Cinnamon Rock Cakes

These little beauties have been a favourite of mine since I was little. Me and my mum used to get sticky fingers baking these on warm Saturday afternoons in the summer holidays...

To make eight you will need:

• 8oz self-raising flour
• 4oz demerara sugar plus some for sprinkling
  
• 4oz margarine
• 4oz dried mixed fruit (currants, sultanas, peel etc.)
• 1 egg
• a splash of milk
• 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon (if, like me, you are cinnamons biggest fan, then add a whole tsp instead of half.)
  

Preheat the oven to 175C.

Sieve the flour into a large mixing bowl and then add the ground mixed spice and the cinnamon. Mix through well.

Next, add the margarine and mix to resemble fine breadcrumbs with your fingers. Add the sugar and then mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.

Pour a beaten egg into the mixture until it comes together to a sticky, dough ball. You made need a little milk at this point but add it a splash at a time.

Place the mixture in generous lumps on a baking tray and then sprinkle with sugar. Don't smooth them out too much at this stage as they look much better when cooked, if they remain lumpy.

Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Then Enjoy! They are perfect with cups of tea and coffee and delicious with clotted cream when still warm from the oven!!

Mozzarella Lasagne and Creamy Potato Dauphinoise

A perfect hearty meal for winter warming. Serve both with crusty garlic bread and a green salad :)

To make the Mozzarella Lasagne (which serves 4 generously) you will need:

• A 300g bag of vegetarian mince
• One red pepper, deseeded and chopped
• One yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped
• One onion, chopped
  
• Two garlic cloves, sliced
  
• 150g mushrooms, sliced
  
• Two x 250g balls of mozzarella, torn
  
• 6-8 pasta Lasagne sheets
• 700g tomato Passata
• 1tsp dried Oregano
• 1tsp dried Basil
• 2oz plain flour
• 2oz butter or margarine
• Semi Skimmed milk (added a splash at a time)
  
• A sprinkle of grated vegetarian Cheddar or Parmesan

Add the chopped onion to about 1tbsp olive oil and fry until soft.
Add the peppers, garlic and mushrooms and fry till all the vegetables are soft. Then, add the vegetarian mince. Cook through until defrosted, adding a splash of water.
Pour in the passata and herbs, season well and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.


Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180C, fan 160C.


To make the Bechamel Sauce...
Melt the butter into a pan over a low heat and then add the flour. Stir until it comes together into a stiff ball. Keep stirring the mixture over a low heat whilst adding a splash at a time of milk until it forms a thick, but still runny, sauce.


Splash the base of a lasagne dish with olive oil and then add a third of the tomatoey, mince mixture. Layer a third of the lasagne sheets over the tomato mix and then add a third of the bechamel (white) sauce. On top of this tear one of the mozzarella balls up and layer. Add a sprinkling of another cheese at this point if you like.


Repeat these layers twice until you reach the top layer, onto which you should pour the remaining bechamel sauce and add the rest of the mozzarella. Grate over Cheddar and Parmesan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is browned and bubbling.



To make the Creamy Potato Dauphinoiuse (which again serves 4 and is a favourite of mine!) you will need:

• A good handful of raw potatoes, sliced thinly
• Salt and Pepper to season
• 2oz vegetarian cheddar
• 6tbsp double cream

Slice some raw potatoes thinly and layer them into a dish with salt and pepper between the layers. Then, cover with clingfilm. Poke a little hole in the clingfilm and put it in the microwave on high for 9-10 minutes.

To check if the potatoes are done, poke them with a little knife. If they're not, do it for 4-5minutes extra.

When they are cooked, pour on 6tbsp double cream. Grate the cheddar on top and place under a pre-heated grill until the cheese is browned and bubbling.