Lemon Meringue Tart

The quest for a suitable pudding for Sunday lunch is a long and arduous one - with four children to please, let alone the Hubby - I'm never going to please everyone all of the time.  But we seem to have discovered a new favourite: lemon meringue pie!  A couple of weeks ago I bought one, and frankly it was pretty meagre and insipid.  I didn't want them to think this was actually lemon meringue pie, and I remembered that there had been a tart in the Great British Bake-Off book.  Not being a massive pudding fan, I knew a tart would work for the grownups too!  The result? A zingy, luscious curd, a crisp base, a dense high tower of soft meringue...

Bara Brith

If I'm baking, this is the recipe I must make the most often.  Bara Brith is a Welsh speckled bread made with tea soaked fruits.  It's an absolute doddle to make, and can sit perfectly happily in an airtight container for several days.  I always have so many people in my house, that I usually double up the batch and make two loaves at the same time.  I use the recipe from The Great British Book of Baking, just because it's always near the top of my book pile, and never makes it back onto the shelf!

Rachel Allen's 30 Day Muffins

Yes, more muffins.  Actually this time because I have a shocking cold, and I can't sleep.  Seemed as though it might be fun to make breakfast muffins for everyone to have in the morning!  Adapted from Rachel Allen's 30 day muffin mixture, the theory is that you can leave the mixture in the fridge for 30 days until you next want to make muffins... Does it work? Absolutely!

Breakfast Tart

I've been away all week, and there's so little left in my fridge.  I was trying to work out what to make everyone and was flicking through my copy of Breakfasts, when I came across this recipe.  What could be nicer than pastry, bacon and eggs on a Sunday morning?

Calorific Soups for Cancer Patients : Lemon Sole Soup

My father-in-law is suffering from oesophageal cancer, and whilst he's undergoing treatment, he finds it very difficult to maintain his calorific intake.  Not only does oesophageal cancer affect the oesophagus (the muscular tube that moves food from the mouth to the stomach, making it difficult to swallow), but the cancer drugs affect his taste-buds, his appetite and fills him with nausea!

Dan Lepard's Wholemeal Soda Bread

I'm a massive sourdough girl - I feed my sourdough starter every day and have been known to take it with me if it's looking a little unwell - it really is like having a (fifth) child!

Now some people appreciate the complexity of my sourdough, on twitter there are a core few who I'll talk particulars with (the Breadmakers) - but almost universally the bread people ask me about is sodabread.  Yes.  Irish sodabread.

Toffee Fudge Muffins

Okay, forget that New Year's promise of dieting for a moment, and have a toffee fudge muffin on me :0)  The little fudge chunks at the bottom of the muffins turn that bottom bit into a pseudo treacle sponge - delicious!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Bloomin' cheek... Pointed the toffee muffins out to the Hubby, who remarked rather pointedly that he only eats lemon poppy seed muffins.  Then he popped off for a quick run... Well.  The 10yo and I weren't going to stand for that, so we found a recipe, and made some while he was out!!!

Truffled Camembert with Crudités...

Another quick and yummy supper to share - crudités with a baked truffled camembert! Amazing what I rediscover unused in my fridge after Christmas!  Bake the camembert in the oven, then shave a few slices of white truffle over the cheese, and drizzle with some good olive oil - absolutely scummy!