You also can't fit anything more than a single tier steamer on the rear hobs, however separate grills (eye level or otherwise) are handy as you can put your plates to warm, I now have a built in single oven and hob, so don't have a separate grill and really miss this use.

I wouldn't have thought you could use gone off milk as yogurt. I would just chuck it away. I agree that they look the same, but they certainly don't smell the same. I am not an expert but yogurt is made using a controlled method, adding a certain type of bacteria whereas milk left to sour in the fridge or whatever has had no control put on it at all. Goodness knows what the bacteria would be! To use gone off milk as yogurt would be a very quick way to get food poisoning. I ate some out of date cream once, when I had a cold and couldn't taste anything, boy was I ill!

Hi

It was Paul Bloxham, follow the link below and it will take you to the recipe.

Rachael

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After reading through this discussion, it is clear to me that some of the confusion about looking for these recipes on this site has come from the fact that these programmes are repeats. The captions and voice overs regarding the availability of the recipes on the site are from when the programme was first broadcast. The recipes were probably available then but only for a limited period of time because if they were available all of the time, no-one would go out and buy the book. As for not being able to post the recipes yourselves, whether it is right or wrong the law is the law, and this site cannot be seen to condone the law being broken.

Are you looking for caramel flavoured shortbread or shortbread with a caramel topping? If it is the latter, then try searching for millionaires shortbread, which is shortbread with a caramel and chocolate topping.

I have a big terracotta plate that you use as a pizza stone, heat it up in the oven and then cook the pizza on it. What you get is a really crispy base without an overcooked topping. Lovely!

Rachael

hi

there have been many discussions about themes like this. try searching the messagboards for wedding food, buffet food, party food etc for ideas.

Rachael

I would think it depended on what the sauce was made out of. If it is a mayonnaise based sauce then I would doubt that it would freeze successfully, you might have more success with a yogurt based one.

Rachael

Follow this link, it will tell you all you need to know about gelatine.

Rachael

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You can also use lard in place of the shortening, that is what would be traditionally used in pastry etc.

You will need a set of good quality pans (as expensive as you can afford), decent knives and a good sharpener. Mixing bowls of different sizes, measuring jug (at least 2 of different sizes), weighing scales, measuring spoons are useful. A selection of oven proof casseroles, baking dishes etc, again of differrent sizes, also roasting tins, baking sheets, rolling pin, cheese grater (also microplane graters are useful). Wooden spoons, fish slices, carving fork, spatulas, tin opener, whisks, tablespoons, dessert spoon, teaspoon will be needed. Other equipment you can gather as you go along, like different sorts of cake tins and other utensils. Buy them whenever your recipe requires them, and soon your kitchen will be well equipped. Try not to gather lots of gadgets unless you are sure you will use them more than once.

Electrical items are not essential as most things can be done without them, but they can be useful if you are short of time. Handheld blenders are good, food processors are handy but if you only have a small kitchen your storage space will be at a premium, and these sort of items take up a lot of space.

Mainly the best advice I can give is buy what you need when you need it, my kitchen is full of stuff I thought would be useful, but that have never been used!

I would do both, I find roast potatoes are quite crispy with roast lamb, and the lamb fat gives them a lovely flavour.

Hi

From what I remember, I don't think he added the pickling juice to the soup, just the pickled mushrooms. What I would do is make the soup as per recipe and if it was not sour enough, add some of the pickling juice to taste.

Hi

There isn't really anything that a type 2 diabetic can't eat, but as for all of us, everything should be eaten in moderation. Foods high in sugar should be avoided but can be eaten for special treats etc.

Avoid foods labelled as diabetic foods, they are high in artificial sweeteners which can have undesirable side effects if too much is eaten plus they are unnecessary and expensive. When my sister was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic 18 years ago it was very difficult to buy low/reduced/no sugar products but they are widely available now. However these foods are highly processed which means their levels of artificial additives are high and even sweet things have salt added. You are always better off to buy fresh food and prepare it yourself. Make you own cakes, and add less sugar, they still work well. Also remember that low sugar foods aren't always low in fat too and vice versa. Your mum will find she has to read labels very carefully.

If your Dad has a sweet tooth he will find it hard to start off with but he will soon get used to eating less sugar, and my sister actually finds things too sweet now.

Also check out the British Diabetic Association, they will have loads of information about managing diabetes.

Hope this helps

Rachael

Steam them until just tender to keep them nice and green or they go a horrible brown/green colour.

If put in sterilised jars it would keep for several weeks but in a bowl in the fridge just a few days, usually long enough to use with the last of the the turkey!

Delia made a mincemeat cake in her christmas collection.
Follow these links.

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Roll it out to the diameter of your cake, try not to make it too much bigger. Drape over the cake using the rolling pin as a support. Smooth the top and then smooth the edges down the side of the cake using the palms of your hands. If done gently enough it should fit snuggly around the cake. Don't pick the icing up with your hands and it may stretch, causing the effect you want to avoid.

I hope this makes sense, it would be so much easier to demonstrate than it is to describe!

Another tip to get a smooth finish is to 'polish' the icing by rubbing it gently with you fingertips.

I think they are circulon pans and would think that most good cookware stores would stock them. They also use some le creuset pans as well, also available at good cookware stores.

Make stock, soup etc. Can freeze it to use a later date also the stock or soup could be frozen once made.

When watching chefs do red cabbage recipes on various programmes they always say that it can be done up to a couple of days before and that it gets better with age.

When creaming butter and sugar together you are actually adding air into the mixture which will assist the cake or whatever to rise, so this is probably why your tart flopped.

As to why your butter and sugar would not cream I don't know. I would have suggested that perhaps your butter was not soft enough but you suggest otherwise. Also even if it was too hard at the start, it would have gradually got softer as you worked it, especially in your hot environment. You have got me puzzled!

Follow this link to another thread about the same subject

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Generally its recommended not to use electric whisks etc to make royal icing as they introduce too many air bubbles which can ruin the smoothness of the finish on the icing. However, if you are doing what I normally do and rough ice your cake (make it look like a snowscape etc) then this would not matter too much.

I think, though, that if you do want a smooth finish for a more formal iced cake, then you can leave the icing to stand so the air bubbles will eventually rise to the surface of the icing and dissipate. Warning: this can take several hours if not a couple of days. You will need to cover the icing with a damp tea towel or cling film to stop a crust forming.

Using a wooden spoon to mix the icing is a lot of hard work but you get less bubbles, therefore will be able to use the icing sooner. I would imagine any recipe would be suitable to use in a food processor and I would use the normal chopping blade, any whisk attachment may not be strong enough to go through the icing.

Hope this helps.

Cover it with butter then bacon, baste frequently and don't overcook it. Or you could cook it on a rack over a roasting tin, put some water in the tin, loosely cover with foil throughout most of the cooking and uncover at the end to brown the skin. The water can then be used for the gravy (skimming off any fat). Either method, rest the meat well.

I always add some worcestershire sauce to my spag bol (pre advert). Perhaps that would provide the wow you are looking for!

To make apple sauce I just usually stew some cooking apple either in a pan or in the oven until it becomes a puree and sweeten to taste. This would freeze well without any problem.

If you wanted it chunkier then add some cubes of an apple that does not break down when cooking, I suppose you could add some cloves or cinnamon if you wanted it a bit spicier, but it is as simple as that.

When reheating to serve you could add a knob of butter to make it a bit creamier.

Search for gypsy tart on these message boards, there have been several discussions relating to this recently and quite a few people have either posted their recipes or links to recipes for this tart.

Try these links for cake decorating sites, they might have what you are looking for.

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Tagine as far as I am aware. Have never heard it called tangine before, but that doesn't mean its wrong.

Any bakery should sell you some, but I also know that morrisons sell it in their chill cabinet.

You could also follow these links to some sites that have gluten free recipes or search yourself. I just oput gluten free recipes in the search engine and came up with loads of sites that might be of interest to you (too many to provide links for!)
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Try looking at coeliac.co.uk for all information about the disease including diet.

Make your own! To make your own self raising flour add 2 level tsp baking powder to every 225g (8oz) plain flour.

Follow this link for more information about flour.

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Yes I have seen it in the lakeland book too.

What sort of basics were you looking for? I have had a food processor for years and to be honest I don't have to do anything different with recipes because I am using it. It is basically a tool you use for mixing, chopping, blending etc and shouldn't make any difference to the recipes. However I am sure there are food processor cookbooks available.

Am sure I have seen a recipe for them somewhere but can't find it. Could you not adapt a flapjack recipe, use homemade muesli instead on the oats? That might work.

Have found a recipe that sounds sort of what you want. I'm sure it can be fiddled with to remove the processed ingredients from it.

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Samosas? I'm sure there are loads of resipes on this site for them. they seem the obvious suggestion!

Jennifer, thanks for your compliment about my recipe writing. I would do a 3 egg mix if I was using 7" tins. I find that a 3 egg mix in an 8" tin looks a bit mean but each to their own!

My last fancy version had lemon rind in the sponge and was sandwiched together with lemon curd. It was for a retirement party and it went down very well.

I have to say, though, that my 10 year old daughter is getting better than me at making sponges. The last one she made was filled with sweetened whipped cream with fresh raspberries folded through. It was as good as it sounds. And she did it all by herself, with no help from me at all.

Don't know where your message has gone but here is a recipe for the sponge.

8oz Self raising flour
8oz soft butter or margarine
8oz caster sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp baking powder.

You can do it one of 2 ways. Either bung all the ingredients into a food processor and whizz until a smooth light batter has formed or do it the old fashioned way, by hand (you will probably get the best result this way).

