🥘 One pot | 🍽 Serves 4-6 | 🛒 12 ingredients | ⏱ 45 minutes | €4

This classic soup is a great winter warmer. Use any vegetables and meat leftover from Sunday lunch, try it with sweet potato and Brussels sprouts. Stuffing and sausages are good too.

You will need one large pot

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100g streaky bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, cut into rounds
• 2 sticks celery, roughly sliced
• 350g vegetable combination (swede, turnip, sweet potato, parsnip or celeriac, peeled and diced).
• 250g floury potatoes, sliced
• 1.5 litres chicken stock
• 1/2 a small Savoy cabbage cut into thin wedges
• 200g cooked chicken, cut into thin strips
• Salt and black pepper

Step by step:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon and fry until its crisp and brown, then add all the vegetables except the cabbage.
2. Stir the vegetables for a couple of minutes over a high heat, then pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring the soup to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the cabbage and cook for another 15 minutes. The potatoes will have broken up slightly and thickened the soup.
4. Finally add the cooked chicken and warm it through and serve right away.

Tips:

The main thing is to have fun with this sort of soup and use the recipe merely as a guide. Think pumpkin, leeks, cauliflower, kale and your favourite herbs, thyme, rosemary and parsley are great.

We used Kallo organic chicken stock (£1.79 in most supermarkets) with fabulous results.

If you are using a thermomix:

1. Roughly chop your vegetables
2. Place the bacon in the bowl and chop for 6 seconds, speed 6
3. Add the oil and cook for 3 minutes at 115 degrees C
4. Remove the bacon and add the cut vegetables to the bowl and chop for ten seconds at speed 4. Add back the bacon and stock and cook for 13 minutes at 90 degrees C
5. Add the chicken and cook for another three minutes at 95 degrees C
6. Serve in warmed bowls with a good grinding of black pepper or nutmeg

Tips

Don’t forget to use reverse enabled for cooking

Serve with basil and croutons, or a crusty baguette

How to make the perfect frittata…

Ingredients:

• 1 large white onion, or 6 spring onions
• 5 tbsp olive oil
• 200g broad beans, podded and jackets removed
• 6 large eggs
• chopped herbs of your choice, dill, mint or parsley are all good
• 100g ricotta (sheep or cows milk) or 50g grated parmesan
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Step by step:

1. Thinly slice your onion. Use a medium size non stick frying pan to warm the oil. Add the onion and fry until very soft. Add the broad beans and cook for two minutes.

2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour them over the vegetables.

3. Cook the frittata over a low heat. As the edges start to set pull them away from the side of the pan with a spatula.

4. When the base is set, get ready to flip your frittata. Place a plate upside down on your frittata, invert your pan and then slide the frittata back into the pan to finish cooking the other side.

Some people like their frittata slightly runny in the centre, a bit like an omelette. If you prefer it a little more well done just give it another few moments in the pan.

Note: Finish your frittata under the grill if you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 3 rashers bacon – finely chopped
• 1/2 green cabbage (ideally Savoy) finely shredded
• 1 small white onion – finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic – finely chopped
• 1/2 litre milk
• 1/2 litre water
• 1 chicken stock cube
• Ground nutmeg
• Chopped parsley

Step by step:

1. Add the finely chopped bacon to the pan with 2 dessert spoonfuls of oil. Fry off for 3-5 minutes until the bacon is slightly crisp
2. Add the chopped onion and garlic and sautée for 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle over 1 tbsp of plain flour and cook for another minute
3. Add the milk and stir thoroughly. Add pepper to taste and continue cooking and stirring occasionally. Add a good pinch of ground nutmeg. Add the water and chicken stock cube
4. Add the cabbage. Bring to the boil and continue cooking until the cabbage is soft (5-15 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add some chopped parsley. Add more pepper to taste 

Serve in warmed bowls with croutons, crusty bread or crackers.

Tip…The soup will be quite creamy, just add boiling water before serving of you want a thinner soup

If you want to cook a little extra bacon at the beginning and save it, you can add that just before serving in a small stack in the soup bowls with extra parsley and nutmeg

This soup is quick and easy to make. Delicious lunch or evening, served as a starter or main meal. If you want to spice it up, add some ground cumin and fresh chopped coriander.

Ingredients

• 25g Butter
• 1 medium onion (or 2 shallots), chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed
• 450g parsnips, chopped
• 250g dessert apples peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/2 tsp fresh parsley chopped
• 1.2 litres vegetable stock
• 70ml single cream
• 1 tbsp plain flour

Step by step:

1. Melt the butter in a large pan, then add the onion (or shallots) and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. 
2. Add the apples and parsnips and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Add a tablespoon of plain flour. Stir through and cook for a couple of minutes. Add half the parsley and stir again
3. Pour in the stock, season well and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Remove from the heat, wait for it to cool then blend it in your food processor or use a stick blender, until almost smooth (but keeping a little texture).
4. Return the soup to the pan, stir in the cream and reheat gently, but don’t boil. Check the seasoning and adjust to taste.
5. Serve straight away in pre-heated bowls with a crusty loaf, or some garlic bread.

• Carole’s Parsnip and Pear Soup

Lockdown has led many of us to do more home shopping. Whether you are treating yourself or family and friends here are two favourite on line retailers.

