Ingredients

• 100g / 4oz strawberries
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• Ground black pepper
• 16 crostini toasts
• 75g / 3oz cream cheese
• 75g / 3oz Parma ham
• A few chives to garnish

Method

1. Wipe the strawberries, remove the hulls and thickly slice. Place them in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the balsamic vinegar and sugar. Allow to marinate for 1 hour at room temperature then season with black pepper.
2. Arrange the crostinis on a large serving plate. Top each with a little cream cheese, then a slice of parma ham.
3. Place a marinated strawberry half on top and garnish with chives.

Ingredients

• 100g / 4oz blueberries, roughly chopped
• 100g / 4oz raspberries, roughly chopped
• ½ small red onion, chopped
• ½ green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, chopped
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 16 mini blinis or small savoury crackers
• 175g / 6oz Stilton cheese, sliced
• Rocket leaves, to garnish

Method

1. To make the salsa, mix the first 6 ingredients together in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.
2. Arrange the blinis or crackers on a large serving plate. Top each with a slice of Stilton cheese. Place a teaspoon of the salsa on top of the cheese and garnish with a rocket leaf. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 2 slices Warburtons Winter Fruit Loaf
• 1 tbs dried cranberries
• Fresh cranberry juice
• Brandy (optional)

Method

1. Sprinkle the cranberries in the base of a dariole/ramekin dish.
2. Roughly tear the slices of bread and place over the cranberries.
3. Mix a little brandy with some cranberry juice and pour over the bread, ensure the bread is fully soaked but not soggy. (For a deeper coloured pudding mix cranberry juice with a little blackcurrant juice).
4. Press the bread firmly down into the mould.
5. Chill for 1-2 hours in the refrigerator before turning the pudding out onto a serving plate.

Ingredients

• 400g flour
• 3 eggs
• 100g butter
• 100g sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 litre milk
• 1 lemon, zest
• Dried mixed peel for decorating
• Glace cherries for decorating
• Salt
• 250ml whipping cream, for filling
• Model king / small toy / butterbean, for decoration (optional)

Method

1. Mix the baking powder 4 tbsp of the milk add this to 100g of the flour. Mix together until it forms a dough type mixture - cover with a clean tea towel and set aside until it doubles in size.
2. Place the rest of the flour (300g) in a bowl and add the eggs, sugar, pinch of salt, the rest of the milk and zest of the lemon. Mix well then add the butter and continue mixing for a further 2 mins then add the dough mixture - once a smooth dough has been achieved cover and set aside for 2 hours.
3. After 2hrs knead the mixture then put it in a ring shape on a greased baking tray. Decorate with the dried mixed peel and glace cherries. Brush with milk and bake in an oven at 160 degrees for 15-20 mins.
4. When cool, whip the cream and slice the bun in half. Fill it with whipped cream (you can hide the toy, model king or butter bean in the cream). Slice and serve.

Ingredients

• 600g courgettes, sliced
• 6 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 350g cherry tomatoes (on the vine)
• 6 eggs

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
2. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan add the courgettes and fry till brown. Season with salt andpepper. Heat another tablespoon of oil and sauté the spring onions. Keep one tablespoon of chopped spring onions back for garnish.
3. Place the tomatoes on the vine in an ovenproof dish. Drizzle with one tablespoon of oil and bake it for 10-12 minutes until they start to burst. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Whisk eggs with salt and peppe r and add the courgettes and the spring onions. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a pan (ovenproof handle), place the egg mix in the pan and fry it for 3 minutes. Place the pan in the oven and bake the tortilla for 5-7 mins. Place the tortilla on a plate and slice it. Top it with the chopped spring onions and pepper. Serve with the roast tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 100g icing sugar
• 2 tsp butter
• 1/3 tsp salt
• 60ml milk
• 500g plain flour
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• For the syrup
• 1 ½ cups honey
• 4 tsp sugar

