Spinach Balls

Ingredients
1 Small Onion (finely chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
1 Large Green Chilli (de seeded and finely chopped)
350g Spinach (chopped)
250g Cottage Cheese
1 Egg
1 Tablespoon Parmesan
60g Sunflower Seeds
100g Bread Crumbs
Salt and Pepper
A Splash of Oil

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Garlic Press
1 Frying Pan
1 Mixing Bowl
Cocktail Sticks
1 Baking Tray (lined with grease proof paper)
1 Plate

The Good Bit

1. Start by frying the onion, garlic and chilli of in the oil for about 5 minutes until it's soft then add the spinach and cook for another 5 minutes. then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
2. Pre heat your oven too 220c 425f gas 7. Mix together the egg, cottage cheese, parmesan and spinach, season and stir in the sunflower seeds.
3. Tip the breadcrumbs onto the plate, with a tablespoon, take a scoop of your mixture then roll it on the breadcrumbs until it's well coated then stick with a cocktail stick and stand on the baking tray, repeat until you are out of mixture, bake for 20 minutes of until the balls look golden.
   

Makes 20ish

Potato Salad

Ingredients
500g New Potatoes
150g Green Beans
8 Spring Onions (sliced into inch long chunks)
200g Pitted Black Olives (optional)
100g Salami (cut into thin slices, don't use if you are going for the vegetarian version)
6 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Mint (chopped)
1 Tablespoons Whole Grain Mustard
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Serving Bowl

The Good Bit

1. Start by cooking the potatoes for 15 minutes, then drop in the beans and cook for another 3 minutes, drain the water and rinse under cold water then drain again and leave to cool some more.
2. Now chop the potatoes into chunks and toss into the serving bowl along with the olives, onions and salami, in the mixing bowl you want to mix together the remaining ingredients and then season with salt and pepper, pour over the potato mixture and serve.
   

Serves 4

Smoked Salmon Bagels

Ingredients
4 Eggs
4 Slices Smoked Salmon
4 Tablespoons Crème Fraiche
2 Bagels (halved)
1 Tablespoon Chopped Chives (to garnish)
Butter
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Small Pan (1/2 filled with water)

The Good Bit

1. Start by boiling your eggs in the pan, (soft boiled is what you are going for, different pans, stoves and eggs make it hard for me to give you an exact method here, i usually have my eggs at room temperature, place them in the pan then bring the water to the boil rapidly, then i time the eggs for 3 1/2 minutes) While you are waiting for the eggs, toast you bagels under the grill then butter.
2. You can miss this stage out if you like but it adds another flavour to the dish. In a frying pan with a splash of HOT oil, rapidly fry the salmon on one side for 30 seconds, then remove.
3. Place a slice of bagel in the middle of a plate, stack a slice of salmon on top, then a spoonful of crème fraiche, top with the egg (minus the shell obviously) and sprinkle over the chives and finally season with salt and pepper.
   

Serves 4

Chicken Wings

Ingredients
8 Chicken Wings (with the tips removed)
1 Small Onion (chopped as fine as you can)
2 Cloves Garlic (crushed)
2 Tablespoons Honey (clear)
4 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
4 Tablespoons Tomato Ketchup
2 Teaspoons English Mustard
2 Teaspoons Tabasco Sauce
2 Tablespoons Flour (seasoned with salt and pepper)
Oil

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Frying Pan
1 Baking Tray (covered with grease proof paper)
1 Garlic Press
Napkins

The Good Bit

1. Pre heat your oven to 200c 400f gas mark 6. Start by frying the onion and garlic until soft in a splash of oil, then add in the sauces, honey and mustard and simmer for about 2 minutes.
2. Next you want to dust the chicken wings in the seasoned flour then brush with the sauce and place on the baking tray. cook for 30 minutes until they are well browned (even a little burned isn't bad, adds to the flavour) Serve, with napkins!!
   

Serves 4

Easy Pizza

Ingredients
4 Bake Your Own Baguettes
1 Tube Tomato Purée
125g Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 Red Pepper
1 Small Onion
1x120g Can Sweetcorn

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Baking Tray

The Good Bit

1. Pre Heat your oven to 220c 425f gas 7. Cut the baguettes in half lengthways then in half down the middle so you end up with 4 slice (2 tops, 2 bottoms) from each baguette and then spread tomato purée over the freshly cut surface (use it as though it were butter)
2. Sprinkle the cheese over the top (use more if you want). The choice now really is yours, i like to add strips of pepper, a few strips of onion and a sprinkle of sweetcorn, you can use whatever toppings you like, or just leave as cheese and tomato, just be aware that some things may not cook as quick as the bread so will still be raw when the pizza is served (you may need to pre cook some things, generally hard vegetables take longer to cook, unless you are using pre cooked meat, i'd leave that off, you can get away with little chunks of bacon)
3. Cook For 8-10 until the cheese has melted and the vegetables look as though they are starting to burn. Serve immediately.
   