The Cheese Shed

Winner of The Observer Best Online Food Retailer, The Cheese Shed is one of many independent food producers that have developed a great on line business during the pandemic. Fabulous cheeses are delivered next day wrapped in waxed paper. Order biscuits and chutney too, or go for a hamper. Whether you’re treating yourself or friends and family, this is a lovely gift idea.

www.thecheeseshed.com

Caws Cenarth Cheese Ltd

Another great on line cheese retailer is Caws Cenarth Cheese based in Carmarthenshire. Makers of the famous Perl Las and Perl Wen Welsh cheeses have been producing cheese since 1986.

Check out their shop and join them for one of their regular on line Zoom tastings. Simply order your wine and cheese to be delivered a day or so before the tasting date. Join the group with information on the cheese from Ian, and wine sommelier Catriona.

www.cawscenarth.co.uk

It couldn’t happen to a nicer couple or be more well deserved. David and Liz have scooped Gold in The Cornwall Tourism Awards 2020 Best Cafe/Tearoom in Cornwall. From their lovely tearoom in Mevagissey comes the Cornish Tin Cream Tea delivered direct to your door.

Treating yourself or friends, simply contact them and book a delivery. The plain or fruit scones come with Boddingtons jam and clotted cream – a perfect afternoon tea. Cream teas start from £20 and are delivered in a lovely tin box.

teacuptearoom.com

This is a great base for making a quick minestrone at home and really convenient if you’re away in the camper van. Simply add any extra root vegetables you fancy and soft vegetables, peas, spinach or kale towards the end of cooking.

All these ingredients came from Waitrose and cost £7.30 to serve 4

Ingredients: 

• 400g pack of soffritto mix

• 410g tin borlotti beans

• 310g pack of prosciutto cappelletti

• 350g cherry tomato and basil sauce

• 1 low salt vegetable stock cube

• 1 handful of chopped fresh parsley

Step by step:

1. Add a low salt stock cube to 700ml of water and bring to the boil. 

2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pan. Add the soffritto mix with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Soften over a medium heat for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in a can of drained and rinsed borlotti beans and add tomato sauce plus the 700ml of stock. Bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes.

4. Add the cappelletti  and cook for another 5 minutes.

5. Check the seasoning and add chopped parsley or basil

Tips

Add any extra root vegetables at step 3 and any soft vegetables at step 4

This recipe makes more of a stew consistency, simply add a bit more stock or hot water to thin the minestrone

Late breakfast, lunch or tea time, these savoury scones are ideal to serve anytime. They freeze well and just need heating in a warm oven.

Ingredients

• 100g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 10 rashers of streaky bacon
• 275g self raising flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 150ml milk
• 50ml vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• handful of snipped chives
• 150g grated cheddar

Step by step

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and grease a 12 hole muffin tin.
2. Fry the bacon over a medium heat until golden. Let it cool and chop into chunks, set aside.
3. Combine the flour, baking powder and 1 tsp sea salt in a bowl. Mix the butter the butter into the flour using you fingers and keep mixing until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
4. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, oil and egg. Tip it into the dry mixture and mix gently until the flour mixture is mostly moistened. Some lumps will remain.
5. Stir in the bacon, chives and cheese and then spoon into the muffin tin.
6. Bake for 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Serve the scones warm with an extra pinch of sea salt on top. Use smoked streak bacon or lardons if you prefer.

Rich in vitamins and minerals, serve as a side dish, starter or light main meal. Make sure you have a good olive oil. Filippo Berio is hard to beat.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 aubergines, thickly sliced
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme or several sprigs of fresh thyme
• 400g / 14oz canned chopped tomatoes
• 175g / 6oz mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
• 6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and Pepper

Step By Step

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds until just beginning to brown. Using a slotted spoon transfer the onion and garlic to a plate. Cook the aubergine slices in batches in the same pan until they are just lightly browned.

2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Arrange a layer of aubergine slices in the base of your shallow oven proof dish. Sprinkle with some parsley, thyme, salt and pepper. Add a layer of onion, tomatoes and mozzarella sprinkling parsley, thyme, salt and pepper over each layer.

3. Continue layering finishing with a layer of aubergine slices on top. sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes and the top is nice and crispy. Serve hot with crispy baguette.

Tip : Salt the aubergine slices for about an hour before cooking. Sprinkle them with sea salt and let them drain in a colander. When you are ready to cook, give them a quick rinse and squeeze them dry, and patting them with kitchen towel. This greatly improves the flavour.

Things are bad – send chocolate!

The pandemic was a testing time for all of us and I have resorted to my favourite sweet treat. However you like your brownie, the main trick is not too over cook it if you want the nice gooey centre.

Ingredients

• 225g/8oz unsalted butter
• 450g/1lb caster sugar
• 140g/5oz dark chocolate, broken into pieces
• 100g/4oz finely chopped hazelnuts
• 5 free-range medium eggs
• 110g/4oz plain flour
• 55g/2oz cocoa powder

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5. Line a 20x30cm baking tin with baking paper.
2. Gently melt the butter and the sugar together in a large pan. Once melted, take off the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until melted. 
3. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the flour, cocoa powder and nuts.
4. Pour the brownie batter into the prepared tin and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the top of the brownie is just firm but there is still a gentle wobble in the middle. 
5. Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin. Cut the brownies into 5cm/2in squares when only just warm, or completely cool. Serve with a dusting of caster sugar. 

Tips

The secret to making the best brownies is not to over bake them. They should wobble in the centre when you take them out. The residual heat will continue to cook them for a few minutes and they will firm up on cooling. Too firm and they will be more cake than fudge.

Use brazil nuts, walnuts or pecans if you prefer. Add a few cranberries or blueberries if you like