Home Cooking Made Easy

Next, get another large pan at the ready. Working in batches, blitz the soup in a blender, pouring the smooth soup into the clean pan. I like to blitz it until it is really, really smooth. Once all the soup has been blitzed, return the soup to the hob to heat through until piping hot. Taste and season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it. At this stage I often add a squeeze of lime juice, which really lifts the flavours of the soup.

Ladle the piping hot soup into the warmed serving bowls and serve with a little coconut milk drizzled over the top and a sprinkling of coriander leaves and finely sliced chilli.

Herbed baked Scotch eggs

I have a penchant for Scotch eggs. I buy them at the petrol station in the middle of long car journeys – I just fill the car up with petrol, then go into the shop and grab a Scotch egg and a packet of prawn cocktail crisps. However, when I have time, I like to make my own, and I use different types of sausagemeat to give them something a bit extra. Dipped in some mayonnaise or a large blob of salad cream, they really make my day.

Makes 4

Oil, for oiling and drizzling (you can use light oil spray if you like)

4 medium eggs

1 egg, lightly beaten

75g natural or golden dried breadcrumbs

Small handful of fresh thyme leaves

Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Plain flour, for dusting

Pinch of mustard powder

6 good-quality sausages, with their ‘skins’ removed

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6 and line a baking tray with oiled foil. Put the whole eggs in a pan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Once the water is boiling, turn it down to a robust simmer and cook for 5 minutes. When the eggs are ready, remove the pan from the heat, take it to the sink and run cold water over the eggs for a minute or two to stop them cooking. Peel the eggs and set aside.

Put the lightly beaten egg in one bowl and the dried breadcrumbs, thyme and nutmeg along with a bit of salt and pepper in another bowl. Season the flour with salt and pepper and the mustard powder.

Put some clingfilm on the work surface, take 1½ sausages and squidge the meat down on the clingfilm. Squish it until is becomes a roundish flat circle, then take one egg and dip it into the seasoned flour. Put the egg in the middle of the sausagemeat and draw up the clingfilm around it so you have a little ‘sac’. This is a great way of covering the egg with the sausagemeat and I find it beats trying to do it without. Now carefully peel away the clingfilm, leaving the sausagemeat around the egg. You may need to squish it down and around slightly on the egg if there are any gaps.

Now dip the meat-coated egg into the lightly beaten egg, making sure it is covered all over, then dip it into the breadcrumbs, rolling it around and pressing to secure any bits that are not sticking properly. Place the Scotch egg on the prepared baking tray and repeat with the other three eggs. Spray or drizzle a little oil over the eggs, then cook in the oven for about 20–30 minutes, or until the sausagemeat is cooked and the Scotch egg looks golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper.

These are lovely to take to work, or just to have in the fridge as a treat.

Caramelised spiced nuts

I like to make a big jar of these spiced nuts and pop them on the shelf to grab on the go when I fancy a naughty tasty snack.

Makes about 600g

300g granulated sugar

450g mixed nuts, like cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds, walnuts

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tsp paprika, plus extra to taste if necessary

1 tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to taste if necessary

1 tsp ground cumin, plus extra to taste if necessary

300ml water

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas Mark 4 and line a large baking tray with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.

Put the sugar, nuts, salt and spices in a medium pan with the water and bring slowly to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat a little and simmer the mixture rapidly for about 15–20 minutes until the bubbles become thick and syrupy.

Strain the mixture through a colander set over a bowl (use oven gloves when handling the pan, as hot sugar can spit and splutter and burn you), then tip the nuts onto the prepared baking tray and spread them out in a single layer. Bake the nuts in the oven for 20 minutes, or until toasted.

Remove from the oven, leave to cool and harden before breaking the nuts into small pieces. Sprinkle with more spices if required. Store in an airtight container for a few days if not eaten straightaway.

Any leftover syrup is delicious drizzled over ice cream or on a poached pear.

Duvet day chicken noodle soup

Supreme comfort eating and good for the soul, too! The essence of a very good soup is a really good stock, jam-packed full of flavour. Homemade is best, but a decent liquid chicken stock bought from the shop works well too.

Serves 4–6

1.5 litres good-quality chicken stock

1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed, sliced and separated into white bits and green bits

3 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1 x 2cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into matchsticks

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

6 black peppercorns

Sea salt flakes

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

1 stick of celery, trimmed and sliced into thin matchsticks

1 carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks