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Vegan apple, red onion and chestnut stuffing

Christmas countdown: vegan apple, red onion and chestnut stuffing

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This vegan apple, red onion and chestnut stuffing (or dressing, if you’re American, as it’s not actually going to be stuffed anywhere) is my favourite stuffing recipe in the whole world. I gave up eating pork this year, so just substituted in the ground mushrooms instead, and after extensive taste testing by my resident veggies/vegans, we can confirm that it tastes just as delicious. It’s naturally vegetarian, and so easy to make it vegan by substituting the butter. If you’d prefer the porky original, though, it’s just here. We love it cooked in a buttered tin, so you get a big, crispy topped spoonful with your turkey (or instead of your turkey), but if you’d rather make yours a bit more delicate, it’s lovely rolled into balls and roasted. It also makes fabulous sausage rolls if you’re entertaining. I know it seems like a lot of butter (or plant-based spread, if you’re vegan), but it’s all sucked up into the ingredients and isn’t at all greasy, I promise.

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Frozen 2 Nordic Christmas shortbread

Disney’s Frozen 2 Nordic Christmas shortbread

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Remember my Nordic Christmas shortbread from last year (and my general obsession with Nordic Ware tins, actually)? Well, it gets better, because to celebrate the release of Disney’s Frozen 2, Nordic Ware has released a whole collection of bakeware! The collection includes character and movie icon-inspired designs in both cast and formed aluminium bakeware, cookie stamps, pancake pans, baking tools and more. So it seemed rude not to update my Christmas shortbread recipe in this fab new pan. The spicing is, of course, completely up to you. If you want to make truly Nordic Christmas shortbread, then add the cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom. If you’d rather keep it plain, try a teaspoon of vanilla paste. Either way, this is my absolute favourite Christms shortbread recipe, either for pressing into tins or using for cut-out cookies as it keeps its shape really well when baking.

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Smoky maple roasted halloumi bacon

Smoky maple roasted halloumi ‘bacon’

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Helloooo! And happy Tuesday. You’ll have been glad, this entire week, that this isn’t a YouTube channel, as I’ve been communicating entirely from my sick bed in my pyjamas. After a hideous week (oh my god, I wouldn’t wish shingles upon my worst enemy), I’m finally on the mend and even got dressed and went out with Charlie (who is back from uni - the dog is ecstatic) and Amy to get the Christmas tree. I’m now fully on Christmas duty and will be dedicating every day from now until Christmas to different Christmas recipes, tips and tricks. For day one, I’ve got this delicious smoky maple roasted halloumi ‘bacon’ for you.

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Super easy vegetable curry

Ugly super easy vegetable curry

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I am currently poorly. I’m trying not to bang on about it, but I think this is possibly the most rotten I’ve felt in a while. On the upside, it means I’m confined to bed and have had to cancel absolutely every engagement, which is strangely freeing. I’ve had a couple of days where I haven’t been able to eat anything, but as my appetite’s come back, I’ve been craving something really simple and nourishing and it made me think of this curry. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made it, and every time I make it I think that I really must write up the recipe. Trouble is, it never looks good. Food photography and dark evenings never really mix and - well, it’s just not photogenic. BUT it tastes delicious and a couple of people have asked me for the recipe, and I guess it’s bad to always strive for perfection, so it’s going up anyway. As the name suggests, this super easy vegetable curry is super easy to make. It’s naturally vegan, and basically just a case of chopping loads of stuff and whacking it all in a big pan. It’s such a lovely thing for those times when you’re craving something really soothing and easy to eat, perfect if you’re under the weather or need something warming on a cold night. It’s also fab for using up any leftover veg you have hanging about - the bonus being it’s never quite the same any time you make it. Anyway, enjoy, and sorry for the hideous photos. I promise when I’ve got my energy back I’ll take more pics and make it look a bit prettier.

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Pastry jammy cakey things

Pastry jammy cakey things

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I’m sure I’ve talked about this before, but when Mr Wiggo was little, his mum used to make these things called ‘pastry jammy cakey things’ - literally just what they sound like: jam tarts with a sponge topping. I’ve made them tons of times over the years, including a Christmassy clementine and cinnamon mince pie version, but the original is still his favourite, especially with orange in the pastry. You can make them with any jam you like, and flavour the sponge with anything: vanilla, more orange… you can even substitute a tablespoon or two of the flour with cocoa and make chocolate ones (which are fab with a marmalade centre).

