Peach Upside down cake

I decided to do some experimenting with this cake....it is the first time I ever tried an upside down cake and it went down a treat :) I was a bit weary as I have never done it, but it was so simple that it couldn't fail

150 g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100 g caster sugar

100g margarine

vanilla essence

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt

Large tin of peaches in syrup

Honey

• Cream the margarine and sugar together

• Beat the eggs and pour them in gradually to the creamed mixture

• Sieve in the flour and baking powder

• Add in the Greek yogurt and vanilla essence

• Heat the peach syrup in a saucepan on a medium for about 10-13 minutes to make a thick syrup

• Pour this syrup into a greased cake tin

• Add in some honey to the syrup

• I added the remaining syrup to the cake mixture to give it some extra flavour

• Line the peach pieces over the syrup in the cake tin and then pour in the cake mixture

• The cake will take longer to cook because of all of the extra liquid, so it needs more time to absorb all the yummy juices.

• Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 25 minutes and then reduce it to 160 degrees in a fan assistd oven 

• Let it cool down on wire rack

• Serve with some peach syrup and greek yogurt mixed with vanilla essence.

• Perfect end to a rather indulgent day! 

• Enjoy!!

 

Macaroni and Cheese

I've never even tried making this before or even thought about it and last night I just got the idea in my head that I wanted MAC AND CHEESE!!! one bad thing is I forgot to take a photo before we gobbled it up for dinner, but there's none left so you can be guaranteed it was goooood!!!

Anyway, I figured all we need is a nice cheese sauce and seeing as I couldn't find any macaroni pasta, I just used pasta shells. It worked out pretty much the same, Simon said it tasted like mac and cheese so I'm happy!!! I used cheddar for this but I'd say it would be tasty with what ever type you prefer

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons flour, sieved

2 Cups of bread crumbs

2 Cups of Milk

2 Cups Cheese - 

Salt, pepper, Garlic salt, Sage, Parsley

400g Pasta, preferably macaroni, but pasta will do :)

• Preheat the oven to 180 degrees

• Boil the pasta in hot water

• Melt the butter and add in the sieved flour, stir with a wooden spoon, stir until all lumps have been removed,

• Pour in the 2 cups of milk and allow to thicken over a medium heat.

• Add in some bread crumbs, herbs and the cheese, allow to melt

• Drain the pasta and add in the cheese sauce

• Add the whole mixture to an oven dise cover with some pepper and more breadcrumbs and bake in the oven at 18 degrees for 30 minutes

• Perfect for a hungry tummy :)

Wholemeal Brown Bread

After watching the Ireland vs. Wales 6 Nations GRAND SLAM, I was feeling rather full of Irishness and thought I'd indulge myself in a nice loaf of wholemeal brown bread. It's probably one of the simplest recipes to use and it makes bread making really enjoyable.

Again, like the other breads I've made I use a pint glass to measure the flour. Make sure the buttermilk is at room temperature

1 pint wholemeal self raising flour

1 pint plain flour

1 teaspoon bread soda

Olive oil

Buttermilk

• Heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius, fan assisted

• Sieve the 2 pints of flour into a mixing bowl, add in the teaspoon of bread soda through the sieve as well.

• Add in a tablespoon of olive oil and then add in the buttermilk. Pour in enough buttermilk to make a nice sticky mixture with the flour. 

• Pour into a greased bread tin and bake in the oven for apprx 40 minutes, depending on the oven you are using. 

Roasted Butter Nut Squash Seeds

I've been cooking with Butter nut squash for a few years now and only this evening did I realise I can eat the seeds. A long time ago, I read that they were too bitter and not really the nicest thing to eat. But, they are magic!!!

Scoop out the seeds from the butter nut squash soup and put them in a drainer. 

• Run hot water over them to remove the stringy stuff.

• Cover them in some salt and also, cover the tray you are using for them

• Pop them in the oven and after a few minutes of popping sounds, remove them from the oven.

• They should be a little swollen and toasty.

• Great for snacking on when you are making some butternut squash soup or curry.
  

Spinach and Chorizo lentil stew

Lentils are amazing। Simple as!!! They go with anything and are so cheap yet so filling!!
dI really need to get a new camera with a special food option, my camera can never make my food look sexy....but it is :)
Anyways, I spent nearly all of my year in Italy munching on lentils, a friend of mine on Erasmus introduced me a recipe that her Chilean mum always cooked at home, I made a few variations to it and came up with this.....

