Mint caipirinha fruit salad

“This boozy, fresh fruit salad is inspired by the one-and-only Brazilian caipirinha cocktail ”

3 limes , finely grated zest and juice of

4 tablespoons caster sugar , plus extra to taste

Cachaça

1 ripe melon , deseeded and flesh scooped out with a spoon

1 ripe papaya , deseeded and flesh scooped out with a spoon

1 large handful fresh strawberries , hulled and halved lengthways

1 ripe mango , stoned and flesh scooped out with a spoon

1 pineapple , peeled, cored and cut into chunks

1 bunch fresh mint , leaves picked

Method

1. In a pestle and mortar, bash most of the mint leaves (reserving the remainder to decorate) with the finely grated lime zest. Add the sugar and a good lug of cachaça. Mix gently in the mortar and pestle, add the lime juice, taste and add more sugar if you think you need to.
2. Toss the fruit together in a bowl with a little of the mint and lime mixture, then spread it all out on a big plate. Spoon the rest of the mint and lime mixture over the top. Decorate with the remaining mint before serving.

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Wild strawberries and vanilla cream

4 handfuls wild strawberries

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 vanilla pod , scored lengthways and seeds scraped out

1 splash sherry vinegar

1 pot crème fraîche

a few small fresh mint leaves

1 orange , zest of

Method

1. Nothing says summer like strawberries and cream – the vanilla cream recipe is a sweet little touch.
2. Pick out the nicest strawberries and set aside. Put the rest in a bowl and add the sugar, half the vanilla seeds and the vinegar. Squash together with the back of a fork and leave to macerate for 10–15 minutes.
3. Stir the rest of the vanilla seeds into the crème fraîche. To serve, spoon a little vanilla cream in the centre of each bowl, make a well in the middle and spoon in some mushed strawberries. Halve some of the reserved strawberries and sprinkle the lot over the vanilla cream. Scatter over the mint leaves and orange zest then serve.

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Plum crumble with rolled oats

“I love the stickiness of the fruit filling combined with the chewy, crunchy top of this plum crumble ”

200 g plain flour

100 g butter

175 g unrefined golden caster sugar

100 g oats

400 g kiwi fruits , peeled

600 g plums , stoned

1-2 pieces jarred stem ginger , finely chopped

1 vanilla pod , seeds of

1 apple , very finely sliced

Method

1. This fruity little number is always a big hit in my house. Feel free to vary the fruit to match the season.
2. Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Whiz the flour, butter and 75g of the sugar together in a food processor and tip into a bowl. Rub the oats into the mix with your fingers and set aside.
3. Chop the kiwis and plums into chunks and toss in a bowl with the stem ginger, remaining sugar and vanilla seeds.
4. Spoon into a large ovenproof dish, cover with slices of apple and heap the crumble topping on top. Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown on top. Serve with cream or crème fraîche, if you like.

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Mojito fruit salad

“With lovely cocktail flavours and a bit of booze, this fruit salad is definitely for the grown-ups ”

1 bunch fresh mint , leaves picked

3 limes , finely grated zest and juice of

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

white rum , to taste

¼ large watermelon , peeled and cut into chunks

2 ripe mangoes , stoned and flesh scooped out with a spoon

1 ripe pineapple , peeled, cored and cut into chunks

Method

1. In a very clean pestle and mortar, bash most of the mint leaves with the finely grated lime zest. Add the sugar, a good lug of rum and the lime juice, then mix again gently. Have a taste and add a touch more sugar if you think you need to, but bear in mind the fruit may be quite sweet.
2. Toss the fruit together in a bowl with a little of the mojito mixture, then spread it all out on a big plate. Spoon the rest of the mixture over the top, decorate with a few torn-up mint leaves and serve.

