Great for when the weather starts to get a little bit cooler

Ingredients

400g (14oz) beef braising steak

30ml (2tbsp) Sunflower Oil

1 large onion, diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

2 sticks celery, sliced

1 orange pepper, seeded and diced

2.5ml (1/2tsp) crushed dried chillies

400g can chopped plum tomatoes

400ml (14fl oz) beef stock

1 420g can red kidney beans, drained

1 420g can cannellini beans, drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped parsley to garnish

Method

Trim the beef and cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes.

Heat the oil in a large pan or flameproof casserole and fry the onion over a fairly high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, until golden brown.

Add the beef to the pan and stir over the heat for about 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the garlic and celery and fry for a further 1 minute, then add the diced peppers, chillies, tomatoes, stock, and drained beans. Season with salt and pepper.

Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the beef is tender. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then serve in wide bowls, sprinkled with parsley.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Opies pickled walnuts are harvested before the shell forms. Cooked and marinated in a secret spiced malt vinegar recipe, they’re then packed into jars by hand. Opies pickled walnuts are available from Booths, Morrisons, Nisa Stores, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and quality independent food stores.

Ingredients

500 grams diced chuck steak
200 grams diced kidney
300 ml Ruby Port
2 onions – finely chopped
1 garlic clove – crushed
100 grams Opies pickled walnuts – sliced
400 ml beef stock
500 grams puff pastry
1 egg – beaten
Oil for frying

Method

Pre-heat oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4.

Heat a large frying pan with a little oil. Add half the steak and kidney and fry for a few minutes turning now and then to seal.

Repeat with the rest and transfer to a large rimmed casserole dish.

Place the onions and garlic into the frying pan and stir in the port. Bring to the boil and cook until reduced by half.

Place in the casserole dish with the meat. Add the walnuts and mix together.

Pour over the beef stock, cover and cook for 2 hours.

Remove from the oven.

Turn up the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/Gas 7.

Roll out the pastry 2” larger than the casserole dish. Reserve.

Use the trimmings to roll out a strip of dough for the rim of the dish.

Brush the rim of the dish with water and place the strip of pastry on the rim – press down well.

Brush the strip of pastry with water and cover the dish with the reserved pastry. Press down well to seal it to the strip.

Trim the excess and brush with the beaten egg.

Make two small slits in the centre to allow steam to escape.

Bake for 20 – 30 minutes until the pastry has puffed and is golden brown.

Easy to make and tastes so much better than the frozen variety!

Ingredients

400g Mince beef
1 Onion, chopped finely
2 Red chillis
Pinch chilli flakes
1 Egg
2 Garlic cloves, crushed
Pinch oregano

Method

1. Chop up or crush the garlic and put into a large bowl.
2. Finely chop the onion and put into the bowl.
3. Add in all the other ingredients and mix well with your hands, you need to make sure you do this for at least 5-10 mins to make sure the burgers do not fall apart when you cook them.
4. On a chopping board, make 4 burgers with the mixture, making sure they are relatively compressed.
5. Fry on a medium heat for 4 mins on each side, turning once. Check the meat is cooked through then serve immediately.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins

The chicken and the wine go together really well, it’s a hit with everyone every time

Ingredients

1 chicken of about 1.5 kilos
4 shallots, a clove of garlic, and parsley
75 gr. butter
100 gr. cream
1 egg-yolk
¼ litre Riesling, and a small cup of meat stock
1 tablespoon flour
1 spirit measure of Cognac
150 gr. mushrooms
salt, pepper and a little nutmeg
2 tablespoons oil

Method

Quarter the chicken, and lightly brown them in half the butter in a stewing pan for about 5 minutes, then season. Put in the shallots, parsley and garlic, finely chopped. Continue to cook on a low heat.

Flambé the meat with the Cognac, and then pour in the Riesling and the stock. Simmer on a low heat for thirty minutes.

Chop the mushrooms and fry them lightly in the remaining butter. Then add them to the pot. A few minutes before the end of the cooking time, blend the flour, cream and egg-yolk. Pour this sauce over the meat without cooking further, and season to taste.

Serve hot with noodles or dumplings.

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 60 mins

Enjoyed by many people all over the world and one of my particular favourites! Take a look at this sticky date pudding recipe

Ingredients

300g / 12oz Pitted Dates
2 teaspoons Bicarbonate Of Soda
600ml Boiling Water
120g / 5oz Unsalted Butter
200g / 8oz Brown Sugar
1 Vanilla Bean (Inside Scraped Out)
2 Eggs
460g / 18oz Plain Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
300g / 12oz Chocolate Buttons (Use Good Quality Dark Chocolate)
Butterscotch Sauce:
800g Brown Sugar
400g Unsalted Butter
450ml Cream

Method

Mix the dates and bicarbonate soda together.
Pour the boiling water over the dates and let sit for 10 minutes to soften the dates.
Combine the sugar, butter and vanilla bean and whisk until creamy.
Add in the eggs, then the date mixture.
Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl and then fold through into the date mixture.
Add the chocolate buttons right at the end.
Pour into your cake tin over the top of the sauce, which creates the beautiful sticky texture.
Bake at 180 degrees for ½ an hour then turn down the heat to 160 degrees and cook for a further hour.
Test with a skewer then let cool for an hour on the bench before turning out.
Poach the strawberries while the pudding is cooking.
To make the Butterscotch Sauce
Line a springform tin with greased aluminium foil to prevent the pudding from seeping out while it’s cooking.
Boil all the ingredients together for five minutes or until the mixture goes brown and thickens slightly – be careful because it can boil over the side.
Pour half the sauce into the lined and greased cake tin and keep the other half for later.

