Mediterranean Soup

I love a good soup year round but this particular one which relies on ripe and flavourful tomatoes is just a bowlful of summer - it's divine. I guarantee if you make it you'll want to make it again, and soon.

Mediterranean Soup

Here's how:

• 1 red onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 carrot
• 2 red peppers
• 600g ripe tomatoes
• 100g olives
• Olive oil
• 900ml chicken or vegetable stock
• Pinch salt
• Black pepper to taste
• Handful of basil leaves and stalks
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Grana Padana to taste (optional)

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees. 

Cut the tomatoes and the red peppers in half and place into a baking tray or dish and drizzle generously with olive oil. Season and add the oregano and then place into the oven for 30 minutes.

In the meantime make the base of the soup by finely dicing the onion and crushing the garlic and adding to a saucepan with a little olive oil on a low heat.

Finely slice the celery and add to the mix. 

Peel and finely dice the carrot and roughly chop the olives and add to the soup base.

Take the basil leaves away from the stalks and finely chop the stalks - add these to the mix.

Once the tomatoes and red peppers have cooked for 30 minutes and are beginning to char, remove from the oven and place into the soup saucepan - including any juices left behind in the tray.

Make up the stock and pour into the saucepan. Season to taste and at this point add the basil leaves - keeping a couple back to garnish the soup.

Cook for twenty minutes and then remove from the heat. Once cooled, blitz and return to the heat to warm through.

Add a few shavings of Grana Padana or even Cheddar if you like and a basil leaf or two and serve with fresh crusty bread. Enjoy!

Some other soup recipes you may like:

Restorative Green Soup
Asparagus Soup with Crispy Bacon
Chunky Lentil, Bacon and Kale Soup
Mexican Mushroom Soup
Curried Parsnip and Spinach Soup
Leek, Potato and Cauliflower Soup
Skinny Broccoli and Fennel Soup
Red Pepper Soup
Quick Pork Noodle Soup
Smoky Tomato Soup

Cheat's Chocolate Trifle

This isn't so much a recipe - more of an idea for a great assembly job to prepare an impressive looking dessert in no time at all. 

You can add a layer of jelly as you would in a traditional trifle if you have the time, but when I throw this together it's usually when we have unexpected guests for dinner. 

I've also made it with Madeira cake instead of the chocolate Swiss roll - any kind of sponge cake works. You can also use dark chocolate or white chocolate for the custard - both work well.

Cheat's Chocolate Trifle

Cheat's Chocolate Trifle

Here's how:

• 1 chocolate Swiss roll
•  750g ready made custard
• 200g milk chocolate
• 1-2 squares white chocolate
• Punnet of raspberries
• 200ml whipping cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Firstly rinse the raspberries and dry them off and set aside.

Break up all but 1-2 squares of the milk chocolate and place into a bowl. Place over a pan of boiling water to gently melt. Once thoroughly melted, remove the bowl from the heat and pour over half of the custard and mix well. 

Now for the cream - add the vanilla extract and whisk firmly for about 5 minutes or until the cream is really thick. 

Cut the Swiss roll into thin slices and place some around the outside of the edge of the trifle dish you are using. Into the centre place a handful of the raspberries. Then cover the raspberries with another slice of Swiss roll.

Now pour over some of the plain custard, then top that with of the chocolate custard and then add another layer of the sponge - this should use the remainder of the Swiss roll up now. 

Scatter a few raspberries over this layer then pour on the rest of the plain custard, followed by the chocolate custard.

Spoon the whipped cream over the top of the trifle and use the back of a spoon to smooth it as evenly as you can.

Place the remaining raspberries on top of the trifle to decorate and then finally grate over the milk chocolate and the white chocolate to give a final decoration. Enjoy!

Lovely Lemon Cake

This citrus cake is light and delicious with a triple hit of lemon running through it from the sponge cake, the lemon curd and the lemon buttercream. It's perfect for a celebration cake.

It's simple to make too - I've used the all-in-one method for the sponge which works every time.

Lovely Lemon Cake

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Here's how:

• 250g salted butter
• 250g self-raising flour
• 250g caster sugar
• 4 eggs
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 drop of Sicilian lemon extract
• 2-3 tsp milk 
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the buttercream:

• 180g salted butter
• 500g icing sugar
• Juice and zest of 2 lemons
• 1 drop Sicilian lemon extract
• 3 tbsp lemon curd
• Lemon Jelly Slices (I use Morrison's from the baking department)

First pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees and grease and line two 20cm sandwich tins. 

Into a large bowl measure the flour, softened butter and sugar and baking powder and mix well to combine. Add the lemon zest and extract and once well mixed, add a drop of milk at a time until you have a thick and unctuous cake batter at a consistency you're happy with. 

Now carefully divide the cake batter between the two sandwich tins, level out and place both into the hot oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and risen.

Test the cake with a skewer - as long as it comes out dry the cake is good to go.

Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 20 minutes, then carefully remove and place onto a board to cool further.

Now begin to prepare the lemon buttercream - ensure the butter is soft, and if not place into the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Add the icing sugar, the lemon juice, zest and extract to the butter and mix well. Once all combined you can begin the assemble the finished cake.

Place one sandwich at the bottom and spoon over a few tablespoons of the lemon buttercream - use a palette knife to spread so it's evenly distributed.

Now spoon over the lemon curd and spread around - it doesn't need to be too neat but try to get an even spread.

Place the second sandwich on top of the first. 

Now spread the buttercream over the top and the sides of the cake all around. Again, use a palette knife to spread and make as neat as possible. 

If using the Lemon Jelly Slices simply place them all around the outside of the cakes' top and you're done. 

The cake will last for up to a week if covered and kept in the fridge but it never lasts more than a day or two around here.

If like me you're partial to a fruity cake here are a few other recipes you might like:

• Lemon & Honey Yoghurt Cake
• Lemon Drizzle Cake
• St Clements Drizzle Cake
• Guilt Free Apple Cake
• Rhubarb and Custard Cake
• Peach Upside Down Cake