Pumpkin seed and herb bread rolls

For hallowe'en I created these delicious herby, pumpkin seed bread rolls. I made a pumpkin and almond soup served in baked pumpkin shells, with a gingery glass of dark and stormy.

BANG cake (banana, amaretto, nut and ginger)

It's fast approaching that lovely time of year when pumpkins and sparklers come out. In honour of this, I've called this a 'BANG' cake, as it's made from banana, amaretto, nuts and ginger. The cake contains ground walnuts and ground ginger, and is topped with a kind of crumble made from blitzed pecans and crystallised ginger. I'm serving this tonight for my friend Ali who is cooking me supper!

Thyme bread

Another bread making day today! My loaf this week is a rustic white country bread flavoured with thyme. It's lovely and soft, and very easy to eat all in one sitting with cheese and chutneys in front of the fire!

Pistachio and dark chocolate cookies

I woke up really early this morning, dreaming of these cookies. The thought made my mouth water so much I ended up getting up and getting straight to baking! These are lovely chewy, gooey cookies choc full of big chunks of Bourneville dark chocolate and toasted, chopped pistachios. What better way to start a Saturday?

Peach melba cupcakes

Our friend Roz is emigrating to Australia tomorrow, so for a going away present I made her a batch of cupcakes with an Aussie-inspired theme: peach melba. The dessert was famously invented in the 1890s for the Australian opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, by the chef of the Savoy in London, and consists of poached peaches with vanilla icecream and raspberry sauce, scattered with flaked almonds. So here are my peach melba cupcakes: vanilla, peach, raspberry and almond cupcakes, with a peach yoghurt icing and topped with a slice of peach, a raspberry and a couple of flaked almonds. Good luck Roz!

Pear, oat and chocolate gingerbread muffins

Last night we had dinner at our friend Debbie's house and I made my flourless chocolate amaretto pear cake. I had a couple of pears left over so this morning decided to include them in another chocolatey recipe - this time adding some cocoa to a basic gingerbread muffin recipe, and replacing half the flour for oats.

Banana, honey, yoghurt and hazelnut bread

As usual when I make banana bread, it's to use up very ripe bananas which I've secretly been not eating for days so I've got just this excuse! Today I've added toasted hazelnuts, natural yoghurt and a mixture of honey and brown sugar, but for a plain banana bread recipe my old faithful one is here.

Pesto and cheese bread rolls

I recently posted my first proper attempt at bread, sundried tomato and rosemary focaccia rolls. Here is my second go at bread - this time for bread filled with pesto and cheese, rolled up into a log and cut into slices before baking. The smell that fills the house when these are in the oven is amazing! Tonight I'm serving them with another homemade, autumnal soup - roasted red pepper, sweet potato and chickpea (slow roasted for an hour or so with a little olive oil, honey, chilli and thyme, then puréed with some chicken stock). How to make a wintery evening yummy! 

Ginger and milk chocolate chunk cookies

This recipe is a mixture of the ginger biscuits I made a couple of days ago and my dark chocolate ginger cookies – this time adding chunks of milk chocolate and a little drinking chocolate rather than dark cocoa powder. These are a delicious combination of warm and spicy ginger with gooey, oozing milk chocolate. They disappear fast!

Blackberry, apple and almond crumble muffins

Some quick muffins - these don't need an electric mixer, they are so quick to mix by hand. A nice way to use some lovely blackberries that are in season at the moment, and a left-over bramley apple from the spiced apple, rum and pecan pie I made the other day!