Ingredients...

200g dates
125g glace cherries
2 tbsp flax seeds
3 tbsp desiccated coconut (plus extra for rolling)
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp cocoa powder

Method...

Hey friends!
Today I'm going to be sharing a recipe for some delicious wild garlic pesto- you can't get much fresher than this. At the moment, Cornish woodlands are absolutely full of carpets of wild garlic. If you've never tried it before, check out my post last year on how to forage for wild garlic HERE.
Note: Always remember to only take what you need and always be 100% sure of identification of foraged foods before trying :)

Wild garlic is the first food I ever foraged, and it has such an amazing flavour it can pretty much go in anything! Stir into pasta, in sandwiches, salads, even put it on cheese on toast. This recipe is super simple and you'll have yourself some delicious pesto in just a few minutes. It should keep for up to a week in the fridge, and this makes two small jars- double or half the quantities as necessary. You can also freeze in an ice cube tray if you want to save some to use later in the year! If you're vegan, you can swap the parmesan for nutritional yeast or simply leave out completely.
Sustainable, local, zero waste, recycled jars... what's not to love?
Let's get started...

Ingredients:

200g wild garlic
100g parmesan
100g cashews
Olive oil
Juice of half a lemon

Method:

1. Wash the wild garlic thoroughly and blitz in the food processor until roughly chopped.
2. Add the parmesan and process for a little longer.
3. Finally add in the cashews and blend, incorporating olive oil to the desired consistency.
4. Mix in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper until you're happy with the taste!

Ingredients

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped  1 mug of peas 1/2 a red onion, sliced 3 sausages (I used Cauldron Veggie ones) 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar 3 big handfuls of spinach Ready rolled puff pastry Milk or egg to glaze (I used Oatly milk)

Method

~Set the oven to 180 celcius to warm up~ 1. Boil a saucepan of salted water, then add the peas and sweet potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. 2. Whilst the vegetables are boiling, put a little oil to a frying pan and add the onions and sausages. Cook on a medium heat as per the instructions on the sausage packet, and add the balsamic vinegar halfway through cooking to caramelise the onion. Mine took about 10 minutes.  3. Add the spinach for the final minute of cooking for the sausages and onion, until wilted, then remove from the heat. 4. Drain the sweet potatoes and peas, then mash together. 5. Slice the sausages, then start layering the potato mix and sausage/onion mix in a large dish. 6. Cover with puff pastry and glaze. 7. Bake at 180 celcius for 25-30 minutes until golden in colour.

Emma xo

Probably the quickest and simplest recipe I've ever shared! 

Mug cakes are definitely something me and my university flatmates have mastered well- just mix everything in a mug and microwave. It's the perfect sugar fix for students and busy people! Best of all, this one uses simple store cupboard ingredients so won't break the bank, and is suitable for vegans too. It's a winner all-round! 

Ingredients

2 tbsp self raising flour 1 tbsp caster sugar 1 tbsp cocoa powder 1/4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp vegetable oil 3 tbsp soya milk

Method

1) Beat everything together in a mug with a fork until smooth 2) Microwave for 1-2 minutes until risen and just cooked (I like to under-cook mine slightly to get a gooey edge like a brownie!) 3) Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream if you're feeling luxurious!

I haven't done a sweet recipe for a while, in comparison to last year when every recipe was sweet! It's mostly because at home I had plenty of ingredients, fresh eggs from our own chickens, and time- all of which are all slightly more of an issue at university haha! 

However, a few days ago one of my flatmates had some blueberries that were going too soft to eat to I decided to bake a batch of cookies to share out to everyone.

I adapted a melting moments recipe, substituting lard and butter for vegetable margarine, and egg for soya milk, to make these suitable for vegans/vegetarians/lactose intolerant people. You'd be able to swap blueberries for other yummy things you'd fancy or have lying around the kitchen too- raspberries, raisins, chocolate chips and chopped nuts would all be great in these.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

105g margarine, 75g caster sugar, 150g self raising flour, 30ml soya milk (or almond/coconut/oat milk), 100g fresh blueberries, porridge oats

Method

Heat the oven to 180C, or 160C if fan-assisted. Grease two baking trays.

Cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the milk.

Add the flour and blueberries, mix well.

Roll walnut size pieces in your hands, then coat with oats and place on a baking tray.

Flatten slightly and bake for 15 minutes.

Emma xo

Ingredients 4 small sweet potatoes (or two medium size), 1 chopped onion, 1 slice bread- made into breadcrumbs, 1 cup peas, 1 cup mixed vegetables, 1/2 cup dried red lentils, 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon, 1 tbsp dried basil, 2 tsp garlic powder, salt Method 1. Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into 2 cm chunks.  2. Put the potatoes, peas, vegetables and lentils in a pan of water and bring to to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes until the potatoes are just cooked (use a knife to test if they are soft). 3. Drain the vegetables and lentils and put in a large mixing bowl. 4. Add the breadcrumbs, chopped onion, bouillon, basil, garlic and season with a pinch of salt. Stir. 5. Use a hand blender to combine all the ingredients. The mixture should be smooth enough to shape into patties, but still have some texture. 6. Grease two making trays, and shape small handfuls of the mixture into balls. Place them on the baking trays and flatten slightly into burger shapes. 7. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Serve with fresh salad and potato wedges for a delicious dinner!

