Pumpkin pancakes

Ingredients 1/2 can pumpkin puree, 1 egg, 1 1/4 cup self-raising flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp allspice, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tbsp honey, agave or maple syrup.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 15 minutes

Scotch pancakes (or American style) are a big favourite in this house. On those mornings when I have totally forgotten to put the Overnight Oats in the fridge the day before, it's great to grab an egg and just chuck in some flour, flavour, something wet and a few minutes of whisking later, the griddle is sizzling with perfect little dollops of impending deliciousness. These pumpkin pancakes are so very perfect for this time of year; Autumn is coming and comfort foods are on the horizon. They're also sugar free and low in fat. I quite often use low gluten flours like spelt or buckwheat and add a bit of baking powder instead of self-raising - get experimenting!

1) Crack the egg into a bowl and give it a whisk.

2) Add the spices, pumpkin puree and your choice of sweetness. Whisk again.

3) Add the flour and whisk thoroughly to ensure that the batter is smooth. It should be of a thick, dropping consistency, so add a little extra flour if necessary.

4) Drop a tablespoon at a time of the batter onto a hot griddle or non-stick frying pan. When tiny bubbles begin to work their way through the batter, slide a fish slice under the pancake and flip over. Press lightly to ensure they're evenly cooked, then transfer to a wire cooling rack or stack straight onto the plate. Gorgeous hot or cold.

Orange & maple roast parsnips

Ingredients 4 parsnips, 2 oranges, maple syrup

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

I adore parsnips - such a spicy, earthy flavour which caramelises perfectly when roasted. Glazing parsnips with orange juice and maple syrup brings out the natural sweetness and forms a fabulous sticky crust.

1) Rinse but do not peel the parsnips, then slice into chunks. Squeeze the juice from the oranges and pour over the parsnips. Drizzle with maple syrup and stir the parsnips until they are evenly coated

2) Roast in the oven for 45 minutes - 1 hour at 200 degrees until the insides are fluffy and soft and the outsides begin to crisp.

Pancakes - Maple & pecan with banana

Ingredients 100g plain flour, 2 eggs, 210ml milk, 90ml water, 1 tbsp vegetable oil, butter, maple syrup, banana, 20g crushed pecans.

Makes: 6 pancakes Preparation: 40 minutes


Maple & pecan are a perfect flavour combination and the sweetness of banana really compliments the smoky, nuttiness but this recipe is just as much about pancake texture as it is about flavour. Simply put, grinding nuts into your pancakes makes for pancake heaven!


1) Mix the flour with a pinch of salt in a large bowl, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Grind the pecan nuts in a mortar and pestle and add to the flour.


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.


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 with sliced banana in the middle and a drizzle of maple syrup on the top!

Sweet potato, maple & pecan mash

Ingredients    4 sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of crushed pecan nuts, salt.

Serves: 4 preparation: 20 minutes

Sweet potato and ginger mash has been a staple favourite in this house ever since I first made it for The Boy. Today however I had foolishly used up all my ginger making rhubarb and ginger glazed pork and was forced to consider an alternative. With my creative hat on, this idea for salty, buttery mash with a seductive maple gloss and soft nuggets of pecan nuts evolved and truly, it's a magnificent mouthful.


1) Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into small chunks. Boil them for about 15 minutes until soft.


2) Crush the pecan nuts in a blender, then add the sweet potatoes, a teaspoon of butter, a good pinch of salt and the maple syrup. Pulse until the mixture has completely combined and then taste it. The balance you want is similar to salted caramel - sweet yet unctuously savoury at the same time. Add more salt or maple syrup if necessary until you have it right and then serve hot.

Maple glazed carrot, goats cheese & pancetta soup

Ingredients 6 carrots, 1 pint vegetable stock, 200g pancetta, maple syrup, olive oil, 100g goats cheese, 1 onion.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

I love soup. I find all the chopping, stirring and pureeing very soothing, the warm smells that fill the house and I love ladling out steamy bowls of soup for people to dunk hot crispy bread into, dressing it with ever more creative croutons or swirls of cream and yoghurt. This winter I have created 10 new soups to warm you through on a cold day. This soup is sweet and tangy with a gloriously smooth texture.

1) Peel and finely dice the onion then allow to soften in a pan with a tablespoon of olive oil.

2) Peel and slice the carrots into fine chunks, discarding the tops and tails. Add into a roasting dish with a slosh of maple syrup, olive oil and a sprinkling of salt, ensuring that the carrots are all covered evenly.

3) Roast for 20 minutes at 200 degrees, stirring after 10 and then add to the onions along with the vegetable stock.

4) Allow to simmer for 10 minutes before straining the carrots and onions (do not discard the stock) and pureeing in a blender until completely smooth. Pass the vegetables through a seive and stir back into the stock.

5) Allow to simmer on the hob for a further 10 minutes, adding the pancetta and goats cheese for the last 5, seasoning to taste with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

I like to add half of the goats cheese (discarding the rind) and stir through the soup, then dress the soup with a good chunk of goats cheese before serving.

Apple & cinnamon French Toast

Ingredients Wholemeal bread flour, cinnamon,   baking soda, eggs, vegetable oil,    apple sauce, muscovado sugar, vanilla essence, icing sugar, maple syrup, butter

Serves: 1 Preparation: 10 minutes

After making my apple & cinnamon bread I knew there was only one way to serve this... and it turned out to be one of my more perfect recipes.


1) Slice the apple & cinnamon loaf to about 1.5 cm thickness and dip in whisked egg.


2) Melt half a teaspoon of butter in a frying pan and drop the slice of bread into the pan.


3) Toast the bread, turning frequently. When you notice the steam puffing out the bread a little you will have achieved the fluffy yet crispy texture that makes French toast so glorious.


4) Serve dusted with icing sugar and drizzled with maple syrup

French toast

IngredientsBread, 1 egg, milk, butter, icing sugar, maple syrup, cinnamon

I'm a big believer in not wasting food and getting creative with leftovers. If you plan your meals well then you can dine each night on a different dish, made with similar components.
In this case, when I get to the end of a loaf of bread and the last few slices are getting stale - I blend them to make breadcrumbs (which can be frozen until needed) or make something indulgently fabulous such as French toast.

1) Set a frying pan onto a high heat and melt a teaspoon of butter in the pan. Roll the pan to coat the surface evenly with butter.

2) Whisk an egg with a little drizzle of milk and quickly dip the slice of bread into it, ensuring that the bread is coated with egg but not soaked as your bread will disintegrate.

3) Drop the bread into a pan and sprinkle with ground cinnamon. After 1 minute turn the bread and sprinkle the other side.

4) Toast the bread, turning frequently. When you notice the steam puffing out the bread a little you will have achieved the fluffy yet crispy texture that makes French toast so glorious.

5) Serve sprinkled with icing sugar, drizzled with maple syrup.
This goes perfectly with a side of bacon.

Cinnamon, apple and parsnip soup

Ingredients 1 Pint of water, grated cinnamon, 3 parsnips, two pears, four apples, honey/maple syrup, red wine, black peppercorns, rosemary. Optional - to garnish 1 cinnamon stick blueberries double cream

1) Peel the parsnips, apples and pears, remove the cores from the fruit and slice.

2) Bring to the boil one pint of water in your pan. Add the fruit and vegetables along with the ground cinnamon, finely chopped rosemary and 1 glass of red wine.

3) Cook until the fruit is soft, then separate from the liquid with a colander and puree in a blender. Gradually add the water back into the puree until the soup reaches the desired consistency.

4) Flavour with a good dollop of honey or maple syrup, season with freshly ground black pepper and serve.