This time of year is one of my favourites, as the last remnants of Summer slowly hand over the baton to the slight chill of September & bring those bright, sunny sharp mornings that you can taste in the air. The hedgerows are full of dark & glossy, ripe blackberries, vegetables are ready for digging up & the branches of trees are groaning with the weight of their various fruits.
Just as the seasons begin to change, so does our desire for more hearty, substantial meals. I love going outside early in the morning to collect the tasty treasures from our garden! As I wander around, so does my mind as I consider what fabulous meals I’m going to make with these wonderful ingredients. Obviously, we only grow a small amount of fruit & vegetables, so I like
to head to the local shops & pick up whatever is in season. Most people go shopping with a list; I like to just see what’s available, then decide what I can make from that.
Although I like a good pudding as much as everyone else, I absolutely adore a proper stew, made with a few simple ingredients & a lot of patience. Everything is slowly cooked for a few hours, as the whole house is filled with it’s heady aroma & your stomach dragon starts to gurgle in anticipation of dinnertime! Growing up, my Mum would make the most amazing stews & halfway through cooking, I would pester her for a cup of the rich gravy to dunk some crusty bread in. Eventually, she would give in & I would sit on a stool, talking to her & clutching onto my cup as I savoured the steamy, flavourful liquid.
Everyone has their favourite recipes, their own way of doing things, but this is how I cook my Steak, Ale & Mushroom stew. It is perfect for packing into pies & pasties to warm you up on a chilly Autumn evening, or just eating hot from the pot with a few slices of crusty, buttered bread. It’s a really easy to make “chuck it all in a pot” kind of meal, very filling & it’s completely faff-free! This makes two casserole dishes, because why make one when you can make two at the same time? I can get about six very generous portions from this lot, so it could feed eight (my mini-pie dishes are actually not very mini really, they would feed two). Freeze what you don’t use, it keeps very well & you can always keep a stash in reserve for evenings when you just don’t fancy cooking. See further down for pastry recipe link. Ready? Hands washed & aprons on!
What you need:
500g Stewing Meat – I prefer beef, but you can use whatever you like (adjust which herbs you use accordingly)
2-3 Onions
4 Carrots
2 Parsnips
(you can use whatever root veg you like here – if you don’t like carrots, use something you do like)
12 Baby Potatoes (I usually have a few leftover in the fridge from other meals)
1 punnet of Mushrooms
A handful of fresh Thyme sprigs
Gravy Powder & water (I usually use 6 heaped spoonfuls to a pint & half of cold water per casserole dish)
Freshly ground Black Pepper
25cl Beer (one of those small, dumpy bottles is plenty)
How to do it:
Preheat the oven to 150*C. Put the grill tray in the bottom of the oven, to catch any spills (if you follow my instructions though, there shouldn’t be any, but it’s best to be prepared). Move the shelf to the lowest setting in the oven.
You will need two casserole dishes with lids, just the regular sized ones should do.
Divide the meat up equally between the dishes, removing any gristle or excess fat (slight marbling of fat in the meat is fine, because that will cook out & adds flavour, but anything else can be removed). Use scissors for this – it’s so much easier that chasing a slippery chunk of meat around a chopping board with a sharp knife!
Prepare the vegetables – peel, top & tail the carrots, onions & parsnips. Dice the onions. Chop the other veg into bite sized pieces – I usually cut them down the centre lengthways, then again & chop them into pieces. Share them between the two casserole dishes.
Leave the peel on the potatoes, just wash them. Cut them the same way as the carrots, quartered lengthways, then chop into bite sized pieces. Again, share equally between the dishes.
Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a damp cloth to remove any grit or dirt. If you’re using Chanterelle mushrooms, use a pastry brush instead to flick out any bits of dirt. Cut into pieces or leave them whole if small enough, then share between each casserole dish.
For each dish, make up a pint of gravy as per the instructions on the packet (I used Bisto Gravy Powder because it was in my cupboard, but it’s your personal choice). You could use fresh stock here if you prefer, or a stock cube. I prefer the powder, as it also seasons the stew perfectly – no need to add any salt.
Share the bottle of beer between the dishes. Stir everything together & make sure the liquid covers everything. The mushrooms will float for now. Season with the black pepper to your taste, then stir in. Add the sprigs of Thyme, just plonk them on the top.
Put the lids on, put the dishes in the oven & forget about them for a couple of hours – it takes about three hours in total for a good stew to cook, as all the lovely ingredients slowly infuse the gravy.
