Apple & Cinnamon Muffins

225g plain flour (I sometimes do 1/2 wholemeal)
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
50g of castor/soft brown sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter melted
2 beaten eggs
1 eating apple, peeled & chopped
200ml milk
some demerara sugar & cinnamon
Prepare a 12x muffin tray with muffin cases and pre heat the oven to 200c/gas6. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Measure the milk into a jug and then beat in the eggs and add the melted butter. Pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients and mix gently. Don’t worry if it looks a little lumpy and stir in the apple pieces. Divide the mixture into the muffin cases and sprinkle each with the demerara and cinnamon to taste. Bake for 20 mintues until lightly brown and springy. These will keep for a good couple of days in an air tight container.

Apple Flapjacks

150 g butter
1 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 apple chopped
150 g plain flour
150g porridge oats
1tsp Bicarbonate of soda
150g of sugar (castor or soft brown for a richer flavour)
40g raisins

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees or gas mark 5 and butter a square brownie tin.

Melt the butter, golden syrup and sugar over a low heat in a heavy bottomed pan. Once the ingredients are melted together, add the raisins and apple and stir for a minute or two. Pour this over the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.

Put the mixture into the prepared tin and flatten down and into the corners. Bake for about 40 minutes (slightly less for a fan oven maybe) until lightly browned. Take out of the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before marking out squares with a knife. Then allow to cool fully before you try to cut squares out and remove from tin.

Apple Tea Bread

125g butter
125g soft brown sugar
275g sultanas
1 eating apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 medium eggs, beaten
275g Plain Four
2 tsp bicarbonate of Soda
½ tsp ground ginger
½ cinnamon

To Serve:
1 tbsp Golden Syrup
1 eating apple, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 180`C/Gas 4 and oil/line a 2lb loaf tin. Add butter, sugar, sultanas and juice to a pan and heat gently until butter has melted and take off heat. In another bowl add the apple and beaten egg and combine. Sieve over all the dry ingredients and mix with the eggy/apples mix. This will be quite dry and not full incorporated, but just add the warm butter mix and combine. Pour out the cake batter into the tin and then arrange the thinly sliced apple over the top and bake for 35 mins. I have a fierce fan oven so you may want to drop it to 170`C and add 5-10 mins on to avoid a very soggy middle.

Once the cake is out, warm the golden syrup in a bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds and pour over the cake. You may need a pastry brush to ensure the cake is glistening and golden. Once the cake is nearly cool, take out for the tin and serve thickly sliced.

Banana Cake

9oz self raising flour
10oz fine sugar (e.g. light muscavado)
4oz soft butter or margarine
3-4 ripe bananas
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Pre heat the oven to 180c/gas 5 and prepare 2x9" cake tins or one deep tin (as shown in the picture). Mash the bananas in a bowl and place to one side. Add all the other ingredients to another large bowl and beat with a hand whisk until fully mixed but not over beaten. Gently fold the mashed banana into the mixture (it will look lumpy but don’t worry). Put the cake batter into the tin and bake for about 25-30 minutes. If using one deep tin, turn the oven down to 160c/gas 4 for another 10 minutes. Serve warm with some cream for a quick pud or store in an air tight cake tin once cold.

Barlaston Apple Sauce Cake

1 1/2 cups apple sauce (or stewed apple)
1/2 cup of suet
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups of plain flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup raisins
Grease an 8" square tin and line the bottom. Add all the ingredients into a large bowl in the order that they appear in this recipe. Stir thoroughly until mixed (it will not be smooth). Pour the mixture into the tin and bake in a pre heated oven at 180 or gas 6 for about an hour. Use the skewer test to check. Serve warm with cream or cold & sliced.

Blackberry Whiskey

1 Litre of blended whiskey of choice
500g Blackberries
200g (or to taste) castor sugar
preserving jar or wide necked bottle - sterilised

This is such a simple recipe and is ideally done when the blackberries are at their best, in season and freshly picked. Very gently wash the blackberries and add to a preserving jar like a litre Kilner jar. Add the sugar and whiskey. Seal the jar or bottle and gently trun around so as not to pulverise the berries but to encourage the dissolving of the sugar. Store in a cool, dark place and repeat the turning each day until the sugar is dissolved. Drink at Christmas or until you can’t wait any longer. Don’t forget it can be decanted into a pretty botle for a gift.

