Buttery pears are exactly what we want to eat at this time of year – sweet, juicy and perfectly matched to chocolate’s rich deep flavours. The two combine beautifully in this tart which we think makes a pretty perfect end to dinner. Chilling the pastry for a little while before you roll it out helps to stop it falling apart so we recommend you do this. This has the advantage of being gluten free and vegan but you would never know! …
gluten free
Chocolate Strawberry Tart
This is perfection for a Summer party or as a vegan or gluten free birthday cake! It takes a little while to set so make sure you start at least 2 hours in advance of when you want to eat it! Rich with nut protein, dates, chocolate and, of course, strawberries, this really hits the spot – cover with edible flowers and leaves and you have a real treat to share. We make this one every year so thought we would share it again!…
Golden Eve’s Pudding
A traditional dessert with a massive hit of lemon to freshen things up. Combining cooking apples and a gluten free, light as air sponge, this is a lovely end to a meal. The apples cook under the sponge, making them lovely and pulpy! Delicious served with a dollop vegan yoghurt or dairy free custard….
Pumpkin Soufflé Pancakes
A tasty, lightly spiced pumpkin soufflé inside a savoury buckwheat galette – what’s not to love! We replace the traditional cheese in a soufflé here with sun dried tomatoes and chilli to give another dimension. These might seem fiddly, but they’re easy to construct and if you can’t be bothered to make the galettes you could always use a gluten free wrap instead! Serve for dinner with a rustic salad….
Apple Almond Sultana Cake
This pretty cake uses a decent quantity of cooking apples, so is very moist and keeps well for quite a few days, improving after the first day, so it’s a handy one to make ahead of time if that’s your style! It’s lovely with a cup of tea or served warm as a dessert. …
Chocolate Beetroot Cake
What better than to use this ruby red vegetable to spoil your valentine? This cake or cakes if you decide to make small ones, far from being earthy and dense, is moist, fudgey and a divine chocolate delight – too good not to share with the one you love. We first made this cake back in November for wedding of some very dear friends and they fell in love with it. Vegan and gluten free, it doesn’t take long to make and keeps really well… so you could make it tomorrow and it will stay tasty until you ice and serve it on Tuesday – maybe with a wee glass of prosecco?! Our recipe made enough for 5 small heart cakes and a 9″ shallow cake – Lots of love x…
Nutty Fruit Cake
Our friend Ruth gave us the original idea for this Christmassy treat – with a bit of tweaking we’ve made it gluten free and sugar free, although there is technically sugar in candied peel and glacé cherries – you can just omit these if you like – it will still work very nicely! It’s not really a cake – more of a nutty fruity slab ! Which means it’s quite solid – ( in a good way! )…
Apple & Bramble Tart
If you want to catch the last of the season’s brambles, this recipe pairs them perfectly with tart apples for a delicious and very pretty tart or tartlette. If you’re too late for brambles in your area, the tart works perfectly well without or you could swap them for another berry of your choice. Don’t be put off by the fact that you have to make your own pastry – it really is easy and if it falls apart just patch it together and press to conceal the cracks – everything will go right in the oven! This is lovely on any afternoon tea table, especially if made in the smaller size, or ideal as a weekend dessert. Serve with ice cream or it’s also just great on its own.
carrot and orange cake
This is a special recipe from our friend David – yoga teacher and fellow food enthusiast! He gave us this recipe in a slightly more conventional form with ordinary wheat flour and we did some serious adapting and came up with this! It’s a gorgeous orange colour, and great for afternoon tea so why not set aside a couple of hours and invite your friends to tea!…
Raspberry and red currant frangipani tart
A sweet almond frangipani tart is one of the most beautiful desserts and when set off by the sharpness of fresh raspberries and red currants, it can’t get much better. It really is impossible to tell that this is gluten and dairy free. The pastry is light and crisp and the filling is rich and decadent and you’d expect. A lovely finish to a Summer meal with friends which can served either warm or at room temperature. …