Chicken and Potato Soup with Bacon

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 onion, sliced
250g smoked lean back bacon, chopped (or pancetta)
2 large leeks, sliced
2 tbsp plain flour (corn flour if making gluten free)
1 litre chicken stock
800g potatoes, chopped
200g skinless chicken breasts, chopped
4 tbsp cream/yoghurt

Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring for 3 minutes, until softened. Add the bacon and leeks and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring.
2. In a bowl, mix the flour with enough stock to make a smooth paste, then stir into the pan. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining stock, then add the potatoes and chicken.
3. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, until the chicken and potatoes are tender and cooked through.
4. Stir in the cream/yoghurt and cook for a further 2 minutes, then remove from the heat and ladle in to bowls. Garnish with grilled bacon and parsley.

Taken from 100 Best Fresh Soups

Leek and Potato Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients
55g butter
1 onion, chopped
3 leeks, sliced
225g potatoes, cut into cubes
850ml vegetable stock
150ml single cream (or plain yoghurt)
2 tbsp snipped fresh chives, to serve


Instructions 
1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion, leeks and potatoes and saute gently for 203 minutes, until soft but not brown. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. 
3. Heat in a saucepan, swirled with the cream or yoghurt, and garnished with chives.

Taken from 100 Best Fresh Soups

Lemon Drizzle Cake

Makes 1 x 2lb loaf

Ingredients
100g soft margerine
175g  self-raising flour, sifted
175g caster sugar
2 large eggs
4 tbsp milk
grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons
100g granulated sugar

Instructions
1.  Preheat the oven to 160c. Grease and line the loaf tin. Put the margerine, flour, caster sugar, eggs, milk and lemon zest into a large bowl, and beat until the mixture is really pale and fluffy.
2. Pour the mixture into the tin, and smooth the surface. Bake for 30 mins, or until the cake is firm and springy.
3. Mix the lemon juice and granulated sugar together and as soon as the cake comes out the oven, spread the mixture over the top of the cake. Leave to cool in the tin. Turn out of the tin once completely cooled.

Taken from Cake Magic

Ginger Lemon Bites

Serves 15

Ingredients
225g (8oz) unsalted butter
75g (2.5oz) icing sugar
200g (7oz) plain flour
25g (1oz) cornflour
3 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp lemon curd
2 tbsp icing sugar, sifted
juice of 1 lemon

Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 180c and line a muffin tin with paper cases. 
2. Beat the butter and icing sugar together until pale and fluffy. Beat in the flour and cornflour and ginger. Add the milk (the mixture will be quite thick).
3. Transfer teaspoons of the mixture to paper cases and level out with the back of the spoon. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. As soon as they're out of the oven, push a hole in the centre of each with a wooden spoon end. 
4. Leave the cakes to cool in the tin, then put a little blob of lemon curd in the centre of each. Make a thin icing with the icing sugar and lemon juice, then drizzle over the top of each cake.

Taken from Cake Magic, Kate Shirazi