Warm salady photos!

A step by step chicken tikka guide

The colours are vibrant and stunning – just as they should be.

Next up your salady bag ...

Now for some warm salady stuff

Hope you had a great Easter holiday!

This “salad” is excellent hot or cold and is a great idea to include as part of a mezze or thali as they say in India!

Or it stands perfectly well on its own but better still as part of a party table. It's convenient in that you can marinade overnight and just pop into the oven when you're ready.

Or it's a perfect dish for a Saturday night in front of your favourite tv!

Tandoori chicken tikka salad

Serves 4

700g (1lb 8oz) chicken breast, cut

into chunks

Marinade

1½ tbsps ginger and garlic paste

½ tsp salt

1½ tsps green chilli paste

2½ tbsps white vinegar

5 tbsps vegetable oil

1½ tsps turmeric

1½ tsps red chilli powder

1½ tsps cumin powder

2 tsps garam masala

160g (5½ oz) Greek yoghurt

or low fat version

For the dressing

4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil

1½ tbsps balsamic vinegar

1½ tsps brown sugar

¼ tsp coarse black pepper

¼ tsp cumin powder

pinch of salt

In a bowl mix the chicken pieces with the ginger and garlic paste, salt, green chilli paste and the white vinegar and leave to one side.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk the oil and turmeric. Add the red chilli powder, cumin poweder and garam masala to the bowl then mix well before adding the yoghurt. Combine the mixture thoroughly.

Add the chicken pieces to the yoghurt mixture. Use your hands to ensure the chicken pieces are evenly coated in the yoghurt marinade. Leave the chicken to marinade for at least an hour. You can leave it in the marinade overnight, this way the chicken will absorb all the flavours thoroughly.

Once the chicken has been marinated, place the pieces on an oven tray. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 20-25 minutes.

If you prefer a vegetarian or vegan version you can use Quorn pieces.

You'll not be disappointed!

Now for the marinade et al photos ...

Finally the buns!

I appreciate this recipe comes after Easter, I include it because it's an “any time” treat that's quick, easy and hits the spot!

This recipe uses that old favourite the puff pastry sheet – perfect for freezing for that rainy day or a good idea.

With this in mind, here are :

Mini Belgian Buns

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed in fridge (375g)

15g butter, melted

50g dark chocolate drops (or finely chopped)

25g ground almonds

50g sultanas

1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tbsp milk

Fondant Glaze

75g icing sugar

1-2 tsps boiling water

50g flaked almonds and 6 glacé cherries cut in half

to decorate

Preheat your oven 180c fan/200c/Gas 6. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper or similar. Unroll the pastry sheet and lay with the short sides either side - you are going to roll to form a log.

Brush the surface of the pastry and melted butter then scatter the chocolate and ground almonds leaving a border at the top end of the pastry to enable you to “glue” the log when rolled. Then scatter the sultanas over the chocolate and almonds. Carefully roll up from one of the shortest sides as tightly as you can forming a log.

Using a sharp knife, cut the log into 12 even slices. Place on the baking tray and brush with the remaining butter, then the beaten egg mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes until puffed and golden.

Here's the photo story so far folks!

For the fondant glaze - pour the boiling water slowly over the icing sugar in a small bowl while stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon. Pour in only enough water to make a creamy mixture that has the consistency of pancake batter. Cool. You need to make sure the mixture isn't too stiff, you need to be able to drizzle the glaze over your pastries.

Drizzle over the buns then sprinkle with flaked almonds and the final flourish – half a cherry on the top!

Hope you had the best time!

Outside the Rocky Road …

… you can choose whatever you fancy for a change to the original Rocky Road recipe. It's whatever floats your boat. An idea for a treat at any time and for any celebration!

Design your own Rocky Road

Traditionally Rocky Road is made using Brazil nuts,

glacé cherries and marshmallow.

Rules are meant to be broken - take a look at the

list below and if you'd like to design your own

Rocky Road swap any or all of the three

ingredients in the original recipe for the

same weight

(or may be four if you want to stay true

to Rocky Road and include the mini marshmallows)

Cashew

Peanut

Pistachio

Pecan

Hazelnut

Glacé cherry

Dried sour cherries

Cranberry

Apricot

Banana chips

Pineapple

Sultanas

Nougat

Turkish Delight

Fudge

Toblerone

Praline

Salted Caramel

Mini Marshmallow

Popping Candy

My latest suggestions are :

Pecans with dark cherries and vanilla fudge

Pistachios, apricots and Turkish Delight

Spoilt for choice!

