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The easiest and most useful cake I know
I don’t like to follow too many rules but with baking you have to. That’s why I love this cake, because it breaks quite a few of the rules that we’re meant to follow and also gives you the freedom to play around with flavours. It truly is the easiest cake recipe I know. It...
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Black bean sopa Azteca – Mexican black bean soup
This Mexican soup is a regular dinner for us – the add-ins made it really filling and substantial. A few steps at the start of the recipe give the soup a wonderful smoky depth of flavour. And the end additions give it freshness and texture. This soup freezes beautifully, making it great for lunch or...
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apple snow with blackberry ripple
Faced with piles of blackberries from a recent walk and a bag of Bramley cooking apples from my Mum’s tree, I felt myself lean towards my default blackberry and apple crumble. But then I remembered the cloud-eating joy of apple snow and wondered if it was still as good as I remembered. It was. Better...
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spiced chocolate mousse pots
These gently spiced chocolate mousse pots are one of the easiest of make-ahead desserts. They are gluten and dairy free too so they cater for pretty much every guest, children too. They are inspired by the flavours of Mexican hot chocolate but you can make them with or without spice. I love them so much...
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a giant sausage roll fit for a Royal Wedding
Just one look at Prince Harry and you know he loves a sausage roll. I’m with him. Let’s hope Meghan has learned to love them too. A giant sausage roll is a brilliant party centerpiece. Let people cut a sliver or a wedge off with a bread knife. Add jars of mustard, pickle and a bottle...
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coronation chicken tacos
I love a good Royal Wedding and the upcoming nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are no exception. Pulling together the best bits of California and Britain is something I’m pretty adept at, so to help you celebrate the big day, I’ve created a party menu with recipes that bring together the best of...
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tacos and how to make taco night delicious
Until I moved to California from England, my experience of tacos was very limited and I’d never heard of taco night. Like most Brits, I had memories of those dusty boxes of crunchy Old El Paso tacos, stuffed with minced beef and topped with loads of cheddar cheese. Not good. My first taste of a proper taco in...
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Homemade wholemeal tortillas
These wholemeal tortillas are a great thing to make with children and can be used in so many ways – not just as tacos or tortilla chips. We often make them then use them as a healthy pizza base and we love them for breakfast with scrambled egg, avocado and bacon. They are ideal to...
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eggplant polpette with speedy tomato basil sauce
Meatless meatballs, aubergine balls, vegetarian balls – I struggled a bit to name this recipe. Anyhow, I’ve settled on eggplant polpette. Eggplant because I taught it first in my cooking classes in California, polpette because, well, ‘balls’ is only ever going to get one reaction. If you don’t like aubergine or eggplant I bet you’ll...
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store cupboard pizza
This store cupboard pizza recipe is so simple but one of the most popular ideas I’ve shared on social media recently. We all need a tried and tested recipe for when we are tempted to reach for the takeaway menu at the end of, or during, a tiring week. This delicious pizza is so easy...
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banana pancakes – ready in 5 minutes
Friends of mine have been raving about these banana pancakes for months but I wasn’t convinced. Last week I tried them for the first time, not expecting to like them. I had visions of them being like those awful cloud eggs that were everywhere on insta last year, but they’re delicious. They’re perfect for anyone...
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Christmas dinner recipes and tips
You can now buy my stress-free Christmas cooking guide, containing all my recipes, time plans and tips. I cover everything from the Christmas Day dinner, cocktails and party food, a dinner party menu and what to do with leftovers. All my recipes are written for any level of cook and my years of teaching, answering...
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one pan pasta – the easiest midweek dinner
Last night was our usual frantic mid week evening that started with double swimming lessons, showering two soap-resistant children and battling the changing rooms before coming home with another pile of laundry to add to the existing pile of laundry. I made this easy one pan pasta when we got home and it was on...
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15 minute sweet potato and blackbean nachos
These healthy veg-packed nachos are one of our favourite dinners and have the thumbs up from various children visitors. Always a good sign. You can make them in less then 15 minutes by grabbing these ingredients from your freezer: a serving of my sweet potato and black bean chilli, a couple of wholemeal tortilla wraps,...
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flapjacks – the perfect treat for busy bees
In a world full of Instagramable baking (don’t get me started on unicorn cronuts), old school flapjacks can get a bit left behind. They have been knocked out of the way by granola bars and the recipes have been the subject of a lot of fiddling, ingredients wise, these last few years. There are so...
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roast sausage gnocchi with tomato and greens
AKA ‘easy dins for little ones when the mums need to get on the wine and chat fast.’ I first made this roast sausage gnocchi when my frazzled friend was over with her children one Friday after school. It remains one of the easiest recipes and most quickly gobbled dinners I’ve made this year. I...
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one bowl summer fruit cake
Some days you need a crowd-pleasing cake fast. This simple one bowl summer fruit cake recipe is a great one to make when you don’t want to use any brain power or equipment. It also works with whatever fruit is in season. Think of it like a little black dress – you can keep bringing...
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