Dairy-Free Carrot, Cinnamon and Walnut Cake

This was a perfect dinner party dessert last week, a recipe that never fails! Sunflower oil is used instead of butter, which helps keep the cake moist and light. It's delicious served with a yoghurt topping, for those that can eat dairy, or simply dusted with icing sugar or cinnamon.

Ingredients (serves 8)

- 6oz (170g) caster or light brown sugar

- 6oz (170g) sunflower or vegetable oil

- 3 eggs

- 5.4oz (153g) plain flour

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 1/3 tsp baking powder

- 2 tsp cinnamon

- 12oz (340g) grated carrot, roughly 2 1/2 large carrots

- 1oz (28g) walnut pieces (or more!) 

* I didn't use raisins this time, but you can add a handful if you feel like it *

1. Heat the oven to 170°c.

2. Mix the sugar and the oil in a bowl and then add the eggs one at a time. * Don't worry if the mixture curdles a bit *

3. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon into another bowl and mix well. Fold the flour mix into the egg mix and stir until combined.

4. Then stir in the grated carrots and walnuts into the cake mix (and raisins if using) and place in a suitable round cake tin with a removable base. 

5. Cook the cake at 170°c for 25 minutes and then turn the heat down to 160°c and cook for a further 20/25 minutes.

6. When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and leave it to cool for around 10 minutes (otherwise it will deflate in size). Then gently scrape around the sides with a spatular to remove it from the edge. 

* Sieve some icing sugar or grated cinnamon on top for decoration *

Easy Chilli Chicken Pot with Peppers and Basil

This dish is so simple, delicious and quick. It's perfect for any dinner party as you can leave it to cook while attending to your guests. This was invented from fridge leftovers, so you can chop and change the vegetables as you wish. The radishes were a late addition, and I don't think I've ever cooked them before - but they really work!

Ingredients (serves 4)

- 4 chicken legs or thighs

- 400g tin of chopped tomatoes or similar

- 2 peppers (any colours), chopped into big slices

- 1 onion, thinly sliced

- 2 cloves of garlic, roughly sliced

- 1 whole red chilli, chopped

- two sprigs of basil with around 14 leaves, roughly chopped (I keep leftover basil in the freezer so that it doesn't go bad, and then get it out when I don't have it fresh. Any herb can be frozen and used this way, saving waste and money)

- a few good glugs of leftover red wine (or any wine if you don't have red)

- 1 chicken stock cube

- 100g radishes (optional), chopped in half

1. Firstly, brown the chicken in a little vegetable oil (it might be good to use a deep frying pan with a lid - to avoid spitting), for around 5 minutes, turning occasionally.

2. Remove the chicken from the pan and fry the onions and garlic for a few minutes. When they begin to soften, add the wine and tinned tomatoes and cook until the sauce starts to bubble. 

3. Place the chicken, peppers and chilli in the pan and cook on a medium heat for around 20-25 minutes. Fill the empty chopped tomato can with 1/3 boiling water and the stock cube, and add that to the pan 10 minutes in along with the chopped basil. If you like lots of sauce, keep the lid on so that the juices don't evaporate away. Keep an eye on the heat too...it might need turning down a little.

4. If you're using radishes (or another alternative like peas or mushrooms) add these to the pan 5 minutes before serving.

Serve this dish alongside rice, potatoes or some delicious bread. Minimal effort and washing up, maximum tummy happiness!

Obsessed About Pomelo - How to Tackle, Eat and Use it

I have fallen in love with this fruit, and I hope if you're reading this, you will too! A somewhat overlooked orangey yellow ball which not many people know what to do with. Pomelo it a citrus fruit, and originates from South and Southeast Asia. Like the orange, it is high in Vitamin C. It's reasonably cheap - ranging between £1-£2, feeds between three and four, easy to dissect and of course, very sweet, healthy and scrumptious. If you haven't purchased one before, now is the time. Pomelo can be found in most independent grocery shops in and around London, often for only £1, and it can also be bought in Lidl for £1.49.

Where to Start!

1. Carefully cut off the plastic covering. You will be left with this, or something similar.

2. Slice off the top until a small amount of the inside is showing. Then make incisions down the sides in order to help you peel it (shown in the photo on the right).

3. Start to peel away the outside like an orange. The skin should come away easily.

4. Discard the skin and put your thumbs in the middle of the fruit, peeling the two sides away from each other. As you will notice, it is much like an orange or grapefruit.

5. The skin is tough and unpleasant, therefore it will need to be removed. It should come away from the flesh easily by pulling the segments apart and peeling off the sides. This is what it looks like when it is ready to eat. Voila!!

Once I have started peeling the pomelo, I usually peel it all and keep any leftovers in a tuppaware in the fridge. It seems to last well and it good to nibble on. Also perfect for a light pudding, or sprinkled on salad and curries.