The old favourites are the best!

I realise that this is not a traditional Easter Egg but hey does it really matter so long as it's chocolate?! What I love about this treat is it's easy and makes heaps so whilst it sounds like it could be expensive if you've lots of treats to give then you'll find it's great value too.

Rocky Road

250g dark chocolate

150g milk chocolate

175g soft butter, unsalted

4 x 15ml tbsp golden syrup

200g hobnobs

*150g shelled Brazil nuts

*150g red glace cherries

*125g mini marshmallows

Put the biscuits into a freezer bag and roll with a rolling pin until you get a mixture of rubble.

Chop the Brazil nuts into different sizes.

Chop both sorts of chocolate into small pieces, or use chocolate buttons made for melting and then put them into a heavy-based saucepan to melt with the butter and syrup over a gentle heat.

Take the pan off the heat and add the biscuit and nuts, cherries and mini marshmallows. Turn carefully so that all the ingredients are coated with the syrupy chocolate.

Tip into a foil try (I use a tray bake size), smoothing the top as best you can, although it is meant to be uneven.

Refrigerate until firm enough to cut, which will take about 1½-2 hours. Take the set block out of the tray. With the long side in front of you cut 6 slices down and 4 across so that you have 24 squares.

This is the basic Rocky Road recipe. The three ingredients marked “*” can be swapped to suit your own personal taste. You can choose any of the ingredients given on your “Design your own Rocky Road” sheet attached.

Make ahead tip:

Make the Rocky Road and refrigerate to set, cut into bars or bite size pieces and then store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 1 week.

Freeze for up to 1 month.

Have a look ...

a Chocolate Chip Scone

warmed and split with a side of cherry

jam and clotted cream

a loaded treat!

A final tip – don't be tempted to add the cocoa to your ingredients without sifting.

Perfect for the chocoholics!

Easter tea-time treats

This is a bit different - of course you don't have to wait until Easter!

Chocolate Chip Scones

500g plain flour (1lb 2oz)

1 tsp salt

2 tsps bicarb

4½ tsps cream of tartar

25g cocoa

125g (5oz) unsalted butter

100g of plain chocolate drops – minimum

50% cocoa solids

300ml milk

1 large egg, beaten

5cms/2” fluted cutter

cocoa in a small ramekin to dip the cutter

to prevent sticking plus extra to dust your

working surface

2 baking sheets, lined with baking parchment

Pre-heat oven 200fan/220c/Gas 7

Sift the flour, salt, bicarb, cream of tartar and cocoa into a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until you've got breadcrumbs, add the chocolate chips then add the milk – all of it – mix with a round bladed knife, roughly and then tip onto a working surface, dusted with cocoa and knead lightly so that you have a dough. Divide the dough in half, leaving half in the bowl. You can use a rolling pin or your hands to round and flatten until 4cms/1½” deep. Remember to dip your cutter into the ramekin of cocoa before cutting, repeat with the remaining dough.

If you use the size of cutter in the recipe you'll get 24 scones.

Place the scones on the baking parchment, then brush with beaten egg. Bake for 10 minutes until risen and chocolatey brown.

A tip - there's no doubt that what matters are good quality ingredients, plain chocolate and organic cocoa in particular. I always use Green and Black's Organic Cocoa, it never fails. If you're not a fan of plain chocolate you could use 50/50 plain and milk.

It's important that these scones are served warm. They will freeze which might be a good idea of you want “chocolate control” – defrost – which will take a couple of hours at room temperature and then warm in a pre-heated oven (150fan/170c/Gas 3) for 5 minutes, split and serve.

Have a look ...

Easter trifle continued

The segmented orange ...

… you'll need a serrated knife – I use a bread knife.

Top and tail your orange and then follow the shape of the orange with the knife and peel away a section at a time. Take your time – you should finish up with this :

Hold the orange in your left hand and using the serrated knife – very carefully – cut along the inside of the white membrane of the segment - I start on the left hand side – you can see the white in the photo - repeat on the right hand side. Repeat until you finish with perfect segments and the discarded membranes, like this :

You should get orange juice too, reserve and then drizzle over the cubed sticky toffee cake.

