Tofu & aubergine soba noodles

Ingredients 6 baby aubergines, 150g tofu, 3 tbs pomegranate molasses, 1 red chilli, 3 tbs olive oil, 1 tsp soy sauce, 175g soba noodles.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 30 minutes (plus overnight for marinating)

Being allergic to soya, tofu is something that never makes its way into my vegetarian cooking. When I was asked recently to come up with a recipe, I asked my guinea pigs to describe the texture for me and as a result decided to treat them like the aubergines - melt-in-the-mouth sponges to soak up delicious flavours. The marinade is sweet and spicy from the pomegranate molasses and chilli combination, but with a smoky umami undercurrent from the soy sauce.

1) Slice the tops from the aubergines and slice in half lengthways. Sprinkle the inside half with salt to draw out the bitter juices, then wipe them with some kitchen towel after 5 minutes. Slice each piece in half widthways.

2) Slice the top from the chilli and slit it lengthways. Scrape out the seeds with your knife and discard. Cut the flesh into pieces and add along with the chunks of aubergine and tofu to a freezer bag.

3) Add the pomegranate molasses, oil and soy sauce to the freezer bag, seal and shake well. Leave in the fridge overnight.

4) Pour the contents of the freezer bag into an ovenproof dish and roast for 25 minutes at 200 degrees.

5) Add the noodles to boiling water and stir until soft (about 5 minutes), drain and pour in with the aubergines. Season with a little salt and serve hot or cold.

Yorkshire Brack

Ingredients 150ml black tea (I use Earl Grey), 225g self-raising flour, 175g golden caster sugar, 400g dried fruit (I use chopped figs, sultanas and raisins), 1 large egg.

Preparation: 2 1/4 hours (an hour for soaking, an hour for baking)

When I was a little girl, at Christmas my family would always have a slice of cheese with Christmas cake and for the rest of the year, a slice of cheese with everyday brack. It's a very Yorkshire thing to do so in honour of Yorkshire day, here is my favourite Yorkshire recipe. A fat-free cake that is so quick and easy to make that it really has no business being as impressive as it is to eat. The fruit also never sinks as it can sometimes do in fruit cake. But that's Yorkshire for you. As they say, "if it isn't Yorkshire, it's shite."

1) Leave the tea leaves to infuse for 10 minutes, then pour through a strainer into a bowl of dried fruit. Soak the dried fruit for an hour.

2) Beat the egg and sift in the flour and sugar. Pour in the dried fruit and tea and stir through until a smooth batter has formed. If the mixture is a little dry, add a touch of milk.

3) Smooth into a loaf or cake tin and pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees. Bake for 1 hour, or until a skewer comes out clean.

4) Serve each piece with a good slice of cheddar.

Panzanella

Ingredients 1 tbs Passata, 2 tbs basil oil, 1 tsp red wine vinegar, 1 tsp honey (or agave syrup if vegan). Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, basil, old bread, kamalata olives.

Preparation: 5 minutes

Panzanella goes back to the 16th century, but it wasn't until the 20th century that this Florentine version emerged: stale bread soaked in oil, vinegar and tomato with herbs and mixed with salad. Back in the day - only onions were used, not tomato. And given that I loathe uncooked onions with a fiery passion, I am very glad indeed that it's no longer the 16th Century! You know, that and smallpox. I serve mine with cucumber, olives and cherry tomatoes but you can of course use salad leaves or other fruits and vegetables if you wish. I save my heels of bread and make this for a quick supper or a scrummy lunch.

1) To make the dressing, combine the oil, vinegar and passata and season to taste. I like to add a little honey to cut the acidity of the vinegar but this depends on what you are mixing into your salad of course! If you're vegan, you can use an alternative.

2) Tear the bread into bitesize chunks. I have done this with the leftover heel of ciabatta, spelt bread, you name it - any crusty loaf will do. If all you have is sliced bread or you don't bake your own, then I would recommend toasting the bread first.

3) Stir the bread into the dressing and stir in the other ingredients. Serve immediately. If you'd like this as a packed lunch, make up a little jar of dressing, a foil wrap your chunks of bread and keep them in your box of salad to prepare just before eating.

Lavender-almond croissants

Ingredients Croissants: 220g plain flour, 7g yeast, 160ml milk, 2 1/2 tsp caster sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbs vegetable oil, 150g butter.

Glaze: lavender jam Filling: 2 eggs, 100g ground almonds, 100g caster sugar, 100g butter, 1/2 tsp lavender

Serves: 12 Preparation: we're talking well over 8 hours...

