When it comes to risotto, I have little patience standing over the pan stirring in the stock, that’s why I love oven baked risotto: you can just fry everything off in the pan and then bung it in the oven. Job done. Risotto for me is perfect recovery food – extremely comforting and homely.

This recipe is adapted from BBC Good Food’s Oven-baked risotto.

{Serves 4}

40 mins – Prep time: 15 mins – Cooking time: 25 mins (18 mins unattended)

Ingredients

• 600ml hot chicken stock
• 300g arborio risotto rice
• 150g frozen peas
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 8 slices chorizo
• 2 slices of bacon
• 1 small onion
• 1 small head broccoli
• 70g stilton
• 25g butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°c.
2. Make broccoli florets, cutting any large ones in half. Blanch broccoli for a 3 minutes to soften a little. Then run under cold water and shake off any excess water.
3. Chop the bacon and chorizo into small pieces. Finely chop the onion and sweat with the butter on a medium/low heat in a heavy-bottomed pan (like a Le Creuset) for 3-4 minutes with the lid on to soften it.
4. Add the bacon and chorizo and cook for another 2 minutes, then add the risotto rice and cook for further 2-3 minutes, stirring to ensure all risotto is coated in the butter.
5. Add broccoli florets, cherry tomatoes, frozen peas and hot chicken stock. Season well, stir, then put the lid on and place in the oven for 18 minutes.
6. When done, crumble the stilton into the risotto, leaving a little for garnish and stir through.

We’ve packed away the decorations and laid the Christmas songs to rest for another year, but what’s left in your fridge? Admittedly, I didn’t have the stilton left in the fridge, it was on the clearance shelf at the supermarket and I do so love blue cheese!

27mins – Prep time: 15mins – Cooking time: 12mins

{Makes: 12}

Ingredients

• 1 pack ready rolled puff pastry (375g)
• 180g bacon lardons
• 60g stilton
• 1/2 red onion

Instructions

Oven temp: 140°C/390°F

1. Grease 12 hole bun tin and cut out circles just larger than the holes in the tin. Gently push the circles into the holes using your knuckles.
2. Gently fry off the bacon and onions in a pan over a medium heat. The onions will cook in the lardon fat and will soften. Don’t overcook the bacon, the oven will finish the job!
3. Divide the bacon and onions evenly between the 12 holes.
4. Crumble the stilton over the tops of the tartlets.
5. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes, until the pastry starts to brown a little and the stilton has melted down.

I have long been a fan of York, I went there many New Years as a child and I’ve visited Betty’s Tea Room a few times since. The surroundings are classic and tasteful, and the waiting staff wear traditional uniforms, both which add to the whole experience.

We took advantage of the delicious teas available – I had Ceylon blur sapphire tea and Chris had Earl Grey. It was loose tea so it had a really good taste and I loved using the tea strainers and sugar lumps! We also had a very scrummy lunch – I had a potato rosti with ham and raclette cheese. It was the best rosti I’ve ever tasted, very buttery with a good amount of seasoning. Chris had a very eyecatching BLT which tasted as good as it looked.

Even though we were both stuffed we both wanted a dessert! I saw the cauliflower cake and just had to have it. It was a soft madiera sponge decorate with marzipan leaves. It seemed a shame to destroy it but my tummy thanked me! Chris had the equally mouthwatering fruit tarte, served with a generous dollop of fresh cream.

We also had a good wander around York and I was so impressed with market stalls selling all sorts of homemade treats, including this cupcake stall I found. The decoration is so neat and pretty.

We also bought some Yorkshire stilton from a little stand on the main market. We teamed it with some Sicilian salami we bought from Little Italy Restaurant (which also sells deli items), and a fresh whole bap and made a very tasty sandwich on Sunday!