After a couple of hours, take the dishes out of the oven & give them a stir, put the lids back on & bake for another hour.
The stew should be cooked after that, so take the dishes out & give them a stir. Taste the stew, try not to burn your mouth (we’ve all done it!) & test the meat. It should melt in the mouth, so if it’s still a bit firm, pop it back in the oven for half an hour to an hour. I usually cook my stew for about four hours, as it just intensifies the flavour & the meat falls to pieces beautifully.
Once it’s cooked, place the stews on a cooling rack or thick wooden chopping board. Using a fork & spoon, fish out the Thyme twigs & discard them – the leaves will have gone into the stew. If you want to thicken your gravy, my tip here is to strain some off from each pot, about half a pint each, then heat it up in a saucepan while stirring. This thickens it up nicely, without going like treacle. Then pour it back into each pot, stirring into the meat & veg, 
before serving in huge bowls with lots of fresh, thick cut bread to mop up the gravy.
If you’re making pies, do this to the gravy just before serving, so it’s ready to pour over the lovely pastry once they are cooked. Use a nice, rich pastry (see my blog “Spring A Leek” for my pastry recipe: https://hopeyourehungry.co.uk/spring-a-leek/) & decorate it as you like (3.14 is actually pi – it’s a little pi(e) pun I have with my Husband!). I have also frozen batches of this gravy for Sunday lunches (again, sometimes you just can’t be bothered & lazy lunches really are the best). Pour the cold gravy into plastic zip bags or tubs, then freeze (double bag it if you’re worried about leaks).
This sumptuous staple will make all kinds of dishes, not just pies or pasties. Try making a savoury crumble with butter & flour, add a little grated cheese & sprinkle generously on top before baking in a hot oven, or roughly dollop mashed potatoes across the top instead & chuck on some chunky breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan & a little Oregano. For an elegant evening supper, why not make filo parcels with a spoonful of stew inside, squish the edges up together, brush with melted butter & bake!
So embrace Autumn & all it’s edible treasures, maybe indulging in a big bowl of steamy hot stew, snuggled up on the sofa, with a few slabs of crusty buttered bread & a glass of red wine. Sometimes, the simple stuff is the best. Stay hungry! 😉 Aimee x
It doesn’t need to be a fabulous Summer weekend to enjoy a perfect picnic, it just needs to be fabulous. Contrary to popular belief, I don’t spend days in the kitchen packing up a feast full of moreish munchies. It’s all about the three Ps: planning, preparation & picnic! With a bit of clever organising, you can pack up a portable party & be out of the door in no time.
freezer, ready to go) & a few padded freezer food shopping bags from my local supermarket. This also ensures that everyone can help carry the food & nobody is left lugging a huge ice box behind them. No freezer blocks? That’s easy – just stick a bottle of lemonade in the bottom of the fridge overnight to act as a cooling aid in the bag! Mini plastic bottles can be frozen, but the liquid expands as it freezes, so tip a little out of each before doing that or you’ll have to do some cleaning up before you go! Don’t forget to put cups, cutlery & condiments in a separate bag too – wrap them up in a couple of tea-towels to pad them out & avoid breakages. This can all be done the night before, ready to go.
Whatever you can do the day before, do it. Because I bake bread most days, I’ve usually got a couple of baguettes or focaccia & slice them before we go, so they can be filled when we get there – no pre-made sandwiches taking up your time. If there’s any leftover pizza (I’m being optimistic here), that gets sliced, wrapped & put into the picnic bag. I’ll also pop in a couple of jars of “sandwich enhancers” too – olives, sundried tomatoes, roasted peppers, that sort of thing. Then I’ll chuck in a selection of our favourite foods: salads, cream cheese (great for spreading or dipping), a couple of mozzarella balls, some sliced ham, spicy breaded chicken 
strips (I make these in huge batches so there are always leftovers), cooked pasta & pretty much whatever I’ve got stashed in the fridge, along with a jar of my homemade tomato sauce. Although I make this sauce for pasta, it’s perfect as a dip or relish & I’ve usually got a couple of jars in the fridge (OK, at least four). Anything that needs slicing or chopping, do it now & put it in a bag or a container. You don’t want to be trying to cut up a tomato on a wonky blanket! One thing I do bring along is a nice dessert or pudding, usually a few cupcakes or slices of fruit pie – individually portioned & wrapped, so no messing about when we get there.