1 large cup red lentils
Handful spinach leaves
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
2 Chorizo sausage
Tin of chopped tomatoes
Oregano, Basil, Salt, Pepper
Stock cube

• Boil the cup of lentils in two cups of water and stock

• Cut chorizo into small pieces and fry in a little oil, add the chopped onions and garlic. When the onions are cooked and have absorbed the juices from the chorizo, add the tin of tomatoes. Add in all the herbs.

• Simmer for a few minutes and then add to the lentils, which should have absorbed all the water by now. Add a handful of spinach leaves towards the end.
• 
  
• Allow it to simmer gently for 10-15 minutes.

• The flavours are quite strong so don't over do it on the portions.

• Garnish with some Parmigiano Reggiano.
  

La Pizza Verace.....

The first time I ever tried this pizza was on a trip to Naples at the end of my year long stint in Italy last year, it was the ultimate location to finish an absolutely amazing adventure!!
Almost every evening, after trekking all around Vesuvius, Pompeii and La Costiera Amalfitana, we would visit the second oldest pizzeria in Naples, the pizza comes only in one size.....60 cm...i think, could have been inches, but I'm terrible with measurements :p anyway I took the idea and mixed a simple pizza base recipe and topped it off with some juicy ingredients.

The mozzarella di bufala is quite watery and stringy and adds a lot of moisture to the base, it's taste and aroma is also quite distinct from normal mozzarella, it's the traditional cheese from the region of campania in Southern Italy, an amazing place to visit if you are ever in doubt of where to go in Italy....I could talk for hours about it, it's truly spectacular!!



The traditional recipe uses buffalo mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and basil leaves,
This recipe is enough for one pizza but whilst it's cooking you can be making another one ;) it's perfect for a night in with a few friends....
so all you will need is:

4-5 cherry tomatoes, halved
Buffalo Mozzarella
Mozzarella
Basil Leaves
Red Onion
Oregano


200 g Self raising flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
125 ml milk/water
50 g Margarine


Heat the oven to 200 degrees

• Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl

• Rub the margarine in with your fingers

• Add the liquid to turn in to a stiff dough

• Roll the dough out on a floured surface

• Grease a pizza tin and stretch out to the sides

• Top with halved cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and buffalo mozzarella, red onions and basil leaves, coat with some oregano, salt and garlic salt.
  

and simply bang in the oven for 20 minutes(fan assisted oven)

As it was my first time ever making pizza, I wasn't too sure about how much flavour and ingredients I would need, making it again, I would definitely add more cheese and herbs and salt....guaranteed perfection :)

Falafel

About 6 years ago, my eldest sister came home with a packet of falafel for me....I hoovered it up and I've been addicted to it ever since. I gave up meat for 3 years and found that falafel was a great alternative, it's really tasty, easy to make and very substantial and full of protein!!!
The recipe I've used here is for one person, well a very hungry person, it makes about 4 falafel patties and they're very easily eaten by one mouth!!!
If you want, you can just double the portions to make it for 2 or 3 people

225 g can chick peas
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon parsley
1 clove garlic
1/2 onion
pepper

To serve:
Pitta bread
Hummus
Salsa
Lettuce
Red Onion

• Heat a pan with oil, about 1-2 inches
  
  Mash up the chick peas to create a nice texture and then blend up the rest of the ingredients I uuse a soup blender, works a charm and a fork but if you have a food processor, it makes it so much easier!!

• Form the mixture into either patties or round shaped balls, I prefer patties :) they fit nicer in to a pitta. Cover the falafel in some flour and/wheat bran.

• Fry in lots of oil until brown on either side and serve in a warm pitta bread, smoothered in hummus and a little salsa and lemon juice for that extra kick and some lettuce.
  

Easy Peasy!!

Frosted Lemon Cake

Melt in your mouth cakey goodness!!! I used the basic Madeira mixture for this one too, it's so easy to make, it's unbelievable. After a week in Sligo, I'm totally hooked on baking!!!

