Marion's recipe for mushroom soup with parsley and garlic

Ingredients      Serves 6

·      25g of butter or oil

·      1 medium onion, finely chopped

·      1 garlic clove, finely chopped

·      40g plain flour

·      700ml vegetable stock

·      250g chestnut mushrooms, sliced

·      1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley

·      75ml single cream or non-dairy milk

·      Salt and pepper

·      To garnish: 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley.

Method

 ·      Melt half the butter and cook the onion and garlic gently for 5 minutes in a covered saucepan, without colouring.

·      Stir in the flour and cook gently for 1 minute, stirring.

·      Gradually add the stock, stirring all the time.

·      Add half the mushrooms and parsley.

·      Cover bring to the boil and simmer gentle for about 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

·      Cool a little, then puree in a liquidiser.

·      In the remaining butter/oil, sauté the remaining mushrooms for 5 minutes until they begin to brown, then add the pureed soup.

·      Simmer gently for 3 minutes.

·      Stir in the cream/milk and taste for seasoning.

·      Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley.

Yvette's recipe for Spicy Carrot and Lentil Soup

Ingredients

600g of carrots - washed and chopped

140g of split red lentils

2 tsp of cumin seeds

Pinch of chilli flakes

1 tbsp of olive oil

1 Litre of hot veg stock - I use two stock cubes

125 ml milk (or dairy free alternative)

Step One

Dry fry the chilli flakes and cumin seeds in a pre-heated large saucepan until they go a little brown and the fragrance is released (1 minute)

Step Two

Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan; place on the lid. Bring the soup to the boil and then simmer for approx. 20mins.

Step Three

Either blend ‘til smooth or use a potato masher if you prefer a chunkier soup 

Step Four

Add a dollop of natural yogurt and salt and pepper to taste

Step Five

Enjoy !

Jackie's recipe for Peter Rabbit Soup 

Ingredients

2 carrots

1 sweet potato

1 leek

   (or any seasonal vegetables you can

    steal from Mister McGregor’s Garden!)

40 gms lentils

1 pint vegetable stock

Method

1.      Prepare and chop all vegetables

2.      Add to the pan with stock and lentils

3.      Cook for approx. 10 mins or until vegetables are soft

4.      Blend and season to your own preference

5.      Enjoy

Cath's recipe for Minestrone soup

Ingredients                Serves 4

1 tbsp olive oil    

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

3 sticks of celery, chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 tbsp tomato purée

400g tin tomatoes

1.2 litres stock made with stock cubes

400g tin cannellini beans

100g dry spaghetti

1/4 head cabbage, shredded

Salt & pepper

Optional

4 - 8 rashers of Bacon

Add or substitute any vegetables - I often use courgettes instead of cabbage

You can use any type of tinned beans or use fresh or frozen green beans. You can use whatever you have!  Grated Parmesan to serve.

Method

Add oil to large saucepan. Add chopped onions, carrots, celery (bacon if using) and soften for 10 minutes.

Add crushed garlic. Cook for 1 minute.

Add 2 tbsp tomato purée. Cook for 3 minutes.

Add tin of tomatoes and stock. Cook for further 15 minutes.

Add drained tin of beans and broken up spaghetti. Cook for further 10 minutes.

Add cabbage. Cook for further 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste

Meg's recipe for Broccoli & Stilton Soup

Ingredients

1oz butter 

1.5 lb leeks, thinly sliced

4 or 5 cloves of garlic

1 large potato, cut into about 2cm cubes

I pint chicken stock

4oz Stilton, grated (blue gives more flavour)

A pinch of grated nutmeg

1/4 pint single cream (optional)

Method

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the leeks and potato. Mix well, cover and cook on a low heat for a few minutes.

Add the garlic, stir in the stock and cook for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Allow to cool a little then process (liquidise) the mixture until it is smooth.

Add the stilton, nutmeg and salt and pepper and cook gently until the cheese is dispersed.

If adding cream, stir in and cook for a further minute.

The soup can be frozen before any cream is added.   Serve with croutons.

Brian's kale, chorizo & pepper soup

Ingredients     Serves 6-8

225g Kale, thick stems removed

225g Chorizo sausage

675g floury potatoes, e.g. Marris Piper

1.75 litres stock

1 tsp ground pepper

Cayenne pepper, optional

12 slices French bread, toasted, buttered

Method

Chop kale finely.

Skin sausage and simmer for 15min, drain and cut into thin slices.

Boil potatoes until tender. Then mash using some of the cooking liquid to make a paste.

Bring the stock to the boil, add the kale and chorizo and simmer for 5min.

Add the potato paste, black pepper, cayenne, and simmer for 20min.

To serve

Place bread slices on each bowl and pour the soup over

Jenny's Moroccan chickpea soup

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

2 celery sticks

2 tsp ground cumin

600 ml vegetable stock

400g tin of chopped tomatoes (with garlic)

400g tin of chickpeas

100g broad beans

Zest and juice of ½ lemon

Large handful of coriander or parsley

Method

1.     Fry the onion and celery in the oil for 10 minutes or 'til softened     then add the cumin and fry for another minute.

2.     Add the tomatoes, stock and chickpeas plus a good grind of black pepper. Simmer for 8 minutes then add the broad beans and       lemon juice and cook for another 2 minutes.

3.     Season to taste and add the lemon zest and chopped herbs.

Steve`s Lockdown chocolate cake.

