12 Berry Pavlova Serves: 8 Ingredients 6 medium egg whites 350g caster sugar (use vanilla sugar if possible) 2 tablespoons (30ml) vinegar – optional 2 tablespoons (30ml) corn flour – optional Parchment greaseproof paper 284ml carton of double cream whipping cream 2 x 250g punnets strawberries 2 x 215g punnets raspberries Method Preheat oven to 140°C 275°F Gas Mark 1. Whisk egg whites until very stiff then whisk in the sugar a teaspoon at a time (don’t over whisk as the egg whites will go runny again). Blend the vinegar and corn flour (these are optional but in using them you will get a slightly chewy centre to the meringue), and fold into the mixture. Place the parchment greaseproof paper on 1 large or 2 smaller baking trays. Spoon the meringue mixture onto the paper and spread it as you go to make 2 circles, each about 20cm in diameter (I put a plate of about that size under the parchment as a guide and then remove it when I’ve finished spreading out the mixture). Bake the meringues for about 1 hour, until firm. Allow to cool, and then carefully remove the paper. Whip the cream. Wash the berries and hull the strawberries. Roughly squash 1 punnet of the strawberries and add to the cream. Cut the rest in half and gently fold into to the cream with the raspberries. Sandwich the 2 meringues with the berry cream mixture just before serving. Don’t assemble too early as the cream melts the meringue. Nutrition Info (per serving): 374 calories, 17 g fat. 13 British Bangers Prep and cook time: 30 mins to 1 hour Serves: 3-4 Ingredients 454g Chipolatas 20g bunch sage leaves 8 rashers of unsmoked streaky bacon 400g leeks, sliced 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 275ml red wine 75g butter 10g fresh thyme Salt and freshly ground black pepper Method Preheat the oven to 190ºC, 375ºF, Gas Mark 5. Take the sausages on the string from the pack and wrap a sage leaf and a piece of streaky bacon around the skin and in between each link. Place a large, flat pan on the hob, add the sausages and cook until golden brown on all sides (about 8- 10 minutes). Add the leeks and garlic, and sauté along with the sausages. Turn up the heat to high and add the wine, butter and thyme, letting it bubble so that the wine is reduced slightly. Place the pan in the oven for 20 minutes. This should allow the gravy to thicken a little. The casserole should be seasoned carefully as the bacon is quite salty. Serve hot with root vegetables and mash. Alternative seasonal mash idea: Peel and chop swede, potato, parsnip and celeriac. Boil for 20-25 minutes until tender. Drain and mash with butter and seasoning and serve in a bowl. Nutrition Info (per serving): 625 calories, 46 g fat. 14 Brussel Tops with Rosemary Butter Prep and cook time: Up to 30 mins Serves: 6 Ingredients 250g butter 1 clove garlic Juice of ½ lemon 1 sprig of rosemary, picked and chopped 1 fillet of anchovy, finely chopped (optional) 500g Brussel tops Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Method Mix the butter with the garlic, lemon juice, rosemary, anchovy and seasoning, being careful with the salt if using, the anchovy is already quite salty.