Avocado egg mayonnaise

Ingredients 1 avocado, 2 eggs. Serving suggestion: bacon, spinach, read

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes

Being all pregnant and stuff, I cannot make my own mayonnaise as I'm not allowed unpasteurised, raw egg things. I know that I can buy pregnancy-friendly mayonnaise but it makes my soul die just a little bit. My solution was to puree some gorgeous creamy avocado instead. Oh so silky, oh so yummy and much better for you than mayonnaise as avocado is a Good Fat!
My darling hubby enjoyed this as part of his bacon sandwich.

1) Boil the eggs for 8 minutes, then remove the shells and cut into chunks

2) Halve the avocados and scoop the fruit from the shell, discarding the stone. Pulse in the blender until smooth, then season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3) Stir the eggs into the avocado and you're done!

Bacon croutons

Ingredients Bacon

Preparation: 20 minutes

Bacon has achieved cult status. Not only are people cooking with bacon in innovative ways (People I follow on Twitter have made bacon and maple cupcakes, whiskey bacon jam and bacon vodka), but sites like IWOOT are flogging Christmas products GALORE from bacon lip balm, bacon soap, bacon mints, bacon toothpaste and even bacon underwear.
I'm not a faddy or gimmicky person, I'd rather cook something because the flavours genuinely work. In this case, I think bacon croutons are a good nod to the bacon trend without actually selling out!!

1) Trim the fat from your bacon and roll it up tightly. 

2) Slice into 1.5cm rolls and skewer them tightly together onto a cocktail stick.

3) Bake in the oven for 18 minutes at 200 degrees until the bacon is crispy.

4) Serve hot or cold on top of your soup.

Leek & bacon bread

Ingredients     1 leek, 3 slices bacon, 350g wholemeal flour, 150g plain flour (plus more for dusting), 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 400ml Rachel's Organic Greek yoghurt

Serves: 8 Preparation: 1 hour

This is one of the most intensely savoury smelling breads I've ever created - the leek and bacon are a perfect combination and the yoghurt helps it to form a beautiful rustic crust. Perfect with soup or for Welsh rarebit.


1) Sift the flours together and add the bicarbonate of soda.


2) Finely dice the leek and cut the bacon into lardons, trimming off all of the fat.


3) Stir through the yoghurt, leek and bacon little by little until a soft, sticky dough is formed. You can use a food processor but I find it makes the bread quite dense.

4) Form a rough ball with the dough dust with flour and slash the top, or press into a loaf tin. (personally I think it looks awful - picture above - in a loaf tin and makes a much better looking round) Bake on a baking sheet for 30-45 minutes until a good crust has formed and the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it. Allow the bread to cool completely before diving in as it will remain quite moist when hot and you'll cause a soggy layer if you slice too soon.

Christmas Turkey

Ingredients   Turkey or turkey crown, 1 tbsp allspice, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 150g salt, 100g sugar, star anise, caraway seeds, honey, butter, bacon

Serves: an army... Preparation: 2 days

So this is Christmas... and we're all exhausted from the shopping and the wrapping and the decorating and wondering how in the hell we're going to fit everything in the fridge, in the oven and on the table.
With this recipe I promise that your turkey will be absolutely delicious and hassle free - all it takes is a little preparation! I use a brine bath and I'll tell you why; here comes the science bit... the salt in the brine bath breaks down some of the proteins in the meat which allows water to enter all the little cells. It's important to add this extra liquid because when you roast a turkey, the proteins contract which forces out the natural liquid and can leave you with a dry, stringy turkey instead of this lovely juicy beast.

(PS I will update the image on Christmas Day once I've roasted my bird!)

23rd DecemberUsing a stock pot (if you have a small turkey or turkey crown) or a large bucket big enough to fit the turkey in fill it 1/2 full of the salt, honey, sugar, spices and water and chuck in your turkey.

You need to cover this well and keep it somewhere cool until Christmas morning, cool enough to stop the meat spoiling (the cellar or even outside) but for god's sake don't leave it out in the snow or your turkey will freeze!

25th December1) Get up early and remove the turkey from the brine bath, ensuring all the liquid drains from the cavity, then pat it dry and pop it in the roasting dish.