hot Summer’s day (unless it’s a cup of tea!). One of my favourite solutions is to use frozen fruit instead – strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, anything I can get my hands on! Just before you set off en route to your picnic, put a box of frozen fruit in the bag with a freezer block underneath them. This should keep them cold for 
a couple of hours. Then when you pour your drink, pop a couple of frozen fruit pieces in your glass for instant chill! Plus, you can eat them when they’ve done their job & defrosted (we all love a bit of multi-tasking!). Don’t just use berries though – freeze thin slices of fruit like peaches, pineapple, lemons, limes, oranges, apples, even cucumber (yes, it’s a fruit!). Or try a couple of frozen grapes plopped into a glass of Pinot Grigio. This time of year is great for blackberries – freeze them in a single layer on a tray, then once frozen you can pile them into a plastic tub with a lid on, ready in the freezer for whenever you want a few! Create you own frozen fruity flavours & enjoy their colourful combinations.
In another bowl, tip a couple of tablespoons of plain flour, add a pinch of sea salt & black pepper to season, then stir well. Chuck in the egg coated onion rings, a handful at a time & toss around in the seasoned flour, making sure they are completely coated. Shake off the excess & lay them on an oiled baking tray. Drizzle on a little more olive oil & bake in the oven at 210*C for about 15-20 minutes, turning over half way through to ensure they are crispy on each side. Once out of the oven, let them cool before stashing them in an airtight container to eat later! They’re lovely hot or cold, naked or dipped, plus all the flaky crispy bits leftover on the baking tray taste so good sprinkled on a salad (bonus gift!). These gorgeous onion snacks go very well with a tub of Greek yoghurt to dip them in (mayonnaise is lovely, but I like the slight sourness of the yoghurt).
washing up sponges (without the scratchy side), a large fresh lemon (sliced thinly), a few sandwich bags with little handles & some room in the freezer (I always forget this bit & end up on my knees in front of the freezer, trying to rearrange everything like some sort of frozen Jenga!).
next day, put one of these little bags in with the picnic for each person – not only will it keep the food lovely & cool, but once defrosted it will also act as a refreshing wipe after they’ve eaten! No more greasy, sticky little mitts – just fresh, lemon-scented clean hands (you’re welcome!). Plus you can re-use them as I mentioned – simply wash them in warm soapy water when you get home, rinse well, repeat the steps above (replacing the lemon with fresh slices) & they’re ready to be used again – much better than a one-use wet wipe!
Finally, all that’s left to do is the last P – picnic! So don’t panic over your picnic pack up – just follow the three Ps & you’ll have a blanket banquet to remember! Stay hungry! A 😉 x
It’s that time of year, when the hedgerows are bursting with delicious, deepest dark purple blackberries, just waiting to be plucked from their brambles. There’s something satisfying about picking fresh fruit that instantly transports me back to childhood – I would pick apples, blackberries, raspberries & cherries for my Mum to turn 
into the tastiest treats, carefully carried home (usually in my skirt turned inside out & filled with berries that stained – sorry Mum!). I’ve always grown blackberries in the garden – they are really easy to grow either in pots on the patio or along a hedgerow & the more fruit you pick, the more they seem to produce. Plus they have the prettiest little white flowers that the bees adore, so I’m doing my bit for them too!
For sweet dishes, the basic pastry I make is just butter, flour, sugar & eggs. One of the best tips I’ve discovered is to use icing sugar – your pastry will be smooth, silky & really easy to roll. Depending on the filling, sometimes I’ll add a bit of orange or lemon zest (or both!). It’s always fabulously fluffy in the middle, with that melt-in-the-mouth buttery taste. I have used this recipe for all kinds of pastry delights & it is easy to adapt, so you can change it up as you need or leave it simple & let the filling do the talking. Hands washed, aprons on!
Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl & then add the butter, eggs & 4oz of vanilla sugar or icing sugar. If you are using orange & lemon zest, add that too. Get your hands in the bowl & start mixing, squishing everything together to distribute evenly & make a pliable ball of pastry. Dust a worktop with flour & place the dough on top. Dust your rolling pin too (you don’t want the pastry to stick to it!).
your pie). Take the other pastry ball & roll it out, turn it & then roll again. If it’s a bit sticky, add another dusting of flour underneath before rolling – use a pallet knife to slide underneath if necessary. Try not to add too much flour to the worktop though, because it will combine with your pastry & become dry. Once rolled, transfer it to the prepared 
baking tin, making sure that there is no air between the pastry & tin. Use a floured finger to press it gently into all the corners or curves if using a fluted tin, or the dusted handle of a wooden spoon works really well.
Once your pie case is prepared, add the filling. I use regular, uncooked ripe apples or pears that have been peeled & cored, then sliced thinly & fanned out over the bottom of the pastry case. Top with a few luscious blackberries, dusted with a little cinnamon & a good sprinkling of vanilla sugar. Don’t over-fill your pie case – just one layer of sliced fruit & a few berries is sufficient – too much filling will make it soggy underneath (never a good look!) & the pastry won’t cook.
rolling pin to lift it & gently roll it over the pie. Pinch & press the edges together into a pretty pattern using your fingers, all the way around until it is sealed up nicely. If you feel like being a bit creative, cut out shapes with the trimmings to decorate – add after brushing with milk, then brush them too. When I’m making a pie with blackberries in, I like to decorate with flowers, because they look a bit like blackberries & sometimes I’ll add pastry leaves too. It’s just to use up any leftover pastry trimmings – no need to throw them away, just create some pretty shapes for the top.
After baking, remove your pie from the oven & place on a cooling rack. Leave it in the tin for a few minutes, as it will be easier to remove once it has cooled down a bit. Even if you are going to eat it hot, you don’t want to be burning your mouth – fruit fillings especially will be like molten lava & tend to be hotter than the sun, so give it a moment & save yourself (& your guests) some pain! If you’re going to eat it cold, just leave it to cool completely in the tin before cutting it.
If you’ve used a loose-bottomed tin, just push the base up from underneath & ease your pie onto a serving plate or board. Slide a pallet knife gently underneath the pie to separate it from the actual tin base. If you’ve use the greaseproof paper method, simply lift it out & transfer to a plate, then slice, serve & share! There are a number of ways to eat this delicious pie, but simple is always best – serve warm with a scoop of soft vanilla ice-cream.
It’s been a very busy couple of weeks here, so apologies for the delay in writing – we had three birthdays within the first three days of August, plus there are a few more to come & a wedding anniversary at the end of the month. The anticipation of August arriving always hits me as July begins & reminds me of when I was younger – birthday parties being planned by my Mum, all kinds of pastries & party foods being prepared & she would always bake me a lovely birthday cake. One year, she made me a fabulous cake in the shape of a punk rocker’s head, covered in fluffy buttercream & complete with a magnificent multi-coloured mohican hair style! Everyone loved it & we all had different coloured tongues by the end of the party! If only I had a photo of that cake, but it didn’t last very long!
My Grandma used to make the most amazing velvety rich chocolate cake, which was a well-loved family favourite. It was truly lovely – light, creamy chocolate buttercream would sandwich the fluffy, moist layers of cake together & completely coat the outside in a smooth, simple layer. Grandma would freeze some, so she always had a slice ready for unexpected visitors (you never know when you will need cake!).
have a play around to find your favourite too – my Husband absolutely loves the coffee & walnut version of this cake. One tip I will share is to go easy on the wet ingredients, as they will affect the moisture of the cake & you might just end up with a soggy mess. Cake is all about balance, so remember that when you are baking & you won’t go far wrong.
melted, let it cool for a few moments before pouring it into your buttercream (otherwise it will curdle & you will have to start again). Give it a good whisk (get the electric one out for this), until the chocolate is mixed in & then add a tablespoon of milk, just to give it a silky smooth consistency & a nice satin sheen. It should be easy to work with & thick, so you can either pipe it onto your cake or use a pallet knife to spread it onto the layers.
If you make cupcakes instead of a large cake, these are more portable & you can make all kinds of fabulous treats! Create cupcakes with googly eyes using mini marshmallows & different sizes of chocolate buttons, or make cupcake shoes adorned with pretty pink cookie flowers.
Even in Summertime, soggy mornings make me think of massive mugs of heavenly hot chocolate, teeming with a mountain of mini marshmallows on a cloud of whipped cream, dusted with chocolate shavings. It’s guaranteed to put a smile on even the sourest of faces, especially if there’s a chunky chocolate chip cookie to dunk in it. I must admit, I like my hot chocolate made the old-fashioned way – boiled milk, slowly poured over flakes of grated chocolate & whisked up until silky smooth with a delicate foamy froth. After one of these & a cookie, I can take on the world (albeit slowly!).
Over the weekend, I was invited to a beautiful ladies’ afternoon tea at one of my lovely friend’s homes & took some of these naughty chocolate chip delights as a little gift for her (fresh flowers are nice, but you can’t really eat them!). These are based on a blondie recipe & are really rich & indulgent, because they are full to the brim with so much chocolate, then swirled & drizzled with more chocolate (just to make sure there’s enough in them!). The chocolate chip & peanut butter version was a kind of happy mishap – I was experimenting with the recipe & added a splodge of smooth peanut butter into each scoop, encasing that nutty, buttery centre in the cookie dough. 
