Lemon Meringue Pie

serves 4-6

pastry:

160g flour
pinch of salt (optional)
80g margarine
1-2 tsp cold water

filling and topping:
4 tblsp cornflour
300ml water
25g butter
grated rind and juice of two lemons
2 eggs, separated
150g sugar

Method:
Make the pastry in a food processor, or by hand (rub fat into flour then bind with water). Roll out on a floured surface, and use it to line a 20cm flan dish or shallow cake tin. Bake on its own at 190C for about 15-20 minutes.

Blend the cornflour with a little water in a small pan. Add the remaining water and butter, and bring to the boil slowly, stirring all the time. Cook, stirring, for three minutes. Remove from the heat, then add the lemon juice and rind, egg yolks, and 50g of the sugar. Pour into pastry.

Whisk the egg whites stiffly, then whisk in 50g of sugar and fold in the rest. Spread over the filling. Bake at 160C for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

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Not, perhaps, the simplest of desserts but one of the most delicious, particularly with fresh lemons picked from the garden! If you buy lemons, make sure they're unwaxed (preferably organic) and wash well prior to grating the rind. Just grate the yellow bit, not any of the white pith.

The easiest way to make pastry is to throw the ingredients in a food processor, then process (with metal or plastic blade) until a ball is formed. If it doesn't go together, add a tad more cold water until it does. Too much water makes it difficult to roll, so just add tiny amounts. By hand it's much messier: use fingertips to rub the margarine in the flour gently between the fingers and thumbs, shaking every so often until the whole looks a bit like breadcrumbs. Then use a knife to mix in the water - again, add just a little at a time, and try to gather it into a ball. If it goes together, knead it slightly and it should be slightly pliable.

Of course you could always buy a 250g pack of ready-made pastry and use that instead. It won't taste so good, and may have some additives, but it's less messy than making your own.

Roll the pastry on a well-floured surface using a floured rolling-pin. Turn it so it rolls evenly and makes an approximate circle.

When whisking the egg whites to make the meringue topping, it's much easiest to use an electric whisk. If you don't have one, a hand-whisk with a handle to turn will work but takes longer. A balloon whisk without a turning-handle might possibly work but would take ages!

Chicken in Gunge

(to serve about 4)

Approx 600g chicken breast
OR approx 1kg chicken drumstricks

Sauce Ingredients:
2 generous tblsp brown sauce (such as HP)
4 generous tblsp tomato ketchup
2 tblsp spicy or fruity sauce (such as Daddies)
1 tblsp soy sauce
1 tsp worcester sauce
¼ cup water

Method:
Cook the meat in a large ovenproof dish on medium heat (around 350F) until it starts to brown, or on the stove, or in an electric frying pan. If using large chicken or turkey breasts, cut (scissors are the easiest) into smallish pieces before cooking.

Add the sauce ingredients - no need to mix first, just pour over the meat, and turn to coat them well. Cover dish or pan and cook for about half an hour, then stir to turn pieces of meat and cook for another 15-20 minutes uncovered. Times will vary depending on the size of the meat, so watch that you don't overcook.

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One of the easiest kinds of meat to cook is chicken. Once a week we have chicken breasts (boneless and skinless) in some kind of sauce or marinade. Ready-made sauces are expensive and usually contain additives such as monosodium glutamate, so I prefer to make my own. If chicken breasts are very expensive in your area, you could use turkey breast, or chicken drumsticks, or chicken thighs - depending on preference.

Choose (and thaw if necessary) your meat, in appropriate portions for your family's appetites. The quantities given are very approximate. The sauce is sufficient for about four average portions - but you can adapt and increase or decrease as appropriate. I have given quantities in American cups as this is the quickest way of measuring. A 'cup' is 8 fluid ounces. You can either use a measuring jug, or find a mug which is approximately correct - but none of the quantities matter much.

Serve this dish with your favourite kind of potatoes, or over rice or pasta, with plenty of salad or vegetables. We like to have it with potatoes, baked in their jackets in the oven, chopped raw tomatoes, and corn.

Easy Beer Bread

(makes 1 medium loaf)

3 cups self-raising flour
3 tblsp sugar
1 300 ml can beer (any sort)

Method:
Mix all ingredients in a bowl, place in non-stick medium bread tin. The mixture should roughly half-fill the tin. Place in medium hot oven (about gas mark 6 or 180C - but it can go with anything else that is cooking at the time) for about 30-40 minutes until well-risen.
Turn out after a few minutes, slice and serve.

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This is probably the easiest bread to make at home if you don't have a bread-maker. It's ideal for children to make, so long as you don't mind them using beer! It doesn't keep well, but then it rarely gets the chance. Delicious with butter and any spread, or with salad, or with a full meal.

I often use 2 cups white self-raising flour and 1 cup wholegrain bread flour rather than 3 cups white self-raising. Find what combination of white/wholegrain suits your family best. For added protein and nutrition, you could also substitute 1/2 cup soya flour or rice flour. If you can't get self-raising flour, use plain flour with 2 tsp baking powder.

Variations:
There are many variations you can try, depending on your family's tastes. Here are just a few possibilities:.
- Add in 1/2 cup sultanas or other dried fruit for a quick fruit bread. Add a little ginger or cinnamon if liked
- Reduce sugar to 2 tblsp; add 1/2 cup grated cheese and 1tsp mustard for a cheesy bread
- Reduce sugar to 2 tblsp, add 1 tblsp chives or herbs.

