English Fruit Tea Loaf

A traditional English tea loaf which is amazing warmed with plenty butter on the top. And a nice cup of tea of course. There is no sugar involved, no butter, margarine or oil and no eggs, so you can decide if that classifies as healthy. Either way, it’s superb and incredibly easy to make. This will keep in a tight cake tin for up to 5-days.

Ingredients

350ml hot strong black tea

350g sultanas (you can mix it up with other dried fruit such as apricots and cranberries)

230g self raising flour

2 heaped tsps mixed spice

A pinch of salt

120ml milk (use nut or soya milk to make it vegan)

Grated zest from one orange and one lemon

For the glaze, 1 heaped tablespoon of marmalade

1 - Make the tea by pouring 350ml boiling water over two teabags and leaving to steep for 5-10 minutes. Tip the dried fruit into a mixing bowl, pour over the tea and leave covered preferably overnight or for 2-3 hours if time is against you. 

2 - Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 160C/GM4. Grease and line a loaf tin.

3 - Tip the flour and spices into a mixing bowl and combine. Pour in the milk, fruit and tea and the orange and lemon zest. Use a spatula to thoroughly combine and then tip into the lined loaf tin.

4 - Place on the middle shelf and bake for 50-60 minutes until a shark knife comes out clean. 

5 - Heat the marmalade in a pan or microwave. Remove the cake and brush liberally over the top. Leave to cool a little before serving with good salted butter.

Chocolate and Orange Granola

Served with Greek yoghurt and fresh fruit, granola can be a healthy way to start the day but only if you are using a quality granola with not too much sugar and preferably zero additives. And these can be expensive.

This homemade granola combines a match made in heaven - chocolate and orange - and as you are in control of the ingredients, you are adding lots of protein from nuts and seeds, just a little sugar from honey, no nasty additives and best of all, lots of flavour.

Ingredients

150g rolled oats

150g of chopped nuts (I like to use 50g each of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds)

50g of mixed seeds such as pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and sunflower seeds

Half tsp each of ground ginger and cinnamon

5 tbsp runny honey

1tbsp coconut oil

Juice and zest of one orange

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/GM4.

2 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, seeds and spices.

3 - In a saucepan, melt the coconut oil and combine with the honey, orange juice and zest and cocoa powder.

4 - Pour into the oat and nut mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Tip out and spread onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Bake on the middle shelf for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway though until beginning to toast (be careful to not burn).

5 - Remove and allow to cool on the tray. Break up slightly and tip into an airtight jar.

Peanut Choc Bites

These are a simple to make sweet treat as an alternative to some well-known peanut and chocolate-based brands, but without any nasty additives or refined sugar. Perfect for a quick energy boost before exercise, they do still contain sugar but from dried dates, and peanuts of course are calorific, so try to resist not eating them all in one sitting. Keep them in the fridge in an airtight container and they should last for a good week.

Ingredients
250g dried dates, pitted
200g unsalted roasted peanuts
100g peanut butter
200g dark chocolate (I use 80% proof but your choice. Use dairy-free if you want this to be vegan)) 
1 tbsp coconut oil (purely optional)

1 - Use a 20cm square brownie tin or similar and line with baking paper or a double layer of clingfilm.
2 - Put the dates and peanuts into a food processor and blitz for 40-60 seconds (you may need to pulse it).
3 - Add the peanut butter and pulse until combined. Pour out onto the lined brownie tin and using the back of a spoon, ladle or palette knife, press down until even and smooth.
4 - Place a heatproof bowl over a pan with a little water in (make sure the bowl doesn't touch the bottom of the pan or the water). Break up the chocolate and add to the bowl along with the optional coconut oil. Bring to a simmer and gently stir until melted.
5 - Pour over the peanut and date mixture. At this stage, you can be creative and sprinkle on a little sea salt, crushed nuts, dried fruit or a combination of them. I've kept it simple with a little sea salt.
6 - Put into the fridge to cool completely and when the chocolate is set, you can cut it up into little bite-sized pieces and keep in the fridge in an airtight container.