As they bake in the oven, the peanut butter starts to melt & infuse the cookies (& kitchen) with that nutty flavour & sweet scent. Of course, they are drizzled with melted chocolate too & a few chopped, salted peanuts sprinkled generously on top – the slight saltiness complements the chocolate so well! These are not for the faint-hearted, nor are they for everyday munching really – they should be a treat, or for those days when you’re just feeling a bit pants & want a “pick me up”. If I’m feeling particularly decadent, I’ll make some with plain chocolate chunks & shards of stem ginger (my favourite), or chopped dried apricots with white chocolate pieces. The choices are as endless as your imagination! The best bit? They are really easy & take minutes to make. Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!
Get yourself a medium sized metal ice-cream scoop (one with a spring loaded handle is best), then scoop dollops of cookie dough up & drop them onto the greaseproof lined baking tray. Leave a good couple of inches between them all – they will grow! If you want to save some for another day, you can always freeze a few scoops at this stage & just defrost them when you fancy a treat.
Bake in the centre of the oven for between 16-18 minutes, then gently transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack. If you put the tin next to the cooling rack, you can actually pull the greaseproof paper onto the rack & then move the cookies directly onto the rack after. They will be soft until they cool, so be careful as they are more delicate than they look.
Apparently, so my sources tell me, Italian Cheese Week is being celebrated from 15-22 June 2017 (like I need an excuse!). So, in honour of all things cheesy, I decided to share a couple of really easy recipes for you that I’ve picked up over the years.
wilted spinach in the food processor with a few pine nuts (untoasted), a little lemon zest, a spoonful of my favourite full-fat cream cheese (just because I like it) & a shake of sea salt & black pepper. It’s then mashed up with the ricotta, before I pop the lot into a piping bag, ready to fill my favourite ravioli!
And now, my pièce de résistance: cheese biscuits. These are probably one of the easiest things to make – you just chuck everything in a bowl & squish it together. It’s great for using up all those random leftover bits of cheese that seem to congregate at the back of the fridge. Want to get cheesy? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!
Cut into shapes – either use small cookie cutters or slice into finger length strips, just create whatever you like! Lift them onto the lined baking trays, leaving about an inch gap all around (they will not grow too much) & then repeat the above, until you have used up all the dough.
If I had to count how many single portion meals I can get from one fresh chicken, I would have to say at least ten – yes, you read that correctly: ten! That’s ten individual meals from one regular sized chicken. I’m not Merlin the Magician, I’m just a mere mortal woman who insists on getting value for money & doesn’t like waste.
Not only is it ridiculously more expensive (think of the wine you could buy!), but learning to do it yourself is a great skill to have & it’s very satisfying knowing that you’ve got meals in the freezer for when you can’t be bothered to cook.
2-3 large Carrots
Get yourself a large metal colander & place over a deep pan that covers all the little holes (I use my pasta pan for this) & tip in the carcass, veg & stock to strain through. I usually strain it again through a fine sieve to remove any sediment & that’s the stock done! 
That fabulously fragrant, golden stock will make a generous risotto for four people, or two portions of risotto & at least another four generous portions of beautiful arancini balls
Then there are the very versatile chicken breasts – these are almost double the size of the ones you get in those pre-prepared packs! Usually, I can make four kievs per chicken (coating them in homemade breadcrumbs from leftover crusts), 
The first pasta I ever made was a very soupy looking lasagne when I was a teenager & it didn’t improve much until my twenties – it tasted very nice, but you needed a spoon to eat it. My pasta skills have progressed a bit since then & I am happy to say, you don’t need a spoon to eat my lasagne anymore (although I do recommend wearing an elasticated waistband).
The recipe I use is 100g of strong ’00’ flour (or strong bread flour) & one large egg, per person (so if you’re cooking for three people, that’s three eggs & 300g of flour). However, I like to mix half flour with half fine semolina, which gives it that gorgeous golden, sunshine yellow colour (& everyone likes a little sunshine).
work surface. Make a well in the middle, crack your eggs in carefully & combine them a little before using clean, cool fingertips to bring the flour in from the sides & gently combine into a lovely golden dough (it’s messy, but that’s half the fun).