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The great big foodie Christmas gift guide

The great big foodie Christmas gift guide

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So following on from my great big Christmas gift guide, it’s time to concentrate on our lovely food-loving friends (my favourites!) and get cracking on a great big foodie Christmas gift guide. As usual, my gifting philosophy is to err on the side of practical, useful and useable, and foodie gifts slot in very well here. I’ve added a couple of wines, some fab books and a couple of wonderful dining experiences too. Enjoy! Read more

Spiced chocolate and pistachio biscotti

Spiced chocolate and pistachio biscotti

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I have a complicated relationship with biscotti. On the one hand, I love baking them (and eating them) but on the other hand, listening to people say ‘oh wow these biscotti are SO hard!’ makes me want to throw the aforementioned hard biscuits at their heads. Yes, biscotti are hard. That’s kind of the point. They’re twice baked and made to be dunked - traditionally in vin santo, but they’re also delicious dunked in coffee (or if you’re a coffee hater like me, hot chocolate, where they’re perfect for scooping out your melted marshmallows). I’ve made spiced chocolate and pistachio biscotti by adding a little Christmassy spice and using chocolate chunks and pistachio nuts, but feel free to keep it traditional with almonds, or add some dried fruit. Read more

Dark chocolate and cherry Christmas pudding

Dark chocolate and cherry Christmas pudding

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Morning all! If you’re a regular, you’ll know this weekend coming is one of my favourites of the year because it’s Stir-up Sunday! For me, it’s a weekend full of all the things I absolutely love: I’m never happier than when I’m pottering in the kitchen, but add in the fact that this recipe fills the whole house full of gorgeous, Christmassy orange and spice scents and it’s an absolute winner. If you fancy making your own Christmas puddings this year, I’ve added the ingredients list nice and early so you can make sure you have everything ready. Do remember that this is a two-step recipe as I steeping the fruit overnight – you could just start really early on Sunday but remember that steaming the pudding takes about five hours. This year, I’m embracing two of my absolute favourite flavours with a dark chocolate and cherry Christmas pudding. It’s not overwhelmingly chocolatey, but the chocolate just adds an extra depth and bittersweet flavour, and the cherries add a pop of colour and sweetness too.

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The perfect Christmas cocktail

I think we’ve discovered the perfect Christmas cocktail!

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Last week we were invited down to one of my very favourite places, the gorgeous Copper House Bar in Berkhamsted, for a cocktail making class with Belvedere Vodka. If, like me, you don’t really think you like cocktails, you might have been surprised to hear our host, Belvedere Ambassador and cocktail expert, Mark Tracey, tell us all about how cocktails have evolved. Mark mentioned that mixed drinks are now much more nuanced than they used to be, with less sugar and better ingredients like Belvedere vodka, not the neutral spirit that we normally think of, but with a more complex flavour that stands up to being mixed. We had such a fun night - I felt like I learned a lot, and it’s definitely made me want to try cocktails again, plus we inadvertently discovered the perfect Christmas cocktail!

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Vegan dining options at Walt Disney World Florida

Vegan dining options at Walt Disney World, Florida

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You all know how I feel about the food at Walt Disney World. The dining there is some of the best in the world, and the restaurants - in the parks, the resort hotels and at Disney Springs, are some of my favourite in the world. If you follow a plant based diet, don’t eat meat, dairy or both, or have other dietary requirements, it can be daunting visiting a new place, so I thought to celebrate World Vegan Day, I’d take you through some of the brilliant vegan dining options at Walt Disney World, Florida. Read more

Vegetarian and vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

Vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida

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Did you know that today is World Vegan Day? In fact, the whole of November has been designated World Vegan Month, and to celebrate, I thought I would do a few vegan things throughout the month. I thought I’d start by creating a bit of a guide to eating vegan at some of my favourite places. I’ve started with a roundup of the vegan dining options at Universal Orlando Resort, Florida. I’ve been lucky enough to have eaten at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida quite a bit recently, what with the opening of Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and then Halloween Horror Nights, and then filming the Universal resort hotels with Attraction Tickets Direct (big roundup coming soon). Generally in our group there’s at a vegan or two, plus weird people like me who still occasionally eat meat but like to order the plant based options, and it’s been interesting to experience how brilliant the serving staff and chefs are in all of the restaurants at accommodating different dietary requirements.

