This weekend my culinary repertoire was added to by another something I can’t believe I’ve never tried to bake before; oatcakes. Despite being on a big old attempt at a health kick ahead of my friend’s wedding, I treated myself to some snoked duck pâté as a lunchtime treat and accompaniment to salad (you have […]
These are an absolute treat as a healthy but filling accompaniment to roast chicken, sausages, fajitas, and so on. As with most of my favourite recipes, these can be customised with whichever additions you prefer (or you can leave some things out to your taste, or if you’d like a veggie version for example). Although […]
This is something I’ve wanted to try for ages and is also something Mr Brooker swears by. I don’t think he roasts chicken any other way now. It’s quicker, it’s juicier and it’s a lot more fun than a traditional roast chicken (although parts of the process can feel a little barbaric/obscene – we are […]
These are a nice little treat and a great way to use up blueberries as you only need 125g. Try as I might, raw blueberries really don’t do anything for me, but in muffins or a pie they come to life. I made these yesterday to fulfil a colleague’s request, as he asked for blueberry […]
The Mary Berry recipe for these calls for minced pork. I pinched an idea from my future mother-in-law, however, to make this recipe my own, (as she makes beef burgers using beef she grinds up herself – resulting in the tenderest burgers you can imagine) and to try to control the quality a bit, especially […]
Leftovers and store cupboard recipes seem to be the order of the day just now (trust me, my bank account is a fan!) so here’s another of my favourite quick midweek meals which largely uses ingredients from the kitchen cupboard and freezer. Unfortunately, the only way to make these types of recipe work in a […]
There’s nothing quite like a slow roast on a Sunday afternoon. Especially a meltingly soft, sweet, smoky, spicy, versatile pulled pork shoulder. This has had a lot of bad press recently for being too trendy and a bit past it, but I have never before summoned the courage to try making my own. It was […]
This is something Mr Brooker introduced to my lunchtime life, and it’s a much healthier version of Pizza Express’ delightful Bruschetta con Funghi (which is loaded with cream). This makes a fabulous lunch, served with salad or alone, a great starter, if served in a smaller portion, or a tasty canapé, if vastly miniaturised. […]
It was my Dad’s birthday recently and I wanted to make him a birthday cake that was manly enough to qualify for a man’s birthday treat. I spent 3 nights researching exactly the right flavour combination and the best recipes to provide what I was looking for. I’ve always thought there was something brilliant about […]
Ok, these still mean carbs. But we all need carbs sometimes. And they’re homemade carbs, so you have to let yourself off! They’re still almost raw and make a great light filling supper or weekend lunch, as well as ps king you full of vitamins, protein, good fats and omega 3! You will need: […]