Ingredients:

200 g of mixed chopped nuts (including any seeds)

100g mixed raisins (cranberries, sultanas and chocolate chips - optional)

100 g of sugar (can include ground almonds or coconut sugar)

1 egg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice

Method:

1. Mix all dry ingredients together
2. Whisk the egg with a fork and stir into dry to coat everything
3. Drop spoonfuls onto a baking sheet (makes approximately 12 to 14)
4. Flatten with fork
5. Cook at 175° C for 12-14 minutes
6. Leave to cool on the baking tray to firm up before using a pallet knife to remove.

Ingredients:

• 1 onion cooked gently in a bit of water to soften
• 175 g (6oz) Cheddar cheese (Lancashire cheese is very nice too)
• Season to taste but bear in mind cheese is quite salt
• 2 sheets of ready-made shortcrust or puff pastry
• Egg or milk for brushing over the pastry.

1 oven proof plate not too deep.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200℃ (180℃ fan)/400°F/gas mark 6.
2. Grate the cheese and add to the pastry case on the plate, when the onions are translucent add them too. Season to taste.  We just add black pepper as the cheese is quite salty.
3. Using a pastry brush, paint the edge of the pastry with a little milk.  Use a rolling pin to lift the rolled out pastry and lay over the filled pie plate. gently press the edges together to seal and trim away the excess pastry.  Brush the top with a little milk and cut a small slit in the middle to allow steam to escape.
4. Bake the pie in the oven for 30 - 35 minutes until the pastry is cooked through and a beautiful golden colour.  You may need to rotate the pie halfway through the bake.  Remove from the oven once cooked and allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting into it and serving

Goes well with mushy peas. You can also add potato to the mix.

This recipe was submitted by Sandra Lawson.

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

PLEASE BEAR IN MIND I OFTEN JUST USE CHOPPED ONION AND SOME SMALL MIXED FROZEN VEGETABLES. IT IS STILL VERY TASTY)

1 STALK CELERY FINELY CHOPPED

1 SMALL ONION FINELY CHOPPED
½ GREEN PEPPER FINELY CHOPPED

1 CARROT FINELY CHOPPED

1 ½ CUPS OF LONG GRAIN RICE UNCOOKED.
2 1/2 to 3 CUPS OF CHICKEN STOCK (MAKE QUITE STRONG TO GIVE GOOD FLAVOUR)
1 ½ TABLESPOON BUTTER. (CAN USE TOMOR BUTTER)
½ TEASPOON SALT
1/8   TEASPOON GARLIC POWDER

GATHER ALL INGREDIENTS TOGETHER

PREHEAT OVEN TO 180 DEGREES C

COMBINE ALL THE INGREDIENTS IN A - 1 QUART BAKING DISH STIR WELL TO COMBINE.
(I USE A LONG FLAT PYREX)


COVER TIGHTLY AND BAKE IN A PREHEATED OVEN FOR 1 HOUR.

DON’T BE TEMPTED TO PEEK!

TAKE OUT FLUFF UP AND ENJOY WITH ANY MEAT OR FISH.

This is a great meal for a family and will probably last for 2 days, it is cheap, it is filling, healthy and good for your insides.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag (500g) of green lentils
• 4 large onions - sliced
• oil to fry onions
• 1 lemon - juiced
• 1 cup of rice
• salt and pepper

Method:

Empty bag of lentils in large pan and cover with water and soak for about an hour. Drain and rinse the lentils with clean water. Cover lentils with about an inch of water above the lentils. Do NOT add salt.

Fry the onions in a little oil with seasoning in a separate pan, you are trying to get the onions soft and lightly browned, it normally takes about the same time to cook the lentils.

Bring to boil then simmer the lentils for about an hour, if the liquid evaporates too quickly add more water. Skim off the foam on the surface of the simmering lentils, Add more clean water to the mixture to replace the water that has been skimmed.

Keep tasting the lentils until they are soft. The lentils will be plumper.

Add the cup of washed rice to the pan containing the soft lentils.  Add cooked onions to the mixture after about 5 minutes after adding rice. Cook lentils, rice and onions until rice is ready.

Add juice of 1 lemon and stir in.

Add more salt to taste.

During this time you have to judge how much water to add if any, as the rice and lentils absorb the water. You are trying to ensure there is no cooking liquid left just a moist mixture. Don't worry if you have liquid left, just switch off and leave for an hour, the rice and lentils should absorb the liquid.

This is an old recipe that has been updated to cope with modern sized cake tins and measures, Originally this recipe was for a 12"x8" tin, however the only tins I had were 34cm x 24cm, when I looked in the shops I could not find any old sized cake tins, this recipe has been modified with this in mind.

This cake is best after 3 or more days, it gets stickier and the spices mellow. The cake freezes well, we cut the cake into 3, wrap with cling film and then foil and freeze. Once taken out of the freezer put into a air tight tin or tupperware and leave for a few days, open the foil and film and cut a delicious piece of cake.

 Ingredients

• 400g plain flour
• 2½ tbsp ground ginger (or according to taste – this makes for quite a hot cake)
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you want it very hot)
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp mace
• generous pinch ground cloves
• 200g butter
• 170g dark brown muscovado sugar
• 200g golden syrup
• 270g black treacle
• ½ jar stem ginger, drained, and very finely chopped (optional)
• 50g syrup from the jar of stem ginger (optional – replace with more golden syrup or honey if not using stem ginger)
• 337ml milk
• 1½ heaped tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 large free-range eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170C - Gas 3. Line a 34x24cm tin with baking parchment (a straight-sided brownie tin would be perfect)
2. Sieve the flour into a large bowl along with the spices and mix lightly to combine.
3. Put the butter, sugar, syrups and treacle into a saucepan (to make it easier to spoon out the syrup and treacle, oil a spoon first – the syrup will then just slide off). Melt everything together over a gentle heat until the sugars have dissolved.
4. Add the stem ginger (if using) to the heated sugar mixture.
5. Whisk the milk and eggs and bicarbonate of soda together.
6. Remove the sugar mixture from the heat and whisk in the milk, bicarbonate of soda and eggs.
7. The bicarbonate in the milk will make the sugar mixture foam a bit.
8. Gradually add the contents of the saucepan to the flour in the large mixing bowl, making sure everything is well combined. You will end up with a very wet, pourable batter.
9. Bake in the oven for between 45 minutes and an hour. When the edges have pulled back slightly from the side of the tin and the gingerbread is springy to touch, it will be done.
10. Cool in the tin for half an hour and then turn out onto a wire rack. Once cold wrap and keep for a few days before eating – the gingerbread’s stickiness will develop an well as the spices mellowing as it matures
11. The Gingerbread freezes well, cover with cling film and foil.