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This is totally alcohol free, but has all the flavour of an alcoholic punch. I have had people unable to believe that it really is completely safe for the drivers at a party.
You will need a large preserving pan for this.
Recipe: Spiced Apple Punch
Summary: A non-alcoholic fruit punch
Ingredients
- 4 boxes of apple juice. Usually about 8½ pints/4 litres.
- 4 pints/2.25 litres hot water
- 2 scant teacups granulated sugar
- 4 large, sharp eating apples (Granny Smith are good, Golden Delicious are too flavourless. Don’t use Bramley apples as you’ll end up with dilute apple sauce!)
- 6 oranges
- 3 lemons
- 2″ / 5cm piece of cinnamon stick or 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 20+ cloves
- ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Put the water into the pan with the sugar and bring to the boil, stirring to prevent the sugar from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Wash all the fruit.
- Stick the cloves into one of the oranges and add it to the pan with the rest of the spices.
- Core the apples but do not peel them. Slice them and the rest of the fruit and add it all to the pan.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Add the apple juice, return to simmering point, taste to check for sweetness and if necessary add a little more sugar dissolved in a small amount of hot water. Serve.
Quick Notes
If you want to make an alcoholic version of this, replace the apple juice with dry cider and add a miniature of brandy or a slosh of Calvados just before serving.
Preparation time (duration): 15minutes
Cooking time (duration): 50minutes
Diet type: Dairy-free
Number of servings (yield): about 20
Meal type: drink
Culinary tradition: English
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This is a recipe for the cold, dark winter evenings. It is rich and satisfying and has the added bonus of being a dish which does most of the work for you and can be made in advance, which means that you can cook this for guests and still get to talk to them before dinner.
It looks good served in something like a Denby casserole,
Recipe: Midwinter Venison
Summary: A rich and satisfying meal for the winter.
Ingredients
- 1lb /450g diced venison
- 7oz/250g chestnut mushrooms
- 10oz/275g shallots/baby onions
- a good slosh of olive oil
- 1/2oz/10g dairy-free spread
- 1tbsp plain flour
- 1 bottle of robust red wine
- 3-4 tbsps ruby port (we’re not talking vintage here, go for something fairly cheap)
- 4 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to season
- 4 1/2oz/120g whole peeled chestnuts (that’s half a standard vacuum-packed tin)
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5/190C
- Peel the onions/shallots and cut in half any very large ones. Do try to keep the majority whole as those you chop will more or less dissolve with the long cooking time and the whole ones are part of the look of the dish.
- Clean and slice the mushrooms. Aim for thick, chunky slices as this is in keeping with the character of the dish.
- Put the olive oil and the dairy-free spread into your flame-proof casserole and heat until the spread melts and starts to foam.
- Fry the onions/shallots gently for about 10 minutes until they are golden, then remove them from the pan and set them aside.
- Fry the venison chunks at a highish heat until they are brown. Don’t overcrowd the pan with meat or you will find that the moisture coming from the chunks will make them boil instead of frying and browning.
- When the chunks are all browned, return them all to the pan, scatter the flour over them and stir thoroughly.
- Return the onions/shallots to the casserole, add the mushrooms and stir through.
- Fry for 2-3 minutes, stirring gently from time to time.
- Pour in about 1/3 of the bottle of wine and add the port. Stir gently to blend the ingredients.
- Bring to a simmer while adding the bay leaves and the seasoning.
- Put the lid on the casserole and put it in the middle of the oven for about 2 hours, checking occasionally to stir gently and add a little more wine if the liquid levels drop too low. Resisit the temptation to drown the casserole in wine: you want the end result to be rich and velvety. I add about a cup of wine towards the end of the cooking time.
- After 2 hours, remove from the oven and leave to sit until 20 minutes before serving. If you’re keeping it overnight, it should be refrigerated when cool.
- When there are 20 minutes to serving time, put the casserole on the hob on a low gas. Add another cup of wine (unless the sauce is already fairly runny) and the chestnuts. Stir very gently.
- Bring back to a simmer and heat everything through gently. The sauce should be thick and dark.
