Ingredients

FOR THE BASE

• 160g Digestive biscuits
• 30g sugar
• 1tsp (5g) salt
• 80g butter

FOR THE FILLING

• 1 397g can sweetened condensed milk
• 4 egg yolks (60g)
• 140ml freshly squeezed lime juice
• Zest of 2 large (or 4 small) limes

FOR THE TOPPING

• 250ml double cream
• 100g creme fraiche
• 30g Icing sugar
• Lime zest to decorate

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• 1 20cm tart ring or tart tin

Method

1. Heat the oven to 160C. Whizz the digestive biscuits to crumbs in a food processor (or put in a strong plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin).
   
   
2. Melt the butter and mix with digestive crumbs and sugar and press into the base and up the sides of a 20cm tart ring over a lined baking sheet to achieve a tart shell shape. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove and cool.
   
   
3. Put the egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk for a minute with electric beaters. Add the condensed milk and whisk for 3 minutes, then add the lime zest and lime juice and whisk again for 3 minutes.
   
   
4. Pour the filling into the cooled base up to the rim then put back in the oven for 20 minutes. Cool then chill for at least 3 hours or overnight if you like. When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the pie from the tin and put on a serving plate.
   
   
5. To decorate, combine double cream, creme fraiche and icing sugar in a medium bowl and whip to soft peaks. The mix should be firm but still very creamy and smooth. You can even do this with a hand whisk, as it will whip up very quickly and, doing it by hand, it is less likely you will overwhip it.
   
   
6. Dollop or pipe the cream onto the top of the pie using your favourite nozzle and finish with extra lime zest.

Ingredients

• 360g strong white bread flour (use good quality, possibly organic)
• 185g wholewheat flour (I used Brixton Windmill)
• 350ml lukewarm water at about 38℃
• 1g instant/fast action yeast
• 13g fine sea salt
• 100g mixed seed (pumpkin, sunflower, sesame seeds)
• 3Tbsp clear runny honey

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• Ovenproof casserole / Dutch oven / cloche (optional, see note at the end of the recipe)

Method

1. Combine the flours, yeast, salt and seeds in a large mixing bowl. Give it a good stir to disperse and mix all ingredients evenly. Make a well in the centre. Stir the honey into the lukewarm water and pour it in the well at once. Mix with a dough whisk or a wodder spoon until you obtain a shaggy sticky mass. Just ensure all the powders have been incorporated and no dry bits are visible. Cover with a lid or cling film and leave to rest at room temperature overnight (at least 8-10 hrs).
   
   
2. The following day uncover the bowl and scrape the “wannabe” dough onto a floured surface. It should be tacky but not so sticky that you cannot handle it. Give it a little stretch, without letting the gases out and fold the two sides over the middle, forming a rounded shape with your hands. Cover with the bowl and leave to rest for 10-15 minutes to relax.
   
   
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper and dust it lightly with flour. uncover the dough and, using a dough scraper or your hands, turn it around to form a ball shape, creating a bit of tension on the surface. Sprinkle with a little more flour, transfer onto the baking tray and cover again with the upturned bowl. Transfer inside an oven with only the light on (no heat) and leave to prove for 1.5 hours.
   
   
4. Take the dough out of the oven and continue proving in a warm place. Switch on the oven and pre-heat the oven to 220°C, heating up the casserole/cloche you will bake the bread in. When proving time has passed and you are ready to bake, turn the dough over onto a parchment sheet, flour the surface and score across the middle with a sharp knife or a lame, holding it at an angle. Transfer into the casserole, replace the lid and bake for 30 minutes.
   
   
5. After 30 minutes, take the lid off and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes until the crust is crispy and caramelised. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely over a rack. Slice and enjoy with your favourite topping, or simply on its own with some butter or extra-virgin olive oil.
   

NOTE: If you don’t own an ovenproof casserole or a Dutch oven, no worries! Just add these steps to points 5 and 6 above:

• When you switch on the oven to heat, leave the oven tray in to heat up too. Also place a metal traybake or deep loaf tin on the oven bottom to heat up.
• When nearly ready to bake, boil the kettle. Transfer the cob onto the parchment and onto the heated oven tray. Pour some boiling water into the other metal container in the oven, so it will create steam while the bread is baking, slowing the formation of the crust. If you have a mister or spray bottle, spray the sides of the oven after you poured the water, for an extra burst of steam.