Cake Ingredients.                                                   Icing Ingredients.

190g Plain flour                                                       125g icing sugar

225g caster sugar                                                    2 tsp softened butter or Flora

30g cocoa powder                                                  1 tbsp cocoa powder

 1 tsp baking soda                                                   ½ tsp vanilla essence

½  tsp salt                                                                  3 tsp approx. of milk

250 ml cool water

6 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla essence

Method.

1. Preheat oven to 170C (160C fan) and grease an 8” tin, preferably loose bottomed.
2. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl.
3. In a measuring jug combine water, oil, juice and vanilla essence.
4. Add liquids to the dry mixture slowly, stirring until there are no lumps.
5. Pour into the tin and bake for 50 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Cool in the tin then turn out onto a baking tray.

To ice the cake.

1. Place all ingredients except the milkin a bowl.
2. Mix with an electric mixer for a few seconds.
3. Slowly beat in the milk, a little at a time until it reaches frosting consistency.
4. Beat on high for a further 15 seconds
5. Coat the cake.

(We usually have this as a pudding with natural yoghurt or quark to counteract the sweetness of the icing)

Catherine's recipe for Cinder Toffee Ice Cream

Ingredients

·       1 pint whipping cream

·       1 small tin condensed milk

·       2 tbsp golden syrup

·       5 tbsp white sugar

·       1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

STEP 1

Heat sugar and syrup in heavy saucepan until it dissolves. Boil for 3-4 minutes until caramel golden colour.

STEP 2

Take off heat. Stir in bicarb. Pour frothy mixture onto greased baking sheet to cool.

STEP 3

Whisk cream until thick. Whisk in condensed milk.

STEP 4

Crush cooled cinder toffee. Fold almost all into cream. Spoon mixture into freezer proof serving dish, scatter over remaining cinder toffee. Freeze. Use within 10 days.

You can substitute Crunchy bars (or crunchy chocolate of choice) instead of making Cinder toffee or if you like coffee ice cream try adding 2 tbsp espresso powder and 2 tbsp coffee liqueur to the cream and condensed milk.

Jane also sent us this recipe for a delicious mocktail

Madonna Michelada

Ingredients  (Serves 1)

·       250ml ginger beer, the hotter, the better

·       Juice of 2 limes

·       Salt and chilli, to rim the glass – if you want to be flash, blitz up a poblano or chipotle, otherwise use ordinary chilli powder (optional)

·       Tabasco, to taste

·       1 sprig fresh mint, to garnish (optional)

Pour the ginger beer and lime juice into a tall glass (rimmed with salt and chilli, if you like), throw in a few ice cubes, then add the Tabasco – start with around a dozen drops, stir, then add more if you’d like to ramp up the heat. Garnish with mint, if you like, and serve.

Sharon's Vegan Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients

55 g  vegan butter/margarine (the solid block kind NOT spreadable), softened

75 g  light brown soft sugar

30 g caster sugar

½ tsp vanilla bean paste/extract

1 tbsp non-dairy milk

100 g  plain flour

½ tsp baking powder

5 g (½ tbsp) cornflour

80 g dairy free dark chocolate chopped (or use chocolate chips)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and line a couple of metal baking sheets with baking paper.

Place the vegan butter, brown sugar and caster sugar in a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer until fluffy. Whisk in the vanilla bean paste and milk.

Sift together the flour, baking powder and cornflour and add to the bowl. Mix in until well combined then add the chocolate and stir through. The dough should be fairly stiff.

Divide the dough into eight portions and roll each into a ball. Place them well spaced apart on the baking trays and flatten very slightly.

Bake for 10-12 minutes until pale golden, be careful not to overbake them, they will firm up as they cool. If they haven't spread much during baking, give the tray a hard tap on the countertop.

Leave to cool on the tray for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Jane's Peanut butter cookies 

Ingredients

·       200g peanut butter (crunchy or smooth is fine)

·       175g golden caster sugar

·       ¼ tsp fine table salt

·       1 large egg

STEP 1   

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line 2 large baking trays with baking parchment.

STEP 2

Measure the peanut butter and sugar into a bowl. Add ¼ tsp fine table salt and mix well with a wooden spoon. Add the egg and mix again until the mixture forms a dough.

STEP 3

Break off cherry tomato sized chunks of dough and place, well spaced apart, on the trays. Press the cookies down with the back of a fork to squash them a little. The cookies can now be frozen for 2 months, cook from frozen adding an extra min or 2 to the cooking time.

STEP 4

Bake for 12 mins, until golden around the edges and paler in the centre. Cool on the trays for 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in a cookie jar for up to 3 days.

June's Banana Loaf 

Pre heat oven to 350f or 180c (160c if using a fan oven) gas mark 4

Ingredients

·       10 oz SR flour ( I only use 8 oz as I think it makes the loaf more moist but it’s personal choice.)

·       2 Ripe Bananas

·       4 oz margerine  or baking spread

·       4 oz white or brown sugar

·       2 eggs (I use large)

·       2 tble spoons so milk

STEP 1

Line a 2lb loaf tin with grease prof paper.

STEP 2

Mash the bananas and margarine or baking spread together.

STEP 3

Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

STEP 4

spread into loaf tin, you can sprinkle the top with a little extra sugars if you like.

Bake for 1hr to 1hr 15 mins

The loaf will shrink from sides of the tin,  also test if loaf is cooked, put a cocktail stick in centre of load if it comes out clean the cake is cooked.