"Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight" Cake

Inspired by the literary "Wonka’s Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight Bar" from Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, this is a gooey chocolate sponge cake oozing with surprise pieces of melted caramalised fudge. Drenched in fudge sauce and centred with a marshmallow cream filling, this really is the ultimate fix for the sweet tooth or even just simply a way to return to childhood fantasies.

For the cake:

270g dark chocolate, broken into pieces

4 eggs, separated

100g caster sugar

200ml double cream

100g Cadbury’s Fudge, broken into large pieces

For the fudge sauce:

125g light soft brown sugar

170g evaporated milk

50g butter

2 drops vanilla extract

For the marshmallow cream:

50g chopped marshmallows, plus extra whole ones for decorating

300ml double cream

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Grease two sandwich cake tins and line the bases with greaseproof paper.

2. To make the cake, melt the chocolate completely in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool completely.

3. Whisk the egg yolks with 65g of the caster sugar until pale and fluffy. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites with the remaining sugar until soft peaks form when whisk is removed from bowl. In a third bowl, whisk 100ml of the double cream to peaks.

4. Fold the chocolate into the yolk mixture, then stir in the 100ml of unwhipped double cream. Gently fold in the whipped cream, followed by the egg whites until combined.

5. Divide the cake mixture between the two cake tins. Sprinkle over the fudge pieces between the two cakes. Bake for approximately 30 minutes. Once cooked, leave in the tins for 5-10 minutes, turn onto a wire wrack to cool and strip off the base papers.

6. To make the fudge sauce, combine the brown sugar and evaporated milk in a saucepan. Heat gently, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves. Once dissolved and the mixture comes to the boil, keep the heat very low and simmer for 6 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter and vanilla extract. Transfer to a bowl and once cooled, cover with clingfilm and chill for an hour to thicken.

7. For the marshmallow cream, whip the cream until peaks form. Fold in the chopped marshmallows. Spread over one sponge. Beat the fudge sauce and spread most of it over the other cake. Sandwich the two together.

8. Spread the rest of the fudge sauce over the top and decorate with marshmallows.

The British Food Revival

In recent years it would seem a British culinary revival, or what is often referred to by professionals as the ‘Modern British Cuisine’, has emerged. Magazines are increasingly recreating contemporary versions of traditional British dishes such as fish pie, roast dinners and Eton Mess. Likewise, The Times Weekend Recipe Exchange began this year featuring readers’ family recipes of traditional British dishes passed down from generation to generation. The BBC has for the past 3 years run the ‘Great British Menu’, which has not only bought regional British gastronomy into light, but it has sought to demonstrate to the globe that British food is now one of the most eminent cuisines. Only this month has The British Street Food Awards been announced to begin in 2010. But it’s not just the media embracing the nation’s cuisine; we as a population are too. According to market analysts Mintel, regional British cheese sales increased by 16% between 2004-2006, whilst continental cheese sales declined by 7% in the same period.

But does anyone really fancy a restoration of greasy fish and chips and stodgy puddings? I don’t think so, somehow. Not when you could eat fragrant thai curry, creamy rich risotto, or aromatic tagine for dinner. With a vast choice in cosmopolitan restaurants, convenience meals and ingredients available now, why would one choose Yorkshire pud? The British are always looking for novel culinary ideas and this seems likely to be reconfirmed with prophecies of overseas cuisines, currently unexploited in the UK, to flourish, such as South American. Besides this, Great Britannia’s food has never actually been ‘Great’ in terms of reputation, at least not in my lifetime. The French in particular are famous for mocking our home cuisine including their former President Jacques Chirac, who allegedly stated in 2005, “One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad”.

Yet after many cynical thoughts on this resurrection of our national fare, I could not help but consider its potential. Magazines and newspapers have reintroduced recipes of the United Kingdom increasingly since the current economic crisis began. Our hearty dishes such as pasties and puddings not only keep one full and warm through the bitter winters, but can also be easily made at a reasonable price to feed a large family. What’s more, a nation’s historic dishes were usually invented through ingredients grown in that country. Hence, if we cook more British food then undoubtedly we will be utilizing more home produce, which of course is only a good thing from a green environmentalist point of view. And while we love to create dishes that are a fusion with other world cuisines – such as Britain’s favourite dish, chicken tikka masala – it’s important we remember the old favourites too. What would life be without sticky toffee pudding?