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one a beat each one into the mixture. It might look like the mixture is splitting so you can add a tablespoon of flour with each egg.

Sift the flour and baking powder together and fold into the mixture gently (you don't want to knock the air out).

Divide between 2x 8 inch sandwich tins (base lined with greaseproof paper or baking parchment) and bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes as gas 4 (180c).

To check that it is cooked, press the centre lightly with your finger and if it springs back then it is ready.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool and then sandwich together with the filling of you choice.

I believe chicken tikka masala is a dish invented for the british market and is not a traditional indian dish. Chicken tikka does not have a sauce, but chicken tikka masala does, masala is the sauce!

Here is a link to a recipe which looks very much like what you would get in your local curry house. Hope it is what you are looking for.

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I would have thought an oiled plate would stop them from sticking. The flour is obviously getting damp and then all it will do is act like glue.

Follow these links. I can't post my regular recipe as it will break copyright, but these seem fairly similar. Happy baking!

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Well I would either search for it on the internet, there are a couple of good cake decorating websites that might sell it (almondart.com or cakecraftshop.co.uk), or go to a specialist chocolate shop and ask if they would either sell you some or find out where they get theirs from.

Soap and water with a lot of elbow grease. Some proprietary kitchem cleaners are ok too, but you will have to check that they are safe to use on stainless steel. DO NOT use any scouring pads etc as this will scratch the surface. Lakeland do various chrome and stainless steel cleaners which are usually very good if they recommend them, they also do some wipes which get rid of any water marks left by cleaning and also provide a barrier which stops food sticking to the hob etc. I find the wipes are very good.

www.lakelandlimited.co.uk

Lakeland limited do various cleaners which might do the trick.

www.lakelandlimited.co.uk

I think lakeland limited do some tools like your are describing. You could have a look on their website.

www.lakelandlimited.co.uk

Follow this link to get the recipe you are looking for.

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I think that was the right amount of time to cook them. The skin that is on them is edible and you don't need to remove it to make houmous.

It won't make any difference at all except that the crust won't be flaky. I always use a suet pastry for meat pies such as what you are making, you get best of both worlds, crunchy but not flaky.

Selhurst, which method did you use?

Poach some of the salmon in milk and drain, reserving the milk. Make a white sauce using the poaching milk, it should be quite thick. Flake the salmon, add some sweetcorn and season and mix with the sauce. Leave to cool. Roll out some puff pastry (ready made is fine), cut into 4-6 inch squares. Place a dollop of salmon mixture into the middle, fold diagonally into triangles, seal the edges with beaten egg and glaze the top. Bake in a hot oven (gas 7, 220c) until pastry is cooked and golden. Serve hot, warm or cold, or freeze. Ideal for buffets, lunchboxes etc.

P.S. can use tinned salmon if not lucky enough to have a whole one in your freezer! Could also use this mix as a base for fish pie just put some mash on top and brown under the grill.

Generally when you cook with alcohol, the alcohol is burnt off. Perhaps this would not be problem with his medication. You could always ask for advice about this at your pharmacy. The only time that this might come unstuck is in puddings where the alcohol is not cooked. In this case you can usually substitute the alcohol for citrus juices. I have recipes that have wine in to make a sauce and I leave it out without any problems, I just add a bit of extra stock or water to make up the liquid volume.

Good luck to you and your husband.

Hooray it worked!

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If this comes out it should be a link to Bill Grangers self saucing chocolae puddings, which I think are the ones you are looking for. If not then you can find them yourself with this information.

My cookery teacher gave me this recipe. Use a rich shortcrust (enriched with egg yolk and flavoured with orange rind) for the base and then put a viennese biscuit paste on top also flavoured with orange rind. You sort of pipe it on over the mincemeat and leave a hole in the middle. Very rich but they are special!

I have seen some of the chefs grinding dried mushrooms into a powder, I bet that would add good flavour to the risotto and to soups and stews too.

Also lakeland are doing reusable cake cases now. Not sure if they are muffin size but they might also be an option.

I had this problem with some tomato and cheese muffins. I just decided that if I made them again I wouldn't bother with the paper cases and just bake them straight in the muffin tin instead.

Search for gypsy tart on the message boards and you will find loads of links to recipes which might be what you are looking for.

I just had a look at the link you suggested, peter, and found the information there very interesting. I always wondered what the differences were between all the different raising agents. Thanks for finding that out.

I wouldn't have thought it would matter too much but you might not get as good a result. I sometimes find that I have to add some baking powder to self raising flour to get a better rise, like when doing a sponge using the all in one method, as you don't add as much air when beating the mixture. Using plain flour and adding raising agent gives you more control over the recipe. If you are still not sure, try it and see!

I have to say he looked very good in black. Can't wait to see him in his ballroom gear, I bet he will look very debonair!

They had them on sale in Morrisons, intended for red and brown sauce but would do the job.

