Deseeding a pepper

10 Seconds!

Pop, tear, pull, chuck….(then tap!)

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Ingredients
• Pepper

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Peeling Shallots

Only 5 minutes

You will never fiddle around again trying to peel shallots. Have a go. But watch out. That water is hot!

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Ingredients

• Shallots

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Instant Coffee

Only 5 minutes to make

Everyone can make a cup of instant coffee right? I don’t think so.

I have included this as my take on making a cup of instant coffee so that I get a decent cup when I visit!

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Ingredients

One level or heaped teaspoon of coffee essence, powder, or freeze dried. I prefer powder essence.
A splash of milk, either warm or cold.
250 ml of tea water, which should be off the boil.
Sugar to taste.

Equipment

A kettle
A warm mug

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Thrown together, not rolled out. A tin lined with whatever pastry you’ve got—or maybe just topped—and filled with odds and ends from the fridge. Leftover roast, a spoonful of stew, frozen veg, a splash of gravy. It’s not neat, but it’s warm.

Lazy pie doesn’t care for crisp crimping or fancy fillings. It cares that you eat something that feels like home, even if the day didn’t.

Best eaten straight from the dish with a fork, in a jumper, with the telly on low. No effort, no ceremony—just pie.

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Ingredients

• 175–200g root ginger, peeled (using a spoon) and chopped

• 900ml – 1 litre of cloudy fresh apple juice

• Juice of 1 whole lemon, squeezed and deseeded

• 1 cinnamon stick

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

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White sauce

White Sauce

Only 25 minutes to make

This is a base sauce for many other sauces, including cheese sauce (add as much grated cheese as you like once the sauce is made) and parsley sauce (add chopped curly leaf parsley once the sauce is made).

Remember to stir, stir and stir again. Warmed milk will solve the potential lump problem as will stir off the heat when adding the the milk bringing the medium heat back to thicken.

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Preparation time: 5-10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

40g plain sifted flour
40g butter
300ml semi-skimmed milk (warmed)
A pinch of salt

Equipment

A medium-sized saucepan

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Base Roasted Sauce

Only 45 to 60 minutes to make

A base sauce of our own making as a base for lots of other particularly tomato or ragu based dishes.

It just involves cutting, roasting and food processing then using or freezing until needed.

Remember to label if freezing!

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Whatever quantities of the following you might have, I had these when i made this particular batch.

Ingredients

2 Potatoes
1 Onion
2 Parsnips
2 Carrots
Half a Butternut Squash
A Handful of Chives
3 Tomatoes
1 Bell Pepper
2 Chilli Peppers (hot)
1 Stick of Celery
1 Tin of Tomatoes
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
2 Cloves Garlic

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Madeleines

Preparation time 20 mins Cooking time up to 15 mins

Soft, shell-shaped, and just sweet enough—madeleines are more light sponge with crisp golden edges, best eaten warm, with a cup of tea or just savoured on their own.

You can add lemon zest, a splash of vanilla, or leave them plain; perhaps dip in dark chocolate.

Impossible to eat just one!

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Ingredients

155g plain flour, sifted
140g unsalted butter, cubed
100g granulated sugar
120g light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange, 1 lemon, and 1 lime
Pinch of salt

For Cooking
A large mixing bowl and 1 Madeleine Tray

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Custard

Only 30 minutes to make

Silky, golden, and just the right side of indulgent – custard is the quiet hero of the pudding world. Poured warm over sponge, fruit crumble, or even a sneaky slice of cake, it turns something simple into proper comfort food.

Make it the old-fashioned way with egg yolks, sugar, and a splash of vanilla, stirred gently until it coats the back of a spoon. Or take the quick route with a trusty tin or packet – there’s no shame here, only comfort.

Best served in generous quantities, because nobody ever asks for less custard.

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Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 to 30 minutes.

For 6 people

Ingredients

700 ml Whole milk 200 ml Double cream 120 g Caster sugar 2½ tbsp Corn flour 4 egg yolks 1 tsp vanilla extract

This really isn’t worth the effort unless you are making for at least 4 people. You can always freeze what you don’t want to use immediately

For Cooking

2 large sauce pans 1 large mixing bowl and a great deal of care

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Gravy

Only 10 minutes to make

The thing that pulls it all together. A jug of warmth poured over roast potatoes, soft bread, or whatever’s left from the week. Gravy doesn’t ask for much—just the scraps from the pan, a splash of stock, maybe a drop of wine if there’s any open, and time.

Stirring it gently, watching it thicken, there’s a kind of calm in the making. It’s not just sauce—it’s memory, flavour, and the quiet satisfaction of using every bit.

Serve it hot. Pour it generously. Let it soften the edges of the day.

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Ingredients

• 175–200g root ginger, peeled (using a spoon) and chopped

• 900ml – 1 litre of cloudy fresh apple juice

• Juice of 1 whole lemon, squeezed and deseeded

• 1 cinnamon stick

• Pinch of cayenne pepper

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Plum Compote & Granola

Only 5 minutes to make if the compote is prepared or 30 minutes to include the making of the compote

A quiet breakfast, made with care the night before. A spoonful of stewed fruit – sharp, sweet, and softened by time – with crisp granola for crunch and comfort. No rush, no rules.

It’s the kind of thing you make when mornings are slow, or when you need them to be. The compote can be anything: apples from the garden, plums past their best, berries from the freezer. The granola adds ballast, a bit of bite, a reason to sit down.

Best eaten cold, with a mug of something hot, and a moment to yourself.

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This recipe is for one person and has a preparation time of 5 minutes if the compote is ready.

Ingredients

2 tbsp plum or other fruit compote
2 tbsp of granola
2 tbsp of Greek yogurt

For Serving

A small glass

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Deseeding a pepper

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Peeling Shallots

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Instant Coffee

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Lazy Pie

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White Sauce

Ingredients

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