ALl you need is:

150 g Self Raising Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
100 g Caster Sugar
100 g Margarine
2 free range eggs
Zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
Teaspoon natural vanilla essence
Icing
115 g Icing Sugar
Juice of half a lemon

• Grease a cake tin

• Cream the margarine and sugar together

• Gradually add in the two beaten eggs, stirring after each addition

• (if curding occurs, add in a little flour)

• Stir in the zest of one lemon

• Sieve in the flour and baking powder

• Add in the juice of one lemon

• Fold the mixture into itself, ensure it is evenly mixed through

• At the end, I added a little extra sugar, about 2 teaspoons, just to make sure it didn't go bitter with all the lemon!!

• Pour into greased cake tin....I used cooking spray to grease the tin and also it's not really a tin, it's the rubber baking "tin" thingy from Dunnes, I love it!!!

• Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 35 minutes 

• To make the icing

• sift the icing sugar and add in the juice of half a lemon, slowly add in the juice until you get a nice thicky yet drizzly consistency

• Garnish with some lemon zest 

• Sit back, relax and enjoy it with a cup of green tea :)
  

Quesadillas!!!!

MMMMM.....just the thought of cheesesy fried tortillas get your taste buds going!!! I love this recipe and stumbled across it a few years ago when I spent some time in the South of Spain in Jerez, a beautiful city riddled with architecture inspired by the muslim invasions....anyways enough of my daydreaming!!! here is the yummy recipe I rustled up earlier

tortillas
Cheddar
olive oil 

black pepper

choice of fillings:
red onions
peppers
avocados
chicken
salsa

or really anything that tickles your fancy!!

 

·         Heat the pan and cover evenly with oi

·         Add a tortilla and flip every 10 seconds

·         When air pockets form, add the grated cheddar and some black pepper and salsa

·         Add your filling of choice and then slowly fold over the tortilla to form a moon shape

·         Flip a few more times to ensure cheese has melted and all the fillings have cooked a little bit

¡que aproveche!

great with a few spicy wedges or some tossed salad ;)

Banana and Walnut Wholemeal Brown Bread

This was just an experiment.....it was definitely not as good as yesterdays cake extraordinaire!!! but after letting it settle for a couple of hours, it was quite impressive. I wanted to combine the really great nutritive value and goodness of wholemeal bread with the beneficial oils from walnuts(good for your brain) and the yumminess of bananas...and this is what happened:
again, with the measurements, I used a pint glass to measure the flours, both rye and wholemeal and as well, I just added the buttermilk until the right consistency appeared.



1 pint of wholemeal flour
1 pint of rye flour
teaspoon of bread soda
5-6 bananas
handful of walnuts
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
olive oil

 

·         Follow directions 1-4 of Wholemeal bread with treacle

·         Mash the bananas and then add the walnuts

      Add this mixture to the flour 

      ·         Add two tablespoons of Greek yogurt to the buttermilk and then slowly add the                              buttermilk, a little at a time, stirring it in after each addition

• When it reaches the right consistency, a little sticky, it's ready to put into the oiled bread tins.

• Bake in the oven for 40 minutes at 200 degrees

Wholemeal Bread with treacle

Mum showed me how to make this morning, it's really yummy and so easy to make. I've always been afraid of bread making, although, after trying it, it's probably the easiest thing to master!
as long as I've been watching mum and my relations cook, it's always been a spoonful of this and a handful of that. so, writing down measurements for this was not easy but she gave me a good pointer: if you fill a pint glass with wholemeal flour and another with rye flour or white flour depending on how rich you want the bread.
make sure butter milk is at room temperature, best thing is to leave it out over night.

Pint full of Wholemeal Course flour
Pint full of rye flour
2 tablespooons treacle
Butter milk
olive oil


Heat oven at 200 degrees and oil two bread tins

Sieve the two pints of flour into a mixing bowl.

Add a teaspoon of bread soda to the mixing bowl.

Add two tablespoons of treacle to the butter milk, allow it to reach room temperature to ensure the treacle has melted throughout the milk

Very slowly add the buttermilk to the flour mixture a little at a time, after each addition, mix with a wooden spoon

When the mixture becomes sticky, not runny or dry, it is ready to add to the bread tins.

Smooth out the mixture in the tins with a spoon dipped in cold water



Bake in a well heated oven at 200 degrees for 40 minutes,




*DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN* the bread will sink.

Banana and Greek Yogurt Sweet Bread

Ever since I can remember my mum has been making banana bread for us, we would always gobble up a few slices of it after school and the smell of it still drives my taste buds a bit loopy!! I'm home in lovely Sligo for a couple of days and last night myself and mum put our thinking caps on and after several ideas I decided this recipe was my favourite, I basically just looked at what we had in teh fridge and out a few things together. I've used a basic Madeira cake recipe for guaranteed sweetness.



100g Castor Sugar
150g Self Raising Flour
2 eggs
100g margarine
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 very ripe bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 dessert spoons of Greek yogurt
handful of sliced almonds


preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius(fan assisted) and grease a cake tin

cream the margarine and sugar until smooth

add in the egg a little at a time, stir after each addition to avoid curdling, add a little flour if curdling happens

sieve in flour and baking powder

mix it all together until smooth, no lumps!

squash the 2 bananas with a fork and add into the mixing bowl, add 2 dessert spoons of grrek yogurt and some sliced almonds

mix it all up together and add to the greased cake tin

place in centre of the oven at 180 degrees for 40-45 minutes

avoid opening the oven as it will prevent the cake from rising

put the kettle on and enjoy!!

Cheesy Omelette/Tortilla

I was away at the weekend at the Irish Windsurfing Inter varsities in Achill, unfortunately we(UCD) didn't win anything bar the best fancy dress....Phil in a French Maids outfit, our off the water activities were definitely memorable!! on Sunday, after all the random locals had gobbled all of the food in our house, I rustled up a rather naughty cheesy omelette!!
It was a great cure for my 'last day of the inter varsities blues' :(

I've used mozzarella and cheddar with this before, but really it depends on whatever tickles your fancy!! use just enough to avoid over powering all the flavours with the cheese but yet give it that extra kick!!

All you need (for one person) is:

2 free range/organic eggs
1/2 medium onion, diced
6 baby potatoes, sliced
teaspoon of butter
pepper
garlic salt
parsly flakes
the cheese of your choice

Heat the butter in a frying pan whilst chopping the potatoes in to slices.

Add potatoes to the pan and fry until golden brown

Add the diced onion and all the herbs

Whisk up the two eggs in a small bowl and add a dash of water to thicken it up a bit, chop up pieces of cheddar and add this and some pepper to the egg.

Make sure the potato and onion mixture is spread out evenly through the pan and then add the egg&cheese mixture to the pan. Throw on some more cracked pepper :)

Let this fry for a few minutes and then place under a heated grill,leaving the handle sticking out. The cheese will absorb the pepper and will melt and be DELICIOUS!!!

perfect for a lazy Sunday :)

Spicy Roast Baby Potatoes

Nobody can resist a good spud....so I thought I'd throw a few spices and herbs together to create either a snack during the day or an accompaniment for a main meal, they're absolutely gorgeous and go really well with either salsa or mayonnaise...or both!!!
I find Dunnes Stores Exquisa new potatoes are nice for this recipe!



1 bag of new potatoes potatoes,
Rosemary
Cumin
Coriander
Cracked Black Pepper
Garlic/Salt
Parsley flakes
Lemon/Juice


Heat a roasting tray in the oven with some Olive oil

Parboil the potatoes

Mix together all of the herbs, keep the lemon juice and basil leaf for garnish

Add a layer of herbs to the bottom of the roasting tray, then add the potatoes to the tray and cover the potatoes with the rest of the spice mixture

Place in the centre of the oven, fan assisted for about 15 minutes.

Place in a bowl adn garnish with a drop of lemon juice and basil.

Ginger and Lemon Prawn salad

I love this recipe because it's so easy and takes no time to make, it's great in the evenings after yoga as it is so light yet so full of flavour. Your taste buds won't stop tingling!! I used to refuse eating prawns until my sister, Denise convinced me that I had to try them.



100g Prawns
1/4 head of Iceberg/Cos lettuce
2 scallions
Cucumber
Cracked Black Pepper
Half a carrot, grated
Juice of half a lemon
Ginger(peeled and diced)
1/2 teaspoon Olive Oil

Add the oil to a frying pan and heat.

Add in the prawns, ginger, cracked black pepper and lemon juice, make sure there is a lot of juice.

Simmer this mixture until the prawns have absorbed all of the juices.

Chop up some lettuce, cucumber, scallions, grated carrot and add into a salad bowl

When the prawns are ready, add them to the salad and mix up together.

Enjoy!!!

The aftermath of Pancake Tuesday

Pancake Tueday was a lot of fun, I ended up cooking till around half 11, there were a lot of hungry bellies to feed!!! it was one of our friends birthdays at the weekend, but as we were in Belmullet windsurfing and nowhere near civilisation we never gave hima card or a cake......so I made them for him on Pancake Tuesday night!