- Taste for seasoning and serve.
Quick Notes
This makes a great centrepiece for a dinner party and goes well with braised red cabbage, roasted parsnips and sweet potato, plain mashed potato and a plain green vegetable.
Preparation time (duration): about 20 minutes
Cooking time (duration): 2 1/2 – 3 hours
Diet type: Dairy free
Number of servings (yield): 4-6
Meal type: dinner
Culinary tradition: French
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To make these treats you will need a heavy-bottomed saucepan and a shallow baking tray. A swiss roll tin would do fine, but remember that you are going to be cutting the fingers up in the tin, so don’t use a precious, non-stick tin.
Recipe: Sticky Fingers
Summary: Delicious, sticky little treats
Ingredients
- 4oz (110g) Tomor
- 4oz (110g) granulated sugar
- 4oz (110g) chopped dates
- 4oz (110g) chopped glacé cherries
- at least a cup of rice crispies. The precise amount will vary, so keep the box handy.
- about one bar of good plain chocolate. This will also vary depending on how thick you make the crispy bit and therefore how big the top surface is
Instructions
- Put the Tomor in your heavy-bottomed saucepan and melt it gently over the heat.
- When it has melted, stir in the sugar and the dates.
- Keep stirring until the mixture is all mushy.
- Add the chopped cherries and stir in.
- Pour in the crispies and stir until all the lovely sticky stuff covers them fairly evenly. You may have to add another handful of crispies to stop the whole thing looking very soggy. It should be fairly firm in the end.
- Tip the mixture into the baking tin and leave it in a cool place to set.
- When the base has completely set (usually the next day), melt the chocolate and spread it over the top. Leave to set again.
- When the chocolate is completely set, which always takes longer than you would like, slice up the sticky fingers into… well, fingers.
Quick Notes
Sticky fingers keep in an airtight tin for several days… if they get the chance!
Diet type: Dairy Free
Number of servings (yield): about 20
Meal type: snack
Culinary tradition: English
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This is one of my daughters’ favourite lunches. It has the huge advantage that you can make it from scratch in about 20 minutes … which is about how long it takes to heat the oven and bake off some part-baked baguettes to go with it.
For this recipe I use my faithful Le Creuset casserole (size 24), but you could get away with a heavy-bottomed saucepan. If you do use a saucepan, keep an eye on it and stir it more frequently as things will tend to stick and burn more easily. You will also need either a blender or a hand-held whizzer to liquidise your soup.
Recipe: Green Pea Soup aka Clanger Soup
Summary: A quick and tasty hot lunch!
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- olive oil to fry
- 2 pints Chicken or vegetable stock. (If I have stock in the freezer, I use it, but if not I use Kallo Organic Stock Cubes.)
- 1 pint jug full of frozen peas
- salt and pepper to season
- chopped mint to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Start off by chopping your onion while the casserole warms up gently with about a tablespoon of olive oil in it. Resist the temptation to overheat the oil. You will just burn the onion and spoil the taste of the soup. You want it hot but definitely not smoking. The onion doesn’t have to be ever so fine, just reasonably small.
- Fry the onion gently over a low to medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to keep the onion from burning. It is fine to have a bit of colour in the onion, but you really don’t want them catching on the bottom. I like them to be golden, soft and translucent.
- When the onions are ready, add the stock. Take care! The pan will be very hot and your stock may well bubble and spit as you add the first bit.
- When the stock has returned to the boil, pour in the jug of frozen peas.
- Return to the boil again, then cook the peas for about 4 minutes until tender but not soggy
- Turn off the heat and allow the soup to come off the boil for a couple of minutes. This makes it safer to whizz.
- Blend the soup until smooth. At this point it goes a beautiful green colour, which is why it became known as Clanger soup in our house!
- I add some freshly ground black pepper to season the soup, but I don’t add any salt if I have used stock cubes as they already contain plenty of salt. If you wish to use the mint, sprinkle it over the centre of each bowl for a decorative look.
Quick Notes
Serve with plenty of crusty bread for dipping.
