Welcome To Our Recipes

There are many bread recipes out there and most are excellent and so we have taken, what we think are the best bits of many recipes to get a lovely risen white loaf that will also last a couple of days.. Why not give it a go and let us know how you get on. 

INGREDIENTS

600ml tepid water

2 X tsp runny honey

2 X 7g dried yeast

1Kg strong bread flour

2.5 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

METHOD

Thoroughly mix honey and yeast into water and set aside.

Mix flour, oil and salt well in a large mixing bowl, add water and mix well with a fork. 

Now it’s time to get your hands in there and the kids will love this. Mix thoroughly and turn out onto the work surface. Knead well for around eight to ten minutes until dough is smooth and elastic.

Lightly oil a large bowl and put your dough in, cover with a warm damp cloth and set aside in a draft free area at room temperature. Leave to double in size, around two hours.

Turn out onto your work surface and knock the air out. You can start by flattening it out and give it a good punching and then prod with your fingertips.

Now you can either shape the dough into two ball shapes or one long loaf shape. Flour a baking tray well and place the dough on it, cover with a warm, damp tea towel and set aside again to allow it to double in size, around an hour.  

Switch your oven on to it’s lowest setting, flour the top of your risen dough, score with a sharp knife and gently place in the oven for fifteen minutes. After fifteen minutes set your oven to 180 deg C and leave for at least 30 minutes. 

After 30 minutes take out of the oven and turn over, tap the bottom of your bread and if it sounds hollow place on a wire cooling rack and allow to cool. If it isn’t quite ready pop back into the oven and check every five minutes.

Now, enjoy your lavely jabley white bread.

This is a really quick and super tasty dish, ideal for a mid week when you fancy a real treat but have little time. We love it and hope you will too.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tbsp Olive oil

1  Large or two small onions, finely chopped

1 pinch salt

6  Medium sized white mushrooms, brushed clean and sliced

300 gr Tinned Tuna drained

200 gr dried Tagliatelle 

400 ml single cream

Ground black pepper to taste

Method

In a large frying pan on a medium heat, add the oil and onion with a sprinkle of salt and sweat the onion until translucent, around eight minutes. Turn up the heat to medium and add the mushrooms, fry until slightly browned. Now turn the heat back down to low.

Whilst the mushrooms are frying, bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the tagliatelle, bring back to a simmer for around eight minutes, though check the time on the pack.

Once the mushrooms are slightly brown add in the tuna and break down into your desired chunks, gently stir in the cream and allow just to start to simmer, then switch the heat off. Transfer the pasta to the tuna mix with tongs and mix. Season with freshly ground black pepper and serve

.

Enjoy.

Who doesn' love a good old Spag Bol? Try our version of this classic. It's quick, easy and dead tasty, go on give it a go.

Serves 4

Now watch how this dish starts as it is often the basis for many other dishes and can easily be adapted.

Ingredients

A Good glug of olive oil

1 Large or two small onions finely chopped

Pinch of salt

2 cloves of garlic finely chopped

450 gr Minced Beef or mixed Pork and Beef

1 tbsp Tomato Puree

1 X Tin plum tomatoes

1 X Beef stock pot or cube

Dash Worcestershire sauce.

Fresh or dried herbs (oregano/ thyme/rosemary)

Dried Spaghetti 

Parmesan or pecorino cheese to garnish

Method

Gently sweat off the onion in the olive oil with a pinch of salt for around 8 minutes, then add the garlic and continue to fry for another couple of minutes. Remove to a separate plate, add a little more oil, turn the heat up to medium high and fry the mince, breaking it down as you go. Keep it on the move until you have browned the mince, turn the heat back down to medium and then mix the onion and garlic back in. Add the tomato pure and cook down for another couple of minutes.

Add the tin of tomatoes and rinse out the tin with about an inch of tap water into the pan. Mix well and add the stock cube and Worcestershire sauce. Add a good grind of freshly ground black pepper and stir in.

