Over the years I’ve tried at least half a dozen different recipes for American pancakes. This one is by far the best one I’ve found, I think it’s the buttermilk. They have a crisp, golden bite on the outside, with a fluffy, soft, melting chocolate flecked middle (if you choose chocolate over berries, that is). In this house chocolate beats berries hands down every time.

Makes about 12

INGREDIENTS

• 200g self raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 1tsp sugar
• 300ml buttermilk
• 1 egg beaten
• Large knob (approx 10g) of butter
• Handful (50g) of dark/milk chocolate drops (dark is best, I think) or a handful of blueberries

METHOD

• Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl and add the sugar.
• Add the buttermilk and the beaten egg to the dry ingredients, and mix until smooth.
• Melt the 10g of butter (I do it in a mug in the microwave) and add it to the batter, stirring it in. The mixture should drop off the spoon slowly, a bit like a cake mix.
• Add your chocolate drops or blueberries and stir them in.
• Heat a large frying pan over a medium heat, add a little oil and a small knob of butter (the butter colors them beautifully and the oil stops the butter from burning).
• Put a large dollop of the mix into the pan (1 big tablespoon should do it) and flatten it out a little. You want them about 1-2 cm thick. Let them cook till you see small holes appear on the surface of the pancake.

• Once you see the telltale holes, flip them over and cook for a further minute or two, or until they’re slightly browned.
• You can keep them warm in a low oven, but they’re so quick to cook that there’s really not much point. Stack them on a plate and serve with golden syrup,maple syrup or whatever you fancy.

Really great on a Good Friday/Easter Sunday/Bank holiday Monday. Gaan on and treat yourself, it’s what Jesus would do.

Fluffy cinnamon buns. Lush

This recipe is immense.

INGREDIENTS

• 180 ml milk
• 55g soft margarine
• 450g plain flour (not bread flour!)
• 7g instant yeast
• 50g caster sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 60 ml water
• 1 egg
• 220g brown sugar (I use soft brown)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 115g soft margarine

METHOD

1. Heat the milk in a pan or in the microwave, till it’s steaming. Mix in the marge until melted. Let it cool until it’s lukewarm.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine about two thirds of the flour, and all of the yeast, sugar and the salt. Add the water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, a tablespoon full at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has pulled together nicely, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. It might be a bit sticky, but when you knead it a bit it’ll firm up.
3. Put the dough back in the bowl and cover with clingfilm or a cloth. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. In another bowl, mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and the marge.
4. Roll out the dough into a 12×9 inch rectangle. Spread the dough with all the marge/sugar mixture. Roll up dough so you’ve got a 12 inch sausage shape, then seal it with a little milk or water. Cut, with the sharpest knife you’ve got, into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up on a lightly oiled baking tray (you can reshape them a bit if they squish together after cutting). Leave an inch or so between each bun. Cover with a bit of oiled cling film and let them rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (170 fan assisted).
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool them for a minute on a wire rack then serve warm. They won’t last long as they are so so so good.