The Bakinglady 

I worked for many years as a lecturer at Blackpool and the Fylde college in Lancashire, from the beginning of November, right through to the middle of December the students would bake literally thousands of these delicious mince pies with a buttery, melt in the mouth Viennese topping. The last year I was there, I think we ended up baking over 22 th...

One of the first things you learnt how to make in school cookery lessons were good, old fashioned, sausage rolls, super easy to make and carried with pride all the way home in a plastic Tupperware box or an empty sweet tin left over from Christmas. Aaahhh sweet memories.... These sausage rolls are even easier to make ( if that's at all possible) but tas...

When I was young, we used to make the filling for lemon meringue from a little box , I think it was made by a company called Greens but I couldn't swear on it. You added the water to a sachet in a small saucepan and cooked over a low heat until a little gelatine capsule burst , filling the kitchen with mouth watering aromas of zesty lemon. This yummy pu...

I was the ripe old age of 58 before I experienced the joy of old fashioned school cornflake tart, it remained unknown and elusive throughout my formative years and I'm truly distraught it took me so long to celebrate its layers of pastry, jam and crunchy, buttery cornflakes, smothered in creamy custard.... 

150g plain flour

A good quiche is a thing of beauty, and this onion and cheddar tart is perfect for a light summers lunch with salad and baby new potatoes or as a hearty dish with creamed potatoes and loads of lovely veggies in the winter months

Filling

300g red onions, peeled and finely sliced

30g butter or margarine

Pastry

150g plain flou...

I always have a couple of packs of instant mashed potato in my store cupboard, perfect for when I need tatoes in a hurry or when I just can’t be bothered cooking... thinking outside the box today ( I needed a real savoury kick)I made these TO DIE FOR cheese and onion ‘pasties’ in under 20 minutes using a packet of instant mash, an onio...

Cold, leftover mashed potato always reminds me of my lovely mum and dad, and my Surrey childhood. Dad would have made ‘Eggo’ - inspired by his army days- fried in lard, mixed with egg and a hefty sprinkling of the Schwartz spice called Season All , Or mum would have utilised it to make the family a fantastic curried mince beef and onion pie...

Ploughman’s lunch sossy roll

1 small onion, finely diced

12 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 eating apple, peeled cored and finely diced

1 heaped teaspoon dried sage

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Salt and black pepper to taste

50g mature cheddar cheese, cut into thin slices

2 tablespoons chutney of your ...

One day (so legend has it) Henry the Eighth was strolling through Hampton palace and happened upon Anne Boleyn and her girlfriends eating these tasty little pastries from a silver dish, now Henry was so enthused by them that he decreed that only the royal household should be allowed to wrap their diamond encrusted gnashers around their pastry, almond an...

There is an unwritten law, somewhere, that you can’t go to the Gods own county of Yorkshire without sampling a freshly baked curd tart, if by any chance there isn’t such a law then there jolly well should be!

Curd tarts are the English version of a baked cheesecake, long before those pesky American’s decreed that only they know h...

Here in Lancashire there is good natured rivalry between the towns of Chorley, Accrington and Eccles as to who produces the best fruit filled pastry ‘cake’. Despite being an inhabitant of the market town of Chorley, I much prefer the sugar encrusted puff pastry Eccles version compared to the plainer Chorley or Accrington short crust pastry ...

I can't describe just how good this gorgeous tart is and is the perfect alternative to traditional mince pies at Christmas but its just as good eaten any time of the year. Cumberland Rum Nicky originated in Cumbria in the North West of England as a favourite of Sailors in the 1800's returning from the West Indies on ships laden with Rum, fruit...

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...

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 ...

When I was contacted by Liz in Canada about a pineapple tart that she used to enjoy in her native homeland of Scotland I knew there was a challenge afoot... There were absolutely no recipes on the internet and very little information as to what it consisted of but I am a glutton for punishment and there is nothing I like more than a challen...

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...

Fresh raspberries and apricots are a fantastic combination that remind me of long summer days and day trips to France where I would practice my dreadful mastery of the French language and scoff tart au apricot from backstreet patisseries. Over the years I have made many versions of this delicious zingy little tart but never with gluten free flour so I thoug...

Ooh la la, its nearly that time again when grown men scour the florists (in the case of my husband…. the nearest supermarket) for a bunch of red roses that doesn’t cost the national deficit of a small country and will remain alive for longer than a few hours hidden in the back of the car…

Yes my friends it’s the month of L’amour...

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...