lifestyle

This is a wonderful full-flavoured Asian-inspired dish for Valentine’s day that looks lovely on the plate, but which is a snap to prepare. Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 30 minutes/Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 whole chicken legs (about 200g [1/2 lb] each) 8 spring onions 1-2 fresh mixed-colour chillies 3 oranges, (regular or blood oranges) 2 […]

A herb-crusted rack of lamb is truly a classic dish for Valentine’ day. Accompany with your favourite selection of vegetables. For an elegant dish have your rack of lamb French trimmed. Prep time 30 minutes/Cook time 35 minutes/Serves 2 Ingredients: 1 x six bone rack of lamb, French trimmed (about 300g [2/3 lb]) 3 tbsp

mille-feuille-roast-strawberries-mascarpone.png These irresistible desserts are easy to make, look gorgeous and are fantastic for rounding off a romantic Valentine’s day meal. Prep time 30 minutes/Cook time 70 minutes/Makes 10 Ingredients: 2 x 375g (13 ½ oz) frozen Puff Pastry sheets, thawed 250g (1 ¼ cups) caster sugar 3 eggs 1kg (4 cups) mascarpone 2 vanilla

This twist on the traditional scone, including chocolate and cherry jam into the dough, makes them eminently suitable for a Valentine’s day breakfast, tea or even a dessert. They are served with cherry jam-rippled cream. Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 25 minutes/Makes 10 Ingredients: 75g (3/10 cup) unsalted butter 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour

This must-eat starter of prawns coated in coconut and served with a papaya dipping sauce makes a great sharing starter for Valentine’s day. Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 15 minutes/Serves 6 Ingredients: 175g (7/9 cup) plain flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 egg 160ml (2/3 cup) iced water 60g (1 1/4 cup) panko breadcrumbs

This is an excellent dish of a pork loin, stuffed with dried fruit and herbs that’s rolled before roasting. This makes an excellent (and pretty) dish for Valentine’s day. Sliced and arranged on a warmed serving plate, this is also an excellent and attractive centrepiece for Easte. Prep time 50 minutes/Cook time 110 minutes/Serves 8

A French onion soup is true comfort food, and what could be better served as a starter for a romantic Valentine’s day meal. The quantities here are enough to serve 4 as a light lunch or 8 as a starter. Prep time 45 minutes/Cook time 60 minutes/Makes 4 Ingredients: 4 tbsp unsalted butter 1.35k (3 lb) onions, thinly

Here is a five-ingredient recipe for a rich chocolate sorbet that makes an excellent no-fuss dessert for Valentine’s day. Note that the liquid glucose is essential to this recipe as it’s what gives this low-fat sorbet its silky texture – you’ll find it in the baking aisle. Prep time 10 minutes/Cook time 5 minutes/Serves 6

This classic from the 1970s is given a modern update and makes an excellent starter for Valentine’s day that you can prepare a few hours in advance and store in your fridge. Prep time 10 minutes/Cook time 10 minutes/Serves 2 Ingredients: 4 leaves baby gem lettuce 100g (3 ½ oz) Coldwater Prawns 100g (3 ½

You know the phrase ‘selling like hotcakes’? Well, that saying originated from these thick fluffy pancakes. So why not make some hotcakes for Pancake Day this year? Though I’ve prepared them here with a sweet vanilla and orange topping for breakfast, they are equally at home with a savoury topping. Add scrambled eggs and grated

These are pancakes that can be used in place of tortillas. This is a great recipe to have in your repertoire for that evening when you fancy a Mexican or Middle Eastern wrap, but you simply don’t have the flatbreads. Now you need never worry, you can prepare these pancakes instead… all from store-cupboard ingredients.

This is really meant as an individual party dish for New Year or any other party… but in reality this is stress-free comfort food that can be made ahead. Personally I also like to serve this as a starter for Valentine’s day or St Dwynwen’s day (or both!). Deceptively simple, these little smoked fish gratins

This makes a wonderful Valentine’s day dish in that it contains seafood, can be prepared the day before and only needs to be heated and cooked on the day. This is also really fantastic comfort food for the cold depths of winter. Note that if you are making this ahead and storing it in the

This is a grown up side dish that I think is excellent to accompany fish, steak or lamb for Valentine’s day. It also works very well with lamb, ham or salmon for Easter and makes an interesting extra side for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Prep time 15 minutes/Cook time 25 minutes/Serves 4 Ingredients: 1kg (1 ¼

This is a grown up side dish that I think is excellent to accompany fish, steak or lamb for Valentine’s day. It also works very well with lamb, ham or salmon for Easter and makes an interesting extra side for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Prep time 15 minutes/Cook time 25 minutes/Serves 4 Ingredients: 1kg (1 ¼

This is an excellent and flavourful fish dish for Valentine’s day that’s a snap to make. The sweet potatoes are cooked in a microwave to reduce the total cooking time. Prep time 15 minutes/Cook time 15 minutes/Serves 2 Ingredients: 2 sweet potatoes, peeled 25g (1 oz) root ginger, peeled 14g (1/2 oz) coriander (stems and

This is a very elegant and restaurant-worthy pancake dish, good enough to serve double duty as a Pancake Day brunch or a posh Valentine’s day breakfast. It can also be served for lunch or supper… a true all-rounder of a dish. The recipe is a bit more challenging than most of what I post, but

Strawberries are one of those foods that embody Vaelntine’s day — probably it’s the shape and the colour, the hint of blood and the shape of hearts. Regardless, anything with strawberries in them or garnished with strawberries seem to fit the bill. Which makes these strawberry custard tarts and excellent choice for a Valentine’s day