From the Guardian 20 January 2007

This recipe allows you to create your own bespoke biccies. Just add to the basic dough 100g of whatever you fancy. Chopped almonds mixed with dried cranberries is one combination; hazelnuts, dark chocolate chunks and orange zest is another. Makes 12 large cookies.

125g unsalted butter
100g unrefined granulated sugar
75g light muscovado sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
150g plain flour
½ tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
100g extras – chunks of chocolate, chunks of nut, chopped dried fruit (apricots, cranberries, sultanas), crystallised ginger, spices, lemon or orange zest, pinenuts…

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/gas mark 5 and line two baking sheets with baking parchment.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Put the two sugars into a bowl, pour on the butter and beat. Break in the egg and add the vanilla. Beat to combine, sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then stir in your chosen extras.

Dot heaped dessertspoonfuls of the mixture over the baking sheets, leaving plenty of space in between – the cookies really spread out. Bake for eight to 10 minutes, until just turning golden brown. Leave on the baking sheets to harden for a couple of minutes, then carefully lift up the baking parchment and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Serves 4
For the filling:

• 2 medium sized leeks, or onions, chopped
• a medium sized carrot, diced
• a decent knob of butter
• 4 medium sized brown mushrooms, sliced
• 450g minced roast lamb or raw lamb mince
• flour
• a tablespoon tomato puree
• 250ml hot lamb stock (one oxo cube)
• bay leaf
• sprig of thyme
• worcestershire sauce

In a large pan, cook the chopped leeks or onions and the diced carrots with the butter until they are meltingly soft and golden. If they have caught slightly at the edges then all to the good. This is the savoury base on which you are making your pie filling, so it is best not to hurry. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for a further five minutes, then stir in the minced meat. The meat must brown a little here and there, so do not stir it too often. Leave to cook for five minutes or so, breaking it up as necessary.

Add a casual sprinkling of flour (about a tablespoon) and the tomato puree. Continue to cook, stirring regularly, for three or four minutes. Pour on the hot stock, throw in the bay leaf and a sprig of thyme if you have them, and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and leave to simmer very gently for a good twenty five minutes. The mixture should not really bubble, just occasionally ‘bloop’ at you. Season the filling as it cooks with salt, worcestershire sauce (about a tablespoon) and a few grinds of black pepper. be generous.

For the topping:

• 900g large parsnips, peeled
• 2 medium sized onion, sliced
• a thick slice of butter, about 50g
• a large pinch of ground cumin
• a teaspoon of freshly ground coriander seeds
• a tablespoon of garam masala
• more butter for mashing, about 50g

While the meat is cooking cut the parsnips into large chunks and simmer them until tender, about fifteen to twenty minutes. While they are cooking fry the onions in the butter over a moderate heat until soft and translucent. Stir in the spices and continue cooking for two minutes till all is fragrant. Drain the parsnips when they are tender, mash them with a potato masher, stirring in the butter and some salt and black pepper, then the spiced onions.

Scoop the meat mixture into a large baking dish. Spoon dollops of mashed parsnip over the top, and bake for twenty-five minutes at 190C/375F/Gas 5, till golden brown and caught a little on the peaks.

Serves 4

• 75g (3oz) butter
• 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 heaped tablespoon flour
• 75ml (3fl oz)) Madeira
• 510ml (18fl oz) stock
• Worcestershire sauce
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy-based pan, add the onions and cook, covered, over a low heat till golden and soft, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove the lid, raise the heat and cook, stirring, until truly brown and soft enough to crush between your fingers.

Stir in the flour and cook for a few minutes until it has lightly browned, then pour in the madeira and stock. Season with salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce, stir and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down so that the gravy bubbles gently and leave to simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

Per serving 216 cals; 15g fat, of which 10g saturated fat; 3g protein; 11g carbohydrate; no added sugar; 1g fibre.

This I serve with mashed potato and sausages. Yum!

I usually make this with Marsala, but tonight I am using Madeira which I have bought specially.

They were delicious and light, I think it is the use of oil that makes them to nice.

• 12oz S. Bread Flour
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 egg

Cook in a hot oven.

The first time I thought about making these I went to the shop and bought Strong Bread Flour – the S in the above recipe was rather ambiguous. I later realised I should have got Soda Bread Flour. Another obvious omission was the lack of anything to bind the dry mixture together, so, I bought some buttermilk. The resulting scones were the prefect light and airy texture, but something was missing. Perhaps a bit of sugar. I haven’t made them again as I haven’t had an opportunity and it would require some guesswork to get the quantities right. But when I do make them again these are the ingredients I will use:

• 340g/12oz Soda bread flour
• 2 tbsp butter or oil
• 1 egg
• 150ml/5 fl oz buttermilk
• 75g/2-3oz sugar

Then I will cook them for about 15 minutes in a hot oven 200C/400F.

Originally uploaded by ZMB.

Recipe from the side of my packet of Speedicook Porridge.

Ingredients

• 250g/80z butter
• 125g/4oz caster sugar
• 125g/4oz plain flour
• 325g/11oz Speedicook porridge oats
• Pinch of baking soda

Method

Cream the butter and sugar well.  Add flour and baking soda and mix, then add Speedicook.  Roll out thinly, cut into rounds and bake in oven at 180C/350F or Gas Mark 4 for about 15 minutes until pale and golden colour.  Sprinkle with caster sugar and cool on wire rack.

Makes 20 7.5cm/3in diameter biscuits.