Blue Cheese Nachos with Peach Salsa

This recipe is not only paradise for nacho lovers in quest of something that transcends the standard, but is superb from July-September when peaches are in season. Meaning not only good taste, but cheaper price wise compared to the rest of the year. Often fresh peaches are only available in punnets, so as a tip you can use the remaining ones to make a drink such as a smoothie or perhaps more suitably for the average student predilection – a cocktail! Salsa provides a refreshing accompaniment for humid summer days. Even though it may be autumn now, peaches blissfully compliment blue cheese.

Serves 1 as a main meal or appetizer for 2

100g tortilla chips

150g strong blue cheese, crumbled

For the peach salsa:

½ red onion, diced

1 red chilli, finely chopped (optional)

2 peaches (or nectarines)

1 tomato, seeds removed and diced

3 tbsp lime juice

1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped or 1 tsp dried mint

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6.

2. Cut an X at the bottom of each peach. Submerge them in a bowl of boiling water for 10 minutes, or until the skins start to loosen. Then place in cold water for a few seconds so that they are cool enough to handle. Peel the skin off both peaches, cut them in half, remove the stones and dice.

3. Mix the chopped peaches in a bowl with the rest of the salsa ingredients. If it’s watery, I recommend placing in a sieve before serving, as the last thing you need is soggy nachos!

4. Place a thin layer of the tortilla chips onto a baking tray lined with foil. Sprinkle over half of the blue cheese. Repeat this process with the rest of the tortilla chips and blue cheese.

5. Place the baking tray in the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts. Then serve with the salsa and indulge!

Stem Ginger Vegan Scotch Pancakes with Blueberries and White Chocolate Sauce

This was designed for vegan magazine "Off The Hoof", but you can adjust the ingredients if you're not one such as using eggs instead of oil, and cream with the white chocolate sauce to improve the consistency. You can also foster other fruit rather than blueberries if you prefer, but these were picked due to their excellent partnering with white chocolate.

Makes approximately 9 pancakes

225g plain flour

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

250ml soya milk

A pinch of salt

25g sugar

3 tbsp vegetable oil

3-4 pieces of stem ginger, finely chopped

100g dairy free white chocolate, broken into small pieces

200g blueberries, washed

1. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl and add the baking powder and salt. Add the other ingredients and whisk together until the flour forms a smooth batter. If the mixture is too thick then keep adding a little more soya milk at a time, until it does form a batter.

2. Heat a frying pan and add approximately 2 tbsp of the batter (aim for circular shapes). Cook gently for approximately 2 minutes until firm and golden brown. Whilst the bottom side is cooking, sprinkle over some of the ginger on the facing side (make sure you do not sprinkle too much as the taste will be too overpowering otherwise).

3. Turn the pancake over and cook gently for 30-60 seconds. Place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat this process with the remaining batter.

4. Bring to the boil about a cm or so of water in a saucepan and place a bowl on top. Add the white chocolate to the bowl and allow to melt. You can melt it in the microwave, but since white chocolate burns very easily it is better to do this method where you can keep an eye on it.

5. Grab the pancakes from the oven and divide them and the blueberries between plates. Elegantly drizzle over the white chocolate sauce and relish!

Salmon with Kiwi Dressing and Roasted Vegetable Couscous

Now you may be thinking how incredibly outlandish this idea is, and you may even concur with my brother that kiwi fruit looks like “mushed up brains”. But au contraire! Like how sweet chutneys can sometimes make the perfect partner to savoury dishes, the salmon practically bows down in praise of the kiwi’s sharp sweet tang. Go on - just try it!