If it is the one I am thinking of its called Gypsy Tart and it featured on his More Rhodes around Britain series. The actual episode was shown yesterday in fact, but I can't give you the recipe because of copyright, I expect.

I personally wouldn't keep reheating it at all. One reheating following initial cooking would be my limit. I would have divided the soup into portions and would have frozen what was not required immediately. It could be defrosted and heated at a later date.

Thanks Livewire, I didn't think that the episodes with the boat were a figment of my imagination. My Dad reckoned I had dreamed it all up. I did think that it was a separate series, that must be why I couldn't find any separate references about it on the searches I did.

I wonder if you should still roll a meringue roulade as soon as it comes out of the oven. How about checking other meringue roulade recipes to see what they say? Or try it next time you make one and see which is the best result? 8 hrs seems along time to leave it before rolling.

Does anyone remember a series that Hugh did where he went round on the canals in a small barge, similar to Cook on the Wildside. Have been racking my brains to think of the name of the series and it is doing my head in not to be able to remember it?

Help me to put my mind at rest please??????

Caster sugar tends to be finer grains than normal granulated sugar. In some recipes it would be fine to substitute granulated sugar for caster i.e. cakes and baking, but watch out for recipes that the sugar is not cooked as the texture would be quite gritty. It probably would not work for meringues.

Someone else asked a question similar to this a while ago and I suggested blitzing the sugar in a coffee grinder or blender, this would make the granules a bit finer. However, the best way of finding out is try it and see what the results are!

I would disagree, at least deep fat fryers have a temperature control which heat them to the right temperature and stop them from over heating and catching on fire!

Try lakelandlimited.co.uk I'm pretty sure I have seen them in their catalogue.

Sometimes the recipes featured on the video clips take a day or so to appear on the website. Search for the recipe by looking for recipes by Janet Brinkworth.

My Dad just chops the mint finely and mixes it with vinegar and some sugar til he gets the consistency he wants.

can you not substitute the tayberries for any recipe that uses raspberries?

creme anglais is another name for custard so I think the filing you want is creme patissiere. I haven't got a recipe but I'm sure if you search this site there must be one somewhere.

could you not use another flavour of soup that would be complimentary to the rest of the ingredients in your meatloaf? you might have to experiment with different ones until you get the result you want.

do you add chopped onion to the meatballs? i always find that mincing the onion instead of chopping it helps stop them falling apart. also i always add some breadcrumbs and an egg yolk (never a whole egg) and really mix the mixture and squish it well with my hands before cooking. allowing them to rest in the fridge once formed into balls before cooking can help stop them from falling apart. mrs woof woofs suggestion is good too, you don't want to have to turn them too frequently.

coat the pork in seasoned flour containing salt, pepper & all spice powder. fry in butter & oil until cooked, remove and leave to rest. meanwhile fry one onion in pan with pork juices etc until softened, add 2 tsp cornflour and blend with juices. add about 1/2 pint beef stock gradually, season, bring to boil and stir until thickened. when ready to serve stir in 2 tsp dijon mustard and pour over pork. delicious!

What do they use when they want whipped cream in france? This is what mongrel could look for.

Have just watched GFL and your question was answered Spadge. They said an average egg white weighs about 5grams and that they don't think meringues will work without sugar as it is the sugar that stops them collapsing when being cooked. You could experiment with sweeteners though.

I have got the salter scales Mrs WW suggests and I can vouch for them, they are fab!

As the chicken in the recipes is already cooked and then you cook it again the the actual dish, I wouldn't be inclined to reheat it again. If it was raw chicken which was cooked in the dish then I would be happy to reheat it once. I try to work on the rule that food is only ever reheated once (not including original cooking).

If the quantity is too much to be eaten at one go then try making it in smaller dishes, and freeze the ones you don't use, they could then be defrosted and reheated another time. Another alternative would be to only make half the quantity.

My sister adds a piece of Nori when she makes a lentil stew, does not really add flavour but adds its nutrients. Could do the same with any stew, casserole or soup I suppose!

Should work fine, just follow the instructions on the packet. I think you mix it with warm water and wait for it to start frothing, you would add it when you would add the liquid part of your recipe.

I did a cake stall at a hospital fete a few years ago and one thing that went really well, especially with the children, was gingerbread men!

My cookery teacher taught us to season pancake pans by covering the bottom of the pan with salt and then heating it until very hot. Discard the salt and rub the inside of the pan with kitchen paper. It won't be non stick immediately but the important thing is only to wipe the pan out with damp kitchen paper and not to wash it up in soapy water. The pan will gradually build up a non stick layer, but it is paramount not to immerse it in water to wash up, just to wipe it out with paper after each use.

I have seen squeezy sauce bottles for sale in morrisons, which is only any good if there is one near where you live. hope there is!