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Raspberry syllabub with langues de chat

“Fruity syllabub is such an easy dessert and looks gorgeous, especially with a pretty biscuit on top ”

2 punnets raspberries

4 tablespoons caster sugar

50 ml sweet red wine or sweet dessert wine

284 ml double cream

284 ml fat-free natural yoghurt

a few sprigs fresh mint , to serve

1 pack langues de chat biscuits or any thin, all-butter biscuits

Method

1. Fruity syllabub is such an easy dessert and looks gorgeous, especially with a pretty biscuit on top
2. Place the raspberries in a bowl, sprinkle with the sugar and wine and set aside for a few minutes to macerate.
3. Whip the cream to very soft peaks in a separate bowl and stir in the yoghurt. Fold half the cream and yoghurt mix into the raspberry mixture to get a bright pink cream. Now gently fold in the remaining cream and yoghurt mix to give a ripple effect. Divide between 6 glasses or tumblers.
4. Top each with a mint sprig and a few langues de chat biscuits poked in the top.

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Jamie's Mum's gorgeous chocolate pudding

“Trust me when I tell you that this is one mind-blowingly chocolately pudding – totally indulgent ”

For the chocolate sauce

100 g butter , plus a small knob

50 g light brown sugar

100 g good-quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)

2 tablespoons milk

For the pudding

100 g butter

75 g light brown sugar

225 g self-raising flour

2 large free-range eggs

50 g cocoa

8 tablespoons milk

1 pinch salt

1 orange , zest of, or 2 clementines

To serve

1 pot ready-made custard

Method

1. To make the sauce, grease a 2-pint pudding basin with a little butter and set aside. Place a large heatproof mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water (make sure it’s not too tight a fit or the steam will burn you). Add all of your sauce ingredients and allow to melt, stirring frequently until blended and glossy. Remove from the heat.
2. Pour about 8 tablespoons of your lovely sauce into the bottom of the greased pudding basin and put the rest to one side for later.
3. Next, pop all the pudding ingredients into a food processor and blitz until nice and smooth. You can also do this by hand with a wooden spoon if you don’t have a food processor. Gently transfer the mixture to the pudding basin, on top of the sauce.
4. Cover the pudding basin with some greaseproof paper and a layer of foil to hold it in place. Scrunch this around the edges and tie some string around the basin to secure it. At the same time, make a handle from the string so it is easier to handle the pudding basin later on.
5. When you’re ready to cook your pudding, get a saucepan large enough to hold the pudding basin and have its lid on tightly, so try it for size first. Once you’ve got a good fit, place a heatproof plate on the bottom of the pan - this will stop the bottom of the pudding from burning.
6. Fill the pan with a couple of inches of boiling water from the kettle and carefully lower your pudding in. The water should come halfway up your pudding, so top it up if you need to.
7. Bring the water to the boil, put the lid on, then simmer for about 1½ hours, making sure you keep the water topped up when needed so it doesn’t boil dry. After this time, carefully remove your pudding from the pan.
8. Turn the pudding out onto a nice big platter, but keep in mind that the chocolate sauce is going to be hot and runny, so be very careful. Place the pudding in the centre of your table with a jug of warmed custard and a jug containing the remaining warmed chocolate sauce. Top the pudding with a little holly and let everyone tuck in!

Organic or free-range milk comes from cows that have been able to graze outdoors, and have had happy, free, healthy lives. Always check the label. Join our Food Revolution!

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My Nan's Christmas pud with vin santo

“This light, fruity Christmas pudding recipe makes buying one from the shops a thing of the past ”

500 g mixed dried fruit (such as cranberries, cherries, apricots, sultanas and raisins)

100 g dates , chopped up

3 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

125 g suet

1 orange , zest of

125 g plain flour

125 g caster sugar

150 g fresh white breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons vin santo or brandy

1 handful chopped nuts, such as pecans, Brazils or hazelnuts

1 medium free-range egg

150 ml milk

golden syrup , to serve

Method

1. Grease a 1.5 litre pudding bowl.
2. Mix all the ingredients together, except the golden syrup. Put the mixture into the greased bowl and cover with a double layer of aluminium foil. Tie a piece of string round the side of the bowl. Place in a large saucepan with water halfway up the sides of the bowl. Bring the water to the boil, put on a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 3 hours. (Don’t forget to check the water regularly, making sure that it never boils dry, because if it does, it will burn and the bowl will crack.)
3. When it’s ready, remove the foil, turn out on to a plate, drizzle with golden syrup and decorate it as you like. You can also light it with brandy if you want to be really fancy.

Organic or free-range milk comes from cows that have been able to graze outdoors, and have had happy, free, healthy lives. Always check the label. Join our Food Revolution!

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