The following night I made a roast for my housemates, it was a very last minute thing, but I put a few things together and the chicken was the yummiest part....

1 medium chicken
6/7 Basil leaves
Rosemary
Brown sugar
pepper and chili flakes

Cover the top of the chicken with olive oil and then gently opened the space between the breast and the skin on top

cut half a lemon into two more halves then put them just under the skin

put the basil leaves in with the lemon as well

cover the top of the chicken with pepper, rosemary, chili flakes and of course, my favourite, lots of rosemary!!

Cook in the oven at 180 degrees for approx two hours, serve with some baby potatoes, brocolli and snow peas et voile!!

yum yum

Pankcake Tuesday :)

I'm very excited about Pancake Tuesday, I've been thinking of some super saucy fillings for the past month amd it's caused me quite a few sleepless nights!! I'm having a pancake party and have to feed about 20 mouths, so....
There will obviously be the usual lemon and sugar, well you can never go wrong with that combination,
I was thinking of mixing it up a bit with some 1)Blueberries and sugar.
2)Nutella/chocolate sauce and Chopped almonds(or the nut of your choice)
3) Strawberries and Cream
4) Maple Syrup and Bacon
5) Chocolate chips - white, plain and milk
6) Stewed apple with brown sugar, cinammon and raisins

So i reckon with all of those filling I can't go wrong with the pancake hungry mob,

The recipe I'm using is a Delia Smith one

You will need:

110g Plain flour
2 eggs
2 tabelspoons of melted butter
pinch of salt
75ml water
200ml Milk

I think the good old traditional pancake recipe is the key and none of this pancake in a bottle malarkey, the whole fun of the day is experimenting and getting very messy!!!

1)Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl


2)Make a well in the centre and add in the eggs, whisking to blend in the eggs and incorporate air.

lumps should disappear when you begin to add in the liquid so don't panic!!
3)Add in the milk and water until it forms a light batter
4)Try to use a non stick pan as this makes the process a whole lot easier. I got mine in Dunnes :)
5)add a knob of butter to a heated pan
6)add the melted butter to your batter
7)stir through until it is smooth and ready to ladle into the pan
8)Ladle you rmisture into the pan and make sure it spreads evenly around the pan
9)Cook for about a minute on either side on a reduced heat

10)Happy Flipping!!

Photos will be up after tonights festivities!!

Butternut Squash Soup

This is the yummie recipe for the Butternut Squash soup, add in as much pepper and niutmeg as you like, I like loads, it's sweet yet savoury and full of so many good nutrients, vitamin A in the form of Beta Carotene which is great for your eyes and also an anti oxidant which helps to remove free radicals, preventing cancer and keeping us healthy!! it also contains potassium to keep your heart ticking nicely and it's really low in calories but full of flavour!!

Butternut Squash Soup
A real winter warmer and perfect after a long day!

1 large butternut squash1 large onion
1 large potato
Nutmeg
Pepper kernels
Vegetable stock
Tbspn olive oil

Peel butternut squash, deseed, peel and cube

Leave skin on potato, it preserves its dietary fibre, however wash thoroughly, chop and leave aside

Dice onion.

Heat olive oil and sweat the onion, don’t brown it.
Add in the chop potatoes and plenty of nutmeg and pepper kernels.

Boil some water and add in so as not t

o let the mix stick to the pan.

Simmer very gently.

Add in the cubed butternut squash and the vegetable stock and hot water.

Simmer the mixture gently for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes and squash are soft enough to blend.
Add more ground pepper and nutmeg to taste

Serve piping hot with some crusty brown soda bread.

Award Winning Soup!!!

The Healthy Eating competition was a lot of fun!! there was 9 contestants altogether, some of the recipes there were absolutely beautiful, my favourite was a Sweet potato curry with lentils and Quinoa, it won first place, obviously, mouth watering!!!

I won second place in The Starter category, very chuffed with the squash, although, I wasn't too pleased with the preparation, by the time we got there all the starters had been made and they just micro waved them in plastic jugs, I was not very impressed as I had been told they would prepare them fresh. But aside from that, the day was a lot of fun, there was pesto meatballs, lentil and chorizo stew, which Antonio is preparing above, Paella and a lot of gorgeous flavours, the cooks from The Cooks Academy were really friendly as well, I'm going to stick up a few photos of the afternoon, I was a tad worse for wear but very excited!!


Later on then, I showed Simon, my sister's boyfriend how to make some yummie vegetable soup. Simon's Soup, it was delicious for his first attempt, but a lot of pepper went in there!!















it was scrummy though, they bought all of their veggies on Sunday afternoon at The Farmer's Market in Dun Laoghaire, they were were so fresh and colourful, for the soup we used:

1 onion
3 cloves Garlic
6 Florets Brocolli
6 medium/small Carrots
1 Courgette
1 Leak
stock
pepper kernels
chili flakes

• Dice and simmer Onion, leave cloves of garlice whole, then add garlic with stock and pepper kernels and as much chili flakes as you want.
• Wash and chop up all the other veggies and add them in as you go, adding more water and another stock cube.
• Let all the ingredients simmer for 15 minutes and then blend up.
• The easiest thing to make and so very delicious,

We ate it with Red relish cheddar cheese melted on Wholemeal bread, it was a meal fit for a king!!

UCD Healthy Eating Competition

About two years ago, I arrived home with a butternut squash in hand and an idea for a new yummie soup. My family sat around and watched me prepare it with very cautious yet intrigued eyes, soup has always been the one thing we constanly demanded from mum, so I wanted to give her a break and use this simple recipe to turn this odd looking vegetable into quite a delicious treat. Mum can whip up a tank of delicious soup in no time and it has never failed.

So, this is my signature soup, I love sharing it with people and when I got an e-mail about the UCD Healthy Eating Competition, I got really excited and knew that I had to share this soup with everyone, it's perfect for students as it's so cheap and it's full of nutrients, good for the soul.

I entered my recipe into the competition with literally minutes to spare for the deadline, it was very exciting! and that was just over two weeks ago and on Monday I couldn't remember what day we would be notified if our recipes has been chosen or not, so I re-checked the application form and saw that it was Monday, I got no word on Monday and had to hide my disappointment, but I knew somewhere out there someone wanted the butternut squash....so on Tuesday evening when I was lounging around, I got an e-mail telling me that my the butternut sqaush soup recipe had been shortlisted to be a finalist at the Healthy Eating Competition on Monday 16th, I raised the roof with excitement and slightly scared my housemates, I told my sisters and my folks straight away, they have developed a close relationship with the butternut squash, or sugar nut plum as dad likes to call it!!

So, Monday the Cooks Academy will prepare my dish along with the other finalists, I can't wait to see what everyone has in store, it will be held in The Atrium of The Student Centre on Monday 16th @ 12:30 in the afternoon, fingers crossed the butternut squash tingles a few taste buds!!

I'll be posting the recipe shortly, as soon as I find out how me and the squash get on on Monday!!

The Epic First Post

Ever since I can remember I've had an interest in the way food comes together to create a masterpiece in your mouth. I grew up eating the most delicious meals, my mum always baked beautiful breads and cakes and whenever we got in from school, there was always a hearty bowl of steaming homemade soup waiting for us to gobble up. Food has always been a big part of our family, whenever we visited my grannies and great aunts, the smells of freshly baked brown soda bread would go straight to our hungry tummies.

I can't resist the temptations of creating new dishes and the one thing I love is seeing people enjoying good food and putting a smile on someone's face. I always get given out to because I'm so bossy in the kitchen and everyone wants to help but the only help I want is to see clean plates after a big feed.

My sister was the one who convinced me to set up Spuds and Cheddar and from the name you can guess what my two favourite foods are!! She is the guinea pig to many of my dishes and god bless her she's tried many a concoction!


When I was in secondary school, I studied Home Economics and my love of food only grew ever more, I had amazing teachers who taught me the secrets to a deliciously naughtie chocolate cake and how to woo anybody with a saucy number.

I love the aromas food brings to us and the hunger it creates within us. Coming home after a long day and whizzing up something homemade and full of fresh herbs and spices makes the end of my day so much brighter, I always go to bed a happy camper with a happy tummy!!

And knowing only too well how we all like to indulge, I do it all the time :) I thought that I would share the recipes that I've come across and added my own little touches to over the past few years, every attempt is made to make theses dishes as healthy but as scrumptious as they can be. There's something for everybody, from the dedicated veggie to the meaty maestro, so tuck in and enjoy every last bite!!!