Croissants aux amandes were invented, I believe, to revitalise day-old/stale croissants so you could buy croissants and just glaze and fill them if you prefer. Lord knows making croissants is a labour of love, one which will leave a sheen of butter on your table and leave you with aching hands from the lamination (layers of butter and dough which produce that magical flakiness - if your croissants don't fill your bra with crumbs, you aint doing it right!). Whether you bake or buy your croissants, my lavender jam makes the perfect glaze and the lavender almond cream in the centre is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Just look at those lovely shiny crescents, the effort is so worth it!

Baking the croissants

1) Combine the yeast, 3 tsps of warm water and 1/2 tsp sugar in one jug and set aside until it begins to froth. Add the vegetable oil. In a separate jug, dissolve 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp salt in the milk.

2) Sift the flour into a bowl and add the two jugs of liquid. Mix thoroughly and then kneed for approximately 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm room for approximately an hour until it has TRIPLED in volume.

3) Knock the dough back, gently with your fingertips, cover and set aside again to double in volume. Finally knock back the dough again and chill for 20 minutes in the fridge.

4) Now comes the fun part... roll out the dough into a rectangle (about 30 x 20 cm in size) and using room temperature butter, spread liberally over the left 2/3 of the centre of the dough, leaving a half centimetre unbuttered border. With the unbuttered 1/3 at the left, fold to the right, and then fold again. Roll back out then dust with flour, cover with cling film and chill for 2 hours in the fridge.

5) Roll dough back out and repeat the buttering and folding, dust with flour, cover with cling film and return to the fridge to chill for 2 hours.

6) Finally, roll out to a rectangle approximately 50 x 10 cm and slice in half lengthways. Return one half to the fridge to chill and roll the other out to approximately 40 x 10 cm, then cut into 3 squares and cut these squares diagonally to leave 6 triangles of dough. Repeat with the dough in the fridge.

7) Roll the dough into croissants by rolling each triangle gently from the long side towards the point at the top, thus creating the classic layer pattern, and then bring the two edges together to form almost a circle. Allow to sit for a few minutes until the dough begins to puff back up a little, then bake in the oven at the highest setting (mine is 240 for 15 minutes)

Preparing croissants aux amandes

1) Cream the equal parts of butter, sugar and almonds together, then beat in the eggs. Grind lavender in a mortar and pestle and stir in. (If you wish, you could substitute the sugar for lavender jam in order to get the flavour)

2) Poke a small hole into the croissant at the side of the central layer and use a piping bag to fill with the lavender almond cream.

3) Dip a pastry brush into your lavender jam and glaze the outside of the croissant. From here, you can also scatter with slivers of almonds but personally I find this a little bit overkill! Bake in the oven at 200 degrees for 5-8 minutes, until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Blackberry lavender clafoutis/flaugnarde

Ingredients 200g blackberries, 200ml milk, 1 tbsp lavender, 1 lemon, 50g caster sugar, 30g plain flour, 2 eggs.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Not a day goes by when I don't crave lavender. There is nothing that brings me such pleasure as when my house is filled with the scent of it infusing, or when I discover yet more flavours that it will enhance. Blackberry and lavender is by no means a stranger to this blog, but I do believe this is my first clafoutis post!
Technically a flaugnarde unless cherries are used, this is essentially a fabulous wibbly custard set with fruit and as desserts go, contains very little fat and sugar. So go for it!

1) Infuse the milk with lavender for 30 minutes. In the meantime, lightly butter your baking dish with a smear of butter on a clean cloth or piece of kitchen roll and tumble the blackberries over it.

2) Sift the flour and sugar together, zest and juice the lemon and beat together with the eggs. 

3) Add the lavender milk through a sieve to separate out the flowers and whisk thoroughly.

4) Pour over the fruit and bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes and serve hot or cold.

Chocolate chip & coconut encrusted French toast

Ingredients Chocolate chip brioche, dessicated coconut, butter, egg.

Preparation: 10 minutes

Following on from my chocolate chip brioche recipe, I have to admit that I have finally found a use for besmirching brioche in this way. It makes the most fan-fucking-tastic fluffy French toast when paired with a crispy coconut crust. Oh my oh my oh my. If you have one naughty treat this weekend, make it this. You're welcome.

1) Prepare two bowls, one with dessicated coconut and one with a beaten egg. Melt a knob of butter in a pan.

2) Dip your slice of brioche into the beaten egg, ensuring that it is coated, then into the coconut and turn over before adding to the pan.

