes, parsnips and thyme into a saucepan of slightly salted water. Bring to the boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft, then drain well, discarding the stem from the thyme. Mash well, adding a knob of butter and some milk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place the leftover roast and onions in a large skillet, with any beef drippings that you may have. If not you may need to use a bit of oil. Cook and stir until the onions are softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute or so until fragrant. Sprinkle with the flour and stir it in. Stir in the boiling water until the sauce thickens. Crumble the bouillion cubes in, stirring until they are completely melted. You may need the full 4 depending on how much of a beefy flavour you want. Stir in the worcestershire sauce, ketchup and horseradish sauce. Mix all in well. Season to taste with some salt and pepper. Pour this mixture into a shallow baking dish.

Spoon the parsnip mash over top in a rustic manner.

Bang into a pre-heated 200*C/400*F oven and bake until the filling is bubbling and the mash is beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes or so before serving. Delicious!

If you're like Todd and I, you find yourselves in the weeks after Christmas harbouring an inevitable glut of Stilton cheese and walnuts leftover from the holidays.



Whilst it is a well known fact that these go very well together in a salad, especially when you add some sliced ripe pear as a sweet flavour to counteract the salty tang of the cheese and bitter crunch of the walnuts . . . I would like to suggest a novel and unique way to use all three.



Try adding some chopped dates and baking them together in a deliciously sweet/savoury muffin!!!! No, I'm not crazy.



Seriously, these are wondefully tasty. Each moist bite bringing you the subtle flavour of pears, well rounded and sweet, accentuated by the dates . . . the perfect mix with the stronger slightly salty flavour of the Stilton . . . the walnuts adding a tasty crunch.



I know you are probably thinking . . . can this possibly work? All this in a muffin???



Don't doubt me. These are incredibly delicious. You need to make them today . . .



and then you'll have to make them again tomorrow coz they'll be inhaled in the blink of an eye and you'll be wanting more.

Would I lie? I think not!



*Pear, Date and Stilton Muffins*
Makes 12
Printable Recipe

One of the best muffins ever. The pear provides a subtle flavour, the dates a lovely sweetness, a delicious contrast to the stronger, slightly salty flavour of the Stilton cheese. Fabulous, just fabulous. They make a great breakfast, lovely light lunch with a salad on the side or even a quirky addition to your cheeseboard at dinner! You will want to make these again and again.

340g plain flour (a scant 2 1/2 cups or 12 ounces)
170g caster sugar (a scant 1 1/4 cups or 6 ounces)
1 TBS baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
220g tin of pears in juice, drained
100g sunflower oil (3 1/2 ounces)
2 large eggs
50g pitted dates, chopped (about 2 ounces)
70g stilton cheese, crumbled (2 1/2 ounces)
50g of chopped toasted walnuts (1 3/4 ounces)
To top:
12 walnuts, roughly chopped

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F. Line a 12 cup medium/large muffin tin with paper liners, or butter well and flour lightly. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl.

Puree the drained pears in a blender or food processor and then scrape into a medium sized bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the oil and eggs until well combined.

Add the pear mixture to the dry mixture, folding together with a metal spoon, just until all the dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in the dates, cheese and chopped toasted walnuts. Spoon into the prepared muffin cups dividing it equally amongst the 12 cups. Sprinkle the 12 chopped walnuts on top evenly.

Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, until well risen and a deep golden brown. The tops should spring back when gently touched. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for a bit before serving. Delicious!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am am totally in love with lemon. I just adore lemon flavoured anything.

Oh . . . I just adore a Lemon Drizzle Cake all moist and tender, with it's tart lemon drizzle crust dripping down the sides, just tempting you to dig in again and again . . .



Likewise a tasty Lemon Meringue Pie, all cold and chilled from the refrigerator, and cut into thick slices. iIt's deliciously tart lemon filling all cold and rigid . . . and standing to attention beneath that golden cap of sweet meringue . . . I know the beads of liquid that form on the meringue overnight are not to be applauded, but they've always been one of my favourite parts . . . all sweet and gooey.



And . . . don't get me started on those lovely Lemon Puff cookies . . . crisp and buttery, the sweet and buttery lemon flavoured cracker like biscuit, filled with tart buttercream. Oh, how yummy. You just cannot eat just one.

Lemon curd, especially my homemade one . . . I can eat it right out of the jar with a spoon. A secret indulgence . . . and a yummy one.



My favourite of all though . . . has to be a classic Lemon Tart. Ohh, that lovely crisp sweet pastry encasing a rich golden lemon filling . . . not quite custard and not quite pudding, but a wonderful combination of the two. Your fork digs in and it melts in your mouth in one deliciously unctuous melange of buttery lemony goodness . . . bliss in every bite.



Of course you could caramlize the sugar on top with a blowtorch . . . but in my opinion that's an extra step that's not needed. I prefer it left as is as a light sweet dusting . . . the perfect garnish for the perfect tart.



*A Classic Lemon Tart*
Serves 8
Printable Recipe

Crisp sweet shortcrust pastry filled with a deliciously tart lemon filling. Perfection.

10 large eggs
380g caster sugar
500ml double cream
the zest and juice of 8 unwaxed lemons
butter for greasing
225g sweet shortcrust pastry (see below)
Icing sugar to dust the top
To Serve:
Pouring cream

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F.

Make the filling first. Place the eggs into a bowl and whisk them gently to help to break up the yolks. Whisk the sugar in slowly and than whisk in the cream and the lemon juice. (wait until this next step before adding the zest.) Strain the mixture through a sieve. Discard any solids left in the sieve. Whisk the lemon zest into the custard mixture.

Butter a 20cm (10 inch) loose bottomed tart tin. Place on a large baking sheet. Roll out the sweet pastry to get a thin but even depth of pastry that will overhang the tart tin. Carefully roll the pastry over the rolling pin and then lift it over the tart tin and drop it in loosely. Tuck the pastry down the sides with the back of your knuckles, pressing it into the bottom edge well. Do not trim off any excess. Line the tart case with a baking parchment and fill with baking beans, rice or ceramic baking beans. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven. Take out the beans and greaseproof paper. Return to the oven to colour the bottom, another 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Reduce the temperature of the oven to 100*C/225*F. Pour the lemon mixture into the tart case just to reach the top. Return to the oven and bake for one hour, until the tart is only just set. Remove the tray from the oven and using a rolling pin, run it across the top of the tin to trim off the excess pastry. Leave to cool for about an hour before serving. Just before serving, dust with a good portion of icing sugar. Serve cut into slices along with some pouring cream.



*Rich Sweet Shortcrust Pastry*
makes 1/2 pound
Printable recipe

The best way to make shortcrust pastry that has a crisp crumble in the mouth texture is to do it by hand, rather than by machine. Using a machine tends to overwork the gluten in the flour and the pastry has a tendancy to end up springy and shrink when cooked.. Resting the pastry for a half hour in the fridge is also an important step because of the high proportion of butter to flour, which makes it difficult to roll out when warm.

8 ounces plain flour
4 ounces cold butter
2 ounces sifted icing sugar
2 egg yolks
2 TBS water

Sift the flour into a basin. Add the butter, cut into pieces and rub it into the flour until it resembled fine dry bread crumbs. Add the icing sugar. Whisk in well. Make a indentation in the centre of the butter mixture. Beat the egg yolks and water together. Pour into the indentation and then, using a fork, mix together to a rough dough in the basin. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth. Shape into a ball and then place into a zip lock bag. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes, while you make the filling. Proceed as per the recipe requirements for whichever recipe that you are using to fill the tart with.