Fajita Spice Mix

Everybody loves a fajita, but the ready-made spice mixes you find in the shops can not only be expensive, but not have quite the flavour balance you want (too smoky, too hot, too salty etc.) plus have a few nasty additives in there. So make your own! It's so simple to do, cheaper and you are in control of the flavours.

This makes enough for one batch of fajitas for the family, but if you have them regularly, up the ratio and keep them in an airtight container (or keep hold of an empty spice container). Simple add the ingredients to a small bowl and mix.

Ingredients for one batch
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Half teaspoon ground chilli (or chilli flakes)
Half teaspoon paprika
Half teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Half teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Roast Tomato, Garlic and Basil Soup

Roasting all of the ingredients together not only simplifies further an already simple recipe but intensifies and locks in the flavour. Caramelising the vegetables and garlic brings out a natural sweetness. This creates a tomato soup with plenty of character and one that will quickly become your go-to family soup. Make sure to have plenty of crusty bread and good salted butter for dunking.   

Ingredients - Feeds 4

2kg fresh tomatoes

2 red onions

1 whole garlic bulb

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar) 

Salt and pepper

A handful of fresh basil

200ml hot water

1 - Pre-heat oven 200C/Fan 180C/GM6. Line an oven tray.

2 - Chop the top and bottom off the red onions, peel and slice into quarters. Place onto the oven tray.

3 - Slice the tomatoes in half and place amongst the onions. Then cut off the top of the garlic bulb exposing the cloves and place in the centre.

4 - Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar, give it a good seasoning with salt and pepper and roast on the middle shelf for 30-40 minutes until just beginning to char.

5 - Remove from the oven and take out the garlic bulb. Tip the rest - including all the juices - into a pan and add the water and fresh basil. Then squeeze the roasted garlic cloves in. Using a stick blender, blend until smooth then taste for seasoning. You may need to add more salt and pepper and a little more vinegar. A pinch of chilli works well too.
6 - Bring to the simmer, check for flavour again then serve with crusty bread, butter and a little torn fresh basil.

Pickled Red Onions

These pickled onions (and cucumbers too) are amazing with cheese, salads, in sandwiches or our favourite, on tacos. So much better than shop bought (as you control the flavour) and surprisingly easy. Just make sure you save those old jam jars and sterilise them properly by giving them a proper scrub then either boiling for 10-minutes in a pan (along with the lids) or putting into an oven set at 160C for 10-minutes. 

This makes one small jar, so if you have bigger jars, just increase the ratio. 

1 - Thinly slice 3 red onions and place into a colander. Pour over boiling water straight from the kettle and leave aside to cool.

2 - In a pan, add 300ml of white wine or cider vinegar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp salt then your flavourings of choice: I used 6 peppercorns, 1 star anise, 2 bay leaves and a tsp mustard seeds. Like it hot? Add a couple of chillies. But leave them out if you want it plain and simple. 

3 - Bring to the boil then simmer for a minute and take off the heat.

4 - Pack the red onions into a sterilised jar. Pour over the pickling liquor to the top, put on the lid firmly and keep aside until cool. You can keep them unopened in the fridge for 6 months or consume within 2 weeks after opening. Remember: the flavour develops with time.

NOTE - For pickled cucumbers, thinly slice half a cucumber and repeat exactly the same method. 

Burger Buns

Ingredients - Makes 6 to 8 buns

420g strong bread flour
200ml lukewarm water
1 egg, beaten
25g melted butter or margarine
40g runny honey (or sugar)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast

1 - In a large mixing bowl, tip in the flour and salt and yeast and mix well.

2 - Make a well in the flour and pour in the water, beaten egg, honey and melted butter. Bring together with a wooden spoon then knead for 10-minutes until you have a smooth, easily worked dough. Alternatively, you can do all of this in a mixer or bread machine.

3 - Cover and leave to prove for 2-hours.

4 - Tip onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead for a minute. Cut into 6 or 8 individual pieces, form into balls and then place spaced out onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover and leave to prove for an hour (they should double in size. If not, leave for a further 30-minutes).

5 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/GM4/Fan 160C.

6 - Optional, brush with a little melted butter and sprinkle on sesame seeds. Place on the middle shelf and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

7 - Remove and brush with a little more melted butter which adds a shine. Leave to cool on a wire rack.