Chestnut and Chocolate Pudding

1 1/2 lbs chestnut puree
5 ozs unsalted butter
5 ozs castor sugar
1/2 lb dark chocolate
a little brandy
whipped cream to serve
Cream the butter & sugar until pale. Melt the choclate and allow to cool slightly and then add to the butter mixture. Also add the chestnut puree at this stage. Flavour with a little brandy. Turn into a mould (greased) or add to small pudding glasses and place in the fridge over night. When you are ready to serve, either turn our of the mould onto a plate or remove glasses from the fridge. Tops with a little whipped cream and sprinkle with shaved chocolate for decoration. Enjoy!

Coffee and Pecan Cake

125g butter
175g golden castor sugar
175g self raising flour
2 large eggs
1 tbsp coffee granules dissolved in 2 tbsp hot water & cooled.
50g roughly chopped pecans.

Icing
175g icing sugar
75g butter
1 tsp coffee granules
1 tsp cocoa
possibly a bit of milk
whole pecans to decorate

Pre heat the oven to 180/gas 6 and line 2 x 7" cake tins. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Lightly beat the eggs in a separate bowl and beat into the butter mixture a little at a time until fully incorporated and fluffy. It’s at this point that you can add the cooled coffee and fix gently along with the choped nuts. Finally add the self raising flour and fold in with a large metal spoon until you can’t see any flour. Pour the cake batter into the cake tins and bake on the middle shelf for about 20-25 mins or until the cake is springy on the top.
in the meantime, make the icing. Mix the coffee and cocoa with a little hot water and dissolve fully and allow to cool. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth and add a little splash of milk if it’s too dry. Also add the cooled coffee/cocoa liquid and beat again.
Once the cake is full cooled, you can spread a 1/3 of the buttercream on one cake and then place the 2nd cake on top. Then add the rest of the buttercream to the top of the cake, adding a generous thick layer and decorate with pecans. Serve with a pot of tea a good companion and enjoy! 

Damson Gin

1 litre of dry gin
500g damsons (either pricked or frozen & thawed)
castor sugar to taste (Approx 250g)
large, sterilised bottle/Kilner jar

This is by far my favourite Damson recipe and is so easy to make and a great way to use nature’s glut in September. I tend to freeze mine on a flat tray and then thaw before use. This way the skin splits allowing a real mix of flavours. You could alway use a small knife to slightly split the skin of each one if you have the patience! Once you have thawed your damsons, add them to your sterilised jar and add the sugar & gin. Seal & swirl about to start the dissolving of the sugar & repeat daily until fully dissolved. Store in a cool, dark place until you want it (about 2-3 months). During this time you can check the taste (!!) and add more sugar if you want to - taking care that it dissolves fully. Decant into a sterilsed, pretty bottle for a fab and super local Christmas present.

Family Christmas Cake

1.5kg mixed dried fruit (Auntie.W. only used sultanas & currants but you can add some cherries, mixed peel
zest & juice of an unwaxed lemon

2 tbsp of Rum (or a 1/4 gill!)
250g butter at room temperature
325g soft brown sugar
425g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
100g ground almonds
4 large eggs
1/2tsp mixed spice
1/4 tsp ground mace
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg

Line an 8" square or 9" round tin with double thickness greaseproof paper that comes about an inch proud of the top of the tin. Pre heat the oven to 150c/300f/gas mk 2. Weigh out the dried fruit and soak in the rum for up to 24 hours with the lemon zest & juice.

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy in a large bowl. Add the beaten egg at intervals so that the mixture is light and fluffy, (to avoid curdling, which effects the rising, always use eggs at room temperature). Seive the flour, baking powder and spices into the mixture and stir in slowly with a large metal spoon. Then incorporate the ground almonds. Finally add the fruit and rum mixtufe and fold in carefully but surely until evenly mixed.
Add the cake batter to the tin and flatten on the top and bake on a middle shelf for 3 hours. Test with a skewer at this point. if it is not clean, try the cake for another 20 minutes or so. Once cooked, allow to cool in the tin until cold. You can either leave it in the tin and feed it every day with a little rum or take out of the tin and wrap securely in greaseproof paper until you want to decorate.

