Strawberry & mint Scotch pancakes

Ingredients 100g Self Raising Flour, 50g Caster Sugar, 1 egg, 1 tbsp chopped mint, 5 strawberries, 1/2 cup milk.

Makes: 6 pancakes Preparation: 1 hour

I adore making pancakes. There's something so soothing about the ritualistic rolling of batter in a pan and whether you see these as Scotch pancakes or American style stacks, they are always a favourite breakfast treat in this house. I love to stand at my cooker, ladling slow bubbling circles of fluffy batter laced with different flavours. Speaking of flavour - what could be a more perfect summer breakfast combination than strawberry and mint?

1) Hull the strawberries and slice into quarters, then quarters again. Add to a bowl along with the chopped mint and add the sugar. Stir through and leave to macerate for 20 minutes until a beautiful strawberry syrup begins to seep out.

2) Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and egg into a bowl and whisk into a batter. Leave to puff up as the milk cools, then whisk in the milk and minted strawberry syrup and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.

3) Stir through and ladle a spoon full of batter into a hot pan. Using a spatula, work round the edges, then when bubbles begin to appear in the surface of the pancake batter, flip over.

4) Each side should cook in about 2 minutes, giving you light, fluffy pancakes with juicy strawberry pieces. I served with a little of the leftover strawberries but these work perfectly with my Pimms (strawberry, orange cucumber & mint) jam.

No bake cake: Strawberry ice-cream

Ingredients Ice-cream: 500g strawberries, 175g caster sugar, 500 ml full fat milk, 500 ml double cream, 10 egg yolks. (makes 1 pint) 1 pancake.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 1 hour (+ 4 hours freezing)

I was recently sent some of the lovely Abra-ca-Debora pancakes for a foodspiration challenge and had a lot of fun with the concept of "no bake cakes." My interpretation was to quarter the pancakes and layer with strawberry ice-cream and strawberries, topped with whipped cream to form a single slice of cake. Abra-ca-FABULOUS.

1) To make the ice-cream, halve the strawberries, sprinkle with a little sugar and leave to macerate in a bowl. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Set aside to cool. and then take it off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

2) Whisk the egg yolks and In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick, then pour in the milk and cream whilst whisking. Return to the heat and stir the custard until it thickens. Set aside to cool.

3) Blitz the strawberries until pureed, then fold into the cool custard and freeze in your ice-cream maker (or in the freezer, whisking every hour to avoid crystals forming.

4) Slice the remaining strawberries and sandwich the pancakes between alternate layers of ice-cream. I cut out a block of ice-cream and sliced it to fit. Top with whipped cream and serve immediately.

Lavender & white chocolate strawberries

IngredientsLavender, white chocolate, strawberries

Preparation: 10 minutes

Lavender and white chocolate is a familiar combination to this blog, but not everyone grows lavender so when the fabulous Millie's suggested Choc Affair's lavender white chocolate, I had to create a quick simple recipe for quick simple chocolate! Sweet, ripe strawberry goes wonderfully with the perfumed richness of the chocolate - just make sure not to refrigerate your strawberries or you'll ruin half the taste!

1) If you are infusing your own chocolate, grind 1/4 tsp lavender in a mortar and pestle and add to a bowl. Break up the white chocolate and sit the bowl over a hot pan to make a bain marie. Stir the chocolate until it melts. 

2) Dip the strawberries into the chocolate and leave them to set. This should only take 5 minutes or so. Serve!

Strawberry & white stilton salad

Ingredients   Spinach, salad leaves, cucumber, strawberries, white stilton, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin oil

Serves: 1 Preparation: 5 minutes

White stilton and strawberries are a wonderful combination - sweet and creamy. This salad is perfect drizzled with pumpkin oil.

1) Slice your strawberries (don't keep them in the fridge, they should be at room temperature or the flavour will be impaired), silton and cucumber into chunks.

2) Toss the salad leaves in a little pumpkin oil and mix with the rest.

3) Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Pancakes - Balsamic spinach, strawberry & goats cheese

Ingredients 120g plain flour, 2 eggs, 210ml milk, 90ml water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, butter, strawberries, 400g spinach, 150g goats cheese.

Makes: 6 pancakes Preparation: 40 minutes


Words cannot express just how incredible a pancake filling this is. The combination of strawberries and balsamic vinegar is no stranger to this blog, but in combination with the sharp tang of goats cheese and the melting soft spinach this really is exquisite. 


1) Mix the flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs.


2) Measure 90ml water in a pyrex jug, then top it up to 300ml with milk.
Beat the eggs into the flour with a wooden spoon and gradually beat in the milk and water mixture until smooth.


3) Stir in the vegetable oil and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes but preferably an hour.


5) Melt a good knob of butter in a pan and stir in the spinach. As the leaves begin to wilt, add a good glug of olive oil and stir in the strawberries, sliced. Turn off the heat.


4) Heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot, then add a small knob of butter. Pour in one ladle of batter, quickly turning the pan off the heat to coat the base evenly with the batter. Return to the hob and cook for about one minute, until the base is lightly browned. I like to use a spatula or palette knife to just loosen the edges of the pancake - once the air gets under it you will find it does not stick to the pan but slide about which helps it to flip!


5) Flip over the pancake (if you have a clumsy wrist, slide the pancake onto a plate, then tip the pan over the plate and turn it upside down. No one will ever know!


6) Once the pancake has cooked on both sides, serve filled with the strawberry, spinach and goats cheese.

Lamb, strawberry & basil burgers

Ingredients    500g lamb mince, 60g basil, 300g    strawberries, 1 tsp basil oil, 1/2 small white onion, 1 garlic clove, balsamic vinegar

Makes: 8 burgers Preparation: 20 minutes

Tomato and strawberry are virtually interchangeable as far as flavours go and I often substitute strawberry for tomato in salads or sandwiches. Both go perfectly with basil, balsamic vinegar, cream cheese or mozzarella and the strawberry provides a wonderful platform for the rich lamb of this burger.

1) Slice the tops from the strawberries and puree in a blender until smooth. Pass the puree through a sieve to remove the seeds and rough flesh and set aside.


2) Peel and slice the onion and add half of it, along with the clove of garlic and a handful of chopped basil to your blender. Puree until finely chopped, then add the lamb mince and 2-3 tablespoons of the strawberry puree. Season well with salt and pepper, then blend until the mixture combines to form a ball.


3) Divide the meat into separate patties and sizzle in a pan with a drizzle of basil oil, turning regularly until cooked.


4) I like to further enhance the flavour of this burger by smothering it in my basil, strawberry and balsamic dressing. To make the dressing pulverise the remainder of the 60g of basil in a mortar and pestle, then stir through two tablespoons of strawberry puree and a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar.

Savoury strawberries

Ingredients Strawberries, cream cheese, balsamic vinegar

If your strawberries have been kept in the fridge then make sure you let them sit out until they're at room temperature. Eating them chilled would be like keeping chocolate in the fridge - the flavour and texture is completely compromised. It's also worth investing in a good quality balsamic vinegar - always originating from Modena this will be a little thicker like a light syrup.

1) Slice the top from your strawberry and stand it on this new flat surface.
Cut the strawberry into three, lengthways.

2) Spread cream cheese on the inside of the two outer edges of each strawberry and reassemble them like a sandwich

3) Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve