I want my mincemeat to store well, so I don't have to find ways to use it up in one Christmas season. And also, in case I succeed in hiding it from myself, so I don't demolish the lot before the advent calendars come out. So I did a fair bit of research into preserving techniques - because we want those juicy, plump fruits, but that moisture content is what causes mould. Plus, if those juices ferment it can cause fizzy, sour mincemeat and exploding jars. So we need to find a

Rum & Coconut Mincemeat Ingredients: 1lb bramley apples, grated. No need to peel, but give them a good wash. Any other tart apples will do the job if you can't get hold of Bramleys. 100g desiccated coconut 3 level teaspoons cinnamon 2 level teaspoons ginger 225g shredded suet or grated proper butter (grate when it's very cold, or you can cut into very small cubes). This fat content is not optional if you want a moist mincemeat with any kind of shelf life

Yeah yeah, I know it's only July, but by the time the kids are back at school it'll be a bit too late, in my humble opinion, to make your own mincemeat, if you want it to be beautifully matured and mellowed. If you've left it a bit late, or you just can't be arsed and want to take a short cut, here's a link to my short video showing how I doctor up the shop-bought stuff. No judgement from Neen's kitchen, cockers. The first time I ever made mincemeat was when I had a san

Now then, I'm not terribly averse to shop bought mincemeat, but what puts me off is the dry texture, the grainy sugar and the visible suet in the jar. It's just not pretty, and if those ingredients aren't melted in during the maturation process, the flavour is a lot more harsh. The shop bought stuff also tends to contain added preservatives and colours. I want my mincemeat to store well, so I don't have to find ways to use it up in one Christmas season. And also, in case I

I used to sell about 1000 various fruitcakes per year in the food hall of Doncaster market. This recipe evolved over a few years to make it perfect for a business seller - there is no need to keep unwrapping, feeding and re-wrapping - time is money! The secret is to soak the fruit thoroughly and way ahead of time, so all the booze you need is already in there - then it permeates through the whole cake as it matures. Mature it for a month. It should keep well for abou

This is part of my Guinness-inspired bakes collection. It's a classic beery chocolate sponge, drenched with Irish cream and topped with a beautiful creamy mascarpone icing, that mimics the frothy top. Stout gives chocolate cake a rich, malty, almost treacley flavour. I can not stress enough how bloody beaut this cake tastes!

Banana cake was one of the first recipes I adapted and perfected to my own tastes, back when I opened my little sandwich shop in Donny town centre in 2007. The addition of the dark muscovado sugar was a chance I took, when I ran out of caster sugar - and it became my secret ingredient from then on. It elevates it from a decent cake, to a really bloody luvvley cake. By all means use whatever

For the jammy swirl here, you can use pretty much any type of sweet spread from a jar. You don't have to keep it fruity - all supermarkets now have a wide selection of nut butter and chocolatey spreads, so do whatever the hell you like and let me know the results!

The secrets for a nicely shaped, well risen scone: Handle the dough as little as possible - you shouldn't really be kneading it, other than to just bring it together. Cut with a sharp metal cutter, or a sharp, flat-bladed knife that's been dusted with flour, and don't twist when you cut - just straight down and lift straight back up. Glaze/wash on the very top only - don't paint the sides, and try not to let it drip either. I prefer to cut into trian

Banana cake was one of the first recipes I adapted and perfected to my own tastes, back when I opened my little sandwich shop in Donny town centre in 2007. The addition of the dark muscovado sugar was a chance I took, when I ran out of caster sugar - and it became my secret ingredient from then on. It elevates it from a decent cake, to a really bloody luvvley cake. By all means use whatever sugar you have, but something brown and unrefined gives the best flavour and textu

So...please don't expect this to be any kind of authentic, to any kind of cuisine. I slung everything in the slow cooker and hoped for the best - and was pleasantly surprised. This is quite decently healthy. The only added fat is the coconut milk, and if split into 8 portions it adds less than 90 calories per portion for a ton of flavour. There's plenty of veg in here, and if you're calorie counting or dropping carbs then serve it with cauliflower rice, or indeed over any

A refreshing lemon cheesecake, dressed up pretty with shop-bought mini meringues & fresh fruit, for effortless garden get-together glam.

This whole recipe cost me about £3! I was very kindly given this food processor by a friend last week, plus some of that soup mix with lentils and pearl barley in, a LOAD of the Asda Just Essentials frozen mixed veg. So of course my brain started itching, and this is the result. I was originally picturing a brothy, hearty soup, but to be quite frank, it looked like vomit. So trust the process if yours does too - it comes good in the blender! Creamy Vegetable Soup

From 2007 - 2012, I was the self-proclaimed, undisputed, salad queen of Doncaster. I had opened my 'little butty shop', focussing on daily fresh bread, hot roasted meats and home made sweet treats. What I didn't expect, was that the extra product line I offered - salad boxes - would become our main income. We were among the office streets, so our queue, full of ladies with sedentary desk jobs, would often be snaking out of the door - while we frantically filled our compost

For me, Blondies should be made with melted white chocolate in the mixture - just as a Brownie has melted dark chocolate. This recipe gives a fudgy texture. If you prefer them more cakey, add an extra quarter teaspoon of baking powder and leave them in the oven a little bit longer.

This is a great beginner recipe, introducing the 'egg weigh method' of creating the perfect sponge. If your eggs weigh 180g, or 220g, just measure out the other ingredients to that weight as well. For perfect results, have EVERY ingredient at room temperature, and mix as lightly as possible once the flour is in there. This buttercream recipe is what's referred to in baking circles as ABC - American buttercream, but it's the classic buttercream we all grew up with in the UK

These brownies are very rich and fudgy. If you prefer them more of a cakey texture, just add an extra quarter teaspoon of baking powder, and bake for 5-10 more minutes. As always, the better quality ingredients you use, the better the outcome, so please go for real butter and decent quality chocolate if you can. However, cheap supermarket chocolate and baking blocks such as Stork still give a thoroughly decent brownie.

This recipe makes classic cookies - they're flat, chewy in the middle and crispy at the edges. Try to eat at least one while they're still warm. There's no need to chill this dough, but you can prepare it a couple of days ahead and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake. It freezes well too, so you can form it into flattened balls and bake straight from the freezer.

Banana cake was one of the first recipes I adapted and perfected to my own tastes, back when I opened my little sandwich shop in 2008. The addition of the dark musc