Knead for about five minutes until flexible, then wrap in cling film & leave to rest in the fridge for half an hour. After that, you can roll it out, stuff it with some fabulous fillings, or cut into ribbons (such as tagliatelle) & even hang some up to dry for another day (if you don’t have a rack, use a clean clothes horse). It’s that simple! If you do save some, remember to store in the fridge because it’s got fresh egg in it.
To make ravioli, roll the dough out until it’s almost thin enough to see through. Lay it down on a flour dusted surface (sprinkle some semolina too – this will stop it sticking). Then simply add small splodges of your filling (about a teaspoonful), roughly an inch apart, down one side of the pasta sheet – sometimes I use a piping bag to do this (less mess & a bit quicker). Dip your finger in a cup of cold water, run it along the edge & between the fillings, before folding the other side of the pasta over the top. Press the edges down firmly, using a cupping action with 
the side of your hand to separate the fillings into individual bumps & remove any air. Cut them into little parcels using a ravioli or pizza cutter (or even a small cookie cutter) & set aside on a plate or board, again dusted with flour or semolina (or both).
cook in about 2-3 minutes, so pick one out & have a taste to check – obviously, if you’re cooking ravioli or similar stuffed pasta, use your judgement on this & make sure the filling is piping hot. Then drain (saving a cup of the water) & serve as you like it- spoon on some sauce, or just add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil & a sprinkle of black pepper. If your sauce is a bit too thick, add some of the cooking water to loosen it up a bit & make it silky smooth (you really don’t need much). All you need to do then is eat it!
Speaking of sauce, usually I make my family recipe tomato sauce for this, but sometimes there’s a bag of salad that needs using up – perfect for homemade pesto. Try blitzing a couple of generous handfuls of fresh washed rocket, basil & spinach in a blender (I’ve used all sorts of leafy greens & lovely veggies from the fridge for this over the years). Add a good drizzle of olive oil, a few pine nuts (almonds or walnuts are good substitutes) & about an ounce of grated hard Italian cheese – I use either Parmesan or Grana Padana (sometimes a mixture of both), but it’s down to your personal taste here. You don’t need any salt – Parmesan will add that flavour. Add a little of the pasta water to thin it out a bit & spoon over your handmade ravioli!
Bananas – love them or loathe them, they are one of the most versatile foods & make some of the best tasting treats. Now I don’t usually get all fired up about fruit, but they’re getting a bit of press recently & it’s not good – apparently, people are throwing away millions of pounds worth of bananas a year because they’re a bit blemished, bruised & generally not very beautiful! So don’t throw them away – show the banana some love!
And then came the delightful discovery of the chocolate banana loaf & it’s one my family’s favourite treats. Use really over-ripened bananas here – as bruised & blotchy as you can get – check out the reduced section of your local shop & if you have a few leftover, just freeze them. My tip is to double the mixture & make two – they tend to evaporate rapidly! Ready to bake it happen? Hands washed, aprons on & here we go!
minutes. Use a skewer to test if it’s cooked – poke it in the middle (the thickest part) of the loaf & if it comes out clean, then it’s ready. If not, give it another five minutes & check again. Once cooked, leave it in the tin on a cooling rack for five minutes, before gently easing the loaf out onto the rack. Carefully remove the greaseproof paper from the edges & leave to cool completely (about half an hour or so).
All that’s left to do is indulge in a thick slice with a cuppa – it’s moist, chocolatey & comforting, plus it makes a great addition for afternoon tea. Store the rest in an airtight container or freeze a few slices for when you fancy a treat. I really want to say this keeps well, but it never lasts very long in our house!
Fridays are fabulous for many reasons: it’s the Preekend (as it’s fondly known here), the fizz is chilling in the fridge & thoughts turn to dinner. Pizza is very much loved in our house & we’ve tried them all over the years – the fresh, the frozen & the takeaways. But nothing beats making your own, getting everyone involved & having a relaxing meal (pizza is definitely relaxed & a great way to wind down the week!).
Because I’ve been baking up a storm, I like to delegate the dough making on a Friday night to the guys & my Husband has become Chief Pizza Dough Maker. Usually, I’ll pour us each a glass of Prosecco to sip (in “scary saucers”, which my Husband can fit his face in) & while he’s kneading the dough, I make the sauce & we catch up on each other’s news & gossip. Hands washed, aprons on & here’s how to make your own!
Usually, I have a couple of jars of my homemade tomato sauce in the fridge, leftover from 
Once the dough is stretched out, I smooth a large spoonful of the sauce over the top, leaving half an inch around the edge & it’s ready to be adorned with beautiful toppings! 
