Levelled Up Toad In The Hole

We're going all in!! Why did I never think to do this before? Pigs in blankets in Yorkshire puddings? I mean OBVIOUSLY. And stuffing in there too? Revolutionary.

I always thought making a Yorkshire pudding batter was really difficult - probably due to my mum's numerous (amusing) attempts until she eventually got it just right (love u mum). However this might have been due to the fact she would rarely follow actual recipes, preferring to work it out on her own. I'm quite like that now. Somehow whenever I look through one of my (many) recipe books, I gather the ingredients and then go try to make it...without...actually reading the recipe. Usually it works, but when things actually require specific timings it goes to shit. For instance, when making a Yorkshire pudding, and please listen closely, the batter needs to be poured into hot oil for it to rise. I'm pretty sure this is how my mum finally cracked it too.

If I'm honest, I haven't got the timings with this one 100% down, so a skewer will be a big help here. But are we here for perfect food? Probably not. I'm just trying to provide meal ideas that Gordon Ramsey wouldn't necessarily touch, but you feel accomplished from making.

This is a combination of a few recipes I found on BBC Good Food - the one and only holy grail I subscribe to - and frankly, a national treasure. It turns out you can add a lot of fun stuff to a toad in the hole but the batter is all people care about when they leave their reviews. I've stuck to these measurements for a while, but the success rate basically depends on how long I cook it for and the size of the tin. It works best for me when the batter covers 2cm of the sausages and it's cooked for 20 minutes.

I know the main issue with making your own batter is that it takes AGES to cook and never stops being soggy. This one is very fast. It's got less milk in than lots of other recipes, so it's a thicker batter. Just watch you don't over do it!

Chicken And Bacon Pie For The Family

Pies. We must not forget how good a pie can be. If your family are coming over for dinner, or you'd like to impress your partner with something home cooked (except the pastry, let's not get ahead of ourselves, we have lives to live...) this is absolutely going to hit the spot! Chicken pie is wholesome and timeless, and the flavours of bacon, leek, garlic and white wine NEVER FAIL. THEY SIMPLY WORK EVERY TIME.

This recipe is kind of based on how I make bacon & mushroom risottos, and then after making it for Jack's grandparents a few weeks ago, someone on IG insisted I add mustard next time. It works wonders!!

I'd recommend adding a pot of bayleaves (70p) because for hearty dishes like these, (plug the veggie shepherd's pie here) it just seems to do something good. If you buy fresh rosemary or thyme (also 70p), I'd recommend freezing them in the packet so you always have a sprig to hand. I never manage to use the whole packets at once and they go off so quickly!

Katsu Curry Burger

Oh. The delicious... the pure... the universally loved. Katsu curry. Guess what? It's delicious as a burger too, and you do not have to spend £21 on Deliveroo to achieve it on demand. (Yeah, that's based on £10ish per burger - I promise making your own is a lot more fulfilling and friendly to the old wallet!)

People ask me all the time if I have a Katsu curry recipe, and I thought I did (link) but it's really not very good. I forgot that I basically advised you to buy the curry paste, when actually it's really useful to know how to make your own. Curry powder, onions, soy sauce, flour and stock - these are all pretty standard kitchen cupboard items. I've reduced the ingredients down to the minimum, on my quest to keep cooking fun things ridiculously simple. Some recipes advise you to add grated ginger, rice wine vinegar or mirin, but I know they're the sort of things most of you won't have, and won't bother going to the shops for.

This sauce could be more tangy, so for that I'd add lime juice as an easy option. HOWEVER. In the burger it really isn't necessary. With the pickled cabbage/spring onions and mayo, you have all the flavours you need!

I'm also including a 5 minute (literally 5 minute) sweet potato katsu version. News to me, flour and warm water actually works way better than egg (I'm now a convert for life). I've presented it as a street food side, but pop them in a burger for a proper vegan carb feast!