Lemon Drizzle Cake - MS Word document for downloading

This first recipe is from “Mary Berry’s Ultimate Cake Book” and is the one we served at Presentation Evening. Mary suggests a lemon icing for the top. As the pupils would be icing this freshly made cake, I didn’t want to risk cake crumbs getting caught up in the icing as they were spreading it. This can happen in seconds and completely spoil the look of the cake, so I opted for a crunchy topping instead. It also meant peace of mind for me, knowing there was one less cake to need icing when cold!

I love the convenience of this crunchy lemon topping. It should be poured over the hot cake and left to cool. So quick and easy! Although I might have started off baking with enthusiasm, I have often felt I don’t want to make an icing once the cake is cold. This solves that problem!

If you use margarine from a tub, cakes can be made very quickly, just using a bowl and a wooden spoon. (Make sure it is not a spread, though. That doesn’t make good cakes). Packet margarine or butter usually needs an electric whisk to break up the lumps of fat.

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Family Mushroom Soup - MS Word document for downloading

In “The Complete Book of Home Freezing”, Audrey Ellis has some wonderful recipes, which I have used for years. (Yes, it is a very old book and she was writing long before the advent of “Ready Meals”!) I adopted quite a bit of her theory “My experience has always been that multiplying the basic amount to serve your family by three, produces a quantity that is practical to cook, (unless you have a very large family). This gives you a meal to serve and two to store…” Over a period of time, you can build up quite a selection in the freezer - so you can have evenings “off” where you are simply reheating previously made dishes. This is a bonus if you are very busy or tired (as at the end of term!) or ill. On a more cheerful note, it also means you can treat unexpected visitors to your home cooking.

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Crispy Fish Hotpot - MS Word document for downloading

We don’t like the bones in fish, so I’m very choosy about the fish dishes I serve. This is very tasty. Crispy Fish Hotpot can be made using any firm white fish fillets. It does have a lot of juice with it, but this is mainly taken up by the potatoes as you are eating. If you want to thicken the juices a little bit, toss the fish cubes in seasoned flour before adding to the casserole.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 10 minutes, followed by 30 minutes cooking time, plus 2 minutes preparation time, followed by 35-40 minutes cooking time.

This is a very substantial “all in one” dish. It lacks colour in spite of the red skinned apples in it, so add some halved tomatoes for the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Season these well, and add a knob of butter.

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Carrot Cake - MS Word document for downloading

Here’s another of the recipes I was asked for at Presentation Evening, followed by the recipe I use at home. Carrot Cake always seems to be popular! I was amused to see how peoples’ faces lit up at the sight of Carrot Cake and Lemon Drizzle Cake (to follow!).

So few people seem to make cakes at home, now. I think that’s a real shame. You only have to look at the aisles in the supermarkets devoted to cakes and biscuits to see that there is a real demand for these foods. It doesn’t have to take up much time and all you need is a reliable recipe, (which I am providing!)

A friend has asked why I use a different recipe at home. The reason is quite simple - I don’t have the size of trays I have in school. I prefer to make more “loaf” style cakes, which fit into the freezer more easily.

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