This recipe book was originally started as a project to identify some healthy recipes we could all share during lockdown, which would boost our wellbeing. But it became clear that the food everyone is craving is comfort food, the proper stuff that sticks to our ribs and makes us remember happy times. So, this became a wellbeing cookbook focused on simple recipes that improve the mind-set and mood.
Do you have a recipe that you'd like to add? Or have you tried one of the recipes and what to let us know how it went? Email us at library@royalberkshire.nhs.uk.
A note: if you are using a fan oven, then reduce the temperatures given in the recipes by 20°C.
Katie Wise, Library Assistant.
I love experimenting in the kitchen and I always adapt recipes, to the point where it’s a completely different dish! I made this one evening experimenting with different flavours and loved it. My recipe for homemade chips and coleslaw has been developed over the period of lockdown and it involves items you will probably find in your cupboards. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients:
Step 1 – Preheat your oven to GM 6 / 200°C / 400°F. Spray your roasting tin or baking tray with a good amount of Fry Light. This will stop the chips from sticking to the tin. Prepare the chips by peeling and cutting the potatoes into batons or wedges. Put them in the tray and spray them with more Fry Light.
Step 2 – Make your coleslaw by combining the sliced cabbage and carrots in a bowl. Add several dollops of yoghurt (or mayonnaise if you don’t have any yoghurt) and stir to combine. Finish with a splash of white wine vinegar. You can customize your coleslaw by adding whatever veg you have, such as grapes or sliced cucumber. Keep the coleslaw in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
Step 3 – Put your chips in the oven and set the timer for 10 mins. Take them out of the oven, turn them over and toss then spray with a bit more oil before putting back in the oven for 10-15 mins. Turn again and put back in the oven for another 10-15 mins. This will make sure they are evenly cooked, stop them from sticking to the tray and makes them taste much lighter than packaged oven chips.
Step 4 – While your chips are cooking, make your sauce for the pork. Put several spoonfuls of mango chutney into a bowl, season with 1 ½ teaspoons of paprika and add some oil and combine to make a paste. Add a small dash of white wine vinegar. If you taste it now it will taste very sharp, but once cooked it will lose some of that sharpness.
Step 5 – Add some oil to a frying pan and place your pork pieces. Cook on a low heat, turning occasionally until they are almost cooked through (usually about 10 minutes). Add the sauce to the pan and keep frying for 5-10 minutes more. Make sure the pork is thoroughly coated.
Step 6 – Serve up the sticky pork, the chips and some coleslaw and for extra flavour (and for cheese fans!) crumble up some blue cheese onto the top of your coleslaw.
Vicky Harrison
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Method:
1. Peel and parboil sweet potatoes.
2. Drain potatoes and place in blender. Alternatively, put in large boil and get the potato masher out!
3. Add garlic, spring onions and milk and blend, or mash together until smooth.
Ingredients:
Method:
1. Deseed peppers and put on microwavable plate. Microwave for 5 minutes for 1000 Watt microwave, or until the peppers are slightly squidgy. Preheat oven to GM 6/ 200°C /400°F.
2. Meanwhile, make up the couscous by placing in a bowl and pouring the water over. Stir, cover and leave for 5 minutes. Or cheat, use a packet and cook according to the instructions!
3. Add a knob of butter or a splash of olive oil to the couscous and stir through the mushrooms, basil, garlic, sundried tomatoes and some of the cheese.
4. Put rest of cheese on top of peppers.
5. Put in preheated oven and cook for 25-30 minutes, until cooked and the cheese has turned bubbly and golden.
Martin Butler
Makes 30
Martin's tip
For added zing, add 1 tsp mixed spice to the sugar for the coating – this gives it a lovely spicy flavour.
Also just as tasty to eat Beignets Souffles on their own.
I learnt to cook this back in the late eighties while visiting a chateau in France.
This is a delicious dessert not necessary healthy but luxury.
Ingredients:
For the Choux Pastry
For the fruity sauce
For the coating
1. Preheat a deep fat fryer to 170c / 325°F. Add the butter and water to a saucepan and bring to the boil, heating until the butter has melted. Remove from the heat and add the sugar and flour. Return to a low heat and beat with a wooden spoon, until the mixture form as a smooth paste – do not over heat it. Remove from the heat and cool slightly before adding the beaten egg. Mix to a shiny smooth paste
2. Into the preheated fryer add ½ dsp of the paste – this will quickly float to the surface, double the size and rotate while it cooks. Deep fry for approximately 7-8 mins, until golden brown. You can cook a number at a time, depending on the size of the fryer. When the Beignets Souffles are cooked, turn them out on to a kitchen towel to soak the excess oil.
3. While these are cooking, make the fruity sauce. Put the jam into a small saucepan. Add 2 dsp of water and bring to the boil, mix the cornflour with a little water and mix into the boiling fruity sauce. This is now ready to serve on the side or pour over the souffles.
4. For the coating, put the sugar onto a plate, then roll the cooked souffles in the sugar, until fully coated. Serve either in a large serving dish with the sauce as a dip or in individual dishes with the sauce over the top.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
Method:
* You can add this at stage 4 if you don’t have small children and like spicy food!
Toad in the Hole
Vicky Harrison
A traditional family favourite, my version is adapted from James Martin’s, mine has onions and more sausages! Really nice served with sweet potato mash and gravy.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
Method:
1. Whisk eggs and salt and pepper together with the flour, until smooth.
2. Add milk and mixed herbs. If you want, you can store this in the fridge until later.
3. Heat oven to GM 6 / 200°C / 400°F. Add some oil to a large ovenproof dish, and place into the oven.
4. Heat a little oil in a saucepan and add sausages and onions. Cook until the sausages have browned off and the onions are nicely sweated.
5. Mix sausages and onion with mustard and then place them in the hot dish from the oven.
6. Pour in the batter and put dish back into the oven.
7. Bake for around 30 minutes, until the mix has risen and it is golden brown - allowing enough room in the oven for the Yorkshire mix to rise!
This is especially good with steak, but also works well with most proteins. It also works with pasta.
Ingredients:
4-5 mushrooms, sliced
Splash of oil or knob of butter
Generous splash of brandy (you can use more stock if you don’t want to use alcohol).
1 clove of Garlic, pressed or ¼ tbsp of garlic granules
250ml / 9 fl oz Double Cream (you can use single, but it might split, if you’re trying to cut the fat, use crème fraîche instead, and just use slightly less)
180 ml / 6 fl oz Vegetable stock (I just use Oxo stock cube)
25 g / 1 oz Parmesan
Dried mixed herbs (or fresh if you prefer)
Method:
1. Saute mushrooms in a hot frying pan with a splash of oil or butter. If you’ve just cooked meat, use the same pan as you’ll get the meant juices. Add the herbs, unless you’re using fresh, then add them right at the end.
2. Add brandy and cook, stirring until the alcohol has burned off. Turn the heat down.
3. Add stock, cream and parmesan to the sauce.
4. Heat through to thicken a bit, for about 2 minutes.