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Crisp Gingerbread Biscuits

This recipe makes perfectly crisp gingerbread biscuits which snap and crumble in the mouth. The smell of these biscuits baking in the oven will instantly transport you to Christmas heaven!

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Chocolate Tiramisu

A perfect make-ahead dessert just like Italian mamma used to make... Creamy layers wrapped together with coffee soaked ladyfinger biscuits and dark and white shavings of chocolate - it can't be beat!

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Florentines

Florentines are rich and decadent and very simple to make at home. They make a perfect edible gift for Christmas.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Brioche French Toast with Berries and Nutella

This is definitely not an everyday breakfast, but for special occasions it makes a wonderful celebration breakfast, perfect for Christmas morning.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

These make wonderfully chewy and crumbly cookies which are easily adaptable - just use whatever ingredients you might have in the store cupboard. Feel free to swap out the chocolate and raisins with other dried fruit, nuts or seeds.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Mulled Apple Juice (Spice Mixture)

Try adding a good splash of dark rum or replacing the apple juice with cider for a mulled cider.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Harissa fish with carrot and mint salad

Proper healthy fast food for me must be packed with flavour and texture. Some rather healthy ingredients can easily be pumped up with the addition of heat and spice. Harissa is a North African spicy paste that can be made at home easily enough, but for a speedy supper, a jar from the local shops does nicely. The salad is incredibly simple to prepare, just grate the carrot and mix the dressing.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Toulouse sausage puy lentil stew

If you thought there was no way you could turn the humble sausage into a sophisticated dish, well frankly, you thought wrong. This sausage and lentil stew is elegant enough to serve at a dinner party, but is still warm and comforting enough to snaffle from a bowl in front of the TV. Do try to get your hands on some good-quality sausages for this dish and make sure to use Puy lentils as they hold their shape far better than other varieties.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Banoffee Cake

Banoffee pie has to be one of my desert island desserts and while I still love the pie version, this cake certainly gives it a run for its money with its moist banana sponge layered with a sweet caramel frosting.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Mexican Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are a Californian classic, taking inspiration from wonderful Mexican heat and spice. They make a truly different feast to serve for friends. If you don't want to fire up the barbecue, the fish can easily be cooked on a griddle pan.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Orange Polenta Cake with Honey and Rosewater Syrup

This fragrant and moist cake is not only visually beautiful, it also has the most delicious spiced sweet orange and honey flavour. The cake can be made gluten-free as long as you use a gluten-free baking powder.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Creme Brulee Doughnuts

Delicious doughnuts inspired by Donal Skehan's trips to New York City

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Chorizo, Chicken Bean Stew

Chorizo adds a wonderful warmth and subtle heat to this great chicken stew. I use plum tomatoes here as they have a much better flavour than chopped tomatoes.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Chilli and Tomato Crab Pasta

I love taking one ingredient and really making it the star of the dish. In this recipe, crab hits the big time! Paired with the heat of chilli and the freshness of lemon juice and zest, it makes a pretty incredible pasta dish. You can buy crab meat quite easily nowadays and for a speedy supper it does save you the hassle of buying a crab, cooking it and then tearing out its insides. Hey, I'm all for shortcuts if you can take them!

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Rich Tomato Shellfish Soup

This soup makes a lovely spicy shellfish broth that is perfect for a cold winter's day. You can also add white fish cut into chunks to this soup at the same time as the mussels.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Irish Camp Coffee Cake

This recipe makes a moist coffee swirl cake, cooked in a Bundt tin. If you don't have one, you can easily make it in a springform tin, buttered and the base lined with baking parchment.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Margarita Chicken with Smoky Avocado Corn Salsa

This recipe is all about big, bold flavours and is one of my absolute favourite summer dishes.

Food • 11 Oct 17

Mikado Coconut Cream Cake

When I was growing up, if Mikado biscuits were in the house, they didn't last long. This cake is a small homage to them with a light sponge layered with jam, covered with a sweet marshmallow frosting and decorated with desiccated coconut.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Bun Cha: Barbecued Pork Skewers with Herbs and Ric

Vietnam is all about incredible street food and when I visited the country, this was one of my favourite dishes to eat on a plastic stool at a roadside pop-up vendor. It's a feast of smoky pork skewers, wrapped in lettuce leaves with fresh herbs and dipped in a salty sweet sauce. Barbecue the pork to get the essential smoky element of South East Asian cooking, but a griddle pan will also work. The classic version uses pork belly to form little pork patties, but this is a quicker variation.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Spicy Seafood Paella

What I love most about this recipe is that a big steaming pan of food is served straight to the table and people just dig in. It also makes a great leftover lunchbox - if you're lucky enough to have any left.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon meringue pie is just one of those classic show-stopping desserts that is almost always guaranteed to be met with a chorus of 'oooohs' and 'aaaaahs'.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Lime and Coconut Chicken

There is something altogether soothing about this recipe. The usual heat you'd expect from an Asian-inspired recipe bows out to make way for the more aromatic and fragrant coriander, lime zest and lemongrass, which is wrapped together by a creamy coconut broth. You could replace the chicken with prawns or sturdy vegetables like sweet potato.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Kedgeree

This wonderful spiced rice and egg dish from colonial India makes for a rather different breakfast. Keep an eye out for undyed smoked haddock - many fishmongers and supermarkets now stock it and the flavour is far superior.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Blue Cheese Beef Sliders

If you haven't heard of sliders before, they are an American invention and are basically mini burgers. They are perfect for party nibbles and this particular recipe has sweet caramelised onion and salty blue cheese served alongside.

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Salted Peanut Caramel Mud Pie

If you like your sweet treats gooey and chocolatey, then this is the bake for you. A rich chocolate pudding, oozing with a layer of salted caramel and a crunchy topping of peanut brittle – what more could you ask for?

Recipes • 19 Nov 15

Kitchen Hero: Homecooked

Crisp Gingerbread Biscuits

Chocolate Tiramisu

Florentines

Brioche French Toast with Berries and Nutella

Cranberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Mulled Apple Juice (Spice Mixture)

Harissa fish with carrot and mint salad

Toulouse sausage puy lentil stew

Banoffee Cake

Mexican Fish Tacos

Orange Polenta Cake with Honey and Rosewater Syrup

Creme Brulee Doughnuts

Chorizo, Chicken Bean Stew

Chilli and Tomato Crab Pasta

Rich Tomato Shellfish Soup

Irish Camp Coffee Cake

Margarita Chicken with Smoky Avocado Corn Salsa

Mikado Coconut Cream Cake

Bun Cha: Barbecued Pork Skewers with Herbs and Ric

Spicy Seafood Paella

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lime and Coconut Chicken

Kedgeree

Blue Cheese Beef Sliders

Salted Peanut Caramel Mud Pie