The next step depends on whether you have dried or fresh herbs. We are fortunate enough to have many growing in the garden, so we have a good choice. Which herbs should you use? It depends how you feel. I switch between fresh oregano, thyme and rosemary. Cut off a 6” ish branch and pop it in the pan, push it gently into the sauce, cover the pan and simmer gently for around 30 minutes. (If you have dried herbs, just add a level teaspoon at this stage instead.

When your Bolognaise is ready, switch off the heat and remove the fresh herb branch. Pop the lid back on and allow the flavours to develop while you cook the spaghetti.

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add enough spaghetti to it, ensuring it us fully submerged. Pop the lid on and lower to a simmer. When the spaghetti is al dente (around ten minutes) drain into a colander, put the colander onto the pan you cooked the spaghetti in and then drizzle your drained spaghetti with a good glug of your best extra virgin olive oil, mix in well with tongs and serve. Grate some Parmesan or pecorino over the top and enjoy. 

This super easy yet really tasty chilli is just the job and you can make it as hot or as not hot as you like. If you can get your hands on a jar of Sanbal you can add this instead of the chilli to add a lovely flavour with the heat. We really hope you love this, we do.

Serves 4  

Ingredients

Good glug of olive oil

1 Large or two small onions, finely sliced

1 X chilli finely sliced, seeds in

2 X tsp ground cumin

Pinch of salt

2 cloves garlic finely sliced

450gr Minced Beef or mixed Pork and Beef

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 X can of plum tomatoes

1 X Beef stock pot or cube

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 X tin red kidney beans strained and rinsed.

Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

1 X cup good quality Basmati rice

Method

Fry the onion, chilli and cumin gently with the salt in the olive oil for around eight minutes, add the garlic and gently fry for another couple of minutes. Remove to a plate and turn up the heat to medium high and add the mince and a little more oil if required. Fry the mince while breaking it down. Keep it on the move and continue until the moisture has boiled away and the mince is nicely browned. Add the tomato puree and cook down for a couple of minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic and chilli back to the mince and mix well. Add the tin of tomatoes, add an inch of water to the can, rinse and add the water to the pan. Break down the tomatoes, add the stock pot, a dash of Worcestershire sauce and the red kidney beans. Mix well, put the lid on and leave to simmer gently while you cook the rice.

For the rice. Add two cups of water to a saucepan and a little salt. Bring to the boil and add the same cup size of rice, give it a gentle swish and put the lid on. Don’t touch the rice again until it’s cooked. Leave on quite a high simmer in the covered pan for ten minutes. When the time has elapsed, you will see there are pin pricks in the top of the rice. Remove from the heat and take the lid off for a couple of minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork and serve the chilli on a fluffy bed of perfectly cooked basmati rice.

It’s a spicy a chilli!

Home made scones are something we would all love to make but they're just too difficult aren't they? Not any more they're not. Just follow this easy step by step recipe and cook delicious scones like a pro.

Makes Around 12

Ingredients

500 gr Self Raising Flour (harina para Reposteria in Spain)

1 Tbsp Baking powder

2 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

150 gr cold unsalted butter, cubed

80 gr dried fruit

Milk to bring together.

Method

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl with a fork. Not the dried fruit at this stage.

Rub in the butter until you get a bread crumb type mixture but no need to be too fussy. Rather under do than overdo it as you can easily melt the butter. Now mix in the dried fruit with a fork.

Add milk a little at a time bringing the mixture together with your fingers until it just holds together. Don’t worry if there are a few cracks here and there.  Pop the mixture into the fridge for 30 minutes and while you’re waiting set your oven to 180 °C fan or 200 for a conventional oven.

After half an hour in the fridge roll out the mixture to about 1” or 25mm thick. Cut the scones out with a 60mm pastry cutter and place on a large baking tray. (I usually have a piece of parchment on my baking tray to help me when cleaning up). Brush the tops of your scones with a little milk or melted butter and pop them in the oven for fifteen minutes. Don’t be tempted to take a peek.

