• 1 small red cabbage
• 2 carrots
• 1 red apple
• 1 large red pepper
• Seasoning
• Good quality organic mayonnaise made with free range eggs (how much depends on how rich you like it)

Method:

1) Cut the cabbage in half onto a wooden board using a good sharp knife. This can be tricky so take your time. Remove the central core and discard it.

2) Peel the carrots, cut the apples into quarters and remove the core, cut the red pepper into quarters and remove the seeds and pith.

3) Wash all the vegetables and apple well in salted water.

4) Now if you want to work your biceps or you just don’t have a food processor then get a manual grater and grate away! … For the rest of us, grate the vegetables and apple in the food processor. You will get a different result if you use the big chopping blade (which avoids having to feed the item into the top to grate it), or the proper grating blade attachment, this is up to you.

5) You will probably have to do the processor grating in batches as the bowl will fill up quite quickly. Take a spatula to make sure you get every bit of coleslaw out and put it in a large mixing bowl.

6) If you get any big bits of food that have not grated properly then pick them out and use the chopping blade to finish them off.

7) Now add the seasoning to taste and some mayo, those of you feeling virtuous can have a go at making your own … let me know your recipes! How much mayo you add will depend on how rich you want it to be. I would add a word of caution and say not to go over board as you can always add but never take it away.

The coleslaw will keep in the fridge for a few days. Enjoy!

This article is reproduced by kind permission of margeland.co.uk www.margeland.co.uk

Ingredients:
• 400g minced haddock (or any other firm white fish)
• 50g ground almonds
• 750g of vegetable oil (for frying)
• 50g of medium matzo meal (or plain flour)
• 1 large free range egg
• Seasoning
• 1 tsp Fair Trade granulated sugar

Method:

1) Everything starts with good preparation! Make sure you have the kitchen to yourself for the next couple of hours as you do not want to be interrupted.

2) Put on old clothes and a 1970s scarf or old baseball cap on your hair, open the kitchen window and put the answer phone on! Frying fish is *ahem* a rather a stinky business – but so worth it!

3) Set up a couple of plates with layers of kitchen roll on to drain the fish balls on when cooked.

4) In a large bowl mix the minced fish, matzo meal, egg, and seasoning (about 1 tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper), and sugar. Now the key to making the fish stick together into ball shapes is not to over use the matzo meal – you want to just keep mixing the fish and other ingredients for a good 10 minutes at least. This will release the natural isinglass which acts like a ‘glue’.

5) Make the fish up into ball shapes or patties (the patties will cook quicker as they are flatter), this is up to you.

6) In a large frying pan with deep sides (I like to use a wok frying pan) heat the oil. To test if the oil is hot put in a crust of bread. If bubbles form around the bread then the oil is hot enough.

7) Using a fish slice or slotted spoon carefully place about 4-5 fish balls into the hot oil. The oil will foam up a bit which is normal. After a couple of minutes turn the heat down to medium.

The fish balls will begin to brown and you want to carefully again turn them in the oil using the fish slice and a wooden spoon if need be. You will know when the fish are cooked when they ‘bounce’ back when gently pressed with the fish slice.

9) Remove the fish ball with a slotted spoon and put onto a plate with kitchen roll. Add another batch of fish balls and continue the process.

10) Safety points: remember hot oil can be dangerous, do NOT leave the frying fish or hot oil unattended at any time. Don’t answer the phone, go on Twitter, or whatever. And don’t chuck hot oil down the drain, you must allow the oil to cool completely before disposing of it correctly.

11) You can serve the fish straight away (once drained) with chips and a big dollop of ketchup, yum! Or you can allow the fish to cool and have later with a blob of chraine (horseradish and beetroot) and some new potatoes.

This article is reproduced by kind permission of margeland.co.uk www.margeland.co.uk

Plus I am great believer in giving people a choice when it comes to low fat v high fat/super indulgence puddings, so there will be options for you to choose when making this delicious rice pudding. So now it is time to delve into the scrumptiousness that is the rice pudding of preference from Marge Land.

Ingredients:

• I teacup full of white pudding rice (actually you can use brown rice if you prefer it just takes longer to cook and doesn’t go as creamy)
• ¾ pint of milk (either full fat or semi skimmed)
• A large handful of raisins
• 1 medium sized free range egg
• 1 small pot of cream – optional
• 2 tbsps of blossom honey – optional

Method:

1. Boil up the rice in a large saucepan according to the packet instructions.

2. Drain the rice and chuck the water away.

3. In the saucepan add the milk to the rice and heat it all up – you don’t want it to boil though. Allow the milky rice to simmer for 10 minutes on a gentle heat so that the milk evaporates a bit.

4. Now beat the egg and stir into the warm milky rice. This will cook the egg and enrich the rice pudding.

5. Now add the raisins (if this rice pudding is not for the kids then you can pre soak the raisins in a liqueur of your choice for half an hour first! )

6. Cook the rice pudding for another 10-15 minutes on a low heat.

7. Turn the heat off under the saucepan. The rice should be nice and soft by now (if not simmer it for a bit longer). At this point if you wish to further enrich the rice pudding then you can mix the blossom honey and the little pot of cream – this is entirely up to you.