Preparation time (duration): 5 mins
Cooking time (duration): 20 mins
Diet type: dairy free
Number of servings (yield): 6
Meal type: soup
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This is a fairly quick and very tasty meal.
Recipe: Hot and spicy sausage pasta
Summary: Yummy!
Ingredients
- 400g pork sausages
- 1 large red onion, chopped
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely chopped
- 150 ml red wine
- 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
- a pinch of sugar
- 400g penne/spiralle
- a handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to GasMark6/200C
- Put the sausages in a roasting tin and cook for 15-20 minutes until cooked and nicely browned. Turn once or twice to prevent burning.
- Remove and slice when slightly cooled.
- In a frying pan, fry the onion until soft and golden.
- Season, add chilli and garlic. Fry gently for a couple of minutes.
- Add the sausage slices and the red wine and bring to the boil.
- Add the tomatoes and sugar and return to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta while the sauce is reducing and thickening.
- Serve with the parsley sprinkled over the sauce.
Quick Notes
Good with peas and beans.
Preparation time (duration): 15 minutes
Cooking time (duration): 40 minutes
Diet type: Dairy Free
Number of servings (yield): 4
Meal type: dinner
Culinary tradition: Italian
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Happy Birthday! Enjoy your new dairy-free recipe site and blog!
Mark.
While there can be no doubt that mulled wine is non-dairy, to paraphrase slightly, “Christmas isn’t Christmas without mulled wine” and this recipe tastes superb so I thought I’d tuck it in. It isn’t as ferociously alcoholic as many versions, but tastes a great deal better because of all the fruit and you really don’t miss the extra hooch.
You will need a large preserving pan for this quantity of mulled wine.
Recipe: Mulled Wine
Summary: The quintessential Christmas drink: here’s our version.
Ingredients
- 4 bottles red wine – go for something not too expensive, but with a big flavour
- 4 pints / 2.25 litres hot water
- 4 scant teacups granulated sugar
- 8-10 oranges (Un-waxed if possible)
- 4-5 lemons (Un-waxed if possible)
- 1 miniature bottle of rum/brandy (to taste, but better not over-done)
- 20+ cloves
- a good pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
- Put the water into the preserving pan with the sugar and bring to the boil, stirring to ensure that the sugar dissolves rather than burning onto the bottom of the pan.
- Wash one of the oranges and stick the cloves into it.
- Wash and slice the remaining fruit with its peel on and add it all to the boiling water.
- Add a good pinch of cinnamon.
- Simmer for about 45 minutes.
- Add the wine and brandy/rum.
- Bring it back to just below a simmer, check for sweetness and serve. If the mulled wine is too sharp, add a little more sugar dissolved in a small quantity of hot water.
Quick Notes
If you double the quantities, you won’t need to double the brandy/rum, but you really will need double the fruit – that’s where the delicious flavour comes from.
Preparation time (duration): 10 minutes
Cooking time (duration): 45 minutes
Diet type: Vegan
Number of servings (yield): 12
Meal type: cocktail
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This makes a great party offering: it looks fantastic and isn’t hard to do! Much more impressive than mince pies for the end of a dinner party, less effort and very Christmassy with a little twist of originality. Enjoy!
You will need an 11″ / 28cm loose bottomed flan tin and a wire cooling rack.
Recipe: Mince Tart
Summary: A different take on mince pies: sure to wow your guests.
Ingredients
- 1 quantity of shortcrust pastry
- 1 standard size jar of mincemeat (stir in some rum/brandy for added flavour)
- 1 14½oz / 411g tin apricot halves
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5 / 190°C / 375°F
- When the pastry has rested, roll it out to the required size and line a well-greased flan tin, taking care not to stretch the pastry to avoid shrinkage on baking. Trim the edges level with the top of the tin.
- If you want crispy pastry you will need to bake the case blind, by pricking it all over the bottom with a fork and baking for about 20 minutes. You may use baking beans if you have them, otherwise, check on your case about half way through its cooking time and re-prick a little and/or press down as necessary.
- When your case is ready, remove it from the oven and spread the mincemeat all over it to a depth of about 1/4-1/2