Mincemeat

To make about 2kg (4lb)

500g cooking apples (about 1lb, or four medium apples)
350g raisins (about 12oz)
225g currants (about 8oz)
225g sultanas (US: golden raisins)
225g shredded suet - real or veggie
225g mixed peel
225g soft brown sugar
2 lemons (or 1 orange and 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
150ml brandy or whisky

Peel, core and grate or finely chop the apples, then place in a large bowl with the dried fruit (can vary dried fruit quantities so long as the total is a little over 1kg/2lb). Add the suet, sugar, grated rind and juice of lemons, and spices. Stir well. Add half the brandy or whisky and stir again. Pack loosely into jars or plastic tubs, pour over the remaining whisky or brandy, then seal. Keeps for at least two weeks, but may need to be refrigerated if kept longer in a warm climate.

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This is so easy to make, I've no idea why anybody ever buys ready-made mincemeat! You can adjust it to suit your family's preferences, and avoid unpleasant additives. If you can't find dried currants or sultanas, just use more raisins. If you prefer to use bags of ready-mixed dried fruit, do so. If you want to cut down on sugar, use less. If you want extra fruit or moister mincement, add extra grated apple. If you can't find cooking apples, use crisp eating apples such as Granny Smith. If you don't have any brandy or whisky, or prefer not to use them, just leave them out and add extra orange or lemon juice - but note that it won't keep so long, so you should definitely keep non-alcoholic mincemeat in the fridge.

Oh, and the suet... when we lived in the USA we couldn't find packets of dried suet, so we had to buy the stuff from the meat market, cook it, strain it, and chop it. What a palaver. I expect it could have been left out altogether, although the consistency wouldn't have been so soft when cooked. These days dried veggie suet is widely available in supermarkets - at least in Europe - and as it has less fat content than meat suet, and so many people are vegetarians these days, that's what I always use. This is what you should look for:


As for what you do with mincemeat, the most popular recipe is mince pies. Shortcrust pastry rolled thinly and cut to fit patty pans or cake tins, filled with a teaspoon of mincemeat, covered with another round of pastry, cooked for about 15-20 minutes. Again there are many variations: you can make the pastry with half wholewheat flour, you can glaze the tops with egg or milk, you can add extra ingredients to the mincemeat such as dessicated coconut or chopped glacé cherries...

Easy Chicken Curry

(serves 3-4)

1 tblsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 heaped tsp curry powder (or more for a stronger flavour)

1 level tsp ground ginger

juice of 1 small (or 1/2 large) lemon

1 cup water, stock or tomato juice

400-500g cooked/leftover chicken (or turkey)

2 tbsp sultanas or raisins (optional)

1 chopped apple (optional)

Method:

Cook the onion and garlic gently in the oil, then stir in the curry powder and ginger, stirring until the onions are fully coated. Add the chopped meat with the lemon juice and stir in thoroughly. Gradually add the rest of the liquid, stirring all the time. 

Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring to ensure it doesn't stick. When almost ready to serve, add sultanas and/or chopped apple, if you like them, or serve them as extra garnishes over the curry.

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This is a very adaptable meal (albeit not very authentic). I often  make it when we have meat left from a roast chicken, or turkey after Christmas. If you don't have leftover meat, you can poach, bake or airfry a couple of chicken breasts in advance then cut and use as above. 

For a vegetarian meal, an excellent curry can be made using chopped cauliflower and carrots instead of meat.  If you have a mixed family of meat-eaters and vegetarians, make the curry sauce in one large pan, then divide appropriately with another pan before adding meat to one and vegetables to the other. For protein, add in some chickpeas. 

Curry is traditionally served with boiled rice; brown rice is healthier and more nutritious than white rice. You can also serve with naan bread, yoghurt, dried coconut, sunflower seeds, etc, and other vegetables such as green beans.

Rice Pudding

(Serves about 4)

3 tblsp short grain rice
2 level tblsp sugar
knob of butter
1 tsp nutmeg
1 pint/500ml milk*

Method:
Grease a 1.5 pint ovenproof dish with butter, put in rice (washed if necessary) and sugar. Pour on milk, top with shavings of butter and nutmeg. Bake in the oven at 150C (300F, Gas 2) for about 2 hours, stirring after one hour.

Microwave method:
Use a deep dish with plenty of room as the milk will boil and the rice will expand! Place ingredients in non-metallic bowl as for regular oven, then cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Stir well. Cover and cook on LOW for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked and beginning to thicken, stirring every 10 minutes. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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*Note for people in the USA: a pint in the UK is 20 fluid ounces, which is two-and-a-half US cups.

This is a traditional British dessert, which I used to love as a child. Unfortunately none of my family like it, and we don't tend to eat desserts very often anyway so I haven't made it for about 25 years. But if you like this kind of thing, it's ideal for chilly winter evenings.

Sausage Bean-Feast

(serves about 3-4)

450g/1lb sausages
450g can baked beans in tomato sauce
2 tblsp tomato ketchup
1 level tblsp soft brown sugar
1 level tsp mustard

Method:
Combine all the ingredients in a casserole or other large deep dish, and bake covered for about 30-40 minutes in a hottish oven (350F/180C).

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Use your favourite type of sausages - meat or vegetarian - in this quick recipe which is particularly popular with some children, and can easily be made by a young child. You could serve it with mashed or potatoes, or fresh crusty bread. A salad served with it would add to the nutritional value.