This soup is super tasty and so simple and quick to whip up!

Ingredients: 

- 200g courgette, roughly chopped

- 85g broccoli 

- 100g kale, roughly chopped

- 500ml vegetable stock 

- 1 tbsp sunflower oil 

- 2 garlic cloves, roughly sliced

- a thumb size piece of fresh ginger

- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 

- 1/2 tsp ground coriander 

- pinch of salt

- 1 lime, zested and juice

- a small pack of parsley, roughly chopped- leave a few whole leaves to serve

Method: 

Step 1: Prepare all the vegetables and spices so everything is ready and easy for you in the next steps. 

Step 2: Put the oil into a deep pan, add the salt, garlic, ginger, turmeric and coriander and fry on a medium heat for around 2-3 minutes. Add a few tablespoons of water to the spices to give them a bit more moisture. 

Step 3: Add the chopped courgettes and mix well with the spices so the courgette pieces are well coated, then cook for around 3 minutes. 

Step 4: Add 400ml of the stock and simmer for another 3 minutes.

Step 5: Add the broccoli, kale and lime juice plus the rest of the stock. Leave this to cook on a simmer until the vegetables are soft, this usually takes around 3-4 minutes. 

Step 6: Next take the soup off the heat, add the chopped parsley, put the soup into a blender and blend on a high speed until smooth. If you don't have an electric blender a hand held one is sufficient.

Step 7: Garnish with fresh parsley leaves and lime zest and enjoy!

These delicious chewy Rolo© cookies are so tasty and super easy to make. 

Finished cookies

Ingredients you will need: 

- 115g soft butter
- 115g demerara sugar
- 175g self-raising flour
- 100g rolo© chocolate
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract






Method: 

- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F and line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper.

- Step 2: Put the sugar and butter to the bowl and whisk together until light and fluffy.

- Step 3: Add the golden syrup and vanilla to the sugar butter mixture and whisk together.

- Step 4: Next sift half the flour into the mix and also add the chocolate. Mix together and then add the rest of the flour and combine using your hands.

- Step 5: Divide the mixture into equal sized parts and roll into cookie dough balls. Don't flatten the balls and place onto the baking tray, fairly spaced apart as the dough can spread.

- Step 6: Bake for around 10 to 15 minutes, until the cookies had spread and turned slightly golden.  Take out of the oven and leave on the baking tray to cool for about 5 minutes. The cookies will still be soft when taken out of the oven but they will harden as they cool. After 5 minutes, transfer the cookies onto cooling racks and leave until completely cooled.

- Step 7: Enjoy!

Chocolatey orange goodness. 

Ingredients you will need: 

For the cheesecake 

- 900g of soft cream cheese at room temperature (Philadelphia works well)

- 200g of golden caster sugar

- 4 tablespoons of cocoa, sifted

- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

- 2 tablespoons of Cointreau

- the rind of 1 orange

- 3 eggs

- 284ml soured cream

- 284ml double cream

- 100 g dark orange chocolate, melted

- chocolate curls or whatever you would like to decorate the cheesecake with

For the biscuit base

- 100g melted butter, plus a little extra for greasing

- 14 plain chocolate digestives, finely crushed

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to fan 160ºC. Line the base of a 25cm springform tin with baking parchment and then mix the melted butter and biscuit crumbs until well blended. Press firmly onto the base of the tin and bake for 10 mins.

2. Take the cheesecake base out of the oven and turn oven temperature up to fan 220ºC. Put the cream cheese and sugar in an electric whisk and beat until smooth and creamy. Then whisk in the cocoa, vanilla, Cointreau, eggs, soured cream, orange rind and half the melted orange chocolate. Stir enough milk into the remaining chocolate to make a sauce consistency, then set aside until ready to decorate the cheesecake.

3. Put a little melted butter on some kitchen paper and use it to butter the sides of the cake tin, then pour in the cheesecake mixture and smooth the top. Bake for 10 mins, then turn the heat down to fan 90ºC for 25-30 mins, the filling should be set, but with a slight wobble in the centre. Turn off the oven, open the door a crack, then leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven for 2 hrs. After take the cheesecake out of the oven and chill until ready to serve.

4. To decorate the cheesecake, carefully remove it from the tin and strip the lining paper from the base. Lightly whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then swirl it on top and drizzle with the reserved chocolate sauce, rippling the sauce through the cream with the end of a spoon. Serve as is or pile with chocolate curls or any other decorations you wish.

