A vitamin packed, healthy, good for the soul chicken soup. I have swapped out a few of the normal ingredients to make this a nutrient rich dish. So courgettes are used instead of noodles and the addition of peas and spinach rather than bean sprouts and spring onions. I made the chicken stock from left over bones having made a naughty chicken pie yesterday and kept back some chicken i had shredded. (Please note, chicken pie recipe not allowed online as family secret). Ingredients: 300g pre cooked chopped up chicken 2 garlic cloves crushed 1 tsp five spice 1 thumb sized piece ginger grated large handful spinach 1 courgette (made into courgetti) 50g frozen peas 2 star anise 6 cloves 2 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 1 ltr chicken or vegetable stock Garnish: 30g toasted peanuts Sml handful of chopped coriander wedges of lime finely chopped red chilli Sriracha sauce Soy (only add for extra seasoning) In a pan I put stock, ginger, garlic, onion, five spice, cloves and star anise and …

Yes OK so I am still obsessed by Hemsley & Hemsley, it could take a while for me to stop being obsessed and yes i know, slow of the mark but at least I am making the recipes rather than just staring adoringly at them… Hemsley & Hemsley call these Paradise bars but to me they are basically bounty bars, the one chocolate in a box of Celebrations that I hope no one else likes. But thank you to H&H I can eat one (ahem or two) of these and almost feel no guilt at all. Ingredients: 200g bar creamed coconut 6 tbsp coconut oil 3 tbsp raw honey 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract pinch of sea salt 150g desiccated coconut 200g 85% cocoa solids dark chocolate Line a 20cm square or similar sized rectangular tin with baking paper. Then get your coconut cream and while it is still in the packet submerge in a bowl of hot water till it becomes liquid. Measure out your coconut oil and then mix with the liquid creamed coconut. If …

I read the Hemsley & Hemsley The Art of Eating Well book like it’s a novel in bed. Totally ridiculous really but I can’t seem to get enough of the recipes which all sound delicious and are good for you too! I had a go at the carrot and flaxseed crackers and definitely didn’t leave them in the oven long enough but they are crumbly and scoffable and a great snack to stave away the mid morning hunger. They have a savoury flavour and would go very well with soups or a little cheese and chutney. Ingredients:  (make around 30 crackers) 100g ground almonds 60g carrot pulp (left over from juicing) or one medium sized carrot grated 90g whole flaxseed 1 tsp grated fresh garlic 1 tbsp herbs de Provence 1/2 tsp sea salt Mix all ingredients together with your hand then pour onto a large piece of baking paper. Place over the top another sheet of baking paper and gently roll the mixture out till it is firm. Gently press through with a knife to indent …

A few spices to boost your metabolism and veg to boost that immune system. This is a great soup for this time of year when every other person one says hello to seems to respond to your ‘Hi how are you?’ question with… “Ugh, I’m full of cold” And if you happen to be that person who is full of cold.. then add more spice and clear up those sinuses! Ingredients: 4 large carrots 1 large sweet potato 1 white onion Thumb sized piece of ginger (grated) 2 garlic cloves (crushed) 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp chilli flakes Vegetable stock – 500 ml Start by finely slicing the onion and gently sweat off in saucepan with a splash of olive oil with the lid on so it doesn’t burn. After a few minutes add the garlic and spices and keep cooking till onions are soft. Add the stock, carrots and sweet potato and let simmer till vegetables are soft. Remove from the heat and allow to cool a little then blitz until smooth. Serve with …

Store cupboard favourites of the fresh variety

A very ‘orange’ soup, and many a time we have all been told to eat fruit and vegetables that are full of colour as they contain a lot of nutrients and goodness for our bodies. This is a healthy and vitamin packed soup! The fragrant sage cuts through the sweetness of the root vegetables making it a lunch time favourite especially with some wholemeal & cumin homemade flatbreads. Serves 4: 1 large / 2 small sweet potatoes 4 carrots half pumpkin vegetable stock sage leaves salted butter olive oil large red onion Flatbreads: Greek or natural yoghurt Wholemeal flour Cumin seeds Salt Baking powder Remove skin from pumpkin and sweet potato and chop into even chunks and do the same with the carrot but cut in slightly smaller chunks. Put into a steamer and steam until tender and cooked through. Take 5 large sage leaves and chop finely with the red onion then in a large saucepan melt 40 g of butter and a table spoon of olive oil and add the onion and sage. …

Chocolate Bark is the easiest mid week dinner party pudding especially as it is quick and cheap to make. Many of us would like to wow our friends with a home made pudding that we ‘just made earlier’ but sometimes life doesn’t give us that time. This is something you can make while you lay the table or the night before, let it set in the fridge and it will be ready to serve on a large chopping board for your guests to snap  into their own portion size served with fresh mint tea. 70% dark chocolate is recommended and buy a selection of sugar free nuts and dried fruit. If any of the nuts are quite large, give them a bit of a chop and set aside. Use a sauce pan and put an inch of water and heat up the water and place a bowl on top. The bowl should not touch the water and do not let it boil. Break up the chocolate and leave to melt, keeping back a quarter of the chocolate …

An excellent source of protein eggs are used as much in savoury in my life as they are used in sweet. Below are a few images of foods in which eggs play a huge part in:       

Courgettes are the king of the green vegetable in my mind. It gets thrown into a ratatouille in chunks, it can be roasted in rounds to add to cous cous. It can be stripped into long spaghetti for courgetti as a gluten free pasta. It can be used in cakes to add density and moisture, grated in salads to add freshness.