Serves 4

French Onion Soup

Ingredients
50g Butter
750g Onions (halved and sliced thinly)
2 Teaspoons Sugar
2 Teaspoons Plain Flour
1l Beef Stock
1/2 A Baguette (4 slices of a toasty loaf will do)
50g Gruyère Cheese (grated, again cheddar will do)
Salt And Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Measuring Jug
1 Spatula

The Good Bit

1. Melt the butter in the pan and add the onions and sugar, cook over a low heat for 20-30 minutes until golden, or for speed, fry off in a little oil without the sugar for 5 minutes until golden and then put in the pan, but the pan way gives a better flavour.
2. Whack the flour in and stir cooking for 5 minutes, this'll thicken the soup a little, then add the beef stock, bring to the boil rapidly stirring all the time then turn down the heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, i like a lot of pepper in soup, it really brings out a good flavour.
   
3. Toast your bread then line the bottom of a bowl with a slice and sprinkle over the cheese, do this for all four dishes then ladle over the soup.

Serves 4

Tomato Soup

Ingredients
8 Red Tomatoes (chopped in half)
1 Red Onion (unpeeled and quartered)
1 Whole Garlic including skin (halved from top to bottom, take out if you don't like garlic)
2 Sprigs Thyme
1l Vegetable Stock
100g Crème Fraiche
A Splash of Oil

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Medium Roasting Tin
1 Blender
1 Sieve
1 Large Pan

The Good Bit

1. Pre heat your oven to 200c/400f/gas 6. Put your tomatoes onion, garlic and thyme in your roasting tin, drizzle with oil and season well with salt and pepper, cook for 30 mins until charred.
2. Take out the onion and garlic (the garlic will be sweeter and not half as strong cooked this way) pour over half the stock and return to the oven for another 10 mins/
3. Peel the garlic and onion and blend to a paste , remove the thyme from the roasting tin and pour this into the blender and give it a good whizzing.
4. Strain what's left into a large pan, add the rest of the stock and the crème fraiche and heat gently, season to taste then serve with a baguette.

Serves 4

Lentil Soup

Ingredients
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 Sprig Fresh Thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 Carrots (finely diced)
2 Garlic Cloves (finely chopped)
1 Red Chilli (seeded and finely chopped)
3 Tomatoes (roughly chopped)
100g Red Lentils (you can swap these for split yellow peas but you must soak them the night before)
1.2l Vegetable Stock
4 Tablespoons Natural Yoghurt (Greek yoghurt is good too or for those not worried about their waist line whipped double cream!)
1 Lemon
A Splash of Oil
1/2 Teaspoon mustard (can be left out)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan

The Good Bit

1. Heat the oil in your pan and cook the onion, carrot and thyme for about 4 minutes until starting to soften, add the garlic, chilli and mustard if using and cook for another couple of minutes.
2. Whack in the Tomatoes, lentils and stock, bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 30minutes, test that you can crush a lentil with the back of a spoon against the side of a pan, if you cant, cook a little longer.
3. Mix half the lemon zest into the yoghurt and pour the juice into the soup, season the soup with salt and pepper, ladle into four bowls with a scoop of the yoghurt in the centre of each and sprinkle over any remaining zest. A good Sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper goes extremely well with this.

Serves 4

Popeye Soup

Ingredients
2 Large Onions (roughly chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
1 Red Chilli (finely chopped)
1 Bunch Fresh Mint (roughly chopped)
1 Bunch Fresh Parsley or Coriander (roughly chopped)
500g Fresh Spinach (roughly chopped)
1.2l Vegetable Stock
2 Lemons (juiced)
Pinch of Dried Nutmeg
A Splash of Oil

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Blender
1 Wooden Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Cook the onion, garlic and chilli in the pan in a splash of oil for 10-minutes, or until soft and golden, add the herbs and stock and bring to the boil (not the spinach), simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Add the spinach and cook for another 2 minutes then add the lemon juice, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste, blend with a hand blender or if using a food processor, once blended return to heat through for a short while, (not to long as the colour will go)

Serves 4

Thai Banana Soup

Ingredients
A Splash of Oil (groundnut for authentic, olive will do)
50g Spring Onions (sliced)
1 Clove Garlic (finely Sliced)
200ml Coconut Milk
400ml Vegetable Stock (if your local supermarket sells a thai veg stock in the chillers use that for an excellent taste)
1/4 Teaspoon White Pepper
3 Tablespoons Soy Sauce
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Banana (sliced into large slices)
1 Red Chilli (sliced into fairly large slices)

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
A Blender

The Good Bit

1. Fry off the onion and garlic in the oil until soft and golden, whack in the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, drop the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Set aside 1/4 of the banana and chilli then blend the rest of the soup, once blended add the bits you set aside and reheat, serve hot.

