Christmas Leftovers Noodle Soup

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is all the leftover food. Boxing Day tea usually consists of stuffing, a bit of bread sauce (yuuuum), a spoonful of braised spiced red cabbage, a slice or two of cold turkey, perhaps a roast potato for good measure, with a slice of Christmas cake, a mince pie or a chunk of Panettone or Stollen for pudding. And these makeshift meals are always delightful and relaxed. 

This year one of our usual Christmas Day guests did not manage to attend, so we ended up with a little more leftover turkey than usual. We had a fair few of the controversial Brussel's sprouts left as well. 
After rising at a relaxed hour and pottering about the house leisurely for a few hours, I was ready for some lunch and ready to do some gentle cooking. So these were two of the ingredients that I dug out of the fridge today, when I rustled up a warming bowl of noodle soup. 
Now, I am certain that the Japanese have a culinary title for such a soup/noodle dish, however I do not wish to insult anybody by pretending I know the authentic term nor do I wish to embarrass myself, so I will settle for Noodle Soup, as twee and affected as it may sound!

I apologise for my quantities being very vague and inexact but I literally just threw this together and hoped for the best. To be honest, there is little that you can do wrong with this, it is very much a matter of taste and what you happen to have in your fridge at the time. So get using-up and get experimental - so long as it is hot, contains noodles, some meat, some veg, and plenty of flavour, we are on the same page!

Noodle Soup (serves 1)

Half a 'nest' of dried egg noodles 

1 tsp vegetable stock powder (I used Bouillon powder) 

1 tsp olive oil

4 Brussel's sprouts, sliced

3 broccoli florets, halved

1 generous handful of spinach leaves

1/4 tsp root ginger, finely chopped/grated

1 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped

a handful of cooked turkey strips/chunks 

1 egg yolk (optional)

1/2 tbsp soy sauce

a splash fish sauce

one miniscule pinhead droplet of truffle oil 

salt and black pepper

a squeeze of lemon juice

Fill a small pan with enough water to cover the noodles (about half full), add the stock powder and bring to the boil.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok and add the sprouts and broccoli. Stir-fry gently. 

Once the water is boiling, add the noodles, turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for about 4 minutes.

Back at the wok, add the parsley and ginger. Cook for just a minute. 

Add the spinach, soy sauce, lemon juice and season well. 

Once the spinach has wilted and everything is cooked but definitely al dente, transfer to a heat-proof serving bowl and put this on top of the pan you are cooking the noodles in. This will keep the veg and bowl warm while you free up the wok for the turkey and egg.

Put the turkey in the wok, turn up the heat, and heat for a few minutes until piping hot. Add the lightly beaten egg yolk and stir briskly and roughly, keeping it on the move so that it cooks quickly and does not stick, and so that it coats the pieces of turkey. This will just take a minute - once the egg is cooked and the turkey is heated well all the way through, it is time to serve up. 

Drain the noodles and put them in the bowl with the vegetables. Add about a third of the stock/cooking water (or whatever seems appropriate with regard to the amount of water you used) and then put the turkey and egg on top. Season well, add the fish sauce and truffle oil (be extremely sparing, you should barely add any at all, it is so potent!). 

Enjoy the comforting, warming homeliness and smile at the assurance that you have not wasted any of the good things you served on Christmas Day : ) 

Mince Pies

It is Christmas Eve and it is beautiful outside. The sky is a fresh blue and and every tree, hedge and plant pot is sparkling with frost. It is also bitingly cold.

Inside my kitchen, however, the rich aroma of dried fruit and cinnamon is lingering enticingly and the residual heat from the oven acts as a welcoming blanket when you step through the door. 

Mince pies on Christmas Eve, with Nat King Cole's mellow voice melting out of the CD player, all tied up with a steaming mug of tea, is in my opinion, utter perfection. 
That is, if I look past the fact that I have always found pastry a challenge and a niggle. Despite my best efforts to remain calm, collected and thick-skinned, I tend to crack and whine and throw my hands in the air, determined that it there is no point in continuing. 

That happened today. I am ashamed to say the festive spirit escaped me momentarily. But fear not, it is back and jollier than ever!  With a bit of familial encouragement and a dab or two of icy cold water, I managed to defy the tenacious fiddly-ness of the pastry and create some beautiful little pies. 