2) If you're stuffing the turkey (I recommend my chai tea loaf, pancetta, pear and leek stuffing), do this first and then get to massaging and pinching the skin of the turkey so that it's loose enough for you to work two tablespoons of butter under it and press and massage until it's evenly distributed under the skin.

3) Lay strips of bacon over the top of the turkey and it's ready to pop in the oven! The magical thing about brining the turkey first is you don't have to faff about with covering it and uncovering it to baste it and cover it back up again... the only thing you really need to get right is the timings for cooking which really depends on the weight of the turkey/turkey crown.

Once it has cooked, remove it from the roasting tin and put it on a serving platter, covered with foil to keep it warm and allow all the juices to settle back into the turkey. If you press the skin you will see how they have risen to the surface in an attempt to escape as steam - by allowing the turkey to rest, they do work their way back down so you don't lose any of that essential juiciness. This 30 - 45 minutes resting time is also very useful because you have space in your oven to do your roast potatoes or other trimmings!

4) To make gravy, skim off most of the fat from the roasting tin and then whisk in a teaspoon of flour. If you add the flour first, it will mix well with the fat to form a sort of roux and you will never get lumpy gravy. Add the flour last and you risk getting chunks of flour and a cloudy gravy rather than a lovely, rich, clear liquid. To the roux, add stock or wine - whichever you prefer and give it a good stir as it warms through.

Guinness pie

Ingredients 250g plain flour, 1 tsp salt 250g butter 450g stewing steak, 2 white onions, 1tsp grainy mustard, 1 tablespoon chopped sage, 1 tsps honey, 1 pint Guinness, 3 rashers bacon, mushrooms.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour and a half

1) To make the pastry - Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre and mix in about 100ml cold water until you have a firm rough dough. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge to chill.

2) Dice the onions and sautee them in 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir the stewing steak into about a quarter of a cup of flour, then add into the pan to seal the meat and form a fine roux that will be the base of the gravy.

3) Pour in the pint of Guinness and stir through thoroughly until it has been completely incorporated. At this stage add the bacon and mushrooms, chopped into slivers.

4) Flavour with the sage, honey and mustard then simmer on the hob for about 15 minutes. 

5) Roll out the pastry on a floured surface until it's no more than 1cm thick.  Line the pie dish with half of it and blind bake for 10-12 minutes.

6) Spoon the meat and onions into the pie dish using a slotted spoon which will ensure that there's some sauce left to make gravy with (add a little water to thin it down, then simmer on a low heat as the pie is baking) but also distributes enough into the pie.

7) Cover the pie with the remaining pastry, poking a steam hole in the centre and ensuring the edges are pinched tight to seal it shut. Bake for 30 minutes and serve smothered with the gravy.

Potato skins stuffed with leek & bacon

Ingredients Potato, leek, bacon, butter, cheddar

I make mashed potatoes in 3 different ways depending on the time I have, or the type of mash I'm making.
On the occasions where I bake the potatoes in the oven I cannot resist saving the skins to stuff them with scrummy things.

1) Cover the potatoes in foil and bake for 1 and a half hours.


2) Scoop the potato from the skins ensuring that you leave a thin layer of potato to give the shell some integrity. Set the potato aside to cool.


3) Slice and roughly dice the leek and sautee in a little butter for 2 minutes. Add pancetta, or thin strips of bacon and stir through the leeks for a further 2 minutes.

4) Spoon into the potato shells and top with grated cheddar. Bake for 10 minutes and serve.

Chicken, bacon & parmigiano burgers

Ingredients 4 chicken breasts, 3 rashers of unsmoked bacon, parmigiano, old bread. (makes 8 burgers)

1) Pulse 1 almost stale crust of bread in the blender until breadcrumbs form - set aside.


2) Mince 4 chicken breasts in the blender.
(Your butcher will be able to mince chicken breasts for you (it's rare to find minced chicken in a supermarket, though you could substitute turkey mince if you like which is more readily available and lean for those who are dieting)


3) Add the bacon rashers and pulse in the blender - this should form a sort of sticky meat ball so break it apart with a wooden spoon before adding the breadcrumbs and a generous knob of parmeggian, freshly grated.


4) Pulse in the blender until another meatball forms. This should not require seasoning due to the salty tang of the bacon and the parmeggian but this would be fabulously enhanced with some chopped parsley stirring through it.


