Author: Sophie

Elderflower cordial

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The delicate, deeply-scented, floral flavour of early summer. And the bonus that you get to feel deeply, contentedly smug about making it from scratch. It’s just the thing with sparkling water, a slice of lemon and a substantial slug of gin.

  • 25 large, heavily pollen-y elderflower blossom heads (or 30 small ones)
  • 2 lemons, zest pared in strips and then the fruit sliced
  • 1 orange, sliced
  • 2 kg granulated sugar
  • 50g citric acid (or the juice of the lemons)
  1. Gently shake each of the elderflower heads outdoors (or over the sink) to remove any errant bugs
  2. Place in a large bowl with the sliced orange and lemon
  3. In a large saucepan on a low heat, dissolve the sugar in 1 litre of cold water
  4. Stir over the heat until the liquid is completely clear
  5. Then increase the heat to bring the syrup to the boil, then stir in the citric acid and pared lemon zest
  6. Pour the syrup over the elderflower, orange and lemon
  7. Cover the bowl with a big plate and set on one side in a cool place to steep for about 24 hours
  8. Strain into a jug, through a muslin-lined sieve, and them divide between sterilised jars or bottles
  9. Seal tightly and keep in a cool, dark place. Use within 2 months and refrigerate after opening

I love the early summer search for elderflowers, guided by the heady scent of a whole trees-worth of blossom. Bring sharp scissors to snip each nodding head at the base of the flowerhead straight into a plastic carrier bag. Go picking on a warm, sunny day – if you pick them after rain, much of the flavour of the blossoms will have been washed away.

Gingerbread cookies

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The beautiful lovechild of a soft, chewy cookie and a spiced gingerbread biscuit. For ultimate sweet-spicy dessert, use 2 cookies to sandwich a scoop of salted caramel ice cream.

120g unsalted butter, softened
1½ tbsp black treacle
150g soft light brown sugar
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 egg
250g plain flour
¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50g golden granulated sugar

  1. Beat together the butter, treacle, brown sugar and salt in a large mixing bowl
  2. Add the egg, then mix in all of the remaining ingredients apart from the granulated sugar, forming a soft dough
  3. Put the ball of dough into a bowl, or wrap in clingfilm, and chill in the fridge 20-30 mins
  4. Pre-heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  5. Line two baking trays with baking parchment
  6. Roll the mixture in your hands into around 20 walnut-sized balls
  7. Tip the granulated sugar onto a small plate, then firmly dab one side of each ball into the sugar. Place the balls, sugar-side up, spaced out on the baking tray
  8. Bake for 13-15 mins until golden brown
  9. Leave to cool completely on a wire rack

Cheese and potato cakes

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Ultimate comfort food, so delicious!

  • 2 large floury potato, peeled and cut into pieces
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 50g cheddar, grated
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 4 tbsp flour
  • Veg oil
  • Salt and pepper
  1. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and tip in the potato pieces
  2. Cook for 20 mins or until soft, then drain and leave to cool and allow some steam to escape
  3. In the meantime, heat 1 tbsp veg oil in a little pan and cook the onion for 5-10 mins until soft
  4. Put the cooked potato and onion into a bowl with all the other ingredients and squish everything together until thoroughly mixed
  5. Heat a frying pan with a couple of tbsp of veg oil over a medium heat
  6. With your hands, form the mixture into 4 burger-sized potato cakes
  7. Fry without moving them until golden brown on the underside, then flip carefully and do the other side

Quinoa, avocado and black bean salad

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A tumble of vivid flavours and textures, gorgeous alongside grilled steak marinated with chilli, cumin, garlic, paprika and lime. Feeds 4.

  • 200g cooked quinoa (80g dry weight)
  • 4 spring onions, finely chopped
  • 1 red pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 large avocado, peeled and diced
  • 1 large green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
  • 1 tin black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 small tin sweetcorn, drained
  • Bunch fresh coriander, chopped
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 3 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • Salt
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ clove garlic, grated or minced
  • Toasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds
  1. In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, spring onion, peppers, avocado, chilli, black beans, sweetcorn and coriander
  2. Whisk up the lime juice, oil, paprika, garlic and a decent pinch of salt in a small bowl or jug. Tip over the salad and mix well
  3. Serve at room temperature, sprinkled with toasted seeds

Thai chilli cashews

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Crunchy, spicy, toasty and incredibly more-ish. Amazing alongside a beer in the sunshine.

  • 150g cashew nuts
  • 1 tbsp veg oil
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1 heaped tsp chilli flakes
  • Small squeeze lime
  1. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium heat
  2. Tip in the cashews and drizzle over the oil
  3. Cook and stir for a few minutes until the cashews are golden brown
  4. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir constantly until the sugar melts and there’s no liquid left – this should only take a minute or so
  5. Tip onto a plate to cool

Tahini and lemon cookies

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This is a slightly tweaked recipe from my date-night favourite restaurant Honey & Co. Seriously, the chefs are complete magicians, the food is always mind-blowingly delicous and their cheesecake is EXTRAORDINARY.

These cookies are fragrantly lemony, delectably chewy and the warm, slightly bitter sesame comes in at the end.

  • 200g sugar
  • 140g unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 110g tahini (I love this one)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp bicarb
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • 250g flour
  • 2 tbsp marmalade
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • Skin of 4 preserved lemons, chopped
  • Sesame seeds
  1. Cream the butter with the sugar and the egg
  2. Then beat in the tahini, followed by all the rest of the ingredients
  3. Mix well to form a smooth dough. Pop it in the fridge for 20 mins to set
  4. Heat the oven to 180C fan (200C)
  5. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll into walnut-sized balls gently between the palms of your hands
  6. Tip about 3 tbsp sesame seeds onto a plate and dap each cookie blob into the sesame before placing on a lined baking tray, sesame-side up
  7. Space the cookies out so they have room to spread, maybe use 2 baking trays or do 2 batches
  8. Bake for 8 mins, rotate the tray and bake for a further 5 mins until the cookies are golden
  9. Remove from the oven and cool on the tray before eating.

Rarebit jacket potatoes

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Cheesy, potato-y gorgeousness. A comforting collision of Welsh rarebit and a jacket potato. Feeds 2.

  • 2 large baking potatoe
  • 25g butter, melted
  • 2 heaped tsp dijon mustard
  • 50ml dark ale
  • 3 good shakes worcestershire sauce
  • 100g strong cheddar, grated
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 spring onion, finely chopped
  1. Pre-heat oven to 180C fan (200C)
  2. Stick a skewer through the middle of each potato lengthways (helps it cook quicker and evener)
  3. Bake directly on the oven shelf for an hour, maybe up to an hour and a half – until the skin is brown and crisp, and the insides are soft and fluffy
  4. Turn up the oven to 200C fan (220C)
  5. Cut each potato in half lengthways (if it has a lengthway) and scoop out the flesh into a bowl, leaving 1 cm in the skins
  6. Mash the potato with the butter, mustard powder, ale, worcestershire sauce, egg and cheese, chives
  7. Put the skins like little potato boats, upturned on a baking tray, stuff bountiously with the mash and return to oven for 15 mins until golden brown

Serve with a crunchy salad or some steamed green beans

Make chicken more delicious with marinades

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Adds bags of flavour and succulence to chicken, whether you’re barbecuing, grilling or roasting. Quantities given are for roughly 8 pieces of chicken, could be breast, thigh or drumstick. The basic principal is acid, sweet, salt and flavourings, so it’s endlessly adaptable to whatever you have in the fridge. Just mix together the marinade ingredients and chuck in the chicken. Mix well, cover and put back in the fridge until you’re ready to cook. Anything from 20 mins to 12 hours ahead.

LEMON GARLIC PAPRIKA

  • 1 lemon, juiced but keep the shell to add too
  • 4 cloves garlic, squashed with the side of a knife
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tsp salt

YOGHURT BBQ

  • 5 tbsp plain yoghurt
  • 2 tbsp barbecue sauce
  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • 2 tsp onion granules
  • 2 tsp salt

HONEY, CHILLI AND LIME

  • 2 limes, juiced but keep the shells to add too
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 3 tbsp sriracha
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 3 garlic cloves, squashed with the side of a knife

Pea and avocado salad

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Fresh summer salad, an excellent combo of sweet peas, sharp mint, creamy avocado and slightly bitter leaves. Feeds 4.

  • 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 tbsp cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 20g mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 300g frozen petit pois
  • 2 baby gem lettuces, leaves separated and roughly torn (or other crisp salad leaves)
  • 2 avocados, scooped into chunky pieces direct from the skin
  1. Put the peas in a large bowl, pour boiling water over them, stir and leave to stand for 5 mins, then drain well and tip back into the bowl
  2. Add the sugar, vinegar, oil and most of the mint. Season and stir together well, leaving for 20 mins to get to know each other
  3. Just before serving, throw in the lettuce and avocado and toss everything together
  4. Strew onto a platter, sprinkle with the rest of the mint and serve straight away

Flourless chocolate mousse cake

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The most beautiful celebratory chocolate cake/dessert, managing the extraordinary magic of being both lightly cloud-like and deeply rich. The addition of frangelico makes it ever so slightly nutella-adjacent (although there are many other alcohol choices which work). AND it’s gluten free, just in case that’s important too. Based on Nigella’s amazing chocolate cloud cake recipe.

  • 6 eggs, 4 separated and 2 whole
  • 175g caster sugar
  • 250g dark chocolate
  • 125g unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp frangelico (or dark rum, brandy, amaretto, cointreau)
  1. Pre-heat oven to 170C fan (190C)
  2. Line a springform tin with baking parchment
  3. Snap the chocolate up and cut the butter into pieces, putting both into a heatproof bowl
  4. Heat the chocolate and butter together until only just melted – I use the microwave on 30 second bursts for this. Be careful not to overdo it. Once melted set on one side
  5. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until frothy and starting to hold the bubbles
  6. Tip in half of the sugar a tbsp at a time and whisk into glossy ripples. Set on one side
  7. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs, remaining sugar and frangelico
  8. Tip in the slightly cooled chocolate/butter mixture and whisk thoroughly until creamy and thick
  9. Gently fold in the egg white mixture until well combined
  10. Pour the batter into the prepped tin and place in the oven
  11. Bake for 35-40 mins until the cake is risen and cracked with the tiniest wobble in the middle
  12. Cool on a rack in the tin. It will sink in the middle and that’s totally fine!
  13. Only remove from the tin when you’re ready to serve

Serve at room temp with a tumble of ruby raspberries and a dollop of softly whipped cream (150ml double cream, whipped with 1 tbsp sifted icing sugar and 1 tbsp of the same alcohol)