Ginger Cake Pudding

Left over Ginger Cake loaf, sliced into thick slices (I used 1/2 loaf)
Full fat milk (I used 1/2 pint)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 piece of christallised ginger
Grease an oven proof dish and arrange the slices of cake so that they overlap and have peeks peeking out to crisp up in the oven. Chop the christallised ginger into small pieces and sprinkle over the cake slices. Beat the eggs, milk and sugar together to make the custard base and pour over the cake. You can use the back of a fork to gently press down so that the cake is soaked in the liquid. Leave in the fridge for a while and bake in a moderate oven (160/gas4) for about 40 minutes and serve with cream. You may need to cover the dish with foil if your corners are beginning to burn (like mine!). Enjoy.

Gooseberry Fool

1lb Gooseberries
20g unsalted butter
castor sugar to taste
1/4 whipped cream
1/4 custard
Top & tail the gooseberries and wash and add to a pan with the butter. Simmer in the pan until the gooseberries are cooked and mushy. Seive this mixture through a fine seive and mix with the custard. Add extra sugar at this stage if required. Finally add the whipped cream and chill in a bowl or individaul bowls before serving. Summer in a pud!

Keele Biscuits

8ozs plain flour
4ozs butter
4 ozs castor sugar
1 large egg
grated rind of an unwaxed lemon
Cream the butter and sugar until pale and add the egg, flour & rind. Mix until you have a soft dough. Roll out onto a floured surface until about 1/2 cm thick at most. Cut into rounds place on a baking tray with greasproof paper and bake in a pre heated oven (180 or gas 6) for about 10-15 minutes or until light golden colour. Allow to cool slightly and remove with a palette knife onto a cooling tray to cool fully.

Lemon Squares

Base
175g plain flour
125g unsalted butter
50g sugar

Topping
200g castor sugar
2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
good pinch of salt
2 free range eggs
rind and juice of an unwaxed lemon
icing sugar to decorate
Preheat the oven to 170’C/gas 3 and lightly butter and line a square brownie tin. Rub together the butter and flour for the base, until it’s like breadcrumbs. This can be done in a food processor to be quick & less messy. Stir in the sugar and press into the bottom of the prepared tin. Bake the base for about 20 minutes until lightly golden.
In the meantime, make the topping. Again, this is easier in a food processor. Mix together all the remaining ingredients until smooth, but no need to over beat. Pour the topping mixture over the cooked base and pop back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes. The squares are ready when there’s still a little wobble to the bake. Take out and allow to cool fully in the tin. I sprinkle the bake with the icing sugar before I cut into squares. Thesy will store in an airtight container for up to a week but probably won’t last that long. Delicious...

Pancakes

100g plain white flour
250 ml of milk
2 large free range eggs
a pinch of salt
butter to fry
I don’t bother to sift the flour but simply add to a large bowl. Using a large ballon whisk, make a well in the middle of the flour and break both eggs into it. Start to whisk and add some of the milk. Whisk round until you have a thick, smooth mixture and then whisk in the rest of the milk. Leave this to rest for about 30 minutes.
To fry, use a non stick pan and butter for each one. Don’t forget the first couple will be rubbish and are cooks treat! Serve with anything you fancy...I’m a sucker for golden syrup!

Party Cakes

250g castor sugar
250g softened butter
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1-2 drops vanilla essence
4 tbsp full fat milk
4 large eggs
24 muffin cases
80g soft butter
500g icing sugar sifted
milk
decorations!

Beat the sugar & butter together until light and creamy, along with the vanilla essence. One by one add the eggs and beat until fully incorporated. Sift the flour and baking powder and add to the batter and fold very gently adding the milk until you have a soft cake mixture. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cases and and place in a pre heated oven 190c/gas 5 for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden and risen.
Once the cakes are cool, beat the butter and icing sugar together and add a little milk until you have a soft buttercream. Decorate the the cakes and decorate - best served on doilies and pretty plates.

Raspberry Pavlova

4 large egg white (preferably Free Range)
225g castor sugar
1-2 drops vanilla essence
500g raspberries
50g toasted, flaked almonds
double cream, whipped (how much is up to you!)
icing sugar for decoration.

