I used to love meatloaf as a child, that mash potato and veg was my happy meal. Being either vegetarian or vegan it was a meal that was a distant memory. I have tried many nut loaves but really they hold no appeal, I wanted a smoother texture. I wanted something I could have it... Continue Reading →
I love a sausage roll and they are the perfect buffet finger food for every occasion. I cannot imagine a Christmas without making some. I didn't want to have just sausage meat and pastry, although they are also good too. I wanted to jazz mine up and raise the flavours a bit more. Since so... Continue Reading →
It seems at the moment that I am in a stollen flavour bubble. While I love making the traditional spiced German loaf marbled with marzipan, sometimes I want to ring the ranges. I have made Gluten-free stollenStollenStollen cookiesStollen muffins and now introducing stollen bites. These are MoistStickyMoreishFruit PackedAlmondyDelicious This is my final foray into stollen... Continue Reading →
If there is one definitive food that signals the arrival of the festive season in our house, then it has to be the German Christmas bread Stollen. This loaf that has a thick dusting of icing sugar on the outside, is meant to resemble the baby Jesus in swaddling clothing. This buttery bread enriched with... Continue Reading →
There are certain spices that scream Christmas, these are ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I have been coming up with plenty of ways to incorporate those spices in my cooking right now. Obviously, the most common recipes are gingerbread biscuits and ginger cake. I have been making both of these items for over 30 years now.... Continue Reading →
Mince pies are one of my favourite indulgencies at Christmas and my first mince pie of the season is something I look forward to. I make my mincemeat too, it gives me the chance to pack in the flavours that I love as I am the only person in my immediate family that like them.... Continue Reading →
I love savoury goodies, much more so than the sweet stuff. Best of all for me is pastry, be it shortcrust or puff pastry. I just love the way it crumbles when you bite into it, sending golden crumbs all down your front and sticking to the side of your mouth. In my pre-vegetarian and... Continue Reading →
If I had a pound for every Stollen I have made over the years, I would be a wealthy woman. I started baking these fragrant loaves around 30 years ago, at that time they were not found in supermarkets. Now it is nice to ring the changes a little and incorporate the same essential flavours... Continue Reading →
It has been a long-standing tradition in our house for me to bake stollen. This traditional German Dresden bread is packed full of plump dried fruit, spices, nuts, alcohol, and citrus zest at Christmas time. My sons, friends, and family adore them. On occasions baking as many as 25 loaves. Not for me though because... Continue Reading →
Filling Makes 4 individual ones or 1 large onePreparation Time 25 MinutesCooking Time 25 Minutes200C Vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free This recipe came about when I was deciding what to cook for my Christmas dinner. I had wanted to make a vegan pithivier for some time, so here was the chance. The pastry was easy enough... Continue Reading →
Preparation Time 20 MinutesCooking TimeResting Time 24 HoursMakes 18-21 Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free I have been making stollen loaves for the past 15 years, at that point they were neither vegan nor gluten-free. Stollen originates from Germany, it is a loaf containing nuts, fruit, spices and marzipan. While it is delicious and a constant in our... Continue Reading →
I cannot ever remember since I was 18 years old not making my own Christmas cake. My dad as a professional baker, baked at least 50 cakes from home every year after early retirement. Nearly everyone in the street I grew up in had a cake made by my dad. I remember standing as a... Continue Reading →
Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 45-55 minutes Serves 8-10 slices Two of my favourite cakes as a child were McVities Jamaican ginger cake and golden syrup cake, They conjured up Sunday afternoon tea times. Still quite full from the Sunday roast dinner, tea time consisted of sandwiches and various cakes. Just the sight of those shiny... Continue Reading →