Ingredients

FOR THE SPONGE

• 3 medium eggs, weighed with the shell
• Unsalted butter, at room temperature (same weight as the eggs)
• Caster sugar (same weight as the eggs)
• Plain flour (same weigh as the eggs), less 2 Tbsp
• 2 Tbsp of corn flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Paste/Extract
• Zest of 2 large unwaxed lemons
• 1/2 tsp salt

FOR THE DRIZZLE & DECORATION

• Juice of two large lemons (the zested ones)
• 180g icing sugar
• 1/2 Tsp rose water
• Sugar nibs and edible rose petals, to finish

Method

1. Add the butter to a large bowl and, using wooden spoon or a spatula, beat it to loosen it up and obtain a nice cream. Add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt and lemon zest and mix until combined and smooth. At this point add the flours and baking powder and slowly incorporate to obtain a smooth batter. Alternatively, if using a stand mixer, add all the ingredients to the bowl and mix on low with the paddle attachment until just combined. You don’t want to overwork the mixture.
   
   
2. Heat up the oven to 190 C. Butter a loaf tin or individual moulds, according to what you are using. Fill up the moulds with the cake batter until three/quarters the way up, and carefully ensure the batter is evenly filling the mould.
   
   
3. Bake for 15 minutes until the mini cakes start gettin golden on the top. Test with a skewer to ensure it comes out clean, which means they are baked all the way through. If making a large loaf, bake for 30/35 minutes at 175C.
   
   
4. While the cakes bake, make the drizzle. Add the sugar to a small saucepan, over a medium heat. Juice the lemons through a strainer and add to the sugar. Add the rose water and leave to gently warm up. This will make it easier to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is dissolved, just remove from the heat. and set aside.
   
   
5. Once the cakes are ready, take them out of the oven and, while still warm, poke a few holes in one and pour over a couple of table spoons of the drizzle. Repeat with all the other cakes, and then carry on until you have used up all the drizzle liquid. Leave to cool in the mould and come to room temperature.
   
   
6. Decorate with sugar nibs and edible rose petals, and serve immediately. Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 400g good quality bread flour
• 100g wholewheat flour (I used Brixton Windmill) or seeded mix flour.
• 375ml water
• 110g sourdough starter at peak of activity
• 12.5g fine sea salt
• 3 Tbsp tomato puree
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 generous handfuls of pitted green or black olives, torn in half

Method

1. Feed your sourdough starter as usual. One hour from its peak of activity, sift both flours into a large bowl. Add almost all the water (keep 25ml aside) and stir to combine until you get a shaggy mass and no more dry bits are left. Cover and leave for 1 hr to autolyse in a warm spot (28˚C)
   
   
2. Uncover the bowl, mix the salt with the reserved water and stir to start dissolving. Add the mix and sourdough starter and dimple with your fingers to start incorporating. Turn into the bowl until the starter and salty water are absorbed. Knead in a stand mixer with the hook attachment on medium-low speed for 10 minutes. If kneading by hand, knead in the bowl for a few minutes, then use the slap and fold method for a further few minutes (here for a quick tutorial). Once the dough is smooth, transfer to a clean bowl, cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes in a warm spot (26-28˚C)
   
   
3. Uncover and perform a round of stretch and fold. Lightly wet your hand, pick up a side of the dough, stretch it upwards and fold it over and across the middle. Repeat going around the bowl until all the sides are stretched and folded (quick demonstration video here). Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes. Repeat once more and leave to rest again for 30 minutes.
   
   
4. Uncover and perform a lamination. Lighly oil your work surface and tranfer your dough on the surface, sticky side down. Starting from one side, gently pull the dough outwards and repeat going all around the sides, to flatten it and stretch it as much as possible to obtain a wide ans thin layer of dough (make sure the dough does not tear). Fold the dough back onto itself to obtain a ball-like shape, and place it in the bowl covered to relax again for 30 minutes. This procedure is really important to stretch the gluten and oxigenate the dough. You can see a simple demonstration on this video.
   
   
5. Mix the tomato puree, 1 Tbsp of water and oil and season with some salt and pepper. Once 30 minutes have passed, repeat the lamination stretch as per step 4, but before re-folding the dough on itself, spread the tomato paste mix all over the middle using a brush or a soft spatula. Scatter the olives all over and re-fold the dough onto itself so that the layers of tomato and olives are evenly trapped and distributed in the dough. Shape into a tight ball and place again in the bowl to raise, covered, for 2.5 hours in a warm place.
   
   
6. Pre-shape your loaf. Using a dough scraper, gently turn your dough onto a clean work surface. Slightly wet your hands if the dough is too sticky. Using the scraper in circular movements, shape your dough into a rough ball, increasing the tension of the ball surface. Do not add flour. Leave to rest uncovered for 15 minutes
   
   
7. Thoroughly flour your proving basket (or bowl). Using your scraper, flip the dough upside down (sticky side up). Stretch all the sides and tuck them in the middle, to increase the surface tension of the dough, pinching to seal the seam of the loaf. Pick up the dough and quickly transfer it into the floured basket, seam side up. Flour the top of the dough, cover with a plastic bag and transfer to the fridge for overnight fermentation (anything from 8 to 14 hours)
   
   
8. Warm up your oven to 240 ˚C fan, leaving in the baking tray and an additional ovenproof high-sided metal tray at the bottom. When the oven is ready, boil the kettle. Take the risen dough out of the fridge, cut a round piece of baking parchment, place it over the basket and quickly turn your loaf around and place it on the work surface. Remove the basket from the top and brush off any excess flour. Score a line across the middle of the loaf with a confident stroke or, as I did in this photo, a cross.
   
   
9. Transfer the loaf to the baking tray, pour boiling water into the bottom tray and quickly close the door. After 30 seconds, open the door and spray water on the hot sides of the oven and quickly close the door again. Bake for 25/30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200 C fan and bake for another 15 minutes, until the crust is golden, and the loaf is baked through. If the loaf is browning too much, cover with some foil. Once baked, transfer to a cooling rack and leave for at least one hour before cutting and eating

Ingredients

• 175g wholewheat flour (I used Brixton Windmill)
• 125g strong bread flour
• 125g lukewarm water (38° C)
• 7g dry active yeast
• 80g plain yoghurt
• 40g butter, melted
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp nigella seed

Method

1. Pour the yeast and one teaspoon of sugar into the warm water, give a good stir, cover and leave to activate and become frothy for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, sift and combine flours, salt, baking powder and remaining sugar into a medium size bowl. In a small pan, melt half of the butter.
   
   
2. Once the yeast has activated, make a little well in the flour and pour the frothy mix in. Add melted butter, yoghurt and nigella seed and start mixing to combine using a wooden spoon. Once you get a shaggy mass and all the flour has been incorporated, cover and leave to hydrate for 5 minutes.
   
   
3. Dust your work surface with some flour and transfer the dough on top. Start kneading by hand and keep going for about five minutes. The dough should feel soft and a little bit sticky, but it should be workable without adding any extra flour (besides the one on hte work surface). After 5 minutes, the surface of the dough should start becoming more smooth and the dough should feel plump and extensible. If it is still a bit rough, knead for a few more minutes.
   
   
4. Form a ball and transfer to a clean bowl, lightly dusted with flour. Cover with cling film and a tea towel and leave to rise in a warm place (26-28° C) for about one hour, or until doubled in size.
   
   
5. Once risen, transfer the dough again to the work surface and divide in six equal pieces (you can weigh them for precision). Take a not stick frying pan and warm it up on a medium heat. In another small pan, slowly melt the remaining butter.
   
   
6. Take one piece of dough and, using a rolling pin dusted with some flour, roll it out trying to elongate it and get a nice oval shape. Turn it upside down if necessary. Transfer the flatbread onto the pan and cook for one minute or until it start becoming nice and golden. Flip it to the other side and immediately brush the cooked side with a little melted butter.
   
   
7. Once the other side is also nice and golden, flip it again and transfer to a plate. Brush the second size with melted butter and cover to keep warm while you cook the other naans. Once you’ve cooked them all, serve straight away and eat warm with your favourite curry or dip. They are delicious!!

Ingredients

FOR THE PEACHES

• 4 yellow flesh peaches (choose fruit that are just ripe but still a bit hard)
• 40g unsalted butter
• 125g caster sugar
• 75ml water

FOR THE CAKE

• 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 125g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 125g wholemeal flour (I used Brixton Windmill)
• 75g ground almonds
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1 pinch fine sea salt
• A handful of thyme leaves
• 125ml whole milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract

Method

PREPARE THE FRUIT

1. Butter base and sides of a 20 cm round cake tin. If you are using a loose bottom one, you will need to wrap the outside with foil to prevent any of the caramel from leaking. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Wash and pat dry the peaches. Slice each one into six wedges and throw the pits away. Set aside.
   