Serves 4

Cream of Chicken Soup

Ingredients
400g Chicken
1 Onion
1 Garlic Clove (take out if not wanted)
2 Carrots (thinly sliced)
1 Celery Stick (thinly sliced)
1 Leek (thinly sliced)
500ml Chicken Stock
500ml Water
125ml Single Cream
Salt and Pepper to Season

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Blender/Food Processor
1 Slotted Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Place the chicken, onion, garlic and other vegetables in the pan with the water and season, skim off anything that looks undesirable floating on top, then bring to a slow simmer, cover and heat for 30 minutes.
2. Add the stock and bring back to the boil, re-cover and simmer for another 30mins, adjust the seasoning if needed. Using the slotted spoon, take out the chicken and blend until smooth.
3. Return the chicken back to the pan, add in the cream and and heat through, but now the cream is in do not let it boil (if it is a little thick at this stage add a little more water), give a good stir and serve.

Serves 4

Potato and Leek Soup

Ingredients
25g Butter
2 Large Leeks (thinly sliced)
250g Potatoes (diced amazingly enough to the size of a dice!)
1 Onion (chopped as fine or as rough as you like)
750ml Chicken Stock
300ml milk

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Wooden Spoon
Greaseproof Paper

The Good Bit

1. Add the butter, leek, onion, and potato to the pan and stir well to cover with the butter, cover tightly with greaseproof paper and cook over a low heat for 15minutes, until everything is begins to go soft but not coloured, you will need to stir frequently to stop the colouring.
2. Add all the liquids and season to taste then bring to the boil and reduce the heat to a low simmer for 20mins until all the vegetables are cooked through (test the potatoes with a fork, if they are done there should be no resistance)
3. Blend at this stage and return back to the pan to reheat again checking the seasoning, if you like the soup a little more chunky, you can reserve 1/4 of the vegetables and add then back in to the soup on the rewarm.

Serves 4

Melon with Mulled Wine

Ingredients
1/2 Honeydew Melon (de seeded and sliced into 4 long strips)
1 Glass Mulled Wine (still warm)
Handful of Red Berries (such as the Christmas favourite cranberry)
4 Fresh Mint Sprigs to Garnish

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board

The Good Bit

1. This is so simple but so tasty, star your Christmas dinner off with this and you'll be onto a winner straight away!! With your knife carefully and with 1 cut about 4-5mm away from the skin remove the melon flesh.
2. With the flesh that is remaining cutting from 1 end and leaving about 1cm at the other end uncut, make 4-5 cuts, now you should be able to fan out the melon onto your serving plate.
3. If the mulled wine is not already warm, warm it a little then pour directly onto the the melon, sprinkle with a few cranberries and serve garnished with a sprig of mint.
   

Serves 4

Figs with Ham

Ingredients
4 Figs
1 Lemon (juiced)
Handful Fresh Basil (roughly chopped)
12 Slices Parma Ham (treat yourself to the freshly cut ham from the charcuterie/delicatessen counter rather than the pre packed stuff, it'll taste so much better)
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to Season

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Mixing Bowl
1 Wooden Spoon

The Good Bit

1. Start by removing the stems from the figs then cutting them into quarters, drop them in the bowl along with 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and 4 tablespoons of the oil and the basil, then season with salt and pepper and mix well.
2. Arrange 3 Slices of ham on each plate then spoon the fig mixture over and enjoy.
   

Serves 4

Chilled Cucumber Soup

Ingredients
1 Cucumber (chopped into slices, reserve 8 thin slices)
2 Shallots (chopped)
2 Cloves Garlic (chopped)
250g Cooked Peeled Prawns (reserve 8 for garnishing)
300ml Single Cream
300ml Milk
25g Butter
1 Bay Leaf
Fresh Mint (reserve 4 sprigs to garnish and use 1 tablespoon of chopped)
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Chives
Salt and Pepper

Equipment
1 SHARP Knife
1 Chopping Board
1 Large Pan
1 Blender
1 Large Serving Bowl

The Good Bit

1. Start by melting the butter in the pan then cooking the shallots and cucumber for 5 minutes over a low heat until it begins to soften (use a lid on the pan to help with this) do not colour! Next add in the milk and bay then season to taste and simmer for 10 minutes.
2. Take out the bay leaf on pour the soup into the blender, blend well for a few seconds. Now pour into the serving bowl and stir in the herbs, prawns and cream and chill for 2 hours.
   
3. Serve garnished with a sprig of mint and the reserved prawns and cucumber slices.
   

Serves 4