Serves 4

200g cooked couscous

1 pepper, diced

1 red onion, diced

1 courgette, diced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt

Pepper

Lemon juice

4 salmon fillets, scaled

4 kiwi fruits, peeled

Juice of ½ a lime

1 tsp. olive oil, plus extra for roasting

1 tsp. white wine vinegar

2 tbsp. honey

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6

2. In a baking tray place the diced pepper, onion, courgette and garlic. Sprinkle over some salt and pepper, a splash of olive oil and rub evenly over the vegetables.

3. In another baking tray place the salmon with the skin facing down. Sprinkle with a splash of water, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil, and place both baking trays in the heated oven for 20 minutes.

4. Whilst the salmon and vegetables are cooking, make the dressing by chopping 3 of the kiwi fruits into large chunks. Puree finely with the lime juice in a food processor. Throw into a bowl and mix with the honey, vinegar and 1 tsp. of olive oil. Dice the fourth kiwi fruit and mix in with the other ingredients.

5. Once the vegetables and salmon are cooked, turn the oven off and leave the salmon inside. Warm up the couscous with the roasted vegetables by stirring around in a low to medium heated saucepan for a minute or so. If it’s a little dry just stir in some lemon juice and olive oil. Season to your liking.

6. Serve the salmon and couscous, drizzled with the kiwi dressing. Watercress also makes a fantastic side accompaniment.

Dark Chocolate Muffins with Peanut Butter Filling and White Chocolate Chips

For many, peanut butter symbolises America. But having such a unique taste, how else can one even describe it? It’s nutty, sweet but not sweet. It comes in crunchy and smooth varieties. Like Marmite really, you either love it or hate it. Nevertheless, my friends on the other side of the pond tell me that you only get cupcakes, not muffins, using this ingredient. So being a chocoholic I came up with this recipe. I justify to myself the high calories in this recipe by the nutritional value in peanut butter - it wards off heart disease says Harvard Medical School (Daily Mail 2009).

Makes 20 large muffins

For the muffin batter:

200g white chocolate, chopped

200g dark chocolate

250ml milk

100g butter

450g self-raising flour

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

2 eggs, whisked

250g light muscovado sugar

300ml yoghurt

For the peanut butter filling:

125g smooth peanut butter

1 1/2 tbsp butter, softened

65g icing sugar

1. Heat the oven to 180^oC/350^oF/Gas Mark 4. Line 20 muffin cups of a muffin baking tray with 20 muffin paper cases.

2. To make the peanut butter filling, beat the butter with the peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Sift the icing sugar into the mixture and beat until light and fluffy.

3. For the muffin batter, melt the dark chocolate in a small pan with the butter and milk. Whilst leaving to cool, sieve the flour and bicarbonate soda into a bowl. Stir in the rest of the muffin batter ingredients including the melted chocolate mixture.

4. Spoon the batter into the muffin paper cases, filling them about one third full. Spoon in the middle of the third filled muffins a large heaped teaspoon of peanut butter. Top the peanut butter with the remaining batter.

5. Bake the muffins in the oven for 15-20 minutes until just firm to touch. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes in the tin, and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

African Sausage Stew

For a long time I was trying to think up something a bit more original to do with sausages, giving that there isn’t a huge variety of recipes around for this cheap ingredient. So I came up with a stew that uses sweet potatoes (often part of West African cuisine). Besides sausages forming part of North African cooking, the spices and raisins are also a flavour of this region. Hence, I give you “African Sausage Stew”.

Serves 2

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

4 sausages

½ onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp. balsamic vinegar

300ml chicken/pork/vegetable stock

1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced

1 green pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes

1 tbsp. tomato puree

A handful of raisins

2 tsp. turmeric

1 tsp. mixed spice

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. When very hot, fry the sausages until browned. Remove to a plate.

2. Add the onions to the saucepan and gently fry for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and fry for another minute.

3. Add the turmeric, mixed spice, balsamic vinegar and tomato puree. Quickly stir together. Then add the chilli, peppers, raisins, sweet potato and sausages. Cover with enough stock.

4. Bring to the boil and simmer for approximately 10 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked. If the stew is too runny for your preferences, you can add a thickening agent such as corn flour. Then serve with some side vegetables if you like!