8. Serve the rice pudding either hot or cold (it can be microwaved in a couple of minutes for ease instead of using the saucepan again), and thoroughly enjoy!

This article is reproduced by kind permission of margeland.co.uk www.margeland.co.uk

The soup is great for a base and for freezing. Then when you want to eat it you can just add in some fresh vegetables and/or a bit of extra meat such as cooked chicken, bacon or prawns.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon of butter
2 large potatoes sliced
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 leek, chopped
3 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped
1 pint / 268ml of chicken stock
150g of frozen sweetcorn
700ml of milk
1 tablespoon of corn flour

Method

Fry the onions and bacon in the butter in a large/tall sauce pan until the onions are soft. Add the potatoes, leek and stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft (you can add in a chopped celery too at this point if you want to). Blend the corn flour with the milk and add that plus the sweetcorn to the pan and stir well. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Blend the soup with a hand blender. Mix in some seasoning to suit your own taste.

For freezing: put the soup into freezable containers and allow to cool before freezing.

For eating: put the soup into a saucepan and add some sweetcorn plus either some prawns, chopped bacon or chicken (all already cooked, but can be cold). Add some extra veg such as peas or leek if you wish.

It’s pretty simple but it’s quite filling and it’s great on a cold winters day

This article is reproduced by kind permission of Sarah Anderson Food and Drink Meanderings

1 tablespoon oil
250g asparagus
1 large onion, finely sliced
2 rashers organic bacon, chopped
4 organic eggs
1 cup of grated cheese

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying-pan. Trim the woody stems from the asparagus and chop the stalks. Leave the tips around 5cm in length. Saute the asparagus, onion and bacon for five minutes until the bacon is cooked and the onion is golden brown. Place in a well-greased baking dish, 25cm diameter. Beat the eggs and pour over. Sprinkle with the cheese. Bake at 200C for 20-25 minutes, until the eggs are cooked. (If your pan allows, you could pop under the grill for the last couple of minutes to toast the cheese.) Serve hot or cold in slices.

400g tin organic chickpeas
400g tin organic red kidney beans
1 large organic carrot, grated
1 organic onion, finely chopped
50g sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons tahini
(or 50g sesame seeds plus 1 tablespoon olive oil)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
1 vegetable stock cube

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Grease a baking tray. Briefly blend all of the ingredients together to make a coarse paste. Wet your hands under cold water and shape the mixture into small balls. Space out on the tray, and then flatten with the back of a cold metal spoon to make burgers. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until lightly coloured and cooked through.

Clean and fillet the mackerel. Wash and wipe dry on a clean cloth. Coat with seasoned flour. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Fry the fillets for about 10 minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Meanwhile, peel ad finely chop the onion and garlic. Skin the tomatoes (this is easier to do after they’ve been quickly submerged in very hot water) and slice. Heat the remaining oil in a clean pan and fry the onions for a few minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook slowly for a further 5 minutes. Season and add the parsley and wine vinegar. Separately cook the tomatoes in the melted butter until soft and combine. Serve the mackerel topped with the salsa, together with boiled new potatoes.

6 organic courgettes
50g organc butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g organic mature hard cheese, such as Cheddar
4 tablespoons double cream (optional)

Wipe the courgettes with a clean damp cloth. Trim the stalk. Slice each in half lengthways. Melt the butter in a frying pan. Fry the courgettes (in batches if necessary) cut side down until lightly golden. Turn over and transfer to an ovenproof shallow dish. Season and sprinkle with grated cheese. Cover with a lid or foil. Bake in the centre of a preheated oven at 190ºC/375ºF/Gas Mark 5 for 20 minutes. Heat the cream gently and pour over the courgettes to serve. Ideal as a side dish with fish or chicken.

6-8 slices stale, crust-less white organic bread
600g mixed organic soft fruits
115g caster sugar

Strawberries, raspberries, black cherries and red or black currants are all suitable, but avoid too many black currants as their sharp flavour will dominate the dish. Line the bottom and sides of a pudding basin with 4-6 slices of bread; cut to fit if necessary. Wash the fruit, remove any stones or hulls, and put in a heavy-based pan. Sprinkle with the sugar. Bring to the boil over a low heat and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the sugar melts and the juices start to run. Remove from the heat and set aside 1-2 tablespoons of juice. Spoon the rest of the fruit and juice into the dish. Cover the surface closely with the rest of the bread. Put a small plate that fits inside the dish on top of the pudding and weigh it down with a heavy jar to push the fruit down into the bread. Chill in the fridge for 8 hours.

To serve, remove the small plate. Cover the top of the dish with a larger serving plate and turn upside down to release the pudding. Use the reserved fruit juice to pour over any parts of the bread that hasn’t soaked up and been coloured by the fruit. Serve with a dollop of cream.

Heat the butter in a heavy-based saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and fry for two minutes. Add the carrots and potato and cook for ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are beginning to soften. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Loosely cover, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30 minutes until the potato is cooked. Leave to cool slightly. Stir in the honey and orange juice, and then blend in batches. Return to the pan to heat and serve hot with fresh coriander to garnish.