Gingerbread Men

What you will need:

• 350g Plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• One teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda
• Two teaspoons of ground ginger
• One teaspoon of mixed spice
• 125g Butter
• 176g Light soft brown sugar
• One egg
• Four tablespoons of golden syrup

To decorate:

• Cookie cutters
• Icing
• Sprinkles ect

Simply sift the flour, ground spices, bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl.
Add in the butter and rub the flour and the butter together until it forms a breadcrumb like texture.
Stir in the sugar.
Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together and mix until the mixture clumps together.
Tip the dough out on a lightly floured work surface and knead for 5 minutes, Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 180 and line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
Roll out the dough to about 0.5cm in thickness , Simply cut your desired shapes and place on the lined baking tray.
Don't forget to pierce it with a skewer if you wish to put string through it.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack and decorate.

Chocolate Fudge Brownies

You will need:

• 115g Unsalted Butter
• 228g Coarsely chopped semi sweet chocolate
• 150g Granulated sugar
• 50g Light brown sugar
• Three large eggs
• One teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 80g of all purpose flour, sifted
• Two tablespoons of coco powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Preheat your oven to 180.
Melt the butter and chocolate on a low heat in a medium sized saucepan, Stirring constantly about five minutes should do it.
Remove from the heat, pour into a large bowl and allow to cool.
Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper. 
Whisk the granulated sugar and light brown sugar into the chocolate mixture.
Whisk in an egg one at a time, Whisking until smooth.
Fold in the flour, coco powder, salt and the vanilla extract.
Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared baking tin and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the brownies begin to pull away from the side. All ovens are different to keep a close eye on it, Test it by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the brownie and if it comes out clean, its done.
Allow to cool on a wire rack and cut into neat squares, I dust mine with sifted icing sugar.

Christmas Chutney

You will need:

• One tablespoon of vegetable oil
• Two medium sized red onions, diced
• Two garlic cloves, finely chopped
• Two tablespoons of freshly grated ginger
• 200g raisins
• 150g Demerara sugar
• 150g white wine vinegar
• Tablespoon of chilli flakes
• Five to Six large tomatoes, chopped

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion over a low heat for about 10 minutes until soft. Add garlic, ginger and cook for a further two to three minutes.
Add in the raisins, The fruit will begin to swell.
Add sugar, vinegar and the spices, season with freshly cracked black pepper, bring to a gentle simmer over a low to medium heat for 30 minutes Keep an eye! Be careful near the end of cooking it doesn't catch , as this is when the chutney is most likely to stick.
The liquid will have reduced down and the fruit looking plump.
Add to sterilized jars and top with a greaseproof circle to cover the tops.
This should last to up to a month in the fridge , Enjoy.

My Christmas ''Kind of ''Chutney

I make this ,decant into sterilised jars , add a label on the front truing to draw some form of Christmas tree and give away as presents. It should last up to two weeks in the fridge. Its best served with cold cuts of meats, cheeses ,spread on crostini and so on.

You will need

• 1.kg of Tomatoes
• Four to Six large red onions, Sliced into wedges
• Two large sprigs of rosemary, Finely chopped
• One or Two large red chilli's, Finely chopped
• Six to Seven large red peppers cut into large chunks
• Two tablespoons of tomatoes puree
• Tablespoon of Salt
• Tablespoon of Black Pepper
• Two Tablespoons of Sugar
• Three cloves of garlic, Finely chopped

Preheat your oven to 180.
Cut the tomatoes into quarters and season with salt, pepper and sugar. Lay them out on an oiled large baking tin.
Add the wedges of onions and chunks of red peppers.
Sprinkle with chopped rosemary, finely chopped garlic and the chopped chilli.
Add the tomato puree and toss to ensure even coating.
Cook for two and a half hours , and blend to whatever desired consistency, Enjoy!

Christmas Stuffing

For the last couple of years this sausage stuffing has made an appearance at our Christmas dinner without fail, I got the inspiration around Christmas time while watching the GoodFood channel as always.

What you will need:

• Six good quality sausages, with the casing removed of course, you can use flavoured sausages if you wish.
• Two cloves of garlic, Finely chopped
• One red onion, Finely chopped
• One white onion, Finely chopped
• Two sprigs of fresh thyme, Finely chopped
• Three sage leaves, Finely chopped
• Zest of a lemon
• Teaspoon of black pepper
• Half a teaspoon of salt
• White breadcrumbs
• Ten mushrooms, very finely chopped

On Christmas eve , I start this stuffing off I start by cooking two onions in a large saucepan and cook until soft this should take about 10 to 15 minutes on a medium to low heat.
Next add garlic, finely chopped mushrooms and your finely chopped herbs and cook for a further 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the lemon zest and season, this part is optional but I sometimes add the breadcrumbs to the mixture and cook down a little bit.
When cooled add to the fridge, The next day, remove the sausage meat from the casings and mix with the onion mixture and the bread crumbs.
The only way to do this is to mix well with your hands to make sure its combined well.
Lay out a large sheet of tin foil and roll out the stuffing into a sausage shape and roll until its tightly secure.
Pop into the oven for 40 to 50 minutes.