I think to make bread you must use yeast, you would not get the rise without it. Look for unlevened bread recipes as these do not use yeast, hence unlevened!

Try www.dailybread.co.uk They have a shop in northampton where I live, I always get my dried fruit from them so I can vouch for the quality of their products, but also have an online shop. Everything is natural and undyed.

If kept in an airtight container sponge cakes should stay fresh tasting for 2-3 days, fruit cakes will last longer, in fact some are better when kept for a few days before eating. You could just make the sponges and store them and only fill them at the last minute, that way you haven't got to worry about the butter cream.

For a basic dumpling recipe use 1/2 suet to flour, so for 8oz SR flour use 4oz suet. Add just enough water to form a soft dough. Don't knead or work it too much or the dumplings will be tough. Put on top of stew and cook at 200c for 30-40 mins. Can add other flavours too like herbs etc, but I like mine plain with my really rich stew.

I don't know where you can buy the proper dishes but I just normally use a loaf tin when making pate or terrine. I line it with foil or cling (depending if it has to be cooked) as it is easier to turn out then. I then cut some thick cardboard and cover it in foil to the size of the tin to use it to press the terrine. I use 3 baked bean tins as the weight.

can't think of it at the minute, but its being advertised on tv quite a lot at the moment. think it begins with T but don't quote me on that!

I'm sorry, am in a complete day dream, I read the post but somehow substituted nigella for delia in my own mind. However I'm sure delia has a lovely recipe for strawberry ice cream so it still might be worth a look

I'm sure I heard a chef the other day saying that pigeon that is eaten is normally wood pigeon and not those that we see flying around the town centres etc.

Have got a senseo, the coffee is really nice and the pods are easily available in most supermarkets, a lot more different roasts and flavours are available online. Have to say though that is does take up a lot of room on the worktop and you can only make 2 cups at a time. My husband likes big mugs of coffee and finds he needs to set it on the 2 cup setting to fill up one mug!

There is another one currently being advertised on tv that you can get tea and hot chocolate for it too. Would have got that one if it had been around when we got the senseo (can use round tea bags in the senseo though)

Super Mum, have you looked on delias website for the recipe, a lot of hers are on there. One of the rules of this website is that recipes from other chefs that are not available on this site cannot be posted as it breaks copyright law.

no1 chef, back to the original reason why people post on this site! Try to get hold of a copy of The Victorian Kitchen. There was a series a few years ago looking at how the victorians ate and entertained and I'm sure they must have done a cookbook to accompany it.

Funkey Monkey, I think you will find that Boneyapper did not break copyright, he just suggested that No1 chef looked at this particular website, he would only have broken copyright if he had posted the actual recipes from that website.

If baking the brownies as whole cakes in large sizes proves too difficult, you could always bake them in smaller batches, hire a wedding cake stand and arrange them on it to look like larger cakes, decorated with ribbons and flowers etc. As they are an alternative to a traditional wedding cake then why not go as untraditional as you can!

There is a theory about introducing children to new foods. It takes about 10 times for them to accept the new food, they just need to be exposed to the new food initially then gradually it will become less new, then they will try it, it also takes several tries before they can decide whether they like it or not. You can't give a child a new food and expect them to eat it straight away. It also helps if the parent will eat the food themselves, you can't expect a child to eat a food you won't!

Involve them in the preparation of the food. My nephew would only eat jam sandwiches but will now eat a whole range of foods because he gets involved in making them.

Don't try and hide disliked foods in food your kids like, it will only encourage them to be suspicious of the food and you might soon find they won't eat things they previously would. If you continue to serve them a small amount of the disliked food, you may find they will start to eat it at some point or another.

My daughter used to hate peas, pork chops, onions and mushrooms and would not even eat foods that contained them when she was younger, she is now 10 and now eats all of them.

The main thing is not to make mealtimes a battleground, the more traumatic it is for your child to eat something then the more reluctant they will be to sit down and eat. One other rule to have is that they don't get nice things like sweets and chocolate unless they have eaten proper food! That works really well with my nephew but my sister is trying not to use that as a bargaining chip too often as it was getting that he would only eat his dinner if he got chocolate afterwards.

I don't make ravioli with this mix but a sort of puff pastry pasty but I would think it would work just as well as ravioli.

Poach some salmon in some milk til it is just cooked, then flake it. Use the milk to make a white sauce, then mix it with the salmon, add some sweetcorn kernels, season then use it to fill pastry or pasta. The filling is already cooked so you only need to cook the outer part and heat the filling through.

I just flour, egg and breadcrumb strips of chicken and bake them in the oven.

Mary Berry has a wonderful recipe book just full of cake and biscuits recipes (Mary Berrys Ultimate Cake Book). There is a celebration cake recipe which is really easy but absolutely fabulous!

For an 8 inch sponge I would use a 3 or 4 egg mixture, so for a 10 inch I guess I would probably use a 6 egg mixture (that would be 6 eggs, 12oz each of flour, sugar and butter).