Separate your egg white into a very clean and grease free bowl, taking care that there is absolutely no egg yolk in the bowl. Use a hand whisk or the whisk attachment to a food mixer and start slowly whisking the eggs. You need to whisk the eggs until they are stiff (feel free to do the "bowl over head" test!). At this point you can up the speed and start to add the sugar at the rate of about a cup at a time. Make sure that each addition is totally dissolved before adding the next cup. Once you have added all the sugar, you should be left with a very thick, glossy egg mixture. Add the couple of drops of essence.
Place baking paper onto a large flat tray and place the meringue mixture onto the centre and carefully spread into a circle with a slight dip in the middle. Place in pre heated oven at 140c/gas 1 for about an hour. Once done and crispy on the outside, turn off the heat and allow to cool fully with the door slightly ajar.
Finally the fun bit! Add the whipped cream and pile on the raspberries and sprinkle with some icing sugar and flaked almonds and serve...wow!

Vanilla Cheesecake

200g all butter shortbread
50g melted butter
675g full fat cream cheese or marscapone
200g castor sugar
225ml double cream
1tbsp custard powder
2tsp proper vanilla essence
2 eggs (free range)

Pre heat the oven to about 150c/gas 2 and crush the shortbread either in a food processor or old fashioned rolling pin & plastic bag method. Melt the butter and stir in the crumbs and press flat into the bottom of an 8" springform cake tin. Add all the remaining ingredients to a large bowl and whisk with a hand whisk until smooth and fully incorporated. Do not over beat at this stage. Place the tin onto a baking tray in case of leakage then pour the cheesecake batter into the cake tin on top of the biscuit base. TIP: to avoid leakage, simply bring the layer of biscuit slightly up the sides by a couple of millimetres. Bake in the oven for about an hour until it is slightly golden on the edges. When you take the cheesecake out of the oven, there will have quite a wobble - this is good and it will fully set as it cools. Wait until it cools fully before popping in the fridge. Delicious!

White Chocolate and Cranberry Cookies

270g Butter
160g Castor sugar
160g Muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
370g Plain flour
1 tsp Bicarb of soda
120g rolled oats
100g chopped white chocolate
100g dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 170/gas mark 3 and prepare some flat baking trays with baking paper. Beat the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy and then add the eggs one at a time, beating well. In a separate bowl combine the flour, Bicarb and oats and then add to the butter mixture. You can mix all this together and don’t worry about being gentle, just beat in with your hand whisk or mixer. Finally, when fully incorporated, add the chopped chocolate and cranberries until evenly spread through the mixture. Add small desert spoonfuls of mixture to the tray, well spread out and bake for 12 minutes. I check after 10 in case they are catching. Once golden brown, take out of the oven and allow to sit a minute, before carefully moving them across to a cooling tray. Keep in an airtight container for up to a week. Enjoy! Makes about 20... 

Bacon and Lentil Soup

2 celery sticks chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 onions chopped
bacon chopped or lardons (as many as you have or like)
large cup full of red lentils
1x400g tin chopped tomatoes
herbs of choice

Gently fry all the veg and bacon together until all is soft but not too coloured. Add dried herbs if you fancy e.g. thyme. Then add the tomatoes and stir until warm and add the hot stock and lentils. Bring to the boil and then cover and simmer for around 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through. Whizz the soup until smooth and serve with a swirl of creme fraiche.

Bertelin Blue Stuffed Mushrooms

(For Two)
2 large flat field mushrooms
1-2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
60-80g of Bertelin Blue cheese
1tsp finely chopped rosemary or torn basil (dependant on season & fancy)
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 onion finely chopped
drizzle of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6. Take the stalks out of the mushrooms, dice and save for later. Add a splash of olive oil to a pan and gently saute the onion and chopped mushroom stalks. Do this on medium to high heat until the onions are golden and soft. This may take 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper and continue to fry for another 2 minutes or so until the tomatoes have started to soften. If you are using rosemary, add this too. Place the mushroom caps on a lightly oiled baking tray (gill side up) and add some mixture to each mushroom. If you are using basil, add this to the top of the mixture, under the cheese. Top with equal amounts of cubed Bertelin Blue cheese. Cover them with foil and place in the oven for 7-10 minutes until the mushroom edges are changing colour and the cheese is melted. You can take the foil off half way through if you want to brown the cheese slightly. Serve hot with crusty bread or light salad.