5) Separate the ball into 8 patties by rolling a handful of meat and flattening it a little with the palm of your hand.


6) These are best cooked on a BBQ, or if you're dieting use a grilling machine which allows any fat to drain off. I cooked these in a pan for 10 minutes, turning continually and using the flat of a spatula to press the patty. 

Riccioli al forno with bacon

Ingredients Riccioli pasta, bacon, passata tomatoes, basil, basil oil, parsley, oregano, white onion, cheddar.

Al forno means baked in the oven - like lasagne or cannelloni. Sometimes you just need a little melting, bubbling comfort food!

1) Put on the riccioli to boil in hot salted water for about 8 minutes - leave it al dente so that it softens in the oven.

2) Peel and finely dice a white onion and saute with a splash of basil oil until soft. Add a tablespoon of basil, oregano and parsley and stir through.

3) Add the passata tomatoes and stir through, adding thin strips of bacon.

4) Strain the pasta and add to the sauce. Stir through and transfer to a casserole dish. Top with a generous layer of grated cheese, cover and bake in the oven for 6-7 minutes before serving.

Tempura bacon with Wensleydale & cranberry dip

Ingredients  Baking powder, plain white flour, bacon, salt, ice water. cream cheese, wensleydale with cranberries, soured cream.

Tempura batter must be very cold and very fresh - put a jug of ice water in the freezer whilst you heat up the oil for frying and only add the water at the last possible second.


1) This recipe works best with pre-grilled, cold bacon. To make the batter mix 250g of flour, 10g of baking powder and a pinch of salt, then whisk through the water a little at a time until the batter is liquid enough to coat your finger.


2) Dip the bacon in the batter and drop into the hot oil for 1-2 minutes


3) To prepare the dip, crumble the Wensleydale and cranberry cheese into a tablespoon of cream cheese and a tablespoon of soured cream and warm on a low heat.

Pesto stuffed chicken

Ingredients Linguine, garden peas, pea shoots, basil, garlic, basil oil, pine nuts, cream cheese, chicken, bacon.

Following from my previous recipe - Linguine with pea pesto, this is a good serving suggestion, using the same creamy pesto to stuff the chicken.

1) Slice a pocket into the side of the chicken breast with a paring knife and stuff with two teaspoons of the pesto mix.

2) Seal the chicken with 2 - 3 slices of thin smoked bacon (or parma ham) and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Bacon and avocado rolls

Ingredients Smoked bacon, 1 avocado, bread, lettuce leaves, 4 eggs, lemon juice, salt, 1 pint avocado oil, pine nuts

1) Separate 4 egg yolks from the whites (discard the whites) and put in a large clean bowl to whisk (or use the whisk attachment on your blender if you have one). Add the lemon juice/vinegar, a pinch of salt and whisk thoroughly.
Now add the avocado oil ONE DROP at a time until the mayonnaise is thick and glossy. You don't have to use all the oil - I like it quite thick but if it's too thick you can always add a little warm water to thin it back down again.
Spread the mayo onto lightly buttered bread.

2) Grill the bacon until it is just crisp and served in the bread roll on a bed of sliced avocado and fresh lettuce leaves.

Fig and bacon rolls

Ingredients Figs, courgette, bacon

1) Slice the figs into quarters and peel long strips of courgette with a vegetable peeler.

2) Lay a strip of bacon over a strip of courgette and roll a piece of fig inside it.

3) Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes.

Whore's carbonara

Ingredients brandy, hazlenut butter, courgette, cream cheese, linguine, thyme, mushrooms, bacon, brie, almond butter, garlic,

1) Drop your linguine into a pan of boiling water.

2) Crush some garlic and chopped thyme and sautee in a second pan with a knob of butter and a teaspoon of hazlenut butter.

3) Dice a handful of mushrooms (I used shitake) and 3 slices of bacon into lardons and stir into the butter. Add a shot of brandy and stir through.

4) As the mushrooms begin to soften stir in a tablespoon of cream cheese.

5) Using a potato peeler, shave razor thin strips of courgette and drop into the pan of pasta

6) Drain the linguine (separating the courgette) and add to the pasta sauce along with a generous knob of brie (I used Coeur De Lyon - fabulous honeyed taste) and stir through.

7) Serve topped with the courgette