Lockdown Recipes

As we’re all spending more time in our kitchens at the moment we thought we’d share some recipes with you. Here are our designer’s favourite recipes. Please send us your go-to recipes so we can share them on here and on our social media accounts. We’ve fantastic prizes for the best and most used recipes you send in!

Lucy Bannister’s Macaroni Cheese with Bacon

Ingredients

Topping – Crushed cheese and onion crisps and cheese.

• Butter – 1 tbsp
• Dijon Mustard – 1 tsp
• Plain flour – 1 tbsp
• Whole milk – 250ml
• Extra mature cheddar – 100g, grated
• Macaroni – 175g
• Streaky bacon – 4 slices, grilled until crisp

Method

Step 1 – Preheat the oven to 180c. Melt the butter in a pan, add the flour and whisk for 1 minute on a low heat. Gradually whisk in the milk, then bring to a boil whilst continuing to whisk. Reduce the heat and simmer until thick (about 4 minutes), and stir in the cheese (save 25g for topping) until melted, add Dijon mustard and season with pepper.

Step 2 – Boil the pasta until al dente, drain and mix with the cheese sauce and bacon. Spoon into an oven proof dish, add a topping of cheese and crushed crisps and bake for 20 minutes until golden. Serve with garlic ciabatta.

Simon Thomas’ Chicken and Chorizo Wrap

One of my family favourites that never has any left overs!!!!!

Ingredients

• 4 large chicken breasts
• Smoky hot paprika
• 1 clove garlic peeled and chopped or crushed
• 1 lemon for zest and juice
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 jar roasted peppers in oil
• Onion
• Chorizo skin and chop
• 8 Tortillas
• 1 pot Soured cream
• Green salad

Method

Marinade chunks of chicken in paprika, garlic, lemon zest and juice and oil for at least 30mins

Heat some of the pepper oil in a frying pan add the onion and cook until softened.
Add the rough chopped peppers and chorizo and a bit more pepper oil if needed and season then simmer slowly and keep warm.

Thread the marinated chicken onto skewer’s and grill until cooked through (use Neff meat probe).
Remove from skewers and serve the chicken in warmed tortillas with the warm pepper and chorizo sauce add a blob of soured cream and green dressed salad.

Happy stuffed family!!!

Will Hustler’s Caramel Shortcake

Base ingredients:

• 110g (4oz) butter
• 50g (2oz) caster sugar
• 175g self-raising flour

Filling ingredients:

• Tin (397g) Nestles condensed milk
• 150g (5oz) butter
• 150g (5oz) soft brown sugar

Method:

• Grease a 30cm x 20cm (11” x 7”) swiss roll tin
• Mix and bake shortbread base
• Gas mark 4, Electric 150*

Filling:

• Place all ingredients in a pan
• Heat gently
• Then keep up a rolling boil for 20mins., stirring continuously
• Spread over biscuit base and allow to cool
• Melt 175g (6oz) plain cooking chocolate and pour over caramel
• Mark before chocolate is hard

Rowan Chick – Sticky Chinese Chicken

Ingredients

• 5 tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 3 eggs (lightly beaten)
• 3 tbsp cornflour
• 10 tbsp plain flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 3 chicken breast fillets (Chopped into bite-size chunks)
• 1 red onion (Chopped)
• 1 red pepper (Chopped)
• 1 tin of chopped pineapple
• Sauce (Double if you prefer extra sauce!)
  • 2 garlic cloves (peeled and finely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • 3 tbsp ketchup
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
• To serve – Boiled rice (I like to fry mine with egg), sesame seeds and chopped spring onions for garnish.

Method

Add the cornflour to a shallow bowl and add the beaten eggs to another bowl. In a third bowl mix together the flour, salt, pepper and paprika together.

Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan until very hot.

Coat each of the chicken pieces in cornflour and then dip into the egg wash, ensuring it is all covered. Then cover the washed chicken in the flour mix.

Add the chicken into the pan and cook on a high heat for 6-7 minutes, turning a couple of times until well browned. (This may need to be done in batches dependant on pan size and amount of chicken). Once cooked remove from the pan and place on a plate line with paper towels.

Add the chopped red onion and red pepper and fry for 5 minutes, moving frequently.

Add all of the sauce ingredients to the hot wok for 2-3 minutes until it starts to reduce, then add the chicken back in and add the chopped pineapple. Toss in the sauce to coat and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Serve up with the rice and top with the sesame seeds and chopped spring onion.