Courgette Tortilla

3 medium courgettes, washed & thinly sliced
2 medium onions
1 clove garlic, crushed
olive oil
chopped fresh marjoram
5 large eggs, beaten
parmesan grated
salt & pepper

Thinly slice the onions and courgettes and place the onions in a frying pan that you can put under a grill with the olive oil and garlic. Fry slowly until the onions are starting to go transparent. At this point add the courgettes and up the heat slightly. Cook until the courgettes are starting to brown a little. Add the marjoram, salt & pepper and over the heat add the beaten eggs and move the onions & courgettes around gently until they are evenly spread out. Cook gently until small bubbles start to appear on the top, add the parmesan and place under a hot grill until the eggs are set and the cheese is brown. Serve warm or allow to cool on the side and then place in the fridge until it’s time for a picnic.

Marrow & Spinach Soup

1 marrow
2 handfuls of raw spinach
2 medium onions
1 clove garlic
1 medium potato
about a litre of vegetable stock
double cream (not essential)

This simple recipe is an ideal family warmer in the Autumn & uses your excesses of the veg patch too. It is also ideal for freezing (before you add the cream). Simply chop the onions and gently fry in a little olive oil with the crushed garlic. Once the onion is translucent, add the chopped marrow and stir for about 3-4 minutes. Add the hot stock and the chopped potato and bring to the boil. Allow the whole soup to simmer for about 15 minutes, adding the chopped spinach for the last 5 minutes. Once the potato is cooked through, whizz the soup with a hand blender and warm through, adding seasoning at the end to suit your taste and a dash of cream if you want.

Onion Chutney

6 onions (all red or with some brown)
750ml balsamic vinegar (or half red wine vinegar)
600g brown sugar
2 bay leaves

Slice the onions in a way that you like - chunky or fine cut chutney. Add to a large heavy bottomed pan or jam pan. Add the vinegar of your choice and the brown sugar as well as the bay leaves. You could add crushed peppercorns at this point too. Slowly bring the mixture to the boil and then simmer for about an hour to an hour and a half. You may need to turn the heat up slightly at the end to evaporate excess liquid althought take care not to catch the bottom. Stir regularly through this process. Once it is jammy and sticky, allow to cool slightly before putting into sterilised jars or Kilner pots. Simply double up the ingredients for a bigger batch of chutney. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months and refridgerate once opened. Delicious!

Pepperonata Lasagne

4-5 mixed peppers, cored & sliced (mainly red,orange or yellow)
2 onions finely sliced
2 sticks celery very finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
oregano (dried or fresh)
1 tbs tomato paste
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
lots of basil, torn
a box of egg lasagne sheets
1/2 pint milk
1 tbsp butter
1tbsp plain flour
1 bay leaf
grated pamesan
salt & pepper

Very gently saute or fry the peppers, onions, garlic and celery together for at least 10 minutes until soft, lightly browned and sweet. Also add the dried oregano at this stage (if using fresh, save until later). Add the tomato paste and mix through to allow to cook slightly and then add the chopped tomatoes. You want quite a dry sauce but do add water if you would like it to be more liquid. Cook on a gentle heat for another 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and basil (& fresh oregano if using) to taste. 
In the meantime add the milk to a pan, with the bay leaf, and warm through gently. Add the butter and flour and use a balloon whisk all the time as you slowly bring the sauce to a gentle boil. The sauce should be smooth and thickened. Take off the heat and add salt, pepper and grated cheese to taste.
To bring together the different ingredients, simply payer the pepperonata, cheese sauce and lasagne sheets up, starting with a layer of pepperonata, then lasagne, then cheese sauce and so on. Finish with a layer of lasagne and then cheese sauce. Grack some black pepper onto the top and bake in a medium/hot oven (gas 6 or 180) for about 40 minutes until a knife goes through the lasagne easily. Serve with a big green salad and enjoy!

Spicy Lentil Soup [V]

200g red lentils
1 medium onion
a little olive oil
a 2" piece of ginger root 2 cloves of garlic (optional)
4 tomatoes
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 small chillies
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp chilli flakes 1 litre of veg stock
salt & pepper

Use a large solid pan and chop the onion and fry in the olive oil. Don’t allow to colour too much and add the mustard seeds and stir until you start to pop. Now add the garlic, peeled and shredded ginger, chopped tomatoes and lentils. Stir through and add all the chilli and tumeric. Stir again until fully mixed and then pour over the hot stock.

