Well maybe the Scots can provide an excuse to brighten a dreary January afternoon...

Burns night approacheth at apace and this must mean that January is nearing to a close.  Surely this is an encouraging prospect for all those who subscribe to January being acknowledged as the most depressing month of the year. Hats off there January! But before we all get too excited the Scottish tradition of Burns night provides the opportunity to indulge in a cheeky bit of baking!


Whiskey Shortbread (Takes about 40mins)


300g Plain Flour
200g Butter, cut into chunks (it helps if it's really cold, straight out of the fridge)
100g Caster sugar
About 50ml Whiskey (whatever kind you like, blend or single)
A little extra caster sugar for dusting


[You'll need a baking tray or rectangular tin about 30cm x 15cm]


1) Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4 and line your baking tray with greaseproof paper/baking parchment. (If you rub a little oil on to the tin before you line it, the paper stays where you want it!)
2) Put the flour and butter into a large mixing bowl and rub together with the tips of your fingers, working the butter through the flour, until the mixture resembles a breadcrumb texture.  Then add the sugar to the mix and fold through with your hands so that it is evenly distributed throughout.
3) Add the whiskey in two additions, folding it through with your hands, this just helps to make sure it runs evenly through the shortbread.
4)Tip the mix into the tray and spread it out evenly. Then using your knuckles/finger tips, push into down into the tin so it compacts and looks more like it will be a biscuit when cooked. 
5) Prick lightly all over with a fork and then bake in the oven for 15-25 mins (it will depend on your oven, especially in student houses) and until it goes slightly brown on top and around the edges.
6)When its done, remove from the oven and after resting it for about 5 mins lift it out of the tray with the baking parchment and onto a cooling rack.  Score it with a knife to make it easier to cut into chunks when it's cooled and then dust it with the extra sugar.  Wait until it's cooled and then tuck in.


(Handy hint - this shortbread seems to improve in flavour and texture after 2-3days, so when it's cooled, whack it in an air tight tin and wait for the magic to happen!  Fab with a cup of tea too!)

Have I just woken up in the Medieval era? No... but the heating isn't on and it's -4 outside. Hello carbohydrates laced in sugar!

After a particularly mild Christmas, University exams and looming dissertation deadlines have summoned January into an untimely onslaught of frosts to numb those few surviving brain cells into submission.  Calling all hot and comforting carbohydrates - urgently required in student houses all over Britain! (Well certainly those in the Northern half).

These magnificent marshmallowy chocolatey brownies are the result of another BBC recipe search and with a little modification - or just a lack of cocoa powder and a forgetful cook - they turned out to be quite the crowd pleaser. Here's a little peek to get those tastebuds tingling!

Although they look a little overdone, think bonfire night toasted marshmallows and embrace the gooey caramel and deep chocolate hit! They are also surprisingly light!

However sometimes the chill wintry evenings demand a heartier solution and for that the classic student favourite Spaghetti bolognese receives a seasonal revival.

Parsnippy Bolognese with Bacon and Basil (Serves 2)


150g minced beef
1x400g tin plum tomatoes
1 large parsnip, diced into 1cm chunks
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
A large handful fresh basil (finely chopped with a sprig of leaves reserved)
A generous squeeze of tomato ketchup
A generous lug of Henderson's/Worcestershire Sauce
About 100ml of stout (the beer is optional but it makes it pretty special!)
4 slices smoked bacon roughly chopped
A good pinch of salt and pepper
A handful of grated cheese for serving.
200g spaghetti 
A little olive oil 


1) Fry the bacon in a little oil for a few minutes and then add the diced parsnip and stir on a high heat until they start to colour and brown around the edges.  Season with freshly ground black pepper. Then remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
2) Add a little more oil to the pan, then add the spring onion and garlic and allow them to sweat off for a 2-3 minutes before stirring in the beef mince.  As the mince begins to brown, return the parsnip and bacon mix to the pan and stir through. Keep stirring as the mince begins to brown.
3) Once all the mince has browned keep stirring and stir in the Henderson's relish and ketchup. It should start to smell a little like a really good BBQ sauce.  Then add the tinned tomatoes (they will be whole so you will need to cut/squash them in the pan with your spoon and stir them through).  Have the pan on a medium heat and as the bolognese begins to bubble, add the beer and stir through.  Then cover with a lid or tin foil and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
4) After about 10 minutes stir and add about half the chopped basil and the extra unchopped sprig.  Replace the lid/covering and simmer for a further 10 minutes.  At this stage put the pasta into a separate pan, add boiling water (it's just quicker this way) and bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until al dente.
5) After the 10 minutes has elapsed stir the remaining basil through the bolognese.  By now it should have a thick, saucy consistency.  Taste and season (it will probably need at least a little more pepper).
6) Drain the pasta and serve. Sprinkle with the grated cheese and warm the cockles of your heart!

A willing housemate with beer and bolognese in hand!

Dried Cranberries - the obvious stocking filler? Yes, cheers Mum!

