Orange, ginger and rye upside-down cake (main picture)

Serve with plain yoghurt to keep it light, or a little creme fraiche for an excellent afternoon treat.

Claire Ptak

Serves 8-10

For the oranges

50g unsalted butter

125g demerara sugar

1 vanilla pod, split

6-8 oranges of any type

For the sponge

300g dark rye flour

½ tsp fine salt

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp mixed spice

½ tsp ground cloves

200g unsalted butter

200g light brown sugar

200g black treacle

160g whole milk

2 eggs

1 Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4 and have ready a 25cm solid-bottomed cake tin.

2 In a small saucepan, melt the butter and the demerara sugar. Split the vanilla pod, scrape the seeds into the butter and break up with a fork, then pour the mixture into the cake tin and swirl to coat, laying the split vanilla pod in the bottom.

3 Cut off the ends of the oranges and cut downwards around the fruit to peel. Slice crossways into 1.5cm slices. Arrange the slices in the bottom of the cake tin on top of the vanilla pod.

4 To make the sponge, whisk the flour, salt and spices together in a bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan, melt the unsalted butter, sugar and treacle. Whisk together until smooth. Carefully mix this into the dry flour mix.

5 Whisk in the milk and finally the eggs. Pour the cake mixture over the oranges and bake in the oven for 45-55 minutes or until springy and a skewer inserted comes out clean.

6 Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the tin, then use a knife to release the cake from the edge of the tin. Put a plate over the cake and turn it upside down so that the bottom becomes the top.

Rum and marmalade bostock

A toothsome fruity brunch to rustle up while the kettle boils.

Rob Andrew

Bostock: marmalade on toast and then some. Photograph: Helen Cathcart/Helen Cathcart (commissioned)

Serves 4

4 thick slices of brioche

4 heaped tbsp marmalade

80g flaked almonds

1 tbsp icing sugar

¼ tsp cinnamon

For the frangipane

90g butter, diced and chilled

90g sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp rice flour

½ tsp vanilla essence

90g ground almonds

1 tbsp dark rum

For the orange syrup

30ml water

30g sugar

Juice and zest of ½ orange, preferably blood orange

1 tbsp dark rum

1 To make the frangipane, beat the butter and sugar in a processor until light and creamy. Add the egg a little at a time until combined. Add the rice flour, vanilla essence and almonds and blitz. Add the rum and whizz for 5 more seconds. Put in the fridge to set.

2 Make the syrup by heating the water, sugar, juice and zest until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the rum. Allow to cool.

3 Toast the brioche on both sides and preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas mark 6. Lay the brioche on a baking tray and brush with the orange syrup.

4 Spread each slice with 1 heaped tbsp marmalade. Spread the frangipane on top then sprinkle with the almonds. Bake for 15 minutes until coloured.

5 Dust with icing sugar and cinnamon.

Lemon and dill popcorn



Dill makes a fresh addition to almost anything – even snacks.

Lagom by Steffi Knowles-Dellner (Hardie Grant)

Lemon and dill (yes, dill) popcorn. Photograph: David Frenkiel

Makes 1 large bowlful

3 tbsp butter

Zest of 1 lemon

2 tsp dried dill

2 tbsp vegetable oil

100g popcorn kernels

1 Melt the butter in a saucepan with the lemon zest and dill. Set aside but keep warm so that it doesn’t solidify.

2 Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat with a few popcorn kernels. Once they have popped, the oil is hot enough, so immediately tip in the remaining kernels. Partially cover with a lid, allowing a little steam to escape. Shake the pan frequently and wait until there are about 5 seconds between pops before removing from the heat and tipping into a large bowl.

3 While the popcorn is still warm, drizzle over the lemon and dill butter and sprinkle with plenty of sea salt. Toss really well to evenly distribute and serve straight away.

Pomelo, coconut and lime salad

Pomelo is a fruit best suited to savoury dishes – you can replace it with grapefruit sweetened with honey.

Green Kitchen Travels by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl (Hardie Grant)

Serves 2-4

A handful desiccated coconut

A handful of cashew nuts

1 pomelo or 2 grapefruit

½ red onion, very finely chopped

A handful of coriander leaves

For the dressing

Juice of two limes

2 tbsp clear honey or maple syrup

4 tbsp olive oil

1 Toast the coconut and cashew nuts in a dry frying pan over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden. Tip out of the pan immediately to prevent over-browning.

2 Peel the pomelo as in the first recipe and remove the segments by cutting the fruit away from the membrane that surrounds each slice. Separate the slices into slightly smaller pieces.

3 Put the fruit in a large bowl, add the remaining ingredients and toss to mix. Stir together the dressing ingredients and pour over the salad. Toss well and serve straight away.

Quick clementine compote

Wonderful atop a stack of pancakes or drop scones. Cardamom or cinnamon would work just as well as the saffron.

Anna Jones

Makes a small jarful

6 clementines

2 tbsp honey

A pinch of saffron (optional)

1 Peel the fruits as you would normally and remove any large pieces of pith.

2 Put the flesh into a pan with the honey and the saffron, if you are using it. Cook for about 10 minutes until you have a loose, jammy consistency.