I must admit, I did not entirely make my own mincemeat. It is one of those things that always tastes so fine when it is shop-bought that there seems little to criticise about using supermarket jars rather than stewing up a homemade batch. I did, however, jazz up my jar of Classic Mincemeat to further enhance its festive flavour. Fresh cranberries, grated apple, a spoonful of coarse-cut marmalade and a sprinkling of ground almonds to soak up any excess juice, turning it into something altogether more dreamy, velvety, Christmassy...

This recipe is taken from the December 2010 issue of my favourite magazine - Delicious. 

Mince  Pies (makes 12-15 pies)

250g mincemeat (plus any extras you may wish to throw in - cranberries, grated apple, marmalade, orange rind, mixed peel, glacé cherries, chopped nuts, ground almonds, extra spices...)

175g plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tbsp icing sugar

small pinch salt

45g chilled butter, cut into pieces

45g chilled lard or white vegetable shortening, cut into pieces

ground almonds (or crushed shortbread or similar - enough to line the bottom of each pastry cup to avoid the bottoms of your pies becoming soggy with excess liquid)

Sift the flour, icing sugar and salt into a bowl, add the butter and vegetable fat and work it together lightly, using your fingertips, until it resembles breadcrumbs (it is a good idea to run your hands under some very cold water before starting, so that the fat does not melt from the heat of your hands). 

Then stir in 2-4 tablespoons of very cold water using a round bladed knife until the mixture just comes together. Knead it lightly with your hands until you have a smooth(-ish!) ball.

Wrap in clingfilm and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C/ 375 degrees F/fan 170 degrees C/gas mark 5.

Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface and cut out 24 x 7cm rounds. Keep going until you have used up as much of the pastry as you can, remembering to cut out lids (either plain rounds or little stars or lovehearts, like I did).

Line a patty tin with your pastry circles, sprinkle some ground almonds (or equivalent) onto the bottom of each and fill with a tablespoon of mincemeat. Top with your pastry lids. Brush with a little beaten egg/milk and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden brown.

Carefully turn them out onto a wire rack to cool. Dust lightly with icing sugar and cinnamon.

Enjoy...perhaps warm with some rum butter...or crème fraiche...or simply as they are...Merry Christmas :)

Cranberry & Orange Bundt Cake

Oh, the weather outside is frightful,

But the fire is so delightful,

And since we've no place to go,

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

Yesterday was a truly flawless day. Everything was festive and everyone was happy. My school friends have come home from universities here, there and everywhere, for  the Christmas holidays and my culinary chum and I welcomed them with the smell of mulled wine and ginger biscuits at a festive dinner party, against the winter backdrop of frosted trees and dusted rooftops.

In the tizzy that was the kitchen at peak serving time last night, I did not have an opportunity to take photos of the main course! I will still tell you about it though, because  it was yummy and we were pleased. To satisfy the majority of guests, we served sticky roast chicken with red onions, plums and apples. It was sticky, it was sweet, it was fruity, it was juicy, the chicken was slightly crisp. Hurrah! Tomato, mozzarella and basil tart was the vegetarian option, which was equally successful.

But, hence the title of this post, I am really here to tell you about the puddings. Yeah. It was fierce stuff.

Cranberry and orange Bundt cake and an apricot and raspberry sherry trifle.

I christened my much anticipated Bundt tin. It looked and smelled and tasted like Christmas.

Cranberry & Orange Bundt Cake (serves 10-12)


6oz fresh cranberries

90ml water

4oz granulated sugar

a couple drops almond extract

60ml freshly squeezed orange juice

10oz plain flour

10oz wholemeal flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
240ml sunflower/vegetable oil
4oz light brown sugar
4oz caster sugar
3 eggs
145ml natural yoghurt
grated zest of 1 orange
8oz icing sugar, sifted
enough lemon and orange juice to make a fairly thick icing to dribble down the sides of the cake


Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F. Grease a Bundt tin.
To make the mixture for the cranberry 'tunnel', put the granulated sugar in a pan with the water, fruit juice and almond extract. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the cranberries and continue to simmer until they burst and the sauce becomes thick, squashy and syrupy. Leave to cool.
Sift the flour, raising agents, salt and spices into a large bowl. Make a well.
Lightly whisk the eggs, oil, sugars and orange zest together and gently fold it into the dry mixture (try to separate any large clumps of brown sugar before stirring it in or you could get sporadic lumps of it throughout your cake, like I did...!)
Fold in the natural yoghurt.
Pour half of the batter into the cake tin. Then, carefully spoon over the cranberry sauce into the middle of the layer of batter - try your best to keep it in the middle, to avoid it oozing out of the sides of the cake, although when I added the second layer of batter it all spread out anyway, but the 'tunnel' effect was still decipherable!
Then add the rest of the batter on top and gently smooth it out.
Bake for 50 minutes - 1 hour, inserting a skewer into the middle to check if it is ready.
Leave in the tin for about 15 minutes, before turning out and letting it cool. If it looks a little dry, brush over a glaze made by reducing down some orange and lemon juice, a little water, and granulated sugar to make a syrup (do this while the cake is still warm).
To make the icing, mix the icing sugar with enough orange and lemon juice (you choose the ratio depending upon your personal taste) to make a fairly thick icing. It should be thick enough to stay put on top of the cake i.e. not thin and transparent like a drizzle cake icing, but loose enough to dribble down the sides without too much effort.
Decorate as you wish, or leave it plain. I coated some fresh cranberries in lemon juice and then tossed them in granulated sugar to create a frosted effect and dotted them over the top. So festive!

Banana Fruit & Nut Muffins

Up until recently, muffins were one of my biggest baking nemeses. No matter what recipe I used or how gently I mixed the batter, the end result was always tough, rubbery and stumpy.

However! One day I found the perfect muffin recipe. I felt elated when twelve perfectly risen, bouncy, fluffy, light muffins emerged from my oven. Sad as it may seem, my hands were quivering, I had butterflies flitting around in my tummy, and I could not quite believe it.

So I treasure this recipe - the staple muffin recipe that I will go to for years, adapting the recipe to suit any flavour whim.

I was lucky enough to find two blackened bananas reclining in my fruit bowl, as bananas tend to do. Classic excuse for a bit of baking, I'd say : )

 Banana Fruit & Nut Muffins (makes 10-12)

80g plain flour

80g wholemeal flour

50g porridge oats

pinch salt

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

50g caster sugar

50g soft brown sugar

1 large egg

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

3 tbsp vegetable/sunflower oil

125 ml boiling water

50 g raisins

10-12 pecan nuts, crushed

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degreees F. Line or butter a muffin tin.

Sift and combine the dry ingredients in a large hole and make a well.

Pour the hot water over the raisins and leave to soak.

Whisk together egg, sugar, oil and mashed banana in a bowl or jug.

Pour into the dry ingredients and mix lightly until just combined and no more.

Pour in the hot water and raisins and fold them in gently. Try not to over mix.

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases/holes and crumble a pecan nut on top of each one.

Bake for around 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

Pear, Cardamom & Chocolate Cake

What do you do when someone you love is having a birthday...you are going to make them a cake...you have been bookmarking a recipe for a spectacularly indulgent chocolate fudge cake for weeks...and that someone decides to kickstart a healthy living-weight loss plan? 

Well, you decide that putting fruit and half wholemeal flour in a cake instead of glossy and  gooey chocolate ganache is one step closer to achieving a healthier cake (I won't say healthy cake...healthier). And it tastes every bit as lovely as that worshipped and anticipated recipe tear-out cake. In fact, probably better because you don't feel guilt ridden with the quantity of cream and sugar you would be consuming, and you feel all in all pleasingly sprightly and satisfied, rather than resigning yourself to the sofa for the rest of the evening. 

This is not to say that I will never make the anticipated chocolate fudge cake. It will happen - it just has to...the ganache is glossy and thick. It's an obligation. 

But whatever happens, I will definitely make this cake again. It looks so pretty, sends fierce aromas out of your oven, and tastes comforting, especially if you eat it when it's still cosy : )

I would like to thank Chocolate & Tea and SmittenKitchen for their posts that inspired me to add chocolate chips.

I would also like to thank the genius who first combined chocolate and cardamom. This partnership sort of roasts inside of you, in a very, very good way. It kindles a little glowing fire in your happy tummy. 

Pear, Cardamom & Chocolate Cake (serves 9) 

adapted from Simple Home Baking - Carol Pastor

900g (2lb) ripe pears     

lemon juice

40g (1 1/2 oz) butter

55g (2oz) caster sugar

55g (2oz) soft butter

110g (5oz) caster sugar

2 eggs

1 tbsp milk

couple drops of vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp rum or brandy (optional)

85g (3oz) each of plain flour and wholemeal flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 cardamom pods (seeds removed and crushed) 

50 g (1 3/4 oz) chocolate chips 

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F.

Peel and core the fruit and but into inch sized chunks. Keep one pear (peeled and cored) and quarter it. This will decorate the top.

Brush with a little lemon juice.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and add the fruit. Add the sugar and cook for 15 minutes, turning occasionally. 

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well. Beat in the milk, alcohol and vanilla until smooth. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then add the crushed cardamom seeds and 3/4 of the chocolate chips. Stir lightly, do not over mix. 

Gently stir in the pear pieces (reserving the quartered one). 

Pour into a buttered and lined 9 inch round or square tin. Arrange the reserved pear quarters on top and push down very slightly (they cake will rise up around them a little more when baking). Then scatter over the rest of the chocolate chips and press them down a little, too. 

Bake for 40-50 minutes.

Tiramisu Truffles

It is my lovely brother's birthday tomorrow. I had decided on the perfect present and was all set to go into town to buy it yesterday. But then the snow started again. Cars were queued up for miles and those that did move found themselves sliding onto the other side of the road. Needless to say, public transport was not an option. So I found myself presentless and in quite a predicament.

And this is why I simply adore Hope and Greenwood's 'Life Is Sweet'. Filled with glorious confectionary recipes, with a bit of patience you can make breathtakingly cute sweeties and chocolates, perfect as gifts. 

So that is the book I reached for yesterday afternoon.

The actual recipe is for Syrup Sponge Nuggets (they look like magical little snowballs with their miniature chocolate stars and drifts of icing sugar!) but I adapted it slightly because my brother (or anybody in my family actually) is not a great fan of white chocolate. Since he is turning 20, I wished to make the truffles sophisticated and with an essence of masculinity (if gender can be applied to a truffle?!).

Thus came Tiramisu Truffles. And rather nice they are too.

Tiramisu Truffles (makes 25-30)

adapted from Hope And Greenwood - Life is Sweet.

100g (4oz) golden syrup

25g (1oz) butter

100g (4oz) crumbled sponge cake

200g (8oz) white chocolate

1 tbsp very strong black coffee

1 tsp Grand Marnier (or other such liqueur)

For the chocolate coating:

400g (14oz) dark chocolate

1 tsp very strong black coffee

decorations (optional) the book suggests chocolate stars, or I used golden balls

Gently melt the butter and the golden syrup in a pan. Put the cake crumbs in a bowl and pour the butter/syrup mixture over it and mix well so that the crumbs soak up all the syrup.

Put the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of water, and heat gently until it melts. Remove from the heat and pour over the syrup sponge. Add the coffee and liqueur gradually. Mix well until thoroughly incorporated. 

Place in the fridge overnight until the mixture is firm. 

*When I made this there was very deep snow and I did not have much time, so I stuck the bowl outside in the snow (and then transferred it to the freezer) and it firmed up within about 3 or 4 hours!* 

Use a teaspoon to take blobs of the mixture and roll them into nuggets with the palms of your hands. Put them onto a plate or board and put them back into the fridge or freezer until they firm up again. 

*Don't worry if they spread out slightly and lose their shape - this happened to mine and I think it's because of the additional liquids in my adapted version - if you put the balls in petit fours paper cases, roll them lightly in a mixture of icing sugar and cocoa powder and leave them in the freezer overnight, they will be fine by the time you coat them.*

Gently melt the dark chocolate in a bowl over a pan of water, as before. Using two forks, carefully roll the balls, one at a time, in the chocolate until coated all over. Pop your chosen decoration (if using) on top! *The recipe suggests coating them twice (and for the quantity of dark chocolate mentioned you will need to - half it otherwise), but as I used dark chocolate instead, and because I needed them to be ready and wrapped quickly in time for my brother's birthday, I just coated them once.*

Return the balls to the fridge until set. 

I found a beautiful box that once contained Turkish Delight to put them in, and made a gift tag! 

Even though I only made half the quantity described here, I had a few left over to try. They are quite different to normal truffles, and the flavour and texture is rather unexpected, but if you like tiramisu you should like these - I am really happy with them. 

Grapefruit & Blueberry Panna Cotta

I have always found the mystique of gelatine somewhat threatening in the kitchen. As with all recipes that involve rapid stirring of a liquid that has to be brought to an exact temperature to avoid globulation (?!), I have always avoided panna cotta recipes. For this reason, I have only ever eaten supermarket versions...until now.

What made me do it? The packet of gelatine leaves perched redundantly on the top shelf of my kitchen cupboard. It looked sad and fruitless and wholly unexplored. Even if it meant failure and despair, I had to give it a shot.

I got the idea for grapefruit and blueberry from a fruit smoothie I made a while ago. It was deliciously zesty and fresh - another point to this much underrated citrus. Thankfully, it made the perfect antidote to the rich and creamy element of the panna cotta (however, I used half cream to half Greek yoghurt and semi-skimmed milk, which tasted every bit as dreamy as all-cream, just tangier and sprightlier).

This pudding is truly sublime. The smooth, set cream is delicate and fragrant, yet also greatly comforting. Then you get a hit of sharp and zingy blueberry compote, bringing everything together into one big happy smiling dancing mouthful. And. It is so easy. I know it's a cliché, but if I can do it, anyone can. I urge you to give it a go, and to try out different flavours. Yum : )

Grapefruit Panna Cotta (serves 2, or 4 mini ones)

150 ml double cream

75 ml unsweetened natural yoghurt

75 ml milk

1 3/4 leaves gelatine

juice of half a grapefruit

25 g caster sugar

Immerse the gelatine leaves in the grapferuit juice in a dish and leave for 5-10 minutes.

Heat the cream and milk gently in a saucepan, until it almost reaches simmering point.

At this point, reduce the heat and add the sugar, stirring until it has completely dissolved. Then take the pan off the heat.

Place the gelatine leaves, one by one, into the cream/milk mixture and stir rapidly until dissolved. Continue stirring gently while you gradually add the grapefruit juice (don't worry if some of the grapefruit flesh goes in, because this just means you will get lovely little jewel-like pockets of juice throughout your panna cotta!).

Once everything has dissolved and the mixture is smooth, divide it between your chosen containers (ramekins or moulds are best if you wish to turn the panna cottas out onto a plate, but a glass tumbler looks really pretty and elegant if you just wish to serve them as they are, with a layer of blueberry compote on top).

Put them in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

Blueberry compote 

half a punnet of blueberries

1 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp grapefruit juice

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp water

1 tsp port (optional)

1 tsp grapefruit zest, grated

Put the fruit juices, half of the water, and the sugar in a saucepan and heat so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and add the blueberries and grapefruit zest.

Let the mixture simmer and the blueberries will start to pop and ooze their juice.

Keep simmering gently, uncovered so that it evaporates and goes almost syrupy.

Add the port, if you wish, and the rest of the water. Turn up the heat and let it boil for about 5 minutes.

Let it cool and serve it over or on the side of the panna cotta.

Enjoy!

Apple, Bramble and Ginger Crumble

Fruit crumbles are the closest thing you can get to a cuddle from a pudding. I loved them when I was a wee girl and I love them still. On top of that, you can call them healthy without crossing your fingers behind your back!

I like to make mine even more wholesome by using wholemeal flour, brown sugar, and putting some oats and chopped nuts into the crumble topping.

This is the first time I have used frozen fruit when baking. I needed apples and blackberries - the supermarket and my fruit and veg cupboard were lacking cooking apples, and blackberries are out of season and extortionate. So, frozen it had to be. I must say, I would do so again - for the berries anyway. The apples are decidedly better when fresh because the frozen ones had a bit of a weird tang. Let's call it a nuance and smile :)

Nigella Lawson suggests using ground almonds in with the fruit, in order to soak up excess liquid and to give that wonderfully smooth, deep almondy flavour and texture. I did exactly that and I will never look back. It's lovely.