Method

1. Blend eggs, sugar and butter. Add salt, milk and flour and knead until the mixture forms a smooth dough. Leave the dough to rest for 40 mins, and then roll out finely and cut strips 2cm in length.
2. Place the honey and sugar in a saucepan over a moderate heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and turns an amber caramel colour.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the strips for about 5 mins, until golden. Drain on kitchen paper.
4. Dip the strips into the syrup and arrange on a serving plate. Serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 110g caster sugar, plus 1 tbsp extra
• 45g butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 250ml milk
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp Orange Liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
• 5 egg whites
• Sifted icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan. Grease 6 individual ovenproof soufflé dishes. Sprinkle bases and sides with extra sugar. Shake out excess.
2. Melt butter in a small saucepan on high heat. Add flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in milk until smooth.
3. Stir in sugar, vanilla and ¼ tsp salt. Cook on low heat for 10 mins, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Cool. Whisk in yolks and liqueur.
4. Using an electric beater, beat egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold egg whites gently through yolk mixture. Pour into prepared dishes and bake for 7 mins. Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.

Ingredients

• 160g Caster Sugar
• 160g Butter, in small pieces
• 60ml Dark Rum
• 600g Puff Pastry
• 4 large, slightly unripe Bananas

Method

1. Saturate the sugar with 60ml of cold water and melt gently.
2. Add the butter and melt over a medium heat, shaking the pan to blend the butter with the sugar. Boil to a medium dark brown caramel, but do not let it burn. Take off the heat and stir in the rum.
3. Pour the caramel into 8 cast iron pans or tins that are big enough to fit a banana. Spread the caramel with the back of a spoon to level it out. Cool.
4. Roll the pastry out to 3mm thickness.
5. Peel the banana and slice in half lengthwise. Lay the rounded side onto the pastry and cut around the banana leaving a 1cm border. Turn the bananas over and press the pastry to the sides of the banana and trim away any excess, then place flat side down on the caramel. Rest in the fridge.
6. Bake at 200°C until the pastry is crisp and golden (about 10 mins).

Ingredients

• 1kg dried fruit (use more currants than others to make dark but you can make up the total as you wish) in roughly the following quantities:
• 300g currants
• 200g raisins
• 200g sultanas
• 100g prunes, stoned and chopped
• 100g natural coloured glacé cherries
• 100g blueberries
• Enough rum (about 300ml) to soak all the fruit overnight
• 400g dark (70% cocoa solids) chocolate
• 100g ground almonds
• 225g shredded suet
• 500g soft dark brown sugar
• 225g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 385g fresh white breadcrumbs
• Pinch of salt
• Juice and zest of 1 orange
• 5 large free-range eggs, beaten
• 4 tablespoons black treacle
• 4 tablespoons golden syrup
• 300ml Guinness
• 150g carrots, grated
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
• Butter, to grease the basins

Method

1. Soak all the dried fruit in the rum overnight.
2. Melt the chocolate in a microwave or heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Leave to cool.
3. Grease your bowls and, unless you have a double saucepan, prepare your biggest lidded pans for steaming the puddings. They should sit on a trivet or on an upturned saucer; you need to keep the boiling water at a level of about 5cm up the side of the bowls.
4. In a huge bowl (to avoid the risk of losing the lot on the kitchen floor), add all the ingredients, stirring thoroughly to ensure everything is combined with no patches of dry ingredients.
5. Share the mixture between the greased pudding bowls but do not fill them right to the top – allow a little room for the puds to rise.
6. Cut a circular piece of baking parchment the circumference of the bowl and put on top of the mixture. Cut a far bigger piece of foil to cover the bowl and create a pleat in the top to allow the steam to circulate. Place the foil over the top and push down around the outside of the bowl. Tie string around the rim to hold the foil in place. If you make a little string handle across the top it makes the task of lifting the basin in and out of the boiling water easier.
7. Steam large puddings over boiling water for 4–6 hours – you really cannot oversteam at this point, the longer you steam the richer they get, but do ensure you top up the water level from time to time. Smaller bowls may only need 2–3 hours.
8. Lift out the bowls from the pan and allow to cool. Once cooled, you can remove the foil and baking parchment and clean up the bowls which will be quite greasy after steaming. Replace with a fresh piece of baking parchment and tie new foil over the top. Keep in the fridge or a cool place until needed – once cooked the puddings last for months. When you are ready to eat your pudding, steam again for 1–2 hours.
9. You have to do the lighting thing… light with brandy for the traditional presentation and ooh and aah moment.
10. Serve with your preferred sauce, brandy butter, cream – it’s too personal to make a call on this!