Spinach, Feta & Tomato pastie

Ingredients 100g spinach, 50g feta, 1 tomato, Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt, Jus-Rol™ or 250g plain flour, 1 tsp salt, 250g butter to make Puff pastry.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 1 hour and a half

I have long been a slave to the Greek perfection of spinach and feta pie - fine layers of crispy filo are all well and good, but sometimes I like to vary this dish by adding the sharp, sweetness of tomato and switching filo pastry for puff pastry instead so that I can make lots of individual pasties instead of one big pie.

1) To make puff pastry: Add the room temperature butter to the flour and salt and rub together loosely. Don't mix it too thoroughly - you want to still see the butter. Add about 100ml of COLD water and mix until you have a rough but firm dough. Cover with cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll out from left to right onto a lightly floured surface - you should see marbled butter at this stage. Fold in half and roll out again from left to right. Fold once more, then cover with cling film and chill for another 20 minutes before using.

2) Roll out the pastry and cut into sections for your pasties. Spread a layer of Greek Yoghurt over half of the pastry and press the spinach into it. 

3) Layer the feta and spinach, pressing down quite firmly to avoid trapped air.

4) Slice the tomato in half and slice out the core and seeds, leaving the flesh. Slice into strips and rest on the top of the spinach and feta.

5) Fold the empty half of the pastry over the toppings, pressing down again to ensure that there isn't any air trapped inside, and tightly fold and crimp the edges to form a seal. Prick a hole for the spinachey steam to rise out, and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees

Beetroot, apple & feta tart

Ingredients 2 Beetroots, 100g feta, 1 apple, 1 leek, 3 eggs, 50ml double cream, 4oz plain flour, 2oz butter.

Serves: 6 Preparation: 1 hour

To describe this tart, oh where do I begin!? Is it the salty, creamy tang of feta and leek, the earthy beetroot or the sweetness of the apple that makes it so utterly delicious? Chances are it's all of them! Just trust me when I say that the combination of crisp, buttery pastry and the silky tang of the filling makes this one fabulous autumn treat.

1) To make the shortcrust pastry measure 4oz of plain flour and 2oz of cold butter. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop along with the flour into a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Drip in 2-3 tablespoons of cold water until the mixture quickly forms a ball. Wrap this in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes. Once chilled, roll out and press firmly into a pastry case. Bake blind for 5 minutes and set aside to cool.

2) To prepare the beetroot, wash it and slice off the stalks and leaves. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Carefully peel the beetroot with the nick of a knife and set aside to cool.

3) Slice the leeks and peel, core and dice the apple. Sautee in a little butter for 5 minutes until soft, then spoon onto the pastry case and spread evenly.

4) Slice the beetroot and feta into even chunks and arrange over the leeks and apples.

5) Whisk the eggs and cream and pour over the other ingredients, then bake for 12 minutes on a medium heat. Serve hot and cold.

Pesto knish

Ingredients Basil, basil oil, garlic, pine nuts, parmigiano, lemon, 2 maris piper potatoes, Jus-Rol™ puff pastry

Serves: 1 preparation: 30 minutes


A knish is a Jewish recipe though this I hasten to add is my own twist on the traditional form. The thinnest crispiest flakiest outer shell, a soft warm savoury filling - this is pure heaven.


1) To make pesto mash: see previous recipe.

2) Roll out the chilled pastry until it is as thin as possible but still thick enough to handle without poking holes through it. Remember pastry is made of butter and the potato is warm so you don't want to melt it!

3) Using a tennis ball sized scoop of potato, add it to the centre of the pastry, then cut the pastry down until it is just big enough to envelop the potato. Either poke a hole in the centre or as I did, twist the pastry together to form a spiral at the top. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Please note - the picture has obviously been deconstructed to show you the filling... don't put it in the oven open or it will dry out!

Spinach & ricotta knish

Ingredients Jus-Rol™ puff pastry, 400g spinach, 150g ricotta, 1/4 nutmeg, 2 Maris Piper potatoes

Serves: 1 Preparation: 30 minutes


A knish is a Jewish recipe though this I hasten to add is my own twist on the traditional form. The thinnest crispiest flakiest outer shell, a soft warm savoury filling - this is pure heaven. This goes wonderfully well with roasted tomatoes.


1) To make spinach and ricotta mash: see previous recipe.


2) Roll out the chilled pastry until it is as thin as possible but still thick enough to handle without poking holes through it. Remember pastry is made of butter and the potato is warm so you don't want to melt it!