   
2. For the peaches, put the granulated sugar and water into a small saucepan. Heat on a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil and watch the syrup until it starts to turn to a deep amber colour. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until it has melted. Pour into the cake tin, then lay the peaches in it, cut-side down. Try to fill as much space as possible, since the fruit will shrink a bit once cooked.
   

MAKE THE CAKE

3. For the cake, beat together the butter and sugar until light with an electric whisk or a stand mixer. Add the lemon zest and beaten egg a little at a time, until incorporated. Don’t worry if it curdles a bit, it will come back together when you add the flour and milk.
   
   
4. Combine the milk, vanilla and almond extract. In another bowl, mix flour, almonds, baking powder, salt and thyme together. Fold the dry mix gradually into the egg mixture, alternating with the milk mix until fully incorporated. Spoon the cake batter over the peaches, spread evenly and bake for 40 / 45 minutes. To test it’s baked, push a skewer into the centre. It should come out clean.
   
   
5. Leave the cake to cool for 15 mins, then run a knife in-between the cake and the inside of the tin and invert it onto a plate. Gently turn the tin around to release any fruit that caught on the bottom and carefully remove the tin. If any of the peach slices get left behind in the tin, carefully scoop them up trying to keep their shape intact and put them back on the cake.
   
   
6. Leave the cake to cool completely before serving. Serve decorated with some more thyme leaves and a dollop of creme fraiche.

Ingredients

FOR THE SCONES

• 250g plain flour
• 18g baking powder (1.5 Tbsp)
• 3.5g fine sea salt (1/2 tsp)
• 20g caster sugar
• 55g butter, cold and cubed
• 140g cold whole milk
• 1 beaten egg

FOR THE BAKED STRAWBERRIES

• 500g fresh strawberries
• 50g caster sugar
• 50ml lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• Extra 40g caster sugar

FOR THE MASCARPONE CREAM

• 150g double cream
• 100g mascarpone
• 30g icing sugar

Method

TO MAKE THE SCONES

1. Heat the oven to 190℃. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the butter cubes and rub it into the mix until you obtain a fine sandy/crumbly consistency. Move quickly to prevent the butter from melting. You can do the same process using a food processor or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
   
   
2. Pour the cold milk into the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until everything comes together into a dough. You can do the same in the food processor and the stand mixer, just make sure that you stop as soon as the dough comes together. Flour a work surface and transfer the dough on it.
   
   
3. Bring together the dough into a ball using your hands to press it together, but do not knead it . Sprinkle some flour on the top and, using a rolling pin, gently roll out the dough a little, until you achieve a thickness of about 3cm.
   
   
4. Line a baking tray with some parchment. Lightly flour the inside of a 5cm wide ring or round cookie cutter and stamp out as many scones as you can achieve and move them onto the baking tray. Press the leftover dough together working from the sides towards the middle, again avoiding to knead. Flatten it to the right thickness of 3cm and cut as many additional scones as you can.
   
   
5. You can bring the dough together again if you think you will get one more scone out of it. I normally don’t do it (unless the scones are all for myself) as it’ll come out quite wonky and not as fluffy as the first round. Gently brush the top of the scones with beaten egg and transfer to the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

TO MAKE THE MASCARPONE CREAM

6. Transfer the mascarpone into a small bowl and using an electric whisk on low speed, loosen it for a few seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and whip on medium/high speed to stiff peaks. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

TO MAKE THE BAKED STRAWBERRIES AND SERVE

7. While the scones finish baking, clean, wash and chop the strawberries in medium sized chunks. Transfer to a small bowl alongside the first quantity of sugar, lemon juice and vanilla and give it a good stir.
   
   
8. Once the scones are nice and golden, transfer to a cooling rack. Pour the strawberry mix into a small baking tray or a medium ovenproof pan and bake for 10 minutes. Once ready, leave to cool. Taste the baked strawberries and the second quantity of sugar if needed (if they are in season, it should not be necessary).
   
   
9. Serve the scones alongside a pot of the baked strawberries and a generous dollop of mascarpone cream. I’ll leave it to you to decide what filling goes on top of the other. It’ll be equally delicious.
   

