BOOZY FRUIT AND NUT CINNAMON ROLLS

A friend of mine travels over to America a lot and we would always chat about all yummy stateside food she would enjoy when she was over there. One thing that came up was the cinnamon roll. They are big business over in the States but you don't really see them around here much, well not in Liverpool anyway. To cheer myself up stuck with the rain back home, I devised a recipe for some raisin and pecan packed rolls, spiked with a hint of Amaretto. A little of booze is always a good pick me up when your feeling a bit blue isn't it?

LA BARANTINE EDINBURGH (MATTYB RECCOMMENDS)

With so many tea and cake shops, bakeries and cafe competing with other it is hard to really stand out from the crowd especially when you have opened up in a foodie hotspot such as Edinburgh. Place an Eiffel tower in your window decorated with macarons on the other hand and you are onto a winner! La Barantine's beautiful looking French display is what caught my eye as we wandered around Edinburgh's Grassmarket area one delightfully sunny Wednesday afternoon. So much so that when it came to thinking about somewhere to grab a quick nibble and a pot of tea to refresh our tired little legs, I purposely went back there to go and check them out. The big question was this; is the display just for show or do the goods in there deliver as well?

HASSLE FREE HASSELBACKS

Hasselback potatoes have been on the food scene for a while now yet I hadn't tried them up until this weekend. I thought that they looked a lot of hassle so didn't really see the point in them but that was until I tried some. Imagine the love child of a jacket potato with the potato topping of a hot pot and you can imagine what you're dealing with. Crispy little slices of potato all held together on a soft buttery potato base. Season them with dried herbs and chili flakes and you have a really easy way to pimp up your Sunday roast.

CLASSIC VICTORIA SPONGE

When it comes to classic bakes, it doesn't really get anymore classic than the Victoria sponge. Named after Queen Victoria, this bake consisting of two sponge cakes sandwiched together with jam and cream can be found on most afternoon tea menus across the land. It's one of the most simplest recipes out there but it takes practice to really perfect. Once you do, then you have the perfect cake recipe in your back pocket that you can whip out at short notice when there is an urgent need for cake.

LOVECRUMBS EDINBURGH (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

After a long day of sightseeing in Edinburgh it was time for us to hunt out a spot of lunch and what could be better than a spot of afternoon tea. Close to our hotel we had spotted Lovecrumbs, a delightful looking cake shop and decided to pop in for a little nibble. It was still quite busy when we walked into Lovecrumbs at around 3pm. Located on West Port, close to the Grassmarket area of the city centre, it seems to be attracting quite an eclectic crowd of young and old, students, families, tourists and locals.

THE MUSSEL AND STEAK BAR EDINBURGH (MATTYB RECOMMENDS)

When you're planning a trip to a new city you can spend a long time looking on the internet for fabulous places to eat but sometimes you just stumble across places when you're walking around and that is what happened on a recent trip we took to Edinburgh. Hunting out a place for a birthday dinner, we saw The Mussel and Steak Bar and the menu looked really tasty and special and so later that evening we walked from our hotel with empty bellies and high expectations ready for some of Scotland's finest seafood.

THE RETURN OF THE BRILLIANT BANANA BREAKFAST BARS

Bananas are one of the most versatile fruits you can have in your kitchen. Great in cakes, tarts and
puddings and as part of my fabulous breakfast bars which I posted up last year. When they went online, they were an instant hit due to their simplicity. Its one of the easiest recipes ever, great for when you want to whip up a delicious homemade treat with a minimal effort. Whats even better is that they are void of eggs, sugar, syrup and treacle so they are much more waistline friendly than your more traditional flapjacky oaty bar. The natural sugars in the banana and dried fruits are all you need to make this a brilliant grab-on-the-go treat!

THE RETURN OF THE FAB AND FAST FLAPJACKS

One of my favorite things to make when I first got into baking were these fab and fast flapjacks. Even the most novice of bakers can have a good crack at them. It was one of the first recipes I ever posted on the blog and realizing I hadn't made any in quite a long time and with lots of oats sitting around my kitchen I thought it was time to revisit this classic recipe and give it a little bit of a facelift. I've refined the recipe slightly but it's still those same gooey flapjacks with that gorgeous crisp crust and naughty layer of chocolate spread of the top.

RED HOT BUFFALO CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

If  I had to eat one type of meat for the rest of my life it would have to be chicken. It's my go too meaty treat (particularly when I'm a bit worse of wear after a night on the cider!). It's so versatile and can be turned into many a delicious dish, such as these finger licking buffalo chicken drumsticks. These chicken drumsticks are coated in some seasoned flour and then deep fried so that they are super crispy before getting tossed around in a buffalo sauce which can be as spicy as you like (although for me, the hotter the better!).

"SPRING IS HERE" RABBIT STEW

So Spring has arrived! A new season is a good time to new and exciting things and that is what crossed my mind when I came across a whole rabbit in my local butchers the other day. I'd never eaten rabbit before but I thought it was time to throw caution to the wind and give it a go. I'm pleased I did, it was delicious. If your a fan of chicken, turkey or lamb then you are going to love it too especially after you have slow cooked it for a couple of hours in a vegetable filled broth of herbs and cider and finished off with a touch of cream.