For an 8 inch sponge in sandwich tins I would cook it on 180c for about 25-30 mins so for 10 inch, cook on same temp for 40-45 mins, checking for the cake to spring back from a light touch for it to be done. Would recommend a trial run before baking the one you want to check the cooking time. If you are cooking the whole mixture in a deep tin then you will need to cook it for longer.

I think you can use the lavendar from the garden, just make sure it is washed thoroughly and that it has no chemical sprays on it at all.

My mum stews rhubarb in the oven with a sugar free jelly sprinkled over (usually strawberry or raspberry, needs to be red in colour). Cook til soft then allow to cool. The juice that comes out of the rhubarb dissolves the jelly, which then sets as it cools, the jelly also sweetens the rhubarb so you don't always have to add sugar. Its delicious with some thick cream poured over!

Don't know about the recipe you are looking for but can tell you about steaming puddings.

You can do it several ways, in a saucepan standing on an up turned plate so the basin is not standing on the bottom of the pan, in a steamer that stands over the pan (a chinese style bamboo one or a metal one that usually can fit different sized pans, in an electric steamer or in the microwave.

To steam traditionally (not microwave) you will need to cover the pudding basin with buttered foil and tie round the top with string to seal it (I usually make a sort of handle with the string to make it easier to lift in and out of the steamer). Steam for as long as the recipe states (beware that this will probably be for 4-5 hours depending on the recipe) but don't leave the pan to boil dry, make sure you have a kettle of hot water standing by, would be the same for an electric steamer.

Microwaving takes much less time (about 4 mins for a 1 pint size pudding), but I think properly steamed puddings are much nicer. Remember you would need to cover the pudding with microwaveable cling film not foil!

Am not an ice cream maker myself (even though i have had a basic machine in the cupboard for years), but have seen it on cookery shows. Could you not either make a lemon custard as a base for the ice cream, freeze that and crumble meringue pieces in at the end, or make a basic ice cream and then swirl through lemon curd and the meringue pieces at the end. It would be a lemon meringue ripple!

Normally I just pierce the packaging a few times but if I am defrosting on a plate then I don't usually cover it.

I usually start things off defrosting in the microwave, 3 minutes on auto defrost then leave it in the microwave or at room temperature to defrost on its own, usually takes about 2 hours. Anything that is stuck together I separate on a plate as soon as I can so it defrosts more quickly. I never defrost anything completely in the microwave as I always find it starts to cook it. I only do this for small items such as packs of mince, sausages, pork chops etc. Would always let a whole joint or chicken defrost overnight in the fridge.

I have got the lakeland tin mammachef described, its very good. The smallest the cakes go are 6inch square. Try your local bakery, they may hire out their tins, I know the one in my mums village does.

Have a look at the waterfall diet book. It has quite a few recipes in it for wheat free, dairy free, low fat, low salt and sugar etc which I fould quite good when I was trying this diet.

By the way it did work, I lost loads of weight but found the diet really boring after a while. I really feel for you kermitpolo!

It works on omitting most foods that can cause allergies which you then reintroduce to see if they bring on your symptoms. Is aimed at those who retain fluid, become bloated, suffer from IBS etc. I found that I was sensitive to dairy and have since discovered I have gall stones and can't digest fat properly, so it worked quite well.

Celery and celeriac are completly different vegetables, although they do taste similar, so I wouldn't have thought you can substitute one for the other

I agree with prawnfiller, score the rind, rub in salt and oil then blast it on a high heat for 20-30 mins then reduce to normal cooking temperature. Have read recently that you should open the oven door every hour or so to let the steam out so the crackling will get crispy, not sure if that works. Have also read that if the crackling doesn't crackle, then take the rind off while the meat is resting and put it under the grill to crisp up. This means you should get your crackling at the same time as the rest of your meal. Good Luck!

Personally I am having lamb this week. Hubby has recently got some false teeth and can't eat crackling anymore. Sob!

have just read my last post back and I apologise if I sound a bit superior, didn't mean to, was just trying to be accurate and concise with my information!

Have been reading what has been going on in other areas of this site and don't want to start another royal wedding!

The reason why jams and chutneys are made is to preserve the ingredients. They are put into sterile jars and sealed tightly to store them. Once they are open they are no longer sealed or sterile so bacteria can get into them and have a merry feast.
Keeping them in the fridge reduces their temperature and therefore the temperature the bacteria like to be able to multiply as bacteria like nice and warm environments. Stores have to put use by dates on these products because they could be sued by someone who got food poisoning from jam that they had kept for 4 years or something ridiculous like that.
Use by dates are only guidelines and like others have said if things look and smell ok then they are probably ok to eat, especially if they are going to be cooked as this would kill off any bacteria they may contain.