Ingredients

• 400g double cream
• 100g whole milk
• 6g gelatine in sheets
• 220g pistachio cream (sweetened)
• Amarena cherries in syrup (I used Fabbri)
• Pistachios (whole kernels and chopped) to decorate

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• 6 dariole moulds / mini pudding basins

Method

1. Cut the gelatine sheets in half, place then in a bowl of icy water and let re-hydrate for 10 minutes
   
   
2. Pour the double cream, milk and pistachio cream in a small saucepan, bring to the boil over a medium-low heat regularly and slowly whisking to melt and dissolve the pistachio cream. In the meanwhile, very lightly oil 6 small pudding basins / dariole moulds
   
   
3. As soon as the mixture simmers, remove from the heat. Squeeze the hydrated gelatine to remove excess water, add to the saucepan and stir to dissolve.
   
   
4. Place a fine strainer over a measuring jug and pour the panna cotta to remove any possible lumps or impurities. Pour the mix into the moulds in equal quantity and let cool down to room temperature.
   
   
5. Place the moulds on a tray, cover with another tray or some alluminum foil and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours.
   
   
6. When ready to serve, remove the moulds from the fridge. To remove the panna cottas from the moulds, gently run a tootpick or a very thin blade around the mould to gently detach the sides. Warm up the moulds by dipping them a few seconds into hot water (or by using a blowtorch). Quickly turn over a plate and lift the mould. The panna cotta should easily detach If it doesn’t, heat the mould a little more.
   
   
7. Add three amarena cherries on the top, spoon a couple of teaspoons of the cherries syrup over the pannacotta and decorate with pistachio kernels or nibs. Enjoy!
   

Ingredients

FOR THE TART

• 250g whole wheat flour (I used Brixton Windmill’s)
• 25g corn flour
• 150g butter, cubed
• 4 Tbsp ice cold water
• 1 pinch fine salt

FOR THE FILLING

• 120g honey roast ham chunks, diced
• 200g frozen peas
• 20g strong dijon or english mustard
• 1 large egg,  beaten
• 60g double cream
• 60g creme fraiche
• 1 spring of mint leaves, finely chopped
• zest of 1 lemon
• sea salt and black pepper to season

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT

• 15cm wide fluted flan tin
• dry beans/chickpeas or ceramic baking beans

Method

TO MAKE THE SHORTCRUST PASTRY

1. Combine the flour, corn flour and salt in a bowl. Drop in the cold butter cubes and rub the butter into the flour (alternatively you can use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) until you get to a sandy and crumbly consistency)
   
   
2. Add the icy water and mix the dough with a wooden spoon (or in the stand mixer on low). As soon as you see the pastry coming together, stop mixing, flatten, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least two hours, or until ready to use

TO MAKE THE TART

3. While the pastry chills, put a small pot of water over the hob and bring to the boil. Salt the water and pour in the frozen peas. Boil for 2 minutes, drain and leave to cool in the colander
   
   
4. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Take the pastry out of the fridge and leave it at room temperature for 10 minutes. Roll out the pastry to a 4mm thickness between two sheets of baking parchment
   
   
5. To line the tart tin, roll the pastry up on the rolling pin and unroll it over it. Lift the edges and encourage the pastry to reach the bottom of the tin. Using a piece of extra pastry, press the rolled pastry into the tart tin, to get all the angles and corners neatly lined. Roll the rolling pin over the tin to cut the extra overhanging pastry. Adjust the thickness of the sides again and trim the last extra edge with a sharp knife
   
   
6. Refrigerate the tart base for 10 minutes. Take the tart case out of the fridge, line the interior with a disc of baking parchment and cover with baking beans. Blind bake the tart case for 20 minutes. Take out from the oven, remove the beans and parchment, prick the bottom with a fork and bake for further 5 minutes
   
   
7. While the tart case blind bakes, prepare the filling. In a medium size bowl, combine the creams, mustard, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the beaten egg, peas, ham and chopped mint leaves and mix to combine. Set aside
   
   
8. Once the tart case has finished blind baking, remove it from the oven and lower the temperature to 160 C. Pour all the filling into the case (it should fit perfectly and come up just under the rim), return to the oven and bake for 45 minutes
   
   
9. Prick the middle of the tart with a skewer, if it comes out clean the tart is ready. If still a bit raw in the middle, give it another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for at least one hour before unmoulding. Slice, serve accompanied by a nice salad and enjoy