Apple Rose Pastries

This is a real showstopper dessert which has become very popular possibly because it is relatively simple to make. Once baked, all you need to serve this is a sprinkling of icing sugar and maybe some crème fraîche or warm custard.

You will need a six hole muffin tin which should be lightly greased.

1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry

3-4 apples

2 tablespoons of apricot jam

tablespoon of boiling water

juice of ½ lemon

Take the pastry out of the fridge about an hour before you want to use it.

Preheat the oven to 190ºC

The first thing you need to do is fill a saucepan with cold water and add the lemon juice. Then core and thinly slice the apples, adding them to the lemony water as you go. This will prevent them from going brown.

Now bring to a simmer over a low heat and turn off once you see bubbles forming. This will soften the apple slices without them losing their shape. Drain and allow to cool.

While that's happening, mix your apricot jam with the boiled water to loosen it slightly.

Unroll your pastry onto a board, laying it horizontally in front of you. Cut into six strips from top to bottom.

Brush with the apricot jam mixture across the middle of each strip. Next lay the apple slices along one side so they overlap and extend out slightly from the pastry edge.

Fold the pastry up from the other side to cover the apple slices and press down so the apricot jam holds it together.

Then simply roll up from one end and place into your muffin tin. Repeat for the other five strips so you have six roses.

Place the tin into the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes. Keep an eye on them and if the apples start to brown faster than the pastry, place a sheet of tin foil on top.

Once the time is up, leave in the tin until they are cool.

Sprinkle with a little icing sugar to serve.

Bulgar Wheat Salad

Love this salad. Hardly any cooking involved, full of healthy ingredients and a fresh lemon flavour perfect for the summer. It's a bit like tabboulah but I've left out the essential parsley and given it a Greek twist with the addition of olives and feta. This can be prepared ahead of time chilled in the fridge before serving. Great picnic food but also good as a side dish for a summer barbeque.

Serves 4

100g bulgar wheat

150g red and yellow cherry tomatoes, cut in half

200g feta cheese, cubed

1 tbsp dried oregano

half a jar of black olives, sliced

3-4 spring onions (or 1 shallot), finely sliced (or chopped chives)

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

bunch of fresh mint, chopped

sprinkle of sea salt

Put the bulgar wheat in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. Bring 400ml of water to the boil and add the bulgar wheat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for ten minutes by which time most of the water should have been absorbed. (Keep an eye on it towards the end of the cooking time in case it sticks). Fluff the grains with a fork and allow to cool.

While that's happening, halve the tomatoes, cube the feta, and slice the olives and spring onions. Finally, chop the mint and zest and juice the lemon.

Once the bulgar wheat has cooled, sprinkle on the dried oregano and sea salt and stir in. Then add the remainder of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Put into the fridge for about an hour to allow the flavours to blend together.

This is perfect picnic food as it can be served straight from a tupperware container alongside a savoury tart or quiche.

Easy Bakewell Tart

Bakewell Tart is an English classic named after the market town of Bakewell in Derbyshire, England. This recipe is one I've perfected over the years and is really easy to make. It uses a shortcrust pastry base spread with raspberry jam, which is then covered in frangipane and sprinkled with flaked almonds. Don't be put off by the thought of having to make frangipane, as this recipe uses just four ingredients and it will take no time at all to whisk up.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and grease a 23cm loose bottomed tart tin with butter paper.

If, like me, you're using ready-made pastry, remember to take it out of the fridge about an hour before you need to use it.

350g shortcrust pastry

125g butter, melted

125g caster sugar

125g ground almonds

3 eggs

200g raspberry jam (minimum!)

50g flaked almonds

Jam is the essential ingredient here, so either make your own or buy a jar of good quality jam. While the classic flavour is raspberry, I've also made this with my plum jam which is just as good.

Unroll the pastry and carefully line the tin, using your rolling pin to level off the top. Prick the base lightly with a fork and put it in the fridge to keep cool.

For the frangipane, simply whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale and fluffy and then slowly drizzle in the melted butter, whisking to combine. Then stir in the ground almonds using a large spoon.

Take your tart case out of the fridge, spread the base with a good layer of jam and then pour over the frangipane. Finally, sprinkle with the flaked almonds and put into the pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes.

Don't worry if the filling puffs up while cooking as it will fall back once cooled.

When the time is up, stick a skewer into the middle and if it comes out clean, the tart is cooked through. Take it out of the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from the tin.

Serve with a handful of fresh raspberries and a bowl of whipped cream or crème fraîche.