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Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board

Which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board?

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You already know that I’m a huge fan of P&O Cruises. From attending the naming ceremony of Britannia back in 2015, to a foodie cruise with my pal Erica in 2016 and our gorgeous relaxing break on board elegant Oceana last year, I’ve always loved the cruise line’s effortless knack of making a cruiseholiday seem both glam and unstuffy all at the same time. The food on board is always a highlight, and P&O Cruises’ continued partnership with their brilliant Food Heroes means that as well as tasting their food and drinking the wine they choose, you can even get to set sail with them. I absolutely can’t wait to get on board brand new ship, Iona (especially because I love a bit of Scandi chic), and P&O Cruises have just released details of when the Food Heroes will be sailing, so if you fancy combining your holiday of a lifetime with learning a few tricks from your very own favourite wine expert or master pâtissier, here’s your chance: I’ve got a full list of which P&O Cruises will have the Food Heroes on board.

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Sweet sticky bbq tofu

Sweet, spicy, sticky barbecue tofu

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I have to be honest, I nearly gave up on tofu. The couple of times I tried it, it was flabby and cardboardy and kind of spongy, and didn’t really taste of a lot, so I’ve done a bit of research, and with the help of Charlie’s lovely Amy, who is on her own vegan journey, I’ve now got a couple of tricks up my sleeve to make it super delicious. This recipe takes the sauce from my breaded baked barbecue cauliflower recipe, and teams it with crispy tofu to make a delicious sweet, spicy, sticky barbecue tofu that can be served in wraps with salad, or piled onto rice or baked potatoes, added to a stir fry or even stuffed into sandwiches.

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Mocha meringue pie

Mocha meringue pie

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I love the cosy feeling of autumn weekends, when my laptop is packed away and I spend a while pottering around the house, sweeping the floors, tidying up, lighting candles and generally getting the house ready for the weekend. It’s even lovelier when you know you’re going to share that feeling with a good few of your very favourite people, and this weekend we had a get-together for my Mum’s birthday. I love feeding a crowd - I did a big pot of my veggie chilli and another of slow cooked beef chilli, a massive pan (in fact, way too much) of rice, and then just laid out bowls and a ton of accompaniments: sour cream, grated sharp cheddar, tortilla chips and pickled green jalapeno slices for everyone to help themselves. For dessert, I’d seen a pie with a chocolate layer, a vanilla custard layer and a coffee meringue top in a magazine I bought in Seattle, but I didn’t want to make pastry, so I changed it to a biscuit base, simplified a lot of the layers and voila - the mocha meringue pie was born.

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Easy fish tacos with corn salsa

Easy fish tacos with roasted corn salsa

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I’m a big fan of easy dinners, especially when I’m busy. Sometimes, like with my mushroom risotto, I like to take my time in the kitchen and really enjoy the process, but others it’s a case of getting something - anything - on the table as soon as possible. I don’t believe, however, that just because you want something easy, it has to be a ready meal. I wrote recently about what I keep in the freezer, and as well as a lot of frozen veg and fruit, there’s also veggie sausages (Linda McCartney are the nicest we’ve tried) and if they’re on spesh, I always grab some of those crispy coated cod fillets (or the big fat Waitrose fish fingers are great too). If you’re on a budget, Lidl do Ocean Trader MSC Certified Chunky Battered Cod Fillets for just £2.49 for 4 decent sized pieces. One of our favourite ways to use them are these easy fish tacos with corn salsa. Ready in as long as it takes for the fish to cook, and with minimal prep too.

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The best blackberry and apple crumble recipe

The best blackberry and apple crumble recipe

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I know, it’s a big claim and of course I’m making it in jest. I’m sure there are lots of crumble recipes out there that are just as good. But there are blackberries everywhere in the hedgerows at the moment and they’re the fattest, juiciest most gorgeous ones I’ve seen in a long time so I’ve made a lot of crumble recently and I’m pretty sure this is the best blackberry and apple crumble recipe you’ll find around these parts. It’s quick, it’s easy, there’s no messing about, I feel like there’s just enough sugar to keep the apple a little bit tart, which is a perfect complement to the sweet, crumbling topping… I used to make crumble with my mum and it still makes me feel all warm and lovely inside to serve up a proper pudding (with cream or custard) after dinner. So here’s a gorgeous recipe so you can give someone you love a big hug in a bowl too.

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