Serves: 8
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 1.5 hrs

Fantastic Jalfrezi recipe, goes really well with a nice glass of white wine

Ingredients

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
680g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in half
3 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp chilli powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 (400g) tin chopped tomatoes
3 tsp ground cumin
3 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp grated fresh root ginger
25g chopped coriander leaves

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic, and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken, and season with turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Fry gently, scraping the bottom of the pan frequently and turning the chicken.

2. Pour in the tin of tomatoes, cover the pan, and simmer over medium heat for around 20 minutes. Uncover, and simmer for another 10 minutes to let the excess liquid evaporate.

3 Add the cumin, ground coriander, ginger and fresh coriander, and simmer for another 5 to 7 minutes. Serve the chicken pieces with sauce spooned over the top.

Serves: 3-4
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 50 mins

Such a simple, gorgeous dessert that tastes fantastic. You have to try it!

Ingredients

200ml/7fl oz Rubicon watermelon juice drink
4 tbsp Marsala or sweet sherry
12 sponge fingers
200g/7oz strawberries, sliced
200g/7oz watermelon, peeled, deseeded and chopped
200g/7oz raspberries
Topping:
250g pot mascarpone cheese
4 tbsp Rubicon watermelon drink
Mint leaves, to decorate

Method

Mix the Rubicon watermelon juice drink with the Marsala or sherry in a shallow dish. Line up 4 serving glasses. One by one, dip the sponge fingers into the liquid, soaking them for a few seconds and then put them into the glasses, breaking them to fit. Pour any remaining liquid into the glasses

Reserve some of the strawberry slices and watermelon for decoration. Mix the remainder with the raspberries and then share them between the serving dishes

For the topping, beat the mascarpone cheese with a wooden spoon until softened then mix in the Rubicon watermelon juice drink, stirring until smooth. Spoon onto the trifles and chill until required. Serve, decorated with the reserved fruit and mint leaves

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: mins

Juicy lamb cutlets taste fantastic with this mouth-watering salsa – which also tastes great as a topping for burgers.

Ingredients

150ml/1/4 pint Rubicon watermelon juice drink
2 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tbsp chopped fresh mint
8 lean lamb cutlets
800g (1lb 12oz) baby new potatoes, scrubbed
Salsa:
2 tbsp Rubicon watermelon juice drink
200g/7oz watermelon, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped
½ cucumber, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Pinch of salt, pepper and sugar

Method

For the marinade, put the 150ml /1/4pint of Rubicon watermelon juice drink and olive oil in a shallow dish (not a metal one). Thinly slice half the red onion (reserve the rest for the salsa) and add it to the marinade with the garlic, coriander and mint

Add the lamb cutlets to the marinade, turning them to coat. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes, turning occasionally

When ready to eat, put the potatoes on to cook in plenty of lightly salted boiling water

Preheat the grill. Grill the lamb cutlets for 4-5 minutes per side, or according to preference

Meanwhile, make the salsa by mixing together the Rubicon watermelon juice drink with the remaining red onion (finely chopped), watermelon, cucumber and mint. Season with a pinch of salt, pepper and sugar. Serve with the lamb cutlets and potatoes

Serves: 4
Preparation time: Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus 30 minutes to marinate mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

This colourful, healthy salad is incredibly refreshing. It’s perfect for a light lunch or supper, or you can even try serving it as a starter for a special meal.

Ingredients

6 tbsp Rubicon watermelon juice drink
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp finely chopped fresh red chilli (optional)
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
200g/7oz watermelon, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
2 pink grapefruit
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled and sliced
200g/7oz cooked peeled prawns, thawed if frozen
145g bag rocket, watercress and spinach salad

Method

First make the dressing by whisking together the Rubicon watermelon juice drink with the mustard, olive oil, chilli (if using) and chives. Season with salt and pepper

Put the chunks of watermelon into a bowl. Using a sharp, serrated knife, peel the grapefruit, removing all the peel and pith. Slice into segments, removing all of the membrane. Do this over the bowl to catch all the juice. Add the avocado and prawns and mix together gently

Share the salad leaves between 4 serving plates and top with the prawn mixture. Spoon the dressing over and serve immediately

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: mins

Test your taste buds with Summer’s Spiciest Burger

Ingredients

1 small onion finely chopped
1 hot red chilli finely chopped
500g lean minced beef
½ teaspoon chilli powder
½ teaspoon paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
1 egg beaten
1 tablespoon oil
4 thick slices Extra Hot Mexicana cheese
4 sesame buns split
1 tablespoon hot chilli sauce
Shredded iceberg lettuce

Method

1. Place the beef, chopped onion, chilli and seasoning into a bowl and mix together well. Add egg and mix to bind ingredients together.

2. Divide the mixture into four even portions. Lightly wet your hands and carefully roll the mixture into balls. Gently pat each ball down to flatten into patties about 3cm thick. Put on a plate, cover with cling film and chill until firm.

3. Lightly brush 1 side of each burger with oil. Place the burgers, oil-side down, on a hot barbecue. Cook for 5 mins until the meat is lightly charred. Avoid turning them too often or they may stick. Carefully brush top side with oil then turn over using tongs.

4.Cook for a further 5 mins more for medium. If you like your burgers pink in the middle cook for 1 min less each side and for well done cook for 1 min more. (cooking times may vary according to heat of barbeque)

5. Place thick slice of Extra Hot Mexicana cheese on each burger I minute before end of cooking time, once melted remove and place burger to one side

Serves: 4
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins