Feck eating healthily today, for today is Pancake Tuesday! I made a vat of pancake batter last night (it’s best if it gets to sit overnight) to bring into work, where we’ll be cooking it up in our office kitchen with savoury fillings for lu…
Some of the yummyness available at tomrrow’s Cake Sale for Barnardos include chocolate brownies, Catherine Leyden’s tea brack, apple tarts, raspberry shortcake bars, and – an update with thanks to Nanazolie – lemon cake, nut and choco…
Halloween is about death, fun and cake. This weekend, Cheapeats – also known as Jean and I – are holding a cake sale in The Grand Social to raise money for children’s charity Barnardos. We’d love, love, love you to bake somethin…
The blackberries are out and it’s your chance to get free food. You can use them to make jam, cakes, ice cream, compote, crème brulée, coulis and even tea.
You can also use blackberries in savoury sauces. Venison goes well with autumnal purple-…
I know for many, the idea of growing your own is just too damn daunting but there are certain vegetables and herbs that just won’t fail – I promise.
Mint is unbelievable. It is a weed and it will grow anywhere and all year round. It’s such …
Samosa are great party food but they don’t have to be Asian, Indian or even savoury.
If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to apple tart, why not give this apple samosa a try.
This hand-held dessert will go down well in a crowd and ar…
To mark Bastille day, I’m planning a French feast this evening with some friends. Tucking into French onion soup, a classic Coq au vin and a Crème brûlée; a French three course meal doesn’t have to cost a fortune and this menu contains b…
It has been a great summer so far for growing and the strawberries haven’t let me down. They taste unbelievably flavoursome and are the stawberriest strawberries I’ve ever tasted.
This is the first year I have grown the fruit and I had no i…
Following on from Wednesday’s post on quick and easy recipes that can be thrown together after a hard day at work, here are some more hassle free dishes for you to try.
I have included a couple of desserts that could be thrown together at the end…
I know there are bigger things to be angry about in the world but it really annoys me when recipe books assume you have an ice cream maker.
You come across a tantalising ice cream recipe and excitedly race through the instructions to disappointingly co…
I experienced an extremely pleasant picnic recently. This wasn’t a ‘hang’ sandwich affair but a proper picnic on a river bank with lots of lovely food and company. It got me thinking about interesting picnic ideas and the best way t…
You have to try this Italian dessert, it’s Baked Amaretti and Vin Santo Plums with Mascarpone Cream – outrageously good. It is from the recipe book ‘Falling Cloudberries’ by Tessa Kiros. With a really rich, full-bodied taste, it’s a win…
This recipe comes courtesy of my sister Barbara, cake-maker extraordinaire. Barbara’s baking skills have her in high demand for family parties and functions; people regularly ask her for cakes as Christmas or wedding presents.
Apricot Upside-down…
I’ve always imagined that raspberries and strawberries fight when our backs are turned. Sure, by all means, put them together on a pavlova and they’ll appear very well behaved, but leave the room for a few minutes and they’re at bat…
I posted here last week about how overripe bananas are unpleasant to eat but fantastic for baking. Readers weighed in with some excellent recipes and some handy tips for freezing bananas. I will be trying and sharing some of these techniques shortl…
I’ve recently become very appreciative of the simple banana, a fruit I neglected for years. I don’t know what was wrong with me – there are few things nicer than a banana at the perfect stage of slight under-ripeness, with a tinge of gree…
Yesterday I posted about an Easter Sunday dinner of baked rabbit, getting somewhat mixed reactions. Undeterred, I’m back. I promised a seasonal Easter dessert and here it is: Hot cross bun pudding.
I love hot cross buns and they can be easily tur…
If all the pancake festivities – coupled with the absence of a Mardi Gras party on these shores – are making you want to soak yourself in booze, try Crepes Suzette. These are pancakes with a hot, sweet, orange liquer sauce, and they’re very easy …
It’s a Pancake Tuesday special here at CheapEats. Check back in throughout the day for more recipes and pancake antics.
Pancakes are tricky little fellas. Too thick – they taste like an Italian shoe; too thin – they taste like communion.
What is…
Christmas is all about pushing the boat out. Created exclusively for CheapEats readers by top chef Garth McColgan of FoodActive and Aldi, this deluxe dessert is a pudding fit for a king, a yuletide treat packed with all things deliciously decadent a…
Mince pies and pudding are the quintessential Christmas treat. Both share many of the same ingredients so making your own will save you money.
Last year I made mince pies the easy way. I bought a jar of mince meat and filled some ready-made vole-au-ven…
I’m not dreaming of a white Christmas; I want mine to be a ginger one.
I’m kind of bored with the Christmas decorations I’ve had for eons so instead of going out and buying new ones, I’ve decided to make them.
Gingerbread Christ…
Try this cunning little chestnut cake recipe. It’s moreish and gorgeous, and perfect to have on standby for nibbles now, or great Christmas eats. You can easily freeze it and throw it in the freezer for use at a later date. But you’ll want …
A couple of years ago, I received a jar of jam for Christmas. This may seem like a stingy present but it was actually one of the nicest presents I got that year.
It wasn’t any ordinary shop-bought jam but homemade, wrapped specifically with me in…
We’re at mid-November, and right now is the perfect time to make your Christmas pud. If you don’t usually make it, try it: it’s wonderful, all the more succulent and sweet for having made it yourself.
Last year my sister, who is a sen…
