The last week or so has been busy. My latest post is carrot cake traybake, which is one of my favourite cakes. It is topped with mascarpone cream and pistachios and is perfect for sharing with a crowd. Then I made focaccia which I decorated using tomatoes, olives and herbs to create a garden scene. I cut it into portions (it was a shame to cut into it!) and enjoyed some with a salad. I froze the rest ready to pair with some of our weekday dinners. I also prepared another batch of sauerkraut....

I have been planning to make individual portions of a nut based dish suitable for making ahead and freezing. I created these mini nut roasts which are made using a mixture of chopped dried apricots (a favourite of mine for flavour), chopped nuts and other basic ingredients and cooked in a muffin tin. Each one is just the right size for a single serving. They are perfect for freezing and can be defrosted and reheated when needed. They are a perfect "ready meal" but unlike processed foods they...

It may not be summer holiday time yet but you can still enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean. Fortunately many ingredients used around the Med such as tomatoes, peppers, courgettes, aubergines and beans are available in other regions so we can make our own versions of popular Mediterranean dishes. Why not make a pot of ratatouille, minestrone or tomato and bean soup? And if you have a good supply of tomatoes you could make a batch of fresh tomato sauce to add to pasta dishes such as cannelloni...