Butter cream needs to be of a 'spreadable' consistency. Sorry that sounds too obvious but I can't think of another way to describe it. It needs to be quite thick as it would run off the cake. Butter cream will develop a sort of crust when in the fridge but will soften when at room temperature, just as butter would!

Anything that is airtight will keep a cake fresh.

Have got some lovely pieces of rib from morrisons in northampton, not too far away if you don't have one near you!

there are some cling films that are suitable for cooking with, check the labels. Microwaving film is ok, you can't use stuff not suitable for cooking cos it gives off chemicals when heated.

I think there may be one on Delias website, I know she has a recipe for one in her christmas book so it might be on her website.

can use it straight from the freezer, grate it into flour to make really easy flaky pastry.

If you have a hobbycraft nearby, they sell little pots of powdered food colouring in their cake decorating section.

shred the leaves and stir fry it with onion, garlic and bacon (brown these first),its really nice!

You could make a seed cake, add them to a basic sponge mix. Saw them do it on victorian kitchem years ago and it looked very nice.

I got a good recipe for this from the BBC Good Food magazine last year, but I am pretty sure I saw James Martin do one on his 'Sweet' series. I also think I saw someone do one recently on Good Food Live but can't remember who!

Are you using the whipping cream instead of double cream? If so then I'm sure it would be ok.

Biscuit, just saw your reply, glad the muffins worked out ok, kids are not usually too fussy when it comes to cakes and things!

Are you just using a basic victoria sponge cake recipe and adding fruit to it or are you using a fruit cake recipe? If you are adding fruit to a victoria sponge cake then that could be your problem. The sponge is not strong enough to support the weight of the fruit. I would suggest using a proper fruit cake recipe, but the fruit can still sink in that, so Fionas suggestion of tossing the fruit in flour first should work.

Parsnip is very good but I do tend to mash it with some potato as well.
The differance between shepherds and cottage pie is that shepherds is made with lamb, and cottage pie is made with beef, it is not the addition of cheese that makes the differance.

avoid saturated fat which mainly comes from animal sources, this is what contains the harmful cholesterol.
monounsaturated fat, such as olive oil, nuts, oily fish etc is the best for you.
polyunsaturated fat, such as sunflower and vegetable oil can conatin trans fatty acids when processed into margarine etc, these are not good for you (the trans fatty acids, polyunsaturated fat is ok)
all fats are unhealthy if taken in large quantities. recommended daily intake is 90g for men, and 75g for women. you must have some saturated fat in your diet for the vitamins it contains.
I have been told that eating foods that have 4g fat per 100g means that you do not have too much fat in your diet, how true it is I don't know.

lakeland sell heat diffusers which go between the hob and the casserole which could solve the problem. they will also allow you to control the heat more effectively and get a more consistent simmer.

they are not quite the same as when cooked in a proper muffin tin, i still use muffin paper cases so that helps a little.

I'm pretty sure lakeland limited sell them, but I have used normal bun tins for muffins and they come out ok.

I do but I believe we are not allowed to post other peoples recipes on this message board.

try using some grated lemon rind as that will give you the lemony flavour. will not be as good as the lemongrass but the curry would be better with something rather than nothing.

There is no differance between cane and beet sugar so they can be substituted. I would suggest the problem with your meringues is because the sugar is granulated not caster as we would use in the UK, and is too coxxxx. Caster sugar is much finer, so perhaps grinding your granulated sugar will stop the weeping. I would say that using the ground granulated sugar for meringues will work better than icing. The granules of caster sugar are approx 1/4 size of granulated, so don't go too fine. Hope this helps?

if you gently press skin and scrape with your finger nail the wax will flake off a little bit, is a good way of checking whilst in the shop!

I usually use ham off the bone, so am not sure how the cooking time would differ with ham on the bone, although they do say that meat on the bone cooks quicker because the bone conducts the heat into the centre of the meat, I think!

Don't know much about curing the actual joint of ham but can advise you on how to cook it. When I buy a ham joint I always soak it in cold water for 12-24 hours to get rid of the excess salt, then put it in a big pot, skin side down, cover with cold water with 50g brown sugar, bring it to the boil, skim off any scum that forms and then simmer. Before cooking you will need to weigh the joint and work out how long it need cooking for, usually 20-25 mins per 500g. Simmer the ham for half that cooking time.
Take the ham from the pan, remove the rind but leave on as much fat as possible. Score the fat as you have described and stud each diamond with a clove. I usually spread it with dijon mustard and then sprinkle with brown sugar. Put it in a roasting tin and roast in the oven for the rest of the cooking time at 180c, basting reguarly, turning up to 220c for the last 30 mins.
One tip though don't use your best roasting tin as some of the sugar will fall off and make a sort of caramel in the pan and can be very difficult to get off.

Lottie Duncan has a nice recipe on this site for a ham cooked in cider and apple juice with a different sort of glaze, which is nice but I prefer my recipe.

yes I would be interested in the microwave lemon curd too, the freezing tips an idea I have never heard before too.

Am having similar problems with my new oven. can only think that compared to my old oven this ones temperature control is more accurate therefore when set on 150c then it is cooking at that temperature too whereas old oven wasn't. did used to have to cook at gas 5 when I really wanted it at gas 4 for food to be ready in the same time. perhaps this is the same problem you are having, spindlylegs. am getting used to it now and have almost stopped burning roast potatoes etc, just cook them for less time than I did in my old oven.

Ainsley made some very nice chick pea burgers on his barbecue bible show.
Finely dice or grate 1 carrot and 1 courgette, finely chop 1 onion and clove of garlic, saute in oil or butter until soft. Leave to cool. Meanwhile mash your chick peas (about 400g), add 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, 1 teaspoon curry powder and 1 egg yolk, s & p. Mix in cooled vegetables. Form into burgers, brush with oil and grill, fry or barbecue until heated through and preferably a bit toasted. Lovely stuffed into pitta breads with a crunchy salad. can eat hot or cold once cooked.

Thanks for that Goldie, I like the sausage idea, will definately try that out.

You can buy an adaptor that plugs into the wall socket with a timer on which you can then plug your slow cooker into. Have you looked through the instruction booklet of your cooker to see what the differences in the settings are? Personally I would just cook whatever on the settings you would normally use. I can't see that a couple of extra hours would do it any harm! As a slow cooker needs lots of fluid in it to cook then its hardly going to dry out.

Having recently been diagnosed with gall stones I am looking for ideas for low fat meals, whilst giving the family some resemblance of normal food and without having to cook separate meals. Has any one got any tips or ideas? This comes from someone whose family likes burgers, sausages, pies with either mash or chips plus plenty of takeaways, all stuff I can't have, plus I have a husband who hates chicken and fish! Help?

Forgive me for perhaps being a bit dense but is the 45 min cooking time just for the scone topping? I normally cook my stew in my slow cooker and only put it in the oven to cook my dumplings. I suppose I've answered my own question!

I have recenly been diagnosed with gall stones so have a low fat diet imposed upon me. I don't realy want to have to start buying and cooking low fat foods so want to adapt my usual repertoire. One of these dishes are stew and dumplings and I would like to know if anyone has a recipes for dumplings which doesn't involve half suet to flour?

Helen, has your cooker got different settings? Perhaps you could put it on a lower setting so you can cook it for longer, although I don't think it would hurt leaving anything in it for longer on the normal setting.

have seen chefs using the half size baked bean tins (or similar) with both ends cut off as these rings that they use.

i put veg in my stews but you have to make sure they are no bigger than about an inch cubed and are of uniform size as they won't cook properly, but i wouldn't be without my slow cooker.

as a nurse and sister of a type 1 diabetic I have found that you do not have to cook specific meals to meet the needs of the 'diabetic diet', in fact there is no such thing anymore. as long as you eat a well balanced diet with not too much sugar but plenty of more complex carbohydrates such as bread, pasta, potatoes etc (these are not absorbed as quickly as sugar although their constituent molecules are the same) you cannot go wrong. as a matter of interest my mum always found sponge cakes would work well by only putting in half the amount of sugar, making them more suitable for my sister. she has been diabetic now for 17 years, and basically eats what she wants by making sure she has eaten something starchy before eating something sweet, as this slows the absorption down too. so don't worry about what you cook to make the diabetic diet exciting, eat what you want, just everything in moderation (as we all should do anyway, diabetes or not!). does your partner have access to a diabetes clinic where there are nurses and dieticians that can give you advice?

I was browsing this site a few days ago and someone was discussing this. Can't remember which forum the discussion was in and can't find it on searching. Apparently Ed Baines only used 5 on the programme. Someone made it using 10 and it came out very rubbery, so would suggest using 5.

thanks Livewire. have just had a quick browse through the gelatine website. very interesting! lots of helpful tips on using it.

I too am having the same problem with obtaining leaf gelatine. What would be the equivalent amount when using powdered?

i get my cake decorations from hobbycraft, i believe they have a website but i'm not sure if you can shop with them online.

thanks will try that out. Would probably have cooked it for that long but like to be certain.

Can anyone advise me on how long I would need to cook a steak and kidney pudding in a slow cooker for? I know that you would need to steam it for about 5 hrs, would 8 hours in a slow cooker be enough? Have had one for years but have only ever cooked stews and s&k for a pie before, but never anything in pastry to be steamed.

I have had my slow cooker for years and I wouldn't be without it. I do various things in it, but would like to cook a steak and kidney pudding. I can't find out anywhere how long it would need to be cooked for. I generally get my ingredients ready the night before and turn on the slow cooker early in the morning so whatever I am cooking gets about 8-10 hours. Would this be long enough for a steak and kidney pud, bearing in mind it takes 5 hours to steam one.