Check on your scones after fifteen minutes, if golden brown remove from the oven to a cooling rack. Get yourself some Rodda’s clotted cream and good quality strawberry jam, cut a scone in half and load up with your filling, whichever way you desire and enjoy! 

Do you love savoury scones, yeah we do too. Give this easy recipe a try and let us know what you think.

Makes around 12 Scones

Ingredients

500 gr self-raising flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

1 tsp Mustard powder

½ tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Salt

150 gr   Cold butter cubed

200 gr Mature cheddar cheese

Milk to bring together

Extra cheese for topping

Milk or melted butter for glazing

Method

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl with a fork. Not the cheese at this stage.

Rub in the butter until you get a bread crumb type mixture but no need to be too fussy. Rather under do than overdo, it's too easy to melt the butter. Now mix in the cheese.

Add milk a little at a time gently bringing the mixture together with your fingers until it just holds together. Don’t worry if there are a few cracks here and there.  Pop the mixture into the fridge for 30 minutes and while you’re waiting set your oven to 180 °C fan or 200 for a conventional oven.

After half an hour in the fridge roll out the mixture to about 1” or 25mm thick. Cut the scones out with a 60mm pastry cutter and place on a large baking tray. (I usually have a piece of parchment on my baking tray to help when cleaning up). Brush the tops of your scones with a little milk or melted butter, sprinkle with a little cheese and pop them in the oven for fifteen minutes. Don’t be tempted to take a peek.

Check on your scones after fifteen minutes, if golden brown remove from the oven to a cooling rack. Enjoy! 

Have you ever really wanted to cook Carbonara but thought that it's just too difficult? I know, I did too but it's not. You really can cook the perfect Carbonara if you just follow this easy authentic recipe. A real Carbonara has a luxurious creamy sauce but never contains cream. Come on, let's have a go shall we?

Serves 4

Ingredients

Dried Spaghetti, enough for four people

Glug olive oil

200 gr guanciale or thick cut pancetta diced chunkily 

2 cloves garlic, bashed

3 large eggs beaten with a little of the grated cheese mixed in 

Pecorino or parmesan cheese finely grated.

Method

Bring a pan of slightly salted water to the boil and add the dried spaghetti, simmer for eight minutes. While you’re bringing the water to a boil add the olive oil, garlic and guanciale/pancetta to a large cold frying pan, turn on the heat to medium. The reason for adding to a cold pan is that you want to render the fat from the meat, this will add loads of flavour, stir occasionally. 

When the spaghetti is ready discard the garlic, move the saucepan directly next to the frying pan and transfer the spaghetti with tongs into the frying pan, mixing in as you go. It will sizzle for a start as your sauce begins to emulsify. Once you have transferred the spaghetti and mixed well turn off the heat.

Now stir in two ladles of the spaghetti water and ensure the sizzling has completely stopped. This is the critical moment when you either end up with carbonara or a scrambled egg mixture. Add the eggs slowly to the pan mixing well all the time until you end up with a gorgeous creamy carbonara.

Serve onto plates and finely grate more cheese and freshly ground black pepper over the top. That’s all there is to it. You have just made the perfect authentic carbonara, enjoy.

See, I knew you could do it!

Paella Valenciana

Serves 4

Ingredients

Salt

4 tbsp. olive oil

1 X pack paella meat (Rabbit and chicken)

500gms runner beans (weight in pods) topped and tailed and snapped into 4cm pieces.

500gms butter beans (weight in pods) or 400gms frozen pack

3 tomatoes grated

Good pinch saffron (essential)

1 ½ tsp pimenton dulce (sweet paprika) 

750ml good chicken stock

500gms paella rice.

Method

Paella is much easier to cook than you may think but the secret to an easy experience is to prepare your ingredients beforehand and I like to set them out in order of addition. This also allows you to chat confidently with your guests while cooking like a pro.