Well with time evaporating ever faster for my Parents in the unrelenting build up to Christmas, times clearly called for some diversification in the present arena.  This was not felt more profoundly than in the contents of my stocking - yes we still do this little family tradition.  The normal cosmetic and confectionery items were present but quite unlike my previous festive experiences a dried fruit substance revealed itself from beneath glossy reindeer adorned gift wrap.  Dried Cranberries. 

Baffled not to say the least. Ta Mum, they're err great! But enough jest, this dried fruit is really versatile and totally awesome to create any number of student friendly food options.  That is not to say that I am well acquainted with such recipe gold, but internet really does come to our aid not to mention a plethora of TV chef offerings.  Cranberry sauce with real and dried cranberries? Soak them in your preferred tipple (I'd suggest not necessarily vodka - a stalwart though it seems to be in student accommodation) and then add to a fairly bog standard jar of mincemeat. A much more personal approach to quick mince pies - shop bought pastry and mincemeat and all the hard work is done.  See, homemade festive fayre is affordable and easy!

But it is now January and although my cravings for mince pies and mulled wine haven't quite yet been put to bed for another year, I want to do something else with my cranberry gift...  Quite fortuitously a friend of mine received a white and chocolatey christmas present and this confirmed for me the fate of my dried fruits.  Stay tuned for some White chocolate and Cranberry cookies in the month of January. Fresh for the new year, but still comforting enough to cheer those grey wintry days.

Pushing the boat out!

So hands up on this one - it definitely doesn't fit with a student budget.  But if there's any loan left over at the end of the year and you fancy splashing out this recipe is worth a shot!  It's a bit of a show stopper and in theory a patriotic favourite: Beef Wellington...

Now I made this for New Year's Eve as a kind of 'Cheers' to my folks for really sticking by me and also to see whether I could actually handle a dish that requires technical skills that I hadn't considered attempting.  After a bit of web searching and racking a brain overwhelmed a little with the endless Christmas cook shows on over the festive season I plumped for a BBC GoodFood recipe, headlined by Gordon Ramsay.

Now Beef Wellington is a classic British dish and basically consists of a fillet of beef which is encased in  puff pastry.  Fillet beef is pretty much the most expensive cut you can get but it's really lean and done like this it's extremely tender. You can definitely find it at a decent butcher so wherever you live - find one! This recipe is not without teething problems though as I discovered with my piece being smaller than Gordon's recipe example as it was only to serve three, but also not really long and cylindrical (which is ideal) but being wider and broader across.  This meant that the cooking flawed me a little at the initial roasting stage, trying to work out comparable timings and also please family members who all like their meat done to different degrees.  So that's something to watch. Lesson learned there Lizzi! Therefore I would advise making sure that the fillet is evenly proportioned and no wider in diameter than ... a tube of Pringles? Yeah that works.

Much simpler (and with a more immediate sense of satisfaction) was the flavoured butter I made to add to the veg once cooked before serving.  Here's a little hint at it if you fancy giving it a go.  This is definitely an easy and totally affordable way to jazz up a student meal and impress if your cooking for others and just a great way to pimp up old faithful - the frozen pea!

Garlic and Parsley Butter 


50g Butter (salted or unsalted whatever you have, though preferably not spread!)
1 clove of Garlic, finely chopped
A pinch of salt
A handful of finely chopped Parsley

1) Take the butter out of the fridge preferably about 10 minutes before you want to work with it as allowing it to soften slightly will make things easier.  Then cut it up in smaller chunks, this will make the flavourings easier to combine and also help to distribute them more evenly through the butter.
2) Before you add the chopped garlic and while it is still on your chopping board, sprinkle the salt over it and with the flat of the knife against the board squash the garlic and mix the salt into it.  The salt is abrasive and so will help to form a garlicky paste - this will mean the garlic is distributed throughout the butter.  Also the salt will help to bring out the flavour of the garlic.
3) Once it has formed a rough paste, add it to the butter and mix together with a fork.  It may be difficult to get the mix going but if the butter has warmed enough it shouldn't prove too difficult.
4) When all the garlic is mixed in, add one third of the chopped parsley and mix.  Once the first lot is mixed through add the second and then repeat the same process with the remaining parsley.  As you stir it through you will notice that some parts of the butter mix are less concentrated with the parsley so as you add the remaining thirds of the herb, fold it in to those sections, perhaps cutting the butter sandwiching the parsley in the middle and then pressing the two halves as you continue to combine the mix.
5) Once all the flavours are evenly distributed, lay out a piece of cling film about A4 size on your worktop.  Place the butter in the centre and fold the top of cling film down so it meets the opposite edge. Then take the side of the cling and roll the butter parcel along you worktop. Repeat this action and quite quickly the cling film should twist at each end and soon you ought to have a little parcel resembling an oversized Quality Street sweet.  Then just twist these edges in your fingers (tie them together in a bow if you like) and pop it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before you want to use it.  It just allows the flavours to work through the butter and makes it easier to cut off chunks.

Then when you have boiled potatoes or carrots, broccoli or peas [insert fave veg here] just add your butter leave to melt for a minute or two stir/shake through the veg and serve!