The Bakinglady 

If you think that Crispbreads are the cardboard tasting, diet induced slices of 'nothingness' then you really need to wrap your gnashers around homemade cheddar and multi seeded oaty crispbreads inspired by delicious Smorgasbord breads from Scandinavia, because there is absolutely nothing bland or cardboard like about these crisp, seed packed and tasty littl...

Pies are just as much a part of a staple diet in the North as pasties are in Cornwall and the infamous Wigan kebab (meat pie in-between a soft bread roll) is just one example of haute cuisine up t’north.

This is my version of a ‘posh’ pie as I have used ready-to-bake croissant dough instead of short crust or puff pas...

In 1755 Samuel Johnson in his famous dictionary of the English language quoted rather unkindly to the staple diet of Scots (oats) as “a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people’ to which Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank of East Lothian replied ‘yes and where would you see such horses and such...

Serves 6 as a starter

What you need

12 slices of prosciutto or Serrano ham

150g mascarpone

20g green pesto

2 medium eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

125g mozzarella cut into 12 equal pieces

100g sun blush tomatoes, drained (1 tablespoon of oil reserved for the dressing) cut length ways into thin...

Makes 12

The first time I ever made these biscuits I ended up knocking the dried mustard powder everywhere, triggering a humungous sneezing attack, so rather than calling them something boring such as ‘seeded cheesy biscuits’ I decided to name them in honour of their first tumultuous baking in this world.

Perfect with drinks, they ...

I adore the summer, long hot days full of sunshine, picnics and parties and these little babies are the perfect summer food. if you think you know Scotch eggs, think again... they are NOTHING like the horrible shop bought ones and the slight aniseed flavour enhances the chicken and garlicy t mantle that hugs the...

I adore tomatoes, especially pert little golden globes that are still clinging to the vine and have the aroma of warm summer days. My parents who live in Surrey, grow just THE juiciest little 'matos that I frequently sneak into the greenhouse to devour  them by the handful whenever I visit.

The tomatoes for this simple tart were bought from a ...

I thought I would share this recipe despite the fact that its not really a 'baking' recipe because its just so yummy. I try and eat more fish in my diet these days as its so good for you, especially the oily fishes and mackerel is not only cheap its tasty as well.....

I found out about Cauliflower 'Couscous' a little while ago and was intri...

Making and baking bread has got to be one of the most therapeutic pastimes you can think of.Just kneading the dough releases pent up aggression and emotions and the harder you beat it the more your bread will benefit. When I was going through my divorce many moons ago I used to bake bread on almost a daily basis and within a week or two I was making th...

With lots of friends that don't eat meat, its a challenge to create something tasty and filling that's not full of nuts or mushrooms both of which seem to feature a great deal in vegetarian recipes and neither of which are particularly liked by my buddies, but the recipe must also appeal to us carnivores. These crispy wedges are bursting...

When I lived in the South of England my son and I used to visit the seaside town of Brighton and its famous pier. They used to make the best sweet and savoury pancakes and waffles in a little cabin on the wooden pier and my favourite filling had to be chilli con carne and cheese, folded into a cone shape and eaten as we walked along, bliss.... This is ...

There is something quintessentially English about a pork pie and I don't know of any other country that makes Hot water pastry. Crisp pastry enrobing succulent flavoursome pork with a layer of either jelly or in this instance Juicy Brambly apples on the top.... Absolutely delicious! I am very fortunate to have organic pork delivered to my front door by a you...

When I go home to my parents in Surrey, no visit would be complete without an excursion to Wing Yips Chinese supermarket and the little instore bakery. They make THE BEST Cantonese pork buns with a sticky sugar glaze and filled with unctuous nuggets of BBQ pork and its been my mission for a long time to create these succulent morsels so I can enjoy the...

What do you do when the rain is hammering down, its freezing cold and you are dreaming of escaping to some exotic destination???

You make Caribbean pork and sweet corn fritters  with a sunshine inspired zesty mango salsa of course..

What could be better than munching through a plate of tropical island inspired yumminess that can be eat...

Tinga de pollo is an absolutely fabulous Mexican dish made with smoky chipotle chillies, tomatoes and garlic and remains one of my all time favourite dishes when we visit good Mexican restaurants.

As we Brits are so famous (or infamous) for our love of pies I thought I would combine the two with a yummy filo based creation, bursting at the seams with ...

A few years ago my hubby and I went to the beautiful Greek Islands on a Cruise ship and we came across a little back street bakery selling a delicious puff pastry, spinach and herb pastry that the locals were queuing out of the door to buy. After a lot of smiling and pointing we managed to buy a slab for our lunch and wandered around the old town of Corfu with the...

Whenever I talk to people about pastry the one kind that everyone shies away from is good old fashioned choux and yet it’s one of the easiest pastries to make if not one of the most versatile. Savoury or sweet, choux is a fabulous pastry to master and if you nip onto You Tube I will show you how to make fabulous pastry in a matter of minutes. This won...

This is a fabulous way of using up cooked turkey, chicken, gammon or even pork and is one of my favourite ways of utilising a glut of cooked meats left over at Christmas. Readymade hash browns are a fantastic quick and topping for pies and tarts, simply leave them to defrost then crumble them over your chosen filling. I particularly like them on top of a cr...

In the 1800’sThe North East of England was criss crossed with canals with wonderful names like Dearne and Dove, the Erewash and the Pocklington that transported coal, lime, corn, flour and manure (you wouldn’t have wanted to confuse those two in a hurry) and the navvies working on the barges would cook these simple but lovely savoury potato and b...

There is nothing so boring as a sausage roll, they have always got too much pastry and not enough under seasoned sausage meat and when I spy them sitting forlornly on the buffet table next to an even sadder plate of mini pork pies or scotch eggs my taste buds take a dive into the bottom of my socks, which is why I thought it time to bring the boring old sau...