Recipes

I love spending time in the kitchen, both the cooking and the eating. And for me there is nothing better than rustling up a good meal for loved ones.  

Baking is a science so needs a bit of precision. Cooking on the other hand has no rules - play a little...miss things out that you don't like, add those that you do. Does the recipe suggest 250g of something but you have 300g and won't use the extra 50g in a day or two? Then throw it all in. Handful, splash, glug, dollop...use as much or as little as you fancy.

Useful swaps: 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs is equal to 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. Thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano and sage are interchangeable as are basil, tarragon, dill, chives, flat leaf parsley. I also swap out cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and mace. Juniper berries can be replaced with black pepper. 

The following are also interchangeable: marsala, madeira, sherry, port, ale, cider, white wine, red wine, vermouth.

Conversion tables for weights and oven temperatures. Bear in mind that all ovens are different, so all baking times are approximate. 

The recipes in general serve four (pies, tarts and cakes six) and sometimes there is a little left over for a nice lunch.

for dogs...

We never feed our dog scraps from the table as dogs shouldn't eat everything we do, however I will make Lottie her own special treats. After all a life on the same old dried or wet dog food would be boring. 

healthy treats: