Anyway, I thought I would give it a go, so I adapted her measurements and got baking and I was super pleased with the results, as they’re delicious. This recipe is very easy to make and quick too. The crumb of the muffins is fine and very moist and they taste just as good the following day (if they last that long!).

I serve these for breakfast on their own, with just a pot of hot, fresh coffee to accompany, and that’s all you need – they are just the perfect start to the day.

I saw some delicious-looking apricots at a local market recently, so I bought some (along with a few peaches and cherries) and then made my way home. En route, my thoughts started turning to the job in hand and what I could do with my fantastic finds (admittedly though, I chomped my way through most of the cherries in the car on the way home, so those were already taken care of!).

I used the peaches to create some delicious Peach, Poppy Seed and Yogurt Cakes and then put my thinking cap on for the apricots. Now Mr P loves an iced Belgian bun, so I came up with the idea of making a sweet yeast-style dough which incorporated some of the fresh apricots.

Well, here it is! Ta-da! I made the dough in the evening before I went to bed, then left it to rise slowly in the fridge overnight. The following morning (Sunday) I got up, turned the oven on, finished making the apricot buns using my perfect slow-risen dough, and soon we had freshly-baked apricot, honey and olive oil buns for breakfast in bed with a pot of coffee and the Sunday papers. I can recommend that it’s a lovely way to spend a lazy Sunday morning in bed!

This dish is simple and delicious. The spices are complex and sophisticated but not too punchy to put you off your cuppa. I serve the curried mussels on sourdough toast – perfect for soaking up the sauce and maximising the enjoyment.

I use rope-grown mussels from the River Deben here in Suffolk. They are farmed all year round, but my preference is still to enjoy them in their natural season, which is during the months with ‘r’ in the name, when the water is colder and the taste of the mussels is naturally sweeter (then leave them alone during the summer when the water is warmer).

Always make sure you clean fresh mussels thoroughly, removing the beards and giving them a good scrub, as there is nothing more disappointing than gritty mussels.

This tasty Pig Hash is one of Steve’s creations – Steve is sous chef at the British Larder. This recipe started off as a staff meal using leftovers and then it turned into a ‘real’ dish that we now offer as a lunchtime special on our menu.

I found the original recipe very rich and the treacle flavour was a bit too strong for me, especially when the loaf had been left to mature for a day. Nevertheless, it’s a superb recipe and I love Dan’s reference to this recipe being the original British ‘energy bar’.

We particularly enjoyed it toasted for breakfast with a thin scraping of slightly salted butter and a cup of good old builder’s tea. It’s the perfect way to start a busy and hectic day. I also felt less guilty about indulging in this loaf as it’s (sort of!) got the makings of a healthy product (shall we just turn a blind eye to the butter and golden syrup?!).

When I first read the recipe, I was baffled about malt extract as I had neither heard of nor used it. I was slightly unnerved as I did not know where to get it from or what I could use instead. I was determined to make this recipe as it was meant to be, so after a bit of internet research, I realised it’s a normal, regularly used ingredient. I found that our local health food shop stocks malt extract, so off I trotted to our town centre to buy a jar.

Dan’s recipe says that you can use raisins or prunes, so I decided on prunes as I’m not a great fan of raisins. I also chose to use St Peters Golden Ale and wholemeal flour that I had bought from the Snape farmers’ market. I liked the tip of lining the loaf tin with oats and I thought it gave my loaf the perfect professional touch. It looked well finished and also added to the final taste.

I also found that this loaf keeps well, and after a day or two, it’s even more delicious. I froze a few leftover slices and these come in very handy for toasting for breakfast. This malted prune loaf would also be lovely in a picnic basket at the beach, as it gives everyone extra energy to enjoy a swim in the sea.

When developing my recipes, it’s important that I cook food I love and create recipes that are not only memorable but have purpose and meaning. It took me some time to finally devise a recipe for these buns that I was completely happy with. I set out to create a bun that is not only delicious but one that is also light and fluffy. The addition of suet to the dough gives this recipe the lightness and flakiness I was after.

Goose eggs are quite large in comparison to hens eggs and duck egg. It’s also very rich. He has made the potato rosti with spinach and crumbled smoked goats cheese from Springstep a dairy local to us.

This dish is perfect for all seasons and as already mentioned for brunch, lunch or light supper.

Today I made fluffy, spongy, sweet and superbly yummy pancakes. I have chosen to make mine fairly small, 8cm in diameter to be precise, well it allows me to be indulgent and they do look rather pretty on a plate. I have served these for breakfast with a large dollop of crème fraîche, a swizzle of local honey and a big squeeze of lime juice.

I made this recipe up with what I had available in my larder. I found one lime, plenty of fresh free range eggs, dessicated coconut that I bought a while ago to make lamingtons, which never got made and then the berries from the freezer. I love my freezer. We have nothing of great value stored in it. Mainly frozen seasonal berries and fruits, ginger, lemongrass, chillies, homemade curry pastes, chicken stock and even more berries!

I hope this recipe will encourage and inspire you to go on rummage through your larder it’s amazing what one can find. You could make savoury or sweet pancakes or why not go the whole hog and make both!

I have chosen not to use traditional loaf tins to bake these two loaves of bread and instead I have gone for free-form, more rustic-shaped loaves. I must admit it’s fun shaping dough this way as you are not quite sure what the end results will look like. I was very pleased with these loaves though, they’re looking great and very homemade indeed, plus they taste delicious!

Frankly any tired looking fruits would have done the job. However Mr.P detests bananas and he gets seriously upset when he buys a smoothie on the high street but they all contain bananas even though there is no clue in the name but is hidden in the smallest writing on the back. Hence the challenge is to use something other than bananas to give body to my smoothie.

The main ingredients, that make a delicious slow burning and filling smoothie, are the oats, natural yoghurt and fresh ginger. I added a bit of natural sweetener to make it appetising, a pinch of spice for flavour and juice to bring it all together.

Ginger is good for the digestion, oats is slow burning which provides energy for longer and along with the fibre it’s perhaps the most useful ingredient in this recipe. The honey or maple syrup are both natural sweeteners which provide instant energy and flavour. I have chosen to spice my smoothie up with a pinch of ground cinnamon, you can choose your own:- nutmeg, ground cloves or even ground ginger would be equally delicious.

I enjoy this smoothie in the morning for breakfast as it gives me a healthy slow burning kick start for a busy day ahead. It would also be perfect for a late afternoon snack just when your mind starts to wonder in the direction of the cookie jar and your energy levels are low.

The best part of making this smoothie is that I used ingredients that I had to hand, I did not have to purchase anything.