lifestyle

This is a great way of making a base for both non-alcoholic and alcoholic cocktails. Any soft/berry type fruit can be used. Strawberries and raspberries are always great; cranberries are fantastic for Christmas and Valentine’s day. I’m partial to redcurrants and blackberries, but you have to be careful in terms of sweetness (I like mine […]

These are another classic Valentine’s treat, with pastry strips overlaid with apple slices and rolled up to look like a rose. They also work as a tea-time treat any time of year. Prep time 1 hour/Cook time 1 hour/Makes 12 Ingredients: 4 small reddish-skinned apples, such as Braeburns 1 tube pink gel food colour 375g

passion-souffle-two.png Here is another great Valentine’s day dessert, just for two. In this case, a soufflé flavoured with passion fruit. Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 30 minutes/Serves 2 Ingredients: 500ml (2 cups) orange and passion fruit drink (eg J20) 4 tsp (level) cornflour (cornstarch) 2 tbsp butter, melted 2 medium egg whites 2 tbsp caster

Prep time 20 minutes/Cook time 30 minutes/Serves 2 Ingredients: For the galette pastry: 3 tbsp butter 180g (1 1/2 cups) white wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour 180g (1 1/2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour 3/4 tsp sea salt 2 tsp granulated sugar 240ml (1 cup) cream cheese 4 tbsp rapeseed (canola) oil 3 tbsp cold milk For the

American pancakes are thick and fluffy, great for breakfast, served with a range of toppings. 10/20/6 Ingredients: 8 slices pancetta, to serve 8 slices smoked streaky bacon sunflower oil and butter, for cooking blueberries, to serve (optional) For the pancakes: 300g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp caster sugar 2 medium eggs 1 tbsp maple syrup, plus extra to serve 300ml milk For the

eggs-benedict-pancakes.png This is a really classy pancake dish that works just as well for breakfast on Valentine’s day as it dies on Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day).  You will need the thicker American-style pancakes for this, though Scotch pancakes would also work. Prep time 10 minutes/Cook time 20 minutes/Serves 4 Ingredients: 200g (1 2/3 cups) self-raising flour 1

Scotch pancakes (also known as drop scones) are a classic and simple breakfast pancake that really should be in your culinary repertoire. Equally at home for breakfast or tea time. Prep time 10 minutes/cook time 15 minutes/makes 10 Ingredients: 200g (1 2/3 cups) plain flour 1 tbsp baking powder pinch of salt 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tsp ground

sourdough-pancakes.png This is a traditional style of pancake, using yeast as a leaven. The flavour is racked-up a notch by using a sourdough starter for the yeast. Prep time 20 minutes/cook time 30 minutes/makes 12 Ingredients: 200g self-raising flour 1 tbsp golden caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder 200g sourdough starter (active or the excess you’d throw away)

quick-paella-for-two.png Paella is a real classic and it’s a dish intended for sharing. It also contains seafood, a Velentine’s day classic. So why not prepare a paella for two for Valentine’s day? This version includes chorizo, chicken and a blend of seafood all combined with saffron-flavoured rice. 5/20/2 Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil ½ red

sugarplum-turkish-delights.png Turkish delights are a real classic… this version, however, is a marriage of the Christmas sugar plum with the Turkish delight. They make excellent Christmas gifts and treats and are also great as an after-dinner treat or as a gift for Valentine’s day. 20/50/makes 50 (plus over-night setting) Ingredients: vegetable oil, for greasing 300g

Who doesn’t like breakfast in bed for Valentine’s day? I absolutely adore avocados so anything incorporating them gets a massive thumbs-up from me. This breakfast can be vegan, vegetarian or animal based depending on the butter you choose. 15/70/4 Ingredients: 6-8 plum tomatoes sliced in half lengthways1½ tbsp rapeseed oil½ tsp saffron strands½ tsp sweet

masala-omelette-avocado-coriander-salsa.png This is a Durban (South Africa) influenced breakfast omelette that makes an excellent breakfast in bed dish for Valentine’s day. 20/20/2 Ingredients: 1/2 tsp cumin seeds 6 eggs 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 1/4 tsp garam masala 1/2 green chilli, finely sliced (deseeded, if liked); use the other half for the salsa 1 tomato, deseeded

eggs-blackstone.png This is a twist on the traditional Eggs Benedict, with toasted (English) muffin halves topped with pancetta, cavolo nero, tomatoes and eggs, all drizzled with creamy hollandaise. This makes an excellent (and different) breakfast in bed for Valentine’s day. 15/35/2 Ingredients: 4 Plum Tomatoes, halved 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 3

Algerian Crêpes mahjouba-algerian-crepes.png Shrove Tuesday (February 21sr in 2023) is the day before Ash Wednesday, observed in many Christian countries through participating. It is the day before lent and is the last day before the excesses of the year are put aside and something is given up for lent. This is the reason for cooking pancakes on

beef-wellington-two.png Beef Wellington (beef cooked in pastry) seems to have become a Valentine’s day dish in the UK. However, most recipes cook a large Wellington, better suited to a dinner party. So, I decided to create a dish just for two. As well as beef fillet, this could also be made with venison fillets, wild

Actress, Bidemi Kosoko, has hailed her father and Nollywood veteran, Jide Kosoko, on his birthday. The actress shared a picture of her father via her Instagram account on Thursday. She hailed him saying, “Oya clear the road sexist (sic) grandpa is in the building baba kan bi 1billion My father my hero, my first love,

Prince Harry has said he believes he was only bred to offer spare parts for his brother in case the UK heir apparent ever needed new organs. “Two years older than me, Willy was the Heir, whereas I was the Spare,” the exiled prince wrote in explaining the title of his memoir, “Spare,” which was

This is a classic and spectacular dessert for Valentine’s day, made simpler and quicker by using dark chocolate truffles for the molten filling (a recipe for these is next). So, this becomes a much simpler and quicker dessert to prepare. 25/15/6 Ingredients: 190g (7 oz) dark chocolate, (at least 60%) cocoa solids 100g (3 ½