3) Sizzle for one minute on each side, then serve!

Fine bean, pea & mozzarella scramble

Ingredients Egg (one per person and one for the pot!), fine beans, peas, butter, bread, mozzarella pearls.

Preparation: 5 minutes

I am blessed with a very low-maintenance child who will happily play in the kitchen whilst I bake bread or make cheese. However, some days he quite rightly wants a bit more attention and knocking together a quick veggie scramble is absolutely delicious, and gives me enough of a protein kick to fuel our post-lunch playtime. In this hot Summer weather, peas and fine beans give this a sweet, refreshing crunch which is perfect with the creamy mozzarella and egg.

1) Top and tail the beans and slice into sixths. Add equal parts of peas to the pan (about 1/2 cup per person) with a knob of butter and sizzle for 2 minutes.

2) Whisk the egg and pour into the pan, stirring constantly until it begins to take form. Stir in the mozzarella pearls (always use from room temperature, it has no business being in the fridge!) and serve with toast.

Bean & aubergine ravioli

Ingredients 2 aubergines, 1 can cannellini beans, 1 bulb garlic, basil oil, dried basil, passata.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 45 minutes

Given that I find it intensely irritating when people, upon discovering that I am a vegetarian, suck air in through their teeth, grimace and say "oooh I could never be a vegetarian" or worse still ask "what do you EAT!?"... I feel a little guilty for the exclamation which will follow this absurdly long sentence.
I could never be a vegan. 
There I said it. I'm sorry. Mainly for the lack of dairy, because we all know that I am a filthy cheese whore, but mostly for pasta. Oh pasta, how I love thee.
But I don't want to alienate my lovely vegan followers by being so closed minded, so here you are darlings - a way to make ravioli without using eggs.
The aubergine squidges together and seals perfectly (as long as the aubergine slices are the same size - not all of mine were!) and the wonderful bean paste in the centre gives this a substantial feeling without the dreaded bloat that pasta causes. So hurrah all round for aubergines!

1) Slice the aubergines to half centimetre thick discs and sprinkle with salt. Leave to rest until you see dark juices beading the surface, then wipe away with kitchen towel.

2) Rinse the beans and put on the hob to boil for 5 minutes. Strain and add to the blender.

3) Put the entire bulb of garlic in the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Squeeze the puree from 3 cloves into your blender along with a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of basil. Pulse until smooth and set aside to cool.

4) Melt a little basil oil in a frying pan and add the aubergine slices (I cook 4 at a time), turning immediately to allow them to soak up the oil evenly. Sizzle until the oil is completely soaked up by the aubergine before turning again - then continue turning until the surface of the aubergine colours and the skin changes to a vibrant, shiny purple. Set aside to cool.

5) Squeeze the rest of the garlic bulb into the passata and warm through on the hob before serving.

6) Fill the centre of half of the slices of aubergine with the bean puree and top each with another slice. Pinch the edges to seal and add to the sauce.

Tequila, lime & avocado risotto

Ingredients 1 cup risotto rice, 1 pint vegetable stock, 1 lime, 1 avocado, 1 leek, 1/2 cup tequila, 30g cheddar, butter. dried chilli flakes to garnish

Serves: 2 Preparation: 45 minutes

All risottos (no matter what the ingredients) can be made in 3 simple stages. The first is called tostatura - coating the rice in fat, the second involves cooking off some alcohol and the third involves releasing the starch from the rice one ladle of stock at a time. This risotto is one of my favourite new summer recipes. The sharp tang of lime and tequila, the creamy texture of melting cheddar in combination with soft avocado... it's scrumptious and so different.

1) Zest the lime and cut in half. Squeeze the juice and stir into the tequila.

2) Slice the avocado in half and use a tablespoon to scoop it from the shell. If the avocado is ripe enough the stone will pop out with a spoon but another good method is to prick it with a knife and pull it out. Slice the avocado into chunks, and cut the cheddar into chunks roughly the same size.

3) Slice the leek and sautee the discs in a little butter until soft strands remain. Add the risotto rice and stir until the rice becomes transparent, revealing a white dot in the centre and pour in the tequila and lime juice. Once the alcohol cooks off, add the first ladle of stock, the lime zest and stir through.

4) Continue adding the stock to the risotto, one ladle at a time, adding the avocado with the second to last ladle of stock.

5) When the rice has fluffed up and has become soft, stir through the chunks of cheddar, sprinkle with the chilli flakes and serve. Remember, risotto should be soupy, not solid.

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.