1 medium sweet potato, 3 handfuls of pasta, 1/2 an onion (chopped), handful of chopped kale, 1/2 mug of milk (I used soya milk), 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp mixed herbs, 1 handful of cheese or cheese alternative (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180 celcius. 2. Peel the sweet potato and cut into 2cm chunks. Boil on the hob with 3 handfuls of pasta for 10-15 minutes, until tender.  3. Fry the onion and kale for 5 minutes until soft. 4. Mash the sweet potato with a fork, and add the onion, milk, kale and herbs. Stir in the pasta and put the mixture into an ovenproof dish. 

Happy Friday folks! I've got another recipe for you all today- something a little more indulgent than perhaps the light, fruity bakes I've been featuring recently for summer. I remembered I hadn't done a recipe including chocolate for quite a while, so it's about time I shared another one, don't you think?
This cake features swirls of coffee cake and chocolate cake to make a pretty marble effect, sandwiched together with a rich butter cream. And if that's not enough, why not cover it in dark chocolate too? The basic sponge mix is also really easy to make, in case you needed yet another reason to try this recipe out ;)
Let's get started then!~

Ingredients

4oz/115g self rasising flour, 4oz/115g caster sugar, 4oz/115g margarine, 2 eggs, 1.5 tsp coffee granules dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, chocolate butter icing and dark chocolate to finish.

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C (160 fan assisted) and grease two round cake tins. Cream together the margarine and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs a little at a time, stirring in after each addition. Sift in the flour and carefully fold until well combined. Divide the mixture in two bowls. To one bowl, stir in the coffee liquid. To the other mixture, add the cocoa powder. Divide each cake mix  evenly into the tins and swirl together using a skewer or knife.  Bake for 20 minutes, then leave to cool on a wire rack. Sandwich together with chocolate butter icing and drizzle melted dark chocolate over the top. Sprinkle with nuts or decorations to finish.

Emma xo

 Ingredients

 Method

 For the potato wedges, use one medium sweet potato per person. Peel and wash the potatoes, then cut into chip size slices. Coat in olive oil and bake in the oven for approximately 30-40 minutes, again at 200 Celcius. Put these in at the same time as you first bake the pastry and everything should be ready to serve at the same time. Enjoy!

EMMA XO

Ingredients

 Method

Emma xo

If you've never tried a melting moment before, you really need to give these a go because you're missing out! They are a heavenly combination of soft cookie and oats, somewhere in between a cake and shortbread. Once again, this recipe is super simple and perfect for spending the afternoon making, although they should come with a little warning sign: they are very moreish!
Here's how to make the delicious tea time treats~
115g/4oz margarine, 75g/3oz caster sugar, 1/2 of a medium egg, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 150g/5oz self raising flour. Oats and pecans.  

Some days, you just need the perfect cake to go with your morning coffee. This double layer creation may just be it! It has a coffee top layer (with optional almonds) and a chocolate bottom layer with a smattering of chocolate chips if you're feeling extra luxurious. Add a generous layer of butter cream to the middle and top, drizzle with chocolate sauce and shavings and you're good to go! Don't be put off by the two different mixes, it's just a few extra ingredients added to a basic Victoria sponge recipe, so it's an ideal, easy and fun way to spend your weekend~

********** For the cake: 6oz/ 170g caster sugar, 6 oz/ 170g self raising flour, 6 oz/ 170g margarine, 3 beaten eggs, 1/2 oz / 15g cocoa powder, 1.5 tsp coffee granules dissolved in1 tbsp warm water, 2 oz/ 60g chocolate chips, 4 tbsp  flaked almonds. For the icing: 2 oz/ 60g margarine, 4 oz/ 140g icing sugar, 1 tbsp cocoa powder. Preheat the oven to 180C (160 fan assisted) and grease two round tins (or one large). Cream together the margarine and caster sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly at the eggs a little at a time, stirring in after each addition. Sift in the flour and carefully fold until well combined. Divide the mixture in two bowls. To one bowl, stir in the flaked almonds and coffee liquid. To the other mixture, add the cocoa powder and chocolate chips. Put the mixtures into separate tins and bake for 20- 25 minutes until a skewer comes out clean, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, cream together the icing sugar and margarine to form a smooth frosting. Use half the icing to sandwich the cakes together, then add the cocoa to the remaining icing to spread on top of the cake. Drizzle with chocolate sauce and decorations if liked, and enjoy with a cup of morning coffee!