Here are some delicious and maybe unusual cocktails that would be perfect to have at a party. 

Pineapple Mojito

The first and my favourite, a gorgeous pineapple mojito. This fruity cocktail tastes amazing and is a great twist on a classic. It is super quick and easy to make and is great if you are trying to create something to impress. 

All you will need is: 

(makes 2)

- 1 lime

- 12 mint leaves, plus extra to decorate

- 8 chunks of pineapple, with some extra wedges to decorate

- 4 teaspoons of brown sugar

- 4 measures (100ml) of rum 

- crushed ice

- pineapple juice, to top up

- 2 glasses

- a cocktail shaker and strainer

- a muddling stick

Method:

1. Firstly cut the lime into wedges and muddle with the pineapple, mint and sugar at the bottom of the cocktail shaker. Basically smush them all together. 

2. Add the rum and crushed ice and shake. If you don't have any crushed ice, put some regular ice into a sandwich bag and tie the end, then carefully crush the ice with a rolling pin but be careful the bag doesn't burst and spray ice everywhere! 

3. Pour into your two glasses, top up with some more crushed ice and pineapple juice and stir it all together. 

4. Decorate with a pineapple chunk, I left the outer part of the pineapple on this chunk as it thought it looked better that way but it's totally up to you, and a mint sprig or two. 

Tanqstream 

Next is another fruity one but this is a little less sweet, however it is still super delicious. If you are looking for a gin based cocktail this one might be for you! The tanqstream. 

Things you will need: 

 (makes 2) 

- 4 measures (100ml) gin, Tanqueray gin works well

- 4 teaspoons of lime juice

- 6 measures of soda water or tonic water for a less dry drink

- 4 teaspoons of crème de cassis

- cracked ice

- 2 glasses

- cocktail shaker and strainer

Method: 

1. Put some ice into the cocktail shaker with the gin and the lime juice and shake to mix together. 

2. Half fill 2 glasses with cracked ice and strain the gin and lime into each. 

3. Then add the soda or tonic water and sire in the crème de cassis.

4. To decorate I chose to use a lime wedge and some raspberries but any mixed berries would work well.

e=mc²

This next cocktail is slightly unusual but is great if you are looking for something special. This can certainly add some fizz to the night, it is the e=mc² cocktail.

Ingredients: 

(makes 2) 

- crushed ice

- 4 measures of southern comfort 

- 2 measures of lemon juice

- 1 measure of maple syrup 

- chilled champagne to top up 

- 2 champagne flutes 

- cocktail shaker and strainer 

Method: 

1. Put some crushed ice into the cocktail shaker and pour the southern comfort, lemon juice and maple syrup over the ice and shake until a frost forms on the outside of the shaker. 

2. Strain the contents of the shaker into two champagne flutes and top up with the chilled champagne.

3. Decorate if you wish with lemon rind to give it that bit of something extra. 

Champagne Julep

Now this one is a brandy based cocktail and it also has that hint of fizz so again is perfect to serve at a special get together.

What you will need is: 

(makes 2)

- 4 sprigs of mint, plus extra to decorate 

- 2 tablespoons of sugar syrup 

- crushed ice

- 2 measures of brandy 

- chilled champagne to top up 

- 2 glasses

- a muddling stick

Method: 

1. Put 2 sprigs of mint and 1 tablespoon in each glass and muddle together. 

2. Fill the glasses with crushed ice and then add the brandy. Top us with chilled champagne and stir gently. 

3. Decorate with mint sprigs and serve.  

Bay Breeze

And last but definitely not least is the bay breeze, very similar to the sea breeze but this is slightly sweeter and replaces the grapefruit juice with pineapple juice. Plus this cocktail is delicious and also extremely easy to make!

All you will need is:

(makes 2)

- ice cubes

- 2 measures of vodka

- 4 measures of cranberry juice

- 2 measures of pineapple juice

- 2 glasses

- straws 

Method:

1. Simply fill the glasses with ice, add the vodka, cranberry juice and pineapple juice and stir well. 

2. I chose to decorate mine with a mint sprig and a couple of raspberries on a cocktail stick but lime wedges also look nice. 

And that is it, my 5 cocktails that taste delicious and are sure to impress at your party, get together or casual Saturday night in. If you are to try any I hope you enjoy and have a good night!