There's nothing like the feeling when you know you've got the massive slow cooker on, is there? You can have everything prepped and in there the day before, ready to switch on so it's ready for tea. There are ways to bulk out bolognese so it costs less - adding in beans, lentils and mushrooms goes a long way, so I think that makes up for using the good paprika and the splash of wine in here. But if you're on a really tight budget, then by all means leave out the wine

This would be great for a summer celebration. Serve with crushed meringues, a pile of berries, and some warmed lemon curd or raspberry sauce drizzled over each slice. This cake uses the 'egg weigh method' of creating the perfect sponge. If your eggs weigh 370g, or 430g, just measure out the other main ingredients to that weight as well. For perfect results, have EVERY ingredient at room temperature, and mix as lightly as possible once the flour is in there. This

Part of my Guinness-inspired bakes collection. It's a classic boozy chocolate sponge, topped with a beautiful creamy mascarpone icing, that mimics the frothy top. Stout gives chocolate cake a rich, malty, almost treacley flavour. And salted caramel goes ridiculously well with it. Wash it down with a Bailey's.

This is a great beginner recipe, introducing the 'egg weigh method' of creating the perfect sponge. If your eggs weigh 180g, or 220g, just measure out the other ingredients to that weight as well. For perfect results, have EVERY ingredient at room temperature, and mix as lightly as possible once the flour is in there. This buttercream recipe is what's referred to in baking circles as ABC - American buttercream, but it's the classic buttercream we all grew up with in the UK

I feel like St Patrick's Day is celebrated more the St Georges in England. Maybe we love it because it's a great excuse for some excellent Guinness-fuelled shenanigans? Either way, have a bit of cake with it, eh? This is part of my Guinness-inspired bakes collection that will be added to gradually. It's a classic boozy chocolate sponge, topped with a beautiful creamy mascarpone icing, that mimics the frothy top. Stout gives chocolate cake a rich, malty, almost treacle

This recipe makes classic style cookies - they're flat, chewy in the middle and crispy at the edges. Try to eat at least one while they're still warm, and the chocolate is still melty.. There's no need to chill this dough, but you can prepare it a couple of days ahead and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to bake. It freezes well too, so you can form it into flattened balls and bake straight from the freezer. You can use milk chocolate here if you really, REALLY

This is part of my Guinness-inspired bakes collection. It's a classic boozy chocolate sponge, topped with a beautiful creamy mascarpone icing, that mimics the frothy top. Stout gives chocolate cake a rich, malty, almost treacley flavour. And coffee goes excellently with chocolate, and stout. Wash it down with a proper black coffee, or a Bailey's if you're feeling fancy.

This one is smooth with a good lemon kick, and a layer of lemon curd, topped with fresh lemon slices and meringue pieces. I also have a recipe for white chocolate & lemon cheesecake here if you love that combo. Common issues with no bake cheesecakes are: They don't set firm enough, and They ooze water. Both of these problems are caused by the water content in the soft cheese. ALWAYS use full fat. If you have a good independent deli or cheese counter nearby

Forage for elderberries in late summer/early Autumn. Just make sure you're 100% certain that's what you've got! https://www.thegrizzlyforager.co.uk/elderberry/ The stalks of elderberries are toxic, so please remove and discard them. It's a tedious job but having done it a few times now, the resulting syrup is so good that I'm more than happy to do this multiple times over the summer. A little tip is to freeze them first so the berries pop off easier.

These brownies are very rich and fudgy. If you prefer them more of a cakey texture, just add an extra quarter teaspoon of baking powder, and bake for 5-10 more minutes. As always, the better quality ingredients you use, the better the outcome, so please go for real butter and decent quality chocolate if you can. However, cheap supermarket chocolate and baking blocks such as Stork still give a thoroughly decent brownie.

I don't wanna brag...but this cheesecake is STUNNING. It's a PROPER baked cheesecake. I don't know if it's New York style, because I've never been to New York myself, and everybody seems to argue about what makes a New York cheesecake. But it's light and tangy, and has the topping. When it comes to the topping layer - don't read the words 'soured cream' and be put off - it adds the perfect sweet tang. This is a great master recipe that you can use as a base for all yo

I want my mincemeat to store well, so I don't have to find ways to use it up in one Christmas season. And also, in case I succeed in hiding it from myself, so I don't demolish the lot before the advent calendars come out. So I did a fair bit of research into preserving techniques - because we want those juicy, plump fruits, but that moisture content is what causes mould. Plus, if those juices ferment it can cause fizzy, sour mincemeat and exploding jars. So we need to find a

Rum & Coconut Mincemeat Ingredients: 1lb bramley apples, grated. No need to peel, but give them a good wash. Any other tart apples will do the job if you can't get hold of Bramleys. 100g desiccated coconut 3 level teaspoons cinnamon 2 level teaspoons ginger 225g shredded suet or grated proper butter (grate when it's very cold, or you can cut into very small cubes). This fat content is not optional if you want a moist mincemeat with any kind of shelf life

Yeah yeah, I know it's only July, but by the time the kids are back at school it'll be a bit too late, in my humble opinion, to make your own mincemeat, if you want it to be beautifully matured and mellowed. If you've left it a bit late, or you just can't be arsed and want to take a short cut, here's a link to my short video showing how I doctor up the shop-bought stuff. No judgement from Neen's kitchen, cockers. The first time I ever made mincemeat was when I had a san

Now then, I'm not terribly averse to shop bought mincemeat, but what puts me off is the dry texture, the grainy sugar and the visible suet in the jar. It's just not pretty, and if those ingredients aren't melted in during the maturation process, the flavour is a lot more harsh. The shop bought stuff also tends to contain added preservatives and colours. I want my mincemeat to store well, so I don't have to find ways to use it up in one Christmas season. And also, in case I

I used to sell about 1000 various fruitcakes per year in the food hall of Doncaster market. This recipe evolved over a few years to make it perfect for a business seller - there is no need to keep unwrapping, feeding and re-wrapping - time is money! The secret is to soak the fruit thoroughly and way ahead of time, so all the booze you need is already in there - then it permeates through the whole cake as it matures. Mature it for a month. It should keep well for abou

This is part of my Guinness-inspired bakes collection. It's a classic beery chocolate sponge, drenched with Irish cream and topped with a beautiful creamy mascarpone icing, that mimics the frothy top. Stout gives chocolate cake a rich, malty, almost treacley flavour. I can not stress enough how bloody beaut this cake tastes!

Banana cake was one of the first recipes I adapted and perfected to my own tastes, back when I opened my little sandwich shop in Donny town centre in 2007. The addition of the dark muscovado sugar was a chance I took, when I ran out of caster sugar - and it became my secret ingredient from then on. It elevates it from a decent cake, to a really bloody luvvley cake. By all means use whatever

For the jammy swirl here, you can use pretty much any type of sweet spread from a jar. You don't have to keep it fruity - all supermarkets now have a wide selection of nut butter and chocolatey spreads, so do whatever the hell you like and let me know the results!