3) Using a tennis ball sized scoop of potato, add it to the centre of the pastry, then cut the pastry down until it is just big enough to envelop the potato. Either poke a hole in the centre or as I did, twist the pastry together to form a spiral at the top. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.


Please note - the picture has obviously been deconstructed to show you the filling... don't put it in the oven open or it will dry out!

Leek knish with a melting centre

Ingredients      Jus-Rol™ puff pastry, 1 potato, 10g cheddar, 10g mozzarella, 1 leek, cream, butter

Serves: 1 preparation: 30 minutes


When I make any dish containing mashed potato I always make far more than I need. Mainly because mashed potato is my favourite food and I am a glutton who likes to indulge herself, but also because if I don't eat it out of the bowl before it can be used and actually have leftovers - it makes the most fabulously versatile ingredient. Potato cakes, croquettes, soup, gnocchi... I'll even form bean burgers with it as you'll see in my next recipes. This recipe is one of my ultimate favourite comfort foods. A knish is a Jewish recipe though this I hasten to add is my own twist on the traditional form. The thinnest crispiest flakiest outer shell, a soft warm savoury filling with an indulgent melting centre - this is pure heaven.


1) Peel and dice the potato and boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes.


2) Drain the potato and mash thoroughly, set aside until it's cool enough to handle but is still warm.


3) Finely dice the leek and sautee in a little butter. Stir through the potato with a splash of cream and season well with salt and pepper.


4) Roll out the chilled pastry until it is as thin as possible but still thick enough to handle without poking holes through it. Remember pastry is made of butter and the potato is warm so you don't want to melt it!


5) Using a tennis ball sized scoop of potato, add it to the centre of the pastry, then cut the pastry down until it is just big enough to envelop the potato. Either poke a hole in the centre or as I did, twist the pastry together to form a spiral at the top. Press grated cheddar and mozzarella into the centre of the potato - then bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.


I served this with pesto stuffed chicken, wrapped in bacon and creamed spinach with roast tomatoes.

Steak and ale pie

Ingredients 1 white onion, 1 carrot, 1 potato, 800g beef stewing steak, 1 pint Hobgoblin ale, thyme, Jus-Rol™, plain flour, butter.

1) Ordinarily I make my own pastry but it was 2 for 1 on Jus-Rol™ in Tesco so I cheated today. To make puff pastry yourself - I swear by Gordon Ramsey's recipe. Line an oven-proof dish with the pastry, prick the bottom and bake it in the oven for 12 minutes.

2) Finely dice the onions, carrots and potatoes and sautee in butter just until the onions are soft. Add the pint of hobgoblin ale to the pan and stir through.

3) Coat the beef in plain flour and drop into a hot frying pan to sear the outside of the meat. (please note - this does not seal the juices inside the meat, it merely ensures that your meat will be more tender and taste better. As you will see from the picture above I did not use stewing steak because I only had finely diced steak suitable for stir-frying. Small pieces of meat do not require searing in the same way that mince does not). Stir the meat in with the vegetables and simmer gently as the gravy thickens, adding thyme to taste.

4) Sprinkle a fine layer of flour onto the pre-baked pastry in your oven proof dish and spoon the meat and vegetables into the dish.

5) Lay a sheet of pastry over the top and press down, pinching the top crust to the sides. Prick the top with a fork, bake for 30 minutes and serve.

Moroccan spiced pastries

Ingredients 1 Potato, 1 carrot, spinach, feta, sultanas, Quorn chicken-style pieces, cumin, onion powder, cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, black pepper, coriander, butter, Jus-Rol™ puff pastry

1) Ordinarily I make my own pastry but it was 2 for 1 on Jus-Rol™ in Tesco so I cheated today. To make puff pastry yourself - I swear by Gordon Ramsey's recipe.

2) Peel and cube the potatoes and carrots and parboil them in a pan for 10 minutes

3) Grind cumin, turmeric, coriander, black peppercorns, onion powder and cinnamon in a mortar and pestle, melt a tablespoon of butter in a mixing bowl and stir in the spices. 

4) Roughly chop the spinach leaves and stir them into the spiced butter along with the sultanas and Quorn chicken pieces.

5) Strain the parboiled potatoes and carrots and add to the other ingredients.

6) Cut strips of pastry and spoon the mixture into the centre. Top with feta and roll the pastry over, pinching the ends together to seal the parcel.

7) Dust with flour and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

8) Serve - these go perfectly with hummus!