Bring the soup to the boil and allow it to simmer for about 20 minutes. Don’t fully cover the pot. If any scum forms on the surface, simply scoop it off and discard. Check that the lentils are cooked through and soft and occasionally stir through. At this point you can whiz the whole soup with a hand blender until smooth. Serve in large warm bowls with flat bread or pitta

Spinach and Pea Soup [V]

350g frozen peas
about 500g of spinach
olive oil
1 onion
1 bulb of fennel
1/5 litres of good vegetable stock
salt and pepper

Thinly slice the fennel and onion and soften and fry in a large pan in the oil. Stir every so often and don't allow to colour. Wash the spinach thoroughly and remove any large stalks. Tip in the peas (no need to defrost) and stir through and add the stock and salt and pepper. Bring the soup to the boil and then allow to simmer, adding the spinach. Simmer for about 10 minutes, ensuring that the spinach remains a good green colour. Use a hand blender to whiz the soup to a lovely smooth consistency. Serve in warm bowls with a swirl of cream if you're feeling posh. This would be delicious with a warm walnut bread or granary rolls.

Staffordshire Buttery Potato Cake by 99 Station St

2lb potatoes, ideally Maris Piper or another variety between waxy & floury.
2 oz butter

Seasoning or extras e.g. cheese, herbs or bacon
This recipe is one of those easy but easy to get wrong recipes. Use good ingredinets and keep it simple. Preheat your oven to about 170/gas5 and thinly slice your potatoes and soak in cold water. Lightly butter a suitable dish or cake tin. Layer the potaoes with a dot of butter btween each layer. Season each layer as required. Once you have used all the potato and butter, seal the top with a layer of greaseproof paper and bake until a skewer easily goes through all the layers, probably 1 1/2 hours. Serve with a casserole or pot roast.

Staffordshire Lobby

500g of stewing/chuck beef or end of joint scraped off bone
1 large onion
2 carrots
3 potatoes
2 turnips
Beef Stock (about a pint)
1/2 tsp marmite

1 tbsp plain flour
Chop the all the veg (except potatoes) and lightly fry in large casserole pot in some butter or oil. Add the cubed beef and brown off. If you are using the end of a joint, scrape the meat off any bones and add to the pot with the veg and potatoes and stock and simmer for 2 hours. After a couple of hours add a beurre manier and season to serve. Now back to the fresh meat method! If you have browned fresh beef, now add a little flour and stir and then add the beef stock. Add the Marmite and Worcester and stir with some salt and pepper. bring to the boil and add potatoes cubes (I go quite chunky). Either pop in a low oven or simmer very slowly on the hob for a couple of hours until the meat is tender. Check to taste and serve in soup bowls with crusty bread.

Staffordshire Oatcakes for all occasions

12 good quality Staffordshire Oatcakes
3 red/yellow/orange peppers chopped
1 courgette chopped
1 aubergine chopped
3 onions finely chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
Olive Oil
Lots of basil torn or chopped
3 large ish ripe tomatoes skinned and chopped

To ensure the filling is at its best use a good slug of good quality olive oil and slowly fry the onions and garlic is a large heavy based frying pan for 10 minutes until they are soft and not really coloured. Chop the remaining vegetables so that all pieces are roughly the same size. Add all but the tomatoes to the pan and fry gently for 30 minutes so cooked but not mushy. Add the tomatoes and seasoning and cook for a further 10 minutes. Finally add the basil and check the flavours. This can be done a day ahead to deepen the flavours - simply cool quickly and put in the fridge.

Once you are happy with the filling use it to fill the oatcakes. This might be daintily with thirds of oatcake rolled in a cone and a cocktail stick or whole oatcakes rolled pancake style that are then placed in a serving dish to be baked with a cheese sauce on top. If going for the cone option add the filling hot and warm through whole dish with foil on top or for the family meal option bake in the oven at 180 for about 30 minutes until browned.

Staffordshire Savoury Marrow

1 large marrow
1lb cold meat
1oz flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 tbsp breadcrumbs
1 oz dripping! (or olive oil)
2 oz bacon chopped
1 tsp chopped parsley
2 tomatoes
Cut the marrow about 2 inches from the end and remove all the seed & pulp. Peel the larger part and boil for 5 minutes. Mince the meat and all the ingredients except for the dripping. Moisten with some water and mix well in a bowl. Dry the marrow inside and stuff it with the mixture. Replace the cut off end and tie firmly. Put in a baking dish and bake in a moderate oven (180 or gas 6) for an hour, basting with the dripping. Serve hot with a tomato sauce. 
{obviously you can see the age of this recipe, but using mince beef would be fine as would using olive oil instead of the dripping!}