Oaty Lemon Squares | Carrés Citron-Avoine

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française]. For one reason or another, I’ve not posted a recipe for almost two years. During one of the lockdowns (I’ve not a clue which), I stumbled upon a recipe for creamy lemon crumble bars. Think baked cheesecake and traditional fruit crumble rolled into one bite-sized bar. Delicious. I’ve been tinkering with it on and off for the past year, experimenting with other flavours (see the tips section) along the way, and here’s the result: a tasty, tangy-but-sweet treat that’s ideal as a lunchbox snack and wouldn’t look out of place at an afternoon tea. Bon appétit!

Dark Chocolate and Salted Caramel Florentines | Florentines Chocolat Noir-Caramel Salé

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française] Forget ‘I’m in the Mood for Dancing’. Lockdown 2.0 is here, and I’m in the mood for baking. (As is the rest of Cambridge, judging by the depleted shelves of flour in Tesco.) You can whip up a batch of Florentines in an hour and if you’re not keen on raisins or mixed peel, you can swap them for your preferred dried fruits. Easy-peasy. What’s not to love about these delicious, sticky, fruity and chocolate-y morsels?

Courgette and Lemon Loaf | Gâteau Courgette-Citron

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française] Vegetables in cakes, I hear you cry. Hear me out.

Vegetable-based cakes are, in my experience, the Marmite of the baking world: some love them; others hate them. (In case you were wondering – and you probably weren’t – I love Marmite. I also, obviously, love vegetable-based cakes.) I’ve been munching carrot cake since my little legs could carry me to the top of the road where I grew up. I’ve used up leftover pumpkin innards in cakes (waste not, want not). I’ve eaten cakes with beetroots and sweet potatoes in them. Trust me: nine times out of ten you wouldn’t even know a vegetable had gone anywhere near the cake, let alone in it.

French Raspberry Tart | Tarte aux Framboises

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française] Which of a pâtisserie’s many treats takes your fancy? A tangy tarte au citron? A chocolate éclair, erupting with creamy crème pâtissière? Me? Almost every time, I’ll plump for a raspberry tart: a delectable combination of crumbly, sweet pastry, smooth crème pâtissière and juicy raspberries, topped with a dusting of icing sugar or a jelly glaze.

Chocolate Coconut Slice | Carré Coco-Chocolat

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française] Coconut slice is a recipe I’ve turned to a few times in recent weeks, partly because it’s very tasty (one slice quickly becomes two in this house) and partly because it doesn’t involve flour (which is proving rather elusive right now). It’s my Gran’s recipe, but if it weren’t for my Dad craving a batch of coconut slice and asking my auntie for the recipe, this delicious treat would never have come onto my radar. Years later, it’s still a firm favourite. Enjoy!

Festive Tiffin

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française] Christmas, to quote Love Actually’s Billy Mack, is all around. Bury St. Edmunds’ Christmas Fayre kicked the festive season off for me, and has been swiftly followed by a thoroughly enjoyable Crafternoon (making hand-stitched Christmas cards and origami stars) in aid of Mind, an evening of Christmassy activities to wrap up Brownies for the year, multiple mince pies and (for Laurence, at least) a steaming cup of mulled wine at the Mill Road Winter Fair.

Triple Chocolate Cookies | Cookies aux Trois Chocolats

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française] These gooey triple chocolate cookies tick all the boxes for a sweet, sugary pick-me-up at the end of the working week (or any time of the week, if the truth be told). I’ve been tinkering with this recipe for going on thirteen years, trying out alternative flavours (such as these scrummy mince pie cookies) and double- and triple-chocolate variations along the way. If, like me, you’re a big fan of Sainsbury’s Triple Belgian Chocolate Cookies, these won’t disappoint – and, what’s more, you can bake more at home for less moolah.

Oaty Biscuits | Biscuits à l’Avoine

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française] Porridge? Bleurgh; not for me (unless I’m camping, in which case I’ll tolerate it). Combine oats with sugar (lots of it) and syrup, and it’s a different story: I’m the sort of person who’ll eat flapjack mix straight from the saucepan, and who can’t resist a crumbly, oaty biscuit fresh from the oven. It doesn’t take long to whip up a batch of these scrummy little snacks – and, in my house at least, it takes a serious amount of self-restraint not to demolish them in even less time.

Mini Eggs Fridge Cake

In my Easter chocolate rankings, Mini Eggs sit right up there with the Lindt Gold Bunny. (Cadbury Creme Eggs, if you were wondering, are right at the bottom. I just can’t stand them.) Two for me, one for you; that’s my approach to sharing a bag of these beauties. I’ve made a few batches of fridge cake in recent months – it’s an easy-peasy bake, with very little washing up involved (win-win) – and decided to chuck a bag of Mini Eggs in last time for an Easter-y treat. Happy Easter!

Bara Brith | Gâteau Gallois*

[veuillez défiler vers le bas pour la version française] If you ask me, Wales’ culinary offerings are often overlooked. And yet, the humble Welsh cake (which in fact is not a cake, but rather a scone-like snack cooked on a griddle and sprinkled with sugar) and teatime staple bara brith (which is more than just a fruit loaf) are two of my favourite sweet treats. Currants and candied peel are steeped in sweet tea overnight, then stirred into a lightly spiced cake batter, hence the literal translation ‘speckled bread’.