Shop-bought mince pies rarely taste better than home-made and these with their apple and dried cranberry filling are more than impressive. Serve warm or cold with cream or custard if liked.

Makes

12 pies

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 50g cold butter, diced
• 50g lard or solid vegetable oil, diced
• 175g plain flour
• 2 tbsp icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 4 tbsp cold water

Filling:

• 200g mince meat
• 1 Pink Lady apple, cored and finelychopped
• 25g dried cranberries
• icing sugar, to dust

Method

1. Preheat the oven if necessary to 200°C/Fan 180°C/Esse Dial Guide HOT. (Aim for the dial reading to be in the middle of HOT).
2. Put the butter and lard (or solid vegetable oil) into a food processor along with the flour, icing sugar, egg yolk and water and pulse until the mixture binds together. Alternatively, use your fingertips to rub the butter and lard lightly through the flour and icing sugar, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then add the egg yolk and sufficient water to bind together. Turn the pastry onto a lightly floured surface, knead to a ball then roll out and stamp out 12 circles with a 7cm cutter. Line a bun tin with these and chill for 30 minutes. Reserve the pastry trimmings.
3. Meanwhile, mix the mincemeat with the apple and cranberries and spoon into the pastry cases. Stamp out 12 stars from the pastry trimmings and place one on the top of each pastry case.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly golden and cooked. Serve warm or cold dusted with icing sugar.

Get Ahead!

Baked mince pies will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Ideally warm in the oven for 5-8 minutes before serving.

Cook with the steam vent closed.

Ingredients

• 300g strong white bread flour
• 100ml milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 25g fresh yeast
• 50g light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 75g mixed fruit with peel
• 1 egg, beaten
• 50g butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Honey for glazing

Method

1. Warm the milk (to blood temperature) and dissolve the yeast, add a pinch of sugar in it.
2. Warm the flour at the back of the ESSE and make a well in the centre.
3. Pour the melted butter into the flour with the sugar, salt, spice, fruit, vanilla and egg.  Mix together, then add the yeast mixture, mix as you go.
4. When it has formed a dough, put in a bowl and place next to the ESSE to prove.
5. When it has doubled in size knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth.
6. Prepare your mini flower pots or tins by lining them well with greaseproof paper.  Divide the mixture into the pots/tins and put next to the ESSE to prove again.
7. When they have doubled in bulk place them on a baking tray and in the top oven, bottom shelf at 200C/ESSE dial reading middle of HOT for about 25 minutes or until golden brown.
8. Carefully take out of the pots and brush with a little warmed honey.

Recipe by Philippa Vine, Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen.

This is a lighter pudding and it doesn’t need maturing. Philippa Vine made it from scratch at Scotts Arm Stoves cooker demonstration in Sicklinghall. Philippa baked it in the bottom of the ESSE whilst the turkey and roast potatoes were cooking.

Ingredients

• 100g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 100g fresh breadcrumbs
• 100g soft brown sugar
• 100g butter, softened
• 175g sultanas
• 225g raisins
• 50g candied peel, finely chopped
• 1 dessert apple grated
• 50g prunes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon golden syrup
• Finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 3 tablespoons brandy or rum or more!

Method

1. Mix the spices with the flour and breadcrumbs.
2. Pour in the melted butter, then add the rest of the ingredients.
3. Give it a good stir and pack it into a greased pudding basin.
4. Cover with a double sheet of greaseproof paper and a sheet of foil, tie securely with string.
5. Place the pudding on a tray with a little water (if you are cooking it with the roast dinner and the steam vent isn’t closed) in the bottom oven at 150C/ESSE dial reading top end of COOL with the steam vent closed for about 3 1/2 hours.
6. Remove the greaseproof paper and foil and pour over extra brandy if desired!

Recipe by Philippa Vine, Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen, East Sussex.

Eccles cake filling

• 150g muscovado sugar
• 150g light brown sugar
• 600g currants
• 300g sultanas
• 5g ground cinnamon
• 5g mixed spice
• 300g grated Bramley apple (skin on)
• 2 each grated. Lemon zest
• 2 each grated orange zest
• 2 lapsang souchon tea bags (or earl grey)
• 100ml water

Boil the water and infuse the tea bags for 10 minutes. Remove bags and then mix everything together. Leave to infuse for a few days in a lidded container. Give it a shake each day so that liquid infuses evenly through the fruit. Can be kept in the fridge for several weeks.

Quick flaky pastry – makes about 12 Eccles

• 225g plain flour
• 175g unsalted butter
• Pinch of salt
• Cold water (roughly 150ml)

Place the butter in a freezer for an hour or so. Sieve the flour and the salt then grate the butter into it, covering with the flour as you go to keep the butter strands separated. Make a well in the middle and add the water, stirring with a spoon until it comes together. Finish off with your hand to form a soft dough. Add a little more water if necessary. Cover and chill for 30 mins.

To make the Eccles

1. Roll out dough on a floured surface to 2-3mm thick and cut out 10cm discs.
2. Place 35g (approx.) of filling into the centre of each. Use a pastry cutter placed upside down to keep filling neat.
3. Brush around the filling with a little egg white and then carefully pinch pastry up around the fruit. Then press flat with your fingers and turn over and place onto a lined baking tray.
4. Rest in fridge, then make 2 small incisions in the centre of each Eccles. When ready to cook (not too long before) brush with egg white and sprinkle with demerara.
5. Bake 180-190c, ESSE dial reading low end of HOT, for about 20 mins

Baking Tip

To achieve the amazingly crunchy finish, just before placing them in the oven, brush the finished cakes with egg white (not egg wash) then sprinkle with a generous quantity of granular demerara sugar.