P.s. You'll get 10 segments from a large orange.

How about more Easter treats?

The cake, the sauce and the walnuts!

The cake

200g pitted dates, roughly chopped

1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

200ml boiling water

80g unsalted butter, softened

150g soft brown sugar

2 large eggs

180g self-raising flour

Pre-heat your oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4. You'll need a loaf tin – 24x10cms/9½x5¼” approximately - you can grease the tin or use a loaf liner – much more convenient!

Place the chopped dates in a mixing bowl, sprinkle over the bicarb and then the boiling water. Leave to stand for 10 minutes then blitz in a food processor to a rough purée.

Using a hand mixer or elbow grease if you prefer, cream the butter and sugar until thick and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and then follow gradually with the flour, finally add the date mixture. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes or until firm. Allow to cool.

Toffee Sauce

100g soft brown sugar

200ml double cream

½ tsp vanilla bean paste

40g unsalted butter

Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring over a medium heat until thickened – 2 minutes.

Both the cake and the sauce can be frozen.

The Walnuts

100g walnuts, chopped roughly

pinch of sea salt flakes

knob of unsalted butter

Melt the butter in a medium frying pan until it foams. Tip in the walnuts and add the sea salt flakes. Stir them for 3-4 minutes until toasted. Tip the nuts into a bowl and leave to cool.

How to segment an orange …

I really do need to get out more!

In my defence I love oranges – what I don't love is the pith and tough outer membrane around each segment.

There is only one way I can describe this procedure and that is with a photo guide!

An Easter treat?

Here's my antedote to trifle! For me it's up there with sago and semolina – horrid! I appreciate that trifle has “grown up” since the 1950s – back then it was tinned fruit immersed in jelly from a box, the inevitable Birds Custard topped off with synthetic cream – and decorated with hundreds and thousands – sprinkles I think they are called these days.

If you're of a like mind then this could be the answer :

Sticky Toffee Orange Trifle

Make a cake – a cake that will freeze well – a sticky toffee loaf cake

Use as a cake or slice (1.5cm) and cut into small cubes –

place in a sundae dish – warm the cake if you wish

Make a toffee sauce – one that will freeze

Use the sauce warmed to drizzle over the cake or over ice cream

Chop walnuts, add a knob of butter to a frying

pan, sprinkle with sea salt flakes

Use to sprinkle over the cake and toffee sauce or

add to the sauce poured over ice cream

Segment a large navel orange and reserve the juice too

Stand by for the recipes and the photos!

The extra mile – the ice cream!

I always seem to plan my menus with ideas for desserts first!

There's nothing that will serve you better than a home-made ice cream and all my recipes are of the “no-churn” variety. I use the standard vanilla ice-cream base recipe to begin :

Vanilla ice cream

Prep – 5 minutes

Total time – 5 minutes

plus freezing at least 6-8 hours

or until firm

Gives you 1.6 litres of ice cream is equal

to 18 scoops

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff, then decant into smallish containers.

To serve – remove from the freezer and allow to soften.

Serve with the cake, drizzle and a scoop of ice cream – a great idea for Mother's Day!

Orange drizzle ...

This cake is moist – moist is good but, to use the northern vernacular, it can be “claggy”. I would, and do, make extra “drizzle” to serve with a lemon drizzle cake – here's an orange version that is perfect to serve with the Gateau a l'Orange.

Orange Drizzle

200g icing sugar

250ml orange juice – no bits

Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Hey presto, a syrupy drizzle to dress your cake and you've turned a cake into a supper or dinner party dessert – serve with a spoonful of clotted cream or vanilla ice cream.

P.s. I've only ever heard the word “claggy” in the North West of the UK. To set the record straight it means “sticky” and apparently is Scandinavian in origin – you live and learn!

Photo guide up next ...

Orange drizzle to go with the cake

This is so easy and delicious - as I said previously it turns a cake into a supper or dinner party dessert.

Here's the drizzle cooling:

and again with the cake

or, if you'd prefer to give your guests a choice, serve the drizzle in small jugs

I've frozen the syrup and it's great.

