Giant Hot Cross Bun

425g strong plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1/2 tsp salt
50g butter, cubed
7g sachet fast action dried yeast
1 tsp mixed spice
50g muscovado sugar
200g mixed dried fruit
125ml milk, plus 1 tbsp for brushing

Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl, rub in the butter. Add the spice, yeast, dried fruit and sugar. In a jug measure the milk, add 125ml boiling water, pour the mix over the dry ingredients, stir to combine. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Form into a round and place on a prepared baking tray, allow to rise in a warm place for an hour until double in size. Brush the bun with milk. Mix 1 tablespoon flour and 1 tablespoon milk and make a cross shape. Bake at 200 degrees centigrade for 40 minutes until brown and hollow sounding when tapped on the bottom.





With butter:



Toasted with butter:

Pumpkin Cake

300g self-raising flour
300g muscovado sugar
3 tsp mixed spice
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
175g raisins
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
200g butter, melted
1 orange, zested
1 tbsp orange juice
500g (peeled weight) pumpkin, grated

For the icing:
200g Philedephia
85g butter, softeded
100g icing sugar, sifted
1 orange, zested
1/2 orange, juiced

Beat the butter and eggs together, add the orange juice and zest, mix. Add the sugar and stir, add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, spice and raisins, mix well. Stir in the pumpkin. Transfer to a prepared baking tray. Bake at 180 degrees centigrade for 40-50 minutes until done. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes, transfer to a cooling rack. Poke holes all over the cake using a skewer and drizzle with the remaining orange juice. Allow to cool. Beat together the Philedephia and butter, add the icing sugar and zest, beat well. Spread over the cake.

This cake was a real hit, will definitely make it again!

Cous Cous with Pumpkin

1/4 pumpkin, cut into cubes
1 small onion, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp pesto
100g wholewheat cous cous
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 handful pumpkin seeds

Put the pumkin and onion onto a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil, bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade. Meanwhile, put the cous cous in a bowl and add 125ml boiling water, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and pesto to the cous cous, mix well. Add the pumpkin and onions, mix and sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.

Cheese and Onion Potato

To make use of the leftover cheese and onion pasty filling: Bake a potato until nice and crispy, cut in half, heap on lots of cheese and onion mix, bake until bubbly. Top with chopped cherry tomatoes.

Smarties Cookies

350g plain flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda1 tsp baking powder
250g butter, softened
300g sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag Smarties

Beat the butter and sugar together, add the egg and vanilla, mix well. Sift in the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking soda, mix well to form a dough. Roll the dough into 30 balls, place onto prepared baking trays and flatten slightly, allow plenty of room between the cookies as they expand a lot. Push in Smarties and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade. Allow to cool for 2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Nutella Swirl Cupcakes

200g butter, softened
200g sugar
4 eggs
200g self raising flour
400g Nutella

Beat the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs and stir well. Sift in the flour, mix. Put 2 teaspoons of cake batter into prepared cupcake cups, add one heaping teaspoon of Nutella then another teaspoon of cake batter. Use a toothpick and stir each cupcake to mix the Nutella and cake batter. Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through.

Cheese and Onion Pasties

2 onions, chopped
250g mature cheddar, grated
2 tbsp veg oil

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and cook until softened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Mix in the cheese. Roll out defrosted puff pastry to the thickness of a pound coin, add 1/4 of the mix, wet the edges of the pastry with water. Close the pasty and crimp the edges if you wish. Place on a baking tray and brush lightly with milk. Bake for 30 minutes at 200 degrees centigrade.