Roger’s Meatball Lasagne

Ingredients

• 12 sausages
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp dried oregano or a small handful of fresh oregano leaves, chopped
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 500ml passata
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 100g butter
• 2 bay leaves
• 100g plain flour
• 1l milk
• ¼ fresh nutmeg, finely grated
• 100g baby spinach
• handful basil, leaves torn
• 50g parmesan, grated
• 250g dried lasagne sheets (about 12 sheets)
• 50g cheddar, grated
• 150g ball mozzarella , torn into small pieces

Method

STEP 1
Squeeze the meat from the sausages and roll into meatballs. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wide, deep frying pan or casserole dish. Cook the meatballs in batches, making sure you don’t overcrowd the pan, until they’re all golden brown. Put them aside on a plate when they’re ready.

STEP 2
Heat the rest of the oil in the pan and add the onion. Cook for 8-10 mins until soft, then stir in the garlic and oregano. Stir around for a min or 2, then add the sugar, passata and tomatoes. Swish a little water around the containers to wash out all the tomatoes and add to the pan. Season well and simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 mins over a gentle heat until the sauce thickens and the chopped tomatoes break down.

STEP 3
Heat the butter in a saucepan, add the bay leaves and let them sizzle in the butter for 1 min, then add the flour. Whisk to make a smooth paste, then add the milk, a little at a time, stirring continuously until it’s all incorporated and you have a thick white sauce. Add the nutmeg and some seasoning. Leave over a low heat for 5 mins to allow the bay to infuse, whisking every now and then.

STEP 4
Keep about 10 meatballs aside and add the rest to the tomato sauce. Spoon half the tomato sauce and meatballs into a baking dish (ours was 25cm x 35cm). Top with half the spinach, the basil and a little parmesan. Pour over about a third of the white sauce, and top with a layer of lasagne sheets, breaking them up to fit the dish if you need to.

STEP 5
Repeat the layers once more; meatballs and sauce, spinach, basil, parmesan, white sauce, pasta. Pour the remaining white sauce over the lasagne, spreading it to the corners to cover the pasta. Dot with the meatballs you set aside earlier and the mozzarella, then scatter over a generous helping of parmesan and cheddar. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Or if not eating straight away, chill for up to 24 hrs or freeze for two months (defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking).

STEP 6
Bake the lasagne for 40-50 mins until bubbling and golden with lots of crusty cheesy bits around the edges. Leave to sit for 5-10 mins before serving

Suzanne Ryan’s Oaty Bars

Ingredients

• 225g Rolled Oats
• 50g almonds (skin on)
• 60g mixed seeds
• 60g dried cranberries
• 50g chocolate or plain rice pops
• 100g agave nectar
• 100g peanut butter
• 125g honey

Method

1. Lightly grease a 33 x 23 x 3cm deep baking tray then line it with cling film.

2. Place the oats and almonds into a food processor and blitz for 10-20 seconds until fairly well broken down – you want chunks for texture but if they are too large they won’t stick together. Pulse the mixture again until slightly powdery. Tip into a bowl then add the seeds, cranberries and cereal and stir the mixture really well.

3. Set aside, then place the agave, peanut butter and honey into a small saucepan and melt together over a medium heat. Pour this over the oat mixture then mix well with a spoon. Leave to cool slightly, then mix with your hands to make sure all the oats are coated in the peanut butter mixture.

4. Tip into the tray and spread out evenly. Lay a sheet of cling film over the top, then press down firmly to squish the mixture flat. Place in the freezer for 1 hour until set.

5. Remove the top layer of cling film, then tip out onto a board, remove the remaining cling film and cut into 24 bars.

6. To store, layer up the bars between sheets of greaseproof paper and place in a sealed box in the fridge. They can also be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Jenna Roberts Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 100g smooth peanut butter
• 100g brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 100g porridge oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 30g dark chocolate chips

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Line a large baking tray with greaseproof paper.

2. Put the peanut butter, sugar and egg in a mixing bowl and whisk together using a handheld electric whisk. Add the oats, baking powder and chocolate chips and mix well until all the ingredients are evenly combined.

3. Roll the mixture into little balls around 3cm in diameter, then flatten them with the palm of your hand. Place on the baking tray and bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden. Transfer to a wire rack too cool.