I served the cake with the drizzle and vanilla ice cream – another perfect freezer dessert of your own making!

Finally, the ice cream ...

Another “extra” idea - chocolate sauce anyone?

You've made the orange ripple ice cream and it's in the freezer. The following chocolate and orange sauce can be made in minutes. The ingredients are in your fridge and your pantry and it takes only minutes to bring the cream and milk to the boil, add the sugar until dissolved and then tip over the chocolate and orange zest.

Chocolate and orange sauce

120ml double cream

80ml milk

50g caster sugar

225g dark chocolate (70%) broken into small pieces in a large bowl

zest of 1 orange

Put the cream and milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove pan from heat and pour over the chocolate, stir until melted. Add the orange zest, then set aside to cool in serving jug or if you'd prefer it warm, pour over a portion of ice cream.

I'd suggest serving the ice cream and sauce with fresh orange segments. You could add an extra element and crush amaretti biscuits and sprinkle over the top – another excellent store cupboard stand by.

Here it is :

Perfect!

Orange Ripple ice cream

What about an orange ripple ice cream, adding the vanilla ice cream recipe as the base?

I made a double batch of orange syrup that we used for the drizzle – why double? I divided it into half – popped half into the freezer for another day and fridged the other half, ready to turn my basic vanilla ice cream into an orange ripple.

Orange Syrup

400g icing sugar

500ml orange juice (no bits)

Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.

You'll achieve approximately 600ml of syrup – divide into two boxes and freeze one of them. Fridge the other, ready to complete your ice cream.

Here's a few photos …

Whisk your ice cream to a stiffer consistency

– thicker ribbons - you're adding syrup which will loosen

the batch

here's the syrup, ready to go

tip the syrup into the ice cream and fold through

gently

here's the orange drizzle ice cream, ready for

the freezer – you can see the vanilla flecks and the

trail of orange syrup running through

What's not to love – a treat in the freezer, ready when you are!

The really useful cake – a photo guide!

Take it from someone who doesn't “do cake” - this is the exception.

The final bonus – it freezes – it's a win win!

Now for the extra bits ...

The really useful cake!

This is the first of a series of recipes ad ideas using oranges – I hope you like!

This is my favourite cake, tried and tested and another flourless recipe – it stands wonderfully on it's own and is equally a perfect celebration cake with extra bits!

Gateau a l'Orange

(Orange Cake)

Serves 12

2 oranges

6 large eggs

250g sugar

2 tbsp orange blossom water

1 tsp baking powder

250g ground almonds

Wash the oranges and boil them whole for 1 – 1½ hours or until they are very soft.

Beat the eggs with the sugar. Add the orange blossom water, baking powder and almonds and mix well. *Cut open the oranges, remove the pips and purée in a food processor. Mix thoroughly with the egg and almond mixture and pour into a 23cm cake tin – lined with baking parchment, preferably non-stick and with a removable base. Bake in a pre-heated oven 170fan/190c/Gas 5 for an hour. Let it cool before turning out.

Believe me when I say that I stared at this recipe for years. What put me off baking this cake was the boiling of the oranges for the time allotted, an hour and a half is too long for me watching oranges and it's so easy to become distracted - before you know it you have a burnt saucepan and the rest, as they say, is history.

To bring it up to date - instead of boiling the oranges, microwave them for 8 minutes on high.

Pierce the oranges with a paring knife – carefully and microwave for 4 minutes then turn and repeat. Make sure your fruits are in a covered vented microwave container. Continue with the recipe marked *.

A useful tip. Microwave the oranges ahead of making the cake so that they can cool, it will be much easier and safer to prep them, ready to pulverise.

This cake is so moist – enjoy!

Next up a photo guide ...

Slow cooked pork with Calvados and

… Parmesan Dumplings

Use a combination of roasted veggies as a base for this dish – parsnips, carrots, potatoes – whatever your favourites are! Prepare root vegetables of a similar size so that they roast at the same time.

This is perfect for a supper party!