Recipe by Dominique Ashford, pastry chef.

Serves

Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients

• 115g vegan margarine
• 200g caster sugar or coconut sugar
• 5g vanilla essence
• 160g plain flour
• 5g baking powder
• 1g salt
• 105g desiccated coconut
• 100g plant based milk

Method

1. Cream the margarine and sugar together.
2. Add everything else and mix well.
3. Wet your hands a little and then form small balls (roughly the size of 10p) and roll. Place on a tray lined with a baking mat or parchment, leaving about 5 cm between each and press down a little to flatten.
4. Bake at 170c / ESSE dial reading middle of MODERATE for approximately 18 minutes until golden.
5. For an extra special treat – sandwich together with some delicious vegan chocolate cream.

Chocolate and Tofu Cream

• 250g of dark chocolate
• 300g firm silken tofu (ambient tofu)
• 30g Golden syrup

Melt the chocolate, stir in the Golden syrup. Put tofu in blender and blend whilst adding chocolate until smooth. Add a little warm water if necessary.

Baking Tip

To make the luxurious, smooth dairy-free vegan frosting that sticks these cookies together, it’s really important to find the right kind of tofu. You need to use undrained and unpressed ‘ambient’ or ‘silken’ tofu which is widely available online and in health food shops.

Recipe by Dominique Ashford pastry chef.

Serves

Makes 20 cookies

Ingredients

• 115g vegan margarine
• 100g caster sugar
• 100g light brown sugar
• 125g plain flour
• 55g cocoa powder
• 5g baking powder
  1g salt
• 100g dark chocolate (buttons or a bar chopped into small chips)
• 25g plant based milk

Method

1. Cream the margarine and sugar together.
2. Sieve the cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt together and add to the butter mix along with the milk and chocolate
3. Wet your hands a little and then form small balls (roughly the size of 10p) and roll. Place on a tray lined with a baking mat or parchment, leaving about 5 cm between each and press down a little to flatten.
4. Bake at 170c / ESSE dial reading middle of MODERATE for approximately 18 minutes.
5. For an extra special treat – sandwich the cookies together with some delicious vegan chocolate cream. (See the below chocolate and tofu cream recipe).

Chocolate and Tofu Cream

• 250g of dark chocolate
• 300g firm silken tofu (ambient tofu)
• 30g Golden syrup

Melt the chocolate, stir in the Golden syrup. Put tofu in blender and blend whilst adding chocolate until smooth. Add a little warm water if necessary.

Baking Tip

To make the luxurious, smooth dairy-free vegan frosting that sticks these cookies together, it’s really important to find the right kind of tofu. You need to use undrained and unpressed ‘ambient’ or ‘silken’ tofu which is widely available online and in health food shops.

Recipe by Dominique Ashford, Pastry Chef.

Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 8 oz caster sugar
• 1 tbsp self-raising flour / gluten free
• 4 oz of fresh ground almonds
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 tbsp brandy
• Almond essence
• Double cream

Method

1. Whisk egg whites to a soft peak add ½ the sugar.
2. Add remaining sugar to the egg yolks then combine with the whites. Achieve volume.
3. Be careful that you don’t over mix your egg, as that may take some air out of your mixture.
4. Add the small amount of flour to hold the egg.
5. Add almonds, baking powder, brandy and essence.
6. Pour into a greased and lined cake tin.
7. Bake at 175°C (Aim for the ESSE dial reading to be in the middle of MODERATE) for 35 – 40 minutes.

Recipe by Frances Atkins (Yorke Arms Nidderdale)

These pavlovas are so versatile and can be served with many different flavour combinations. Summer fruits are a classic, but you could make a salted pistachio crème fraiche and poached apricots or crush them up on top of your favourite ice cream with some melted chocolate or caramel sauce.

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 150˚C (top end of the ‘Cool’ setting on ESSE dial) and line a baking sheet with silicon paper.

Meringue ingredients

• 175g caster sugar
• 3 large (90g) egg whites

The important thing when making meringues is to make sure your mixing bowl is clean and dry and there is no residue of fat.

Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks then start to add a dessert spoon of sugar at a time, whisking the sugar in well each time until all the sugar is fully blended in – the meringue mix should be smooth and shiny – not grainy.

Using a 1cm plain piping nozzle and piping bag, fill the bag with the meringue mix and pipe into nice domes on your prepared tray. If you don’t have a nozzle you can use a metal spoon to make more rustic shapes.

Place the meringues in the oven with the vent closed and turn the heat down to 140˚C (middle of the ‘Cool’ scale on ESSE dial). After 40 minutes, open the steam release vent.

Blueberry and raspberry sauce

• 125g raspberries
• 75g blueberries
• 30g caster sugar
• 1/2 juice of a lemon

Blend the blueberries and raspberries together in a liquidiser, pass through a fine sieve to remove pips, season to taste with the sugar and lemon juice.

Chantilly cream

• 250g double cream
• 50g caster sugar
• 1/2 a vanilla pod or a tsp vanilla essence

Whisk the cream with the vanilla and sugar to soft peaks.

To serve, pipe or spoon the cream into the centre of your serving dish, pour a small amount of the sauce around, garnish with some berries and top with a pavlova. I also used some wild sorrel I picked in the woods and dusted with some freeze-dried raspberry powder.

Recipe provided by Dominique Ashford, pastry chef