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Auntie Maureen’s Plum Pudding by Neven Maguire @macneanhouse Co.Cavan 😋🇮🇪

Makes 2x 1.2 litre (2 pint) puddings
Nothing beats the flavour of homemade Christmas pudding, but it’s important to get good-quality fruit and it’s best made at least 1 month in advance.
I love plum pudding, hot or cold, with lashings of cream, but the spiked almond custard is even more special. I always look forward to it. A big thank you to Auntie Maureen for this recipe.
Ingredients
- 50g (2oz) plain flour
- 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 225g (8oz) sultanas
- 175g (6oz) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
- 175g (6oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
- 175g (6oz) light brown sugar
- 175g (6oz) raisins
- 50g (2oz) currants
- 50g (2oz) candied mixed peel
- 50g (2oz) blanched almonds, hopped
- 1/2 eating apple, peeled, cored and diced
- 1/2 small carrot, grated finely grated rind and juice of
- 1 lemon
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 300ml (1/2 pint) stout
- fresh redcurrant sprigs, to decorate (optional)
- icing sugar, to decorate (optional)
- spiked almond custard, to serve
Method
- Sift together the flour, mixed spice, cloves and nutmeg. Add the sultanas, melted butter, breadcrumbs, sugar, raisins, currants, mixed peel, almonds, apple, carrot and the lemon rind and juice and mix until well combined. Gradually add the beaten eggs, stirring constantly, followed by the stout. Mix everything together thoroughly and cover with a clean tea towel, then leave in a cool place overnight.
- Use the fruit mixture to fill 2 x 1.2 litre (2 pint) greased pudding bowls. Cover with a double thickness of greaseproof paper and tin foil, then tie tightly under the rim with string. Store in a cool, dry place overnight.
- To cook, preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/gas mark 2).
- Stand each pudding basin in a large cake tin three-quarters full of boiling water, then cook in the oven for 6–8 hours (or you can steam them for 6 hours in the usual way). Cool and re-cover with clean greaseproof paper. Again, store in a cool, dry place.
- On Christmas Day, re-cover with greaseproof paper and foil. Steam for 2–3 hours, until completely cooked through and tender. Decorate with the redcurrant sprigs and a light dusting of icing sugar, if liked.
- To serve, cut the plum pudding into slices and arrange on serving plates. Have a separate jug of the spiked almond custard so that everyone can help themselves.
Odlums Christmas Plum Pudding (Light Recipe)
Christmas Plum Pudding (Light Recipe)
CategoryChristmas
Cook Time5 hours
What you need:
- 75g/3oz Odlums Self Raising Flour
- 175g/6oz Shamrock Light Brown Sugar
- 175g/6oz Margarine
- 3 Eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 teaspoon Mixed Spice
- 500g packet Shamrock Luxury Fruit Mix
- 1 Apple (grated)
- 100g packet Shamrock Ground Almonds
- 175g/6oz Breadcrumbs
- 1 bottle Stout (1/2 pint)
How to:
- Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix well.
- Stir in the sieved flour and mixed spice.
- Next add the fruit mix, grated apple and ground almonds. Mix well.
- Finally, add the breadcrumbs and bottle of stout.
- Stir well, cover and leave to stand overnight. Transfer to a 3 pint greased pudding bowl. Steam for 5 hours.
To steam pudding in oven:
- Put two long strips of tin foil crosswise on work top or table. Place roasting tin on foil. Sit pudding bowl into the tin and fill with boiling water to within 1″ of top of tin. Then bring tin foil around to form a parcel, which should be airtight to prevent any steam escaping.
- Place in preheated oven at 150°C/300°F/Gas 2 for the same length of time as above. There is no need to top up with water during cooking.
Recipe Notes:
The quantities may be doubled if more than one pudding is required.
Chrissy Teigen’s Roasted Butternut Squash & Pomegranate with Garlicky Honey-Dijon Dressing
Serves 4 – 6
Ingredients, Squash
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups ½-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (1½ pounds; from a 2¼-pound whole squash, if that’s where you’re starting from)
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ to ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste
Ingredients, Dressing
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 clove garlic, grated or smashed into a paste
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
Ingredients, Salad
5 cups baby arugula
½ cup pomegranate seeds* (see Tip)
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup crumbled goat cheese (4 ounces)
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and pour 2 tablespoons of the oil on the lined sheet. Place the oiled sheet in the oven (yep, nothing on it) and heat until very hot but not smoking, about 8 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss the squash with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the salt, pepper, and cayenne until coated. Using an oven mitt, remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and quickly pour the squash onto the sheet (you should hear some sizzling); take a few extra seconds to make sure the flat sides of the squash are hitting that hot oiled pan. Roast until the undersides are golden, about 15 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven, shake the pan (or flip the squash with tongs if you’re down with OCD, yeah you know me), return to the oven, and roast until the new underside is golden brown,10 to 15 minutes. Let cool to room temp or just warm (so it doesn’t murder the greens when you drop them on).
Make the dressing. In a screw-top jar, shake the vinegar, mustard, honey, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil until it’s creamy. (If it separates, just shake it again.)
Makes the salad. Arrange the arugula on a platter. Top with the roasted squash, pomegranate seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Scatter the onion and goat cheese on top. Drizzle with the dressing to taste and sprinkle with pepper.
*Or finely diced green apple if you can’t find pom seeds.
Based on excerpts from Cravings: Hungry For More by Chrissy Teigen, with the permission of Clarkson Potter, a division of Penguin Random House. Copyright © 2018.

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