Slow cooked pork loin steaks with

Calvados cream sauce

600g/1lb 5oz pork loin steaks – 6 steaks, trimmed

glug of rapeseed/Canola oil

salt and black pepper

generous sprinkle of dried herbs – sage or

thyme

2 tsps of garlic paste – optional

500ml/1 pint approx vegetable stock – use a stock pot if you're

not using your own stock

Heat the oil in a large frying pan until hot. Seal the loin steaks on both sides, add salt and black pepper, garlic and herbs. Set aside the steaks in the slow cooker then add your stock to the residual juices in the frying pan, bring to the boil and slow cook for 3 hours.

Before you begin to make your sauce, time for the leftover veggies – try and make sure they are of a similar size. Place in a foil tray and drizzle with rapeseed or similar oil and season with salt and black pepper. Pop into a pre-heated oven 200c/180fan/Gas 6 for 25 minutes to allow them to finish roasting and become crisp.

For the sauce, you'll need approximately 200ml of stock from the cooked pork steaks - strain, cover and fridge until cold and ready for use. Freeze the remainder of the stock.

Calvados cream sauce

15g/¾ oz unsalted butter

15g/¾ oz plain flour

1 tsp garlic paste or 1 clove, crushed

glug of Calvados

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

200ml/7 fl oz stock

300ml/½ pint/10 fl oz double cream

salt and black pepper

Melt the butter, take the pan off the heat, add the flour and whisk. Return to the heat and cook out the flour for 2/3 mins, stirring continuously – add the garlic paste and mustard and then, on a high heat, add the Calvados and cook for 1-2 mins. Add the cold stock straight into the sauce and whisk until smooth, then cook on a low heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper.

Add the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.

Serve in large bowls, veggies first then the pork and drizzle with sauce and for the crowning glory pop a dumpling on top – yum!

Enjoy!

Good, old fashioned Stew and Dumplings

… actually it's slow cooked shin beef steaks with Parmesan dumplings.

Shin beef used to be considered an old fashioned cut of meat – it has become more fashionable of late. It is perfect for slow cooking – it has connective tissue which is broken down over a long cooking time resulting in tender meat, full of flavour.

What follows is the penultimate “comfort” recipe :

Steak, Gravy and Parmesan Dumplings

Serves 4

1kg shin beef – cut into thick steaks

glug of rapeseed oil

2 cloves of roasted garlic

500g Passata

1 tbsp tomato paste

2tsps soft light brown sugar

2 tbsps soy sauce

250ml red wine – I used Chianti

300ml water

2 beef stock pots

salt and black pepper

Using a large frying pan heat the rapeseed oil and seal the steaks on both sides, seasoning with salt and black pepper. Set the steaks aside in the slow cooker.

Add the garlic, tomato paste, sugar, soy and stock pots and fry gently so that the tomato paste is cooked out and the stock pots melted combining all the ingredients. Add the red wine and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer, add the water and the passata bring back to the boil then tip over the steaks in the slow cooker. Cook for 4-6 hours on low.

You don't have to do anything with the steak and gravy, if you leave it overnight – covered of course - in a cool place all that will happen is that the flavours have time to develop and it'll taste even better.

If you leave it overnight then re-heat in a pre-heated oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6 and for 15 minutes then add the parmesan dumplings and cook for 30 minutes. (The Parmesan Dumplings recipe is on the blog - “The dumplings … continued”)

The perfect supper to make ahead!

The ultimate zhuzh

Here's my latest thought, “zhuzhed” a little, this time with goulash.

Traditionally goulash was served with rice or, spatzle (a soft egg noodle). I'm a retro kinda gal - in the 70s, it was with new potatoes and I still serve it that way – however the ultimate alternative addition is to serve with dumplings. Don't forget the sour cream - stirring in or even a blob on top – optional of course.

Hungarian Goulash

Serves 4-6 depending on size of appetite

900g braising steak, diced

glug of rapeseed oil to seal the beef

1 large onion, chopped as finely as possible

*8 tbsp tomato ketchup

*2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

*1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

*2 tsps salt

*2 tsps Hungarian sweet paprika

*½ tsp mustard powder

300ml water

2 beef stock pots

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water

small tub of sour cream - optional

Use a large frying pan and seal the steak in the rapeseed oil – in small batches – if you overfill the pan you will finish up with grey steak and it will “stew” - not nice! Set the batches aside in the slow cooker. Soften the onion for 2 minutes and then add to the steak.

In a medium sized bowl mix together the ingredients marked *.