Heat a good quality paella pan over a wood fire or a medium high gas flame. Add the olive oil to the pan and a good pinch of salt and then add the chicken. Fry in the oil for a few minutes until browned and then add the rabbit, sprinkle with more salt and fry both meats until nicely browned.

Add the green beans and butter beans and stir in well and then add the grated tomatoes, allow to simmer for a few minutes.

Make a space at one side by pushing the ingredients slightly away but allowing some of the oil back and then add the saffron, stir gently around in the small space you’ve just created for a few seconds and then stir in well, add the sweet paprika and chicken stock and incorporate, you may need to add more water later. Turn the heat down and simmer gently for around fifteen minutes.

Stir in the rice, there should be a good covering of liquid over the rice, if not add water at this stage. The secret now is to turn the gas right down to a slight simmer or take some logs off the fire! Do not stir again or the rice will begin to break down. Allow to simmer very gently until the rice is nicely cooked, you may well need to add more water to ensure all the rice is cooked BUT DON’T STIR! When you can see the rice and just small pin pricks of the lovely paella juice simmering take the pan off the heat and cover over quite tightly with foil and allow to steam for around ten minutes while you set the table.

Arrange some lemon wedges around the pan and place it in the middle of the table with a few serving spoons, give thanks and allow your guests to help themselves. Serve with fresh bread and alioli and enjoy the authentic taste of Spain. Oh, one more thing. If you get to the bottom of the pan in the middle and you find you have burnt on paella don’t panic, that’s supposed to happen. The Spanish call this ‘the socarrat’, it’s what they look for, it’s the best bit, so if you’ve resisted the temptation to stir the rice and you get this, you’ve just made your first authentic Paella Valenciana, buen aprovecho (pronounced bwen aprobecho) or bon appetite.

Ingredients

400 ml skimmed milk

100 ml tepid water

1 tablespoon dried yeast

1 heaped teaspoon runny honey

300 g strong white flour

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Method

Warm the milk and add the water, mix, and add the dried yeast, give it a stir and set aside for fifteen minutes or until the mixture is nice and frothy.

Sift flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl and mix well. Make a well in the mixture and begin to add the wet mix. With a balloon whisk bring the mixture together and mix into a double cream consistency ensuring there are no lumps. With a warm damp towel over the bowl set aside for around forty-five minutes or until the mixture has risen and the surface is covered with holes.

Using a large non-stick frying pan and crumpet rings or fried egg rings, with a pastry brush lightly butter the bottom of the pan and the rings. Pop the rings into the frying pan on a medium high heat and poor into each ring just less than a ladle of the wonderful gooey liquid into each ring. Once the surface of the crumpet is covered with holes, remove the ring with tongs and flip them over for a minute or so. Transfer to a cooling rack or better still chuck a load of butter on them and stuff yourself silly.

You’ll love these and please feel free to share this recipe with your family and friends. 

Ingredients

1Kg plum tomatoes, fresh but not over ripe

2 Cloves garlic, roughly chopped

100g one day old baguette

100g Extra virgin olive oil

Good pinch of salt

Hard boiled egg and serrano ham to garnish

Method

Roughly chop the tomatoes and throw them into a food processor, blitz for twenty seconds or so. Pass through a sieve using the back of a ladle to get as much juice as possible and place the tomato juice into a fairly large bowl. Roughly chop the bread and mix well into the tomato juice. Leave for half an hour or so to thoroughly soak up that lovely juice.

Put the bread, tomato juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and salt into the food processor and blitz again until thoroughly mixed, probably only another twenty seconds or so. 

Poor contents back into the dish and leave it in the fridge to cool for at least an hour. I prefer to make it in the morning and serve it as a refreshing starter for dinner. 

Serve in a soup bowl and garnish with the chopped hard boiled egg and some serrano ham. (Of course these are just optional).