Baker & Foodie Content Creator
My name is Lee, welcome to my pages. I hope we can have fun together?
When I’m not developing recipes for others, writing guest blogs, writing my own blog, or even trying to learn how to paint, I’m usually spending time with the amazing Mr G (my husband) or with my lovely daughter or my lovely son (very proud mum).
What is this all about? Great question. This site is about real cooking and baking, real recipes and real mistakes.
No filters here, (although i’d love to find a filter that can take ten years worth of laugh lines away. Just me, whats happening, and whatever cameras or phone i have to hand .
There are many things that get under my bonnet and wiggle around, one of those is food waste. If i buy ingredients specifically for a recipe, and i only need a small amount of the ingredients, i want to be able to use the rest up and not have to throw them away. My mum used to say , “Waste not Want not” is that still a saying ?
For me, waste is not just about using up all the ingredients. What about leftover food? If i’m able , i hope to give ideas as to how to use up any leftovers too.
Be Brave
Cooking isn’t hard , neither is baking, its all about being brave and being ok with making mistakes
Everything that’s in this soup is added to give it flavour, and that’s my whole philosophy when it comes to soup making, add only what will bring flavour or texture.
This soup has everything, the recipe is also enough to feed a family of four with enough for seconds and I know I’ll be serving big chunks of bred with it.
One pot budget cooking using Pork Shoulder Steaks is a great way to budget cook. Full of flavour this Pork Shoulder Steaks with Spinach in Tomato & Cream Sauce dish is easy to russel up as a mid week meal or a Saturday night dish to eat in front of the telly.
Butternut Squash, Butterbean & Chicken Curry - A good one pot curry recipe isn’t something to be taken lightly, and this Chicken Thigh Curry with Butternut Squash and Butterbeans is a one pot delight.
Spicy and full of vegetables, it has enough in the pot to keep me interested and enough spice to make me want to mop it up.
Toffee Apple & Chocolate Chip, Brioche Bread Pudding , Layers of buttery brioche with lots of chocolate and apple and then there’s the apple, a definite must have when theres a chill in the air and a glut of apples are in the shops.
Extra Crispy Paprika Potato Wedges . A long cook makes these potatoes extra crispy and with the added juices of the meat thats cooking in the same oven, extra tasty too!
Slow Braised Lamb Shoulder with Preserved Lemon & Spices, falls off the bone and leaves mouthfuls of flavour. The rub permeates the flesh of the lamb and once left to cook for a few hours, it becomes soft and luscious.
Ultimate Shepherd’s Pie with Guinness Gravy Recipe - many shepherds pies later, and I’ve found a recipe to make which can be eaten every day and can be brought out when I want something special.
The filling is deep and rich with hints of thyme mingling with the tender meat and vegetables, and then the topping, well, that’s another treat all together..
Pumpkin pasta with halloumi is the perfect combination between the smooth pumpkin sauce with the added vegetables, and then the salty hit of the halloumi on the top. Autumn comfort on a plate.
Apple Tart with Cinnamon Pastry & Raspberry Glaze - Fresh apples sliced, mixed with cinnamon sitting on top of a buttery cinnamon pastry isn’t as difficult as to make as some might think.
Granny Smith apples were the ones I chose for this tart, even though they’re not the ones I would choose to bite into as a snack, they’re perfect for this tart.
Apricot jam is traditionally used for the glaze, but like most things I put together, I try to pimp it up a little, and I this case, I’ve used a raspberry preserve to glaze it.
Minstrel Cookies - This cookie is so easy to make and with just a few ingredients, its ready to eat. With a minstrel inside and one out, and no eggs, it's a treat to eat.
Old Bay Roast Chicken with Carrots . Roasting a chicken doesn't need to be fancy, as long as it's full of flavour and dripping juice, its good enough for me. Old Bay Spice is a tin of pure heaven and perfect to use as a spice rub for chicken.
Batch Cook & Freeze Ahead Slow Cooked Beef, Guinness and Red Wine Pie - When I’m in the mood, I don’t let the time it takes to make this beautiful pie put me off, I look at it as a way of putting my love into a dish of food that may only take minutes to consume, but I know will be remembered for the time I’ve taken to make it.
There’s a ton of meat in this recipe, and there’s a reason for that.
Smoky Sausage, Squash & Celeriac Bake -Lack of time doesn’t have to mean lack of flavour.
Sausages are an economical ingredient and added to some great vegetables coated in a great sauce is the perfect package for a quick meal without having to spend an age preparing it or standing over it while it cooks.
The perfect Gingerbread biscuit - Craving a biscuit with taste and spices? These gingerbread biscuits are perfect. They aren’t crispy and they aren’t chewy, they are just blissfully both.
Miso Aubergine with Salted Peanut Topping - This is a vegan recipe and can be cooked under the grill or on a BBQ, either way it always turns out tasting great and looking amazing.
Blackberry & Plum Crumble - A fruit Crumble needs the perfect ratio between crumble topping and fruit filling and this one has just that. An easy blackberry and plum crumble to use fresh or frozen fruit. It's an easy recipe to follow and perfect for those winter days that are about to come along.
Pistachio Cheesecake with Ginger Biscuit Base, A crowd pleaser, a no bake cheesecake I bring out as often as I’m allowed and I’ve yet to have anyone dislike it, even if they’re not the biggest fan of pistachios.
Raspberry fluff recipe for Karbon Homes. Raspberry Fluff uses jelly and evaporated to make a light , tasty and fun dessert that all the family will love.
Great served in individual cups or in one large bowl for parties,
Roasted Tomatoes with Garlic & Thyme
Using multicolour on vine tomatoes not only look amazing, but the sweetness of the juices burst out, mix with the garlic flavour olive oil to produce a sauce perfect for giant hunks of crusty bread.
Tomato with Dukkah and Chilli Dressing. I love this side dish, it feels like the perfect combination of fresh and spicy. Dukkah is a middle eastern nut and spice blend and its perfect with so many things.