Using the same frying pan – and therefore any residual juices, add the water and the stock pots, bring to the boil and stir until the pots have melted. Add the mixed ingredients * and pour over the beef.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until meat is tender.

At the end of the cooking time, using a slotted spoon, remove the steak from the gravy. Mix the cornflour with water and stir into goulash and cook on high to thicken.

Add the steak back into the thickened gravy and you're good to go with the dumplings.

I know it's a giant recipe for a couple of portions but it's perfect for batch freezing – just think how virtuous you'll feel when you can pull a couple more out of the freezer!

Now for a “comfort bowl” …

… and it's perfect with dumplings!

I know there are gazillions of soup recipes out there – this is one of my absolute favourites. It's versatile too since you can chuck in whatever you like and make it your own.

Carrot, Coriander and Chickpea Soup

500g Charlotte potatoes, peeled and diced

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and diced

2 stockpots – vegetable in my case but

chicken if you prefer

1 litre of water

1 tsp mild curry powder

1 heaped tsp ground coriander

salt and black pepper

Drop of rapeseed oil

1 can chick peas, drained and rinsed

Using a large saucepan, soften the onion and carrot in a drop of rapeseed oil for approximately 5 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Add the curry powder, coriander and black pepper and cook the spices with the onion and carrot for 2 minutes so that the flavours are released.

Add the stockpots plus 500ml of the water and simmer until the pots have melted.

Add the diced potatoes and the remaining 500ml of water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes until the carrot and potatoes are cooked. Taste, then add salt to personal taste.

Set aside to cool.

Place 3 ladles of soup in a liquidiser/food processor and blitz until thick. Add this back into your soup and stir well – check that the soup is a consistency that suits your preference. If it's too thin, repeat the ladles as above. Add the chick peas, heat and serve.

By blitzing the ladles of soup – you are using the potatoes as a thickening agent and so no artificial thickening is required. You are left with a soup that has visible, chunky vegetables and of course the chick peas.

Note to self – don't be tempted to put the potatoes in with the carrots and onions when softening in the oil. The natural starch that is released from the potatoes means that they will cement themselves to the bottom of your saucepan – not a pretty sight – not to mention the wrecked soup.

Don't forget what I said … tear off a sheet of foil large enough to overlap the pan, push down slightly and then secure with the lid. Make sure your soup is simmering gently before you add the dumplings and seal with foil. 20 minutes later you'll have dumplings the size of which you wouldn't believe.

Now for the ultimate zhuzh!

The dumplings ... continued

Or you could have a posh version …

Parmesan Dumplings

In a large bowl, mix together

100g (4oz) self raising flour

50g (2oz) vegetarian suet

pinch of salt

15g grated Parmesan cheese

add 5 tbsps of ice cold water – 100ml approx

– enough to give a

firm but pliable dough. Divide into 8 dumplings – 6 if

you'd like big ones!

30g grated Parmesan cheese to garnish

Pre-heat oven 180fan/200c/Gas 6.

Add the dumplings to a soup or (for example) a goulash and sprinkle 30g of parmesan cheese over the dumplings and cook for 30 minutes.

Serve in a warmed bowl – delicious!

Here goes … the dumplings!

You've got a choice!

Dumplings made with suet have more texture to them. If you prefer light and fluffy then probably without suet would be better for you. If you've never sampled this delicacy then the only way is to make them both ways and decide for yourself.

Suet Dumplings

100g self raising flour

50g vegetable suet

pinch of salt

60ml of ice cold water

A generous pinch of dried mixed herbs - optional

Mix the flour, suet and salt with the water – you want to achieve a firm dough with some give.

Divide into eight and shape into balls.

Place on top of your casserole or soup, simmer for 20 minutes. Ensure that the casserole or saucepan has a tight fitting lid.

Dumplings sans suet

140g cold unsalted butter

250g self raising flour

salt and black pepper

150ml cold water

Generous pinch of mixed herbs – optional

Back to basics – rub the butter into the flour – aka the rubbing in method – until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add the herbs and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add the cold water and mix quickly to form a dough. Dust your hands with flour and divide the dough into twelve and form into balls.

Add to the top of your casserole, soup or stew and bake for 20 minutes, as above.

You might think this is a lot of fuss about nothing – I suppose you have to be a certain age – give them a try, see for yourself!