Something delicious to cheer up a chilly January day – a bit of a change from mince pies. Oaty mincemeat slice Makes 16+ pieces. Prep time: 10 mins. Cooking time: 45-50 mins Ingredients: 175g oats 150g plain flour 160g muscovado sugar ¼ tsp baking powder 170g vegan spread (or butter if not baking a vegan version) ½ -1 tsp ground cardamom (depending on taste) 1 450g jar mincemeat (recipe for this is on Day 2 of this series of recipes) Method 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas 4 2: Line a 20cm square baking tray with greaseproof paper. 3: Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix well…

Walnut Damper Bread Max and I both love making bread and discovered this really easy recipe, which adapts well to plant milk. The basic recipe is a mixture of flours and plant milk. Ingredients 250g each self-raising flour and wholemeal self-raising flour (you can make your own self-raising flour by adding 2 tsp baking powder to 150g plain flour and sifting well together) 60-100g chopped walnuts (depending on how nutty you want the bread) Plant milk Method 1: Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6 2: Put the flour in a bowl and add the walnuts, mixing thoroughly 3: Mix enough plant milk into the dried ingredients to give a sticky dough.…

Not a very festive recipe, but delicious, winter or summer and vegan. Imam Bayildi (Baked aubergines with tomato sauce) A favourite of ours from Greece, although it originates from Turkey. An easy supper dish, great with salad and sweet potato wedges. Serves 4. Prep time: 30 mins soaking + 30 mins. Cooking time: 45 mins Ingredients 2 medium to large aubergines 150ml olive oil + 4-5 tablespoons for the sauce 2 medium sized onions, sliced 3-4 cloves of garlic, sliced finely 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp oregano 3 tbsps finely chopped fresh parsley 1 tsp tomato paste diluted in a small cup of water Salt and black pepper…

Apple Cheese This doesn’t sound vegan, although it is, and to be honest we eat this with cheese, but it is also delicious with bread or vegan burgers. It is like Quince Cheese or Membrillo but unsurprisingly made with apples! It takes a bit of time and effort but is definitely worth it. It also makes a great gift. Add cinnamon for a delicious spread for toast. Perfect for a chilly winter’s day. Ingredients: 2kg Apples Granulated Sugar Water Cinnamon (optional) Method: 1: Quarter the apples without peeling or coring 2: Put in a saucepan with a small amount of water and simmer until the apple is soft – about…

Hello everyone After a couple of savoury suggestions, now for a full-on chocolatey delight. We make this sometimes for Sunday brunch. Great with raspberries and cherries as in the photo or for a more festive flavour use clementines as below. Easy Tear and Share Serves 6. Prep time: 10-15 mins. Cooking time:  approx. 30 mins Ingredients: 1 rectangular sheet of ready rolled puff pastry (without butter for a vegan recipe) 75g Dark chocolate (70% is good but a lower cocoa content works too. NB check that there is no dairy content) 1 ½ tbsp. icing sugar, plus extra to dust 2 Clementines, peeled and segments halved A few dates, chopped…

A great store-cupboard recipe and winter warmer. Not very festive but a good way to use up vegetables! Storecupboard Stew Serves 4. Prep time: 10 mins. Cooking time: 30 mins Ingredients 1 tbsp olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 leek, sliced 120g green beans, cut in half, fresh or frozen 120g brussel sprouts, halved 300g sweetcorn, tinned or frozen 1 450g tin chopped tomatoes 2 400g tins of beans: I use 1 tin of haricot and 1 tin of flagelot, but you could use 2 the same 2 garlic cloves, crushed 240ml vegetable stock Herbs to taste – I vary this but often use za’atar and sumac Black pepper…

Hello everyone It is still really cold here, and today it is raining too. A good day to snuggle up with the kittens by the fire (actually the animals have taken over all of the spaces by the fire!). The recipe today is a quick and easy mushroom and chestnut tart. Mushroom and Chestnut Tart Serves 6. Prep time: 10-15 mins. Cooking time: 25-30 mins Ingredients: 1 rectangular sheet of ready rolled puff pastry (without butter for a vegan recipe) 300g Chestnut mushrooms or a mix of wild and chestnut mushrooms 3 Shallots, thinly sliced 1 clove of garlic, crushed 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tbsp chopped parsley 150g cooked…

Hello everyone A quiet day today, very cold and frosty. We walked the dog this morning and had fabulous views of the snowy peaks of the Pyrénées in the distance. Such a treat! The views never cease to amaze me. We are very lucky. The recipe today is the delicious and very easy vegan nut roast we had for our Christmas Day meal. We finished the last slices today – it is even tastier after a couple of days and good cold too with chutney. The recipe is courtesy of Vegan on Board (www.veganonboard.com). Vegan Nut Roast Prep time: 15 mins. Cooking time: 30-40 mins. Serves 4 (with leftovers) Ingredients:…

Happy Boxing Day I hope you have had a restful Boxing Day? It is very cold here today but it has been sunny, which is great. Another beautiful sky this evening – it is so lovely to stop and watch the changing colours as the sun sets and the sky darkens. Today I am sharing a very simple vegan mincemeat recipe from The Hungry Herbivores (www.thehungryherbivores.com) – quick and easy to make. I have adapted it a bit and make it in small batches, adding a different liqueur to each batch. Luxury Mincemeat Makes 2 small jars Preparation and cooking time: 20-25 minutes Ingredients: 1 large Bramley apple, peeled and…

Merry Christmas to you all I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas Day – wherever you are. We caught up with family across the world via Zoom this morning. Always fun and it is lovely to actually be able to see people even if only online. Our Christmas celebrations have been different this year, we ate capon on Christmas Eve with a variety of roasted vegetables including sprouts, bread sauce and stuffing. Today we had a vegan Christmas meal – za’atar spiced mushrooms and chestnuts on walnut bread, drizzled with walnut oil, followed by a really delicious (and very easy) nut and cranberry roast, which my son made,…