Apple, Bramble and Ginger Crumble


2lb Bramley or Granny Smith apples
1lb blackberries
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp demerara sugar
1 heaped tsp ground ginger
75g ground almonds
1 tbsp lemon juice


Put the apples, lemon juice and granulated sugar in a pan with a enough water to just cover the base of the pan.
Cook for about 5-7 minutes, until the apples just begin to soften on the outside. 
Arrange the apple mixture in an ovenproof dish along with the blackberries. Scatter the demerara sugar, ginger and ground almonds over the top, and give everything a good shake to settle and disperse.

Top with your favourite crumble topping, and bake at 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/Gas Mark 4, until the crumble goes light brown and the fruit is releasing juice and begins to bubble.

Salmon topped with Sundried Tomato Pesto

First of all, I'm going to put something out there - I love fish. I really do. I think it's the simplicity of it that appeals, its cleanliness and versatility. A good piece of fish can carry itself quite beautifully, unadulterated it is naturally delicious. But it also promises potential for a plethora of creations - curries, fish stews, goujons, fishcakes, sandwiches, salads...Equally yum, but all very different. 

Salmon is a staple in my home. Usually we bake it in foil, with some lemon juice and zest, and let it speak for itself. However, sundried tomatoes and chillies are not such a staple, and when nearing their expiry date, I simply have to use them up. 

I called this topping pesto. I exaggerated. It's a paste, really. A paste of stuff that tastes good and strong. It is also easy peasy to whizz up. Job done :) 

Sundried Tomato Pesto

100g sun dried or sun blush tomatoes

just under a tablespoon of olive oil (or the oil the tomatoes come in)

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 tsp finely chopped chillies 

1 tsp garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp root ginger, chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh coriander

1 tbsp toasted pine nuts 

Heat the oil in a frying pan and sauté the onion for about 2 minutes.

Add the ginger, garlic, and chillies, followed by the tomatoes. Keep everything moving so that the garlic does not burn. Cook for about 3 minutes. Add the herbs and pine nuts, cook for 2 minutes more. 

Blitz the mixture using a stick blender or a food processor, until you get a rough paste. Add a little water if it is too dry and thick. Season to taste.

Spread on top of salmon fillets (or whichever fish you like) and bake, in foil, for 10-15 minutes. 

Cherry & Coconut Loaf

Today has just been one of those days and the only things keeping me from curling up in a ball and weeping are making this loaf and the prospect of this evening's episode of Nigella Kitchen. 

In true frugal foodie fashion, I raided the cupboards and used up an old tub of glacé cherries and the dregs of a bag of desiccated coconut to make this cake, which I am going to take into work tomorrow. 

Ahh, Cake Fridays how I love you :)

This is a Martin Wishart recipe from a tear-out from a 2006 (haha!) issue of The Herald Magazine. I stuck fairly loyally to the recipe, just adding some lemon zest to the loaf mixture and some lemon juice to the glacé icing.

Cherry & Coconut Loaf 

325g self raising flour

175 g butter

175 g caster sugar

2 eggs

100 ml milk 

200g glacé cherries, quartered

50g desiccated coconut

pinch of salt

abound 1 tbsp lemon zest 

icing sugar, lemon juice, and water to make a thick glacé icing.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F/Gas Mark 4

Sift the flour and salt and then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Toss the cherries in the coconut to coat them and add to the flour mixture.

Stir in the sugar and lemon zest.

Beat the eggs and add them, followed by the milk, stir well until fully combined (use enough milk to achieve a fairly stiff, dropping consistency).

Transfer the mixture to a loaf tin (greased and lined), smooth the top and bake for 80-90 minutes. 

*You may find you have to cover the top of the loaf with some kitchen foil after about 50 minutes to avoid burning.*

When the loaf is cool, spoon over the icing and gently spread it out. 

I have to admit, I was kicking myself somewhat for leaving it to cool, uncovered, for most of the day whilst at work, because when I came home it had dried out a little and the outer 'shell' has gone very hard and biscuity! However, the inside remained soft and pale, studded with those translucent, glistening rubies...