Chilli Jam

Pin It

I love making food related presents for people for Christmas, its great if you're on a bit of a tight budget but also means that you can make it really personalised. This chilli jam is so delicious, I could almost eat it on its own. It has a little kick but isn't overly hot. I love spreading some in cheese sandwiches, grilled cheese, cheese on toast.. you get my drift. It would also be a great accompaniment to a cold buffet on Boxing day or on a cheese board. If you do prefer a really hot chilli jam than just take out some of the peppers and replace them with more chilli.

Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson

Makes around 1.5 litres

You will need-

• 150g fresh red chillies deseeded and cut into 4. (I used a mix of red & green as thats what I had to hand)
• 150g red bell peppers cored and deseeded and cut into a similar size as the chilli
• 1kg jam sugar - can be found in the supermarket
• 600ml cider vinegar
• 6 x 250ml jam jars with vinegar proof lids - you could always top the jam with greaseproof paper before putting the lid on if you don't have vinegar proof lids.

Begin by sterilizing your jars. I do this by washing them and them placing them upside down on a baking tray and place in a preheated oven on 180C for 20minutes.

Whilst the jars are sterilising place your chillies in a food processor and run it until they are finely chopped. Now add the pepper and run it again until they are finely chopped too.

Use a wide, medium sized pan and dissolve the sugar into the vinegar over a low heat. Be sure not to stir the mixture.


Once the sugar has dissolved add your chopped chilli and pepper and bring to the boil and leave it in a rolling boil for 10 minutes.


Now take the pan off the heat and leave it to cool. As it cools it will go from a syrupy mixture to a jelly.

Once the chilli and pepper flecks are evenly dispersed and suspended in the mixture rather than floating on top of it poor the jelly into the jars and seal tightly.

Place labels on them and share with your friends and family. Once opened keep in the fridge.


Enjoy x

Mince Pies

Pin It

Mince pies are a huge Christmas tradition in England and they really symbolise the start of Christmas for me. This was my first time making mince pies and I am over the moon with them. If you saw my post last week you would have seen the recipe for the mincemeat. You can always use shop bought but its so easy to make your own so its definitely worth giving it a go. You can assemble these mince pies in advance and freeze them so that on Christmas Eve or day you can bake them from fresh. Don't forget to leave one for Santa before you go to bed on Christmas Eve and you'll be sure to end up with a few extra treats under your tree!

Recipe from BBC Food

Makes 12

You will need-

• 350g mincemeat
• 200g plain sifted flour plus extra for rolling
• 40g golden caster sugar
• 75g ground almonds
• 125g cold unsalted butter
• 1 large free range egg, beaten
• Milk for glazing.

To start pour your flour, sugar, almonds and butter into a food processor and blitz for a few seconds until you get a consistency that resembles breadcrumbs. Pour the egg in and mix for another second or so. If you don't have a food processor then rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers and then stir in the beaten egg.

Pour the mixture onto a work surface and bring it together with your hands. Wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge for 1 hour.

Whilst the dough is chilling pour your mincemeat into a bowl and give it a good mix then butter a 12 hole pie or muffin tin.

After the hour is up roll the dough our thinly on a floured surface and then cut 12 circles that are bigger than your tin circles. Depending on the depth of the holes you may need to make them about 2cm bigger than the holes in the tin. Gently press them into the tin and fill generously with the mincemeat.

 Bring together your leftovers and roll them out. You could either just make solid lids for the mince pies or get a little more creative. For some I cut strips that I laid over the tops like a lattice. I also cut star & heart shapes and place them on top. Be sure the gently press the edges together to seal them. Next brush the tops with a little milk and place the tin in the fridge for 30 minutes. (If you are planning on freezing them skip the glazing, cover with foil and place them straight into the freezer. Be sure to defrost them before you bake and glaze them with the milk before baking.) Pre-heat your oven to 200C and bake the pies for around 20minutes till they are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm with some mulled wine.

Enjoy x

Explorer Magazine- December

Pin It

Here is my column from the December issue of the Explorer magazine. If you live in the Cambridge area, be sure to pick up a copy. This month are some miniature Butternut Squash, Mushroom & Leek pies that are based around a recipe I shared on here a while back. They are perfect for Christmas entertaining.

Whiskey Mincemeat

Pin It

For those who may not be familiar with it mincemeat is a mixture of dried fruit, spices & distilled spirits which is traditionally used in English mince pies that are served for Christmas. Mincemeat used to be made with meat but it now made with beef or vegetable suet. This recipe uses vegetable suet as its lower in fat than the meat equivalent but if you only have meat suet on hand then use that. 


This mixture needs to be made at least 2 weeks before you need it to give the whiskey a chance to soak into everything and for the flavours to develop. You could always use other spirits if you prefer, brandy is the most common used.


This recipe only takes about 10 minutes (if that) to make and makes a great Christmas present for friends & family. Be sure to sterilise your jars & it will keep for up to 6 months.


Recipe adapted from BBC Good Food
Makes approx. 4 500ml jars
You will need-

• 1 Bramley Apple
• 300g raisins
• 300g currants
• 300g shredded vegetarian suet
• 250g dark muscovado sugar
• 50g coarsely chopped almonds- I broke mine up in a pestle & mortar
• 85g mixed chopped peel
• A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• A pinch of mixed spice
• Grated zest & juice of 1 lemon
• 100ml whisky
• 4 Bay leaves

Begin by peeling and grating your apple and then put it to one side. Next, in a large bowl mix together the raisins, currants, suet, sugar, nuts, peel, spices, lemon zest & juice and then stir through the grated apple. Now pour over the whiskey & give everything a good mix to insure it is all coated in the spirit.

Spoon the mixture into your sterilised jars (make sure they're cool otherwise the suet will melt) Finally tuck a bay leaf into each jar and seal.

In 2 weeks time I will be sharing a recipe for mince pies and also fancy having a go at some eccles cakes using the mincemeat as a filling.

Mill Road Winter Fair

Pin It

I am really sorry for the lack of recipes & posts this last week. Preparing for a stall is much more time consuming than I initially thought! All in all it was a really great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of it. I'm happy to report that I sold out of everything before the end of the fair which was a really great feeling and a little unexpected. I am super grateful to all my family and friends for all their support with the whole thing. Having my niece & nephews 'back stage' sampling all my food really seemed to help with the sales so thank you Henry, Alice & Ben! I didn't manage to take many photos during the fair because it was so busy the whole day but here are the ones that I did manage to take. 


I am planning on taking part in the fair again next year, it was great trying out my recipes with people other than my nearest and dearest and I got some great responses. I will be back in full swing with the blogging towards the end of the week. I have some great recipes planned! Hope everyone's preparations for Christmas are going well. I am hosting Christmas for the first time this year and I am a little excited! Also, watch this space for my post about the FoodCycle Festive Feast which happened recently.

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Brioche rolls filled with Nutella

Chocolate Fudge, Sapice- Bosnian Christmas Biscuits & Flapjack to the right

Chocolate, Coconut & Oatmeal Cookies

Mid interview with Affinity radio

Pecan & Walnut Cinnamon Rolls

On another note, I have had a little change around with my blog. I plan on adding a recipe index when I manage to work out how to do it, if anyone knows how, please let me know! Also, I was asked by a few people whether I am able to make food to order which I am. If you are interested please contact me on my contact page above.

Homemade Egg Pasta with a Garlicky Mushroom & Leek sauce

Pin It

I have wanted to make my own pasta for a very long time and I finally got around to making it  this weekend. Its a really enjoyable to make your own pasta but be sure to set some time aside to do. We were really hungry when we started making it (Tim was my crank turner) that we ended up having to stop halfway for a snack. I'm sure with practice I will get quicker with handling the pasta. Next time I plan on making ravioli and using the leftovers for lasagne sheets. You could also add cracked black pepper or saffron for a slightly different take on the regular.

Serves 2/3 Adapted from Jamie Oliver

You will need-

• 300g tip '00' flour
• 3 large free range eggs

Weigh out your flour and then place it on a clean work surface. Next make a well in the middle and crack your eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork and then using your fingers, mix the flour into the eggs a little at a time until it is all combined. Knead the dough for around 5 minutes till the dough is really smooth. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Once the 30 minutes are up take the dough out of the fridge and separate into 3 equal pieces. Return 3 of them to the fridge and then get working with the 1st. Lightly flour your work surface then press the dough out with your fingertips. Set your pasta machine to the widest setting and roll the pasta through, then move the setting on the machine down and roll it through again. Now fold the pasta in half, move the setting to the widest again and roll the pasta through. Do this process about 5 times. This will work the dough and make it silky smooth.


Now its time to roll the pasta out. Starting from your widest setting roll the pasta through the machine till you get to the lowest setting. Make sure you flour the dough every few steps to make sure that it doesn't stick. Once you get to the lowest setting fold the pasta sheet in half lengthways then in half again, keep going till you have a fairly square piece. Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll through the settings again and you should end up with a sheet with straight edges. 


Now its time to shape your pasta. To make tagliatelle flour the dough and fold it in half, continue to do this till you have a thin roll of pasta. Using a sharp knife cut the pasta into equal thickness strands and then separate them. I hung my pasta over a wire hanger whilst I made the rest of the pasta. 


This mixture makes more than enough for 2 people, but would probably serve 4 for a small starter.

Garlicky Mushroom & Leek Sauce


Serves 2
You will need-

• 1 small leek (or half a large)
• A small knob of butter
• A handful of cubed pancetta
• 4 cloves of chopped garlic (use less if you prefer)
• 5/6 sliced chestnut mushrooms
• 1 small tub of creme fraiche

Begin by cooking the pancetta in a frying pan over a medium heat. After 5 minutes or so add the butter, leeks and garlic and gently cook until soft. Finally add the mushrooms and cook on a medium low heat for around 5 minutes. Once cooked turn the heat off and add the creme fraiche to the mixture. Place a pan of salted water on to boil then cook your pasta for 3 minutes. Finally drain the pasta reserving a little of the cooking water then add the pasta and the reserved water to the frying pan and coat the pasta with the sauce. Season to taste with salt and plenty of pepper and serve immediately.

Mill Road Winter Fair, Cambridge

Pin It

If you follow me on twitter you may have seen me talking about a stall that I will be having at the Mill Road Winter Fair this Saturday (3rd December) It will be the first time I will doing this sort of thing so if you are in the Cambridge area pop by and say hello! I will be baking some favourites from my blog along with some Bosnian treats. 


This week I am getting together the final touches and can't wait to start baking! I'll be sure to take lots of photos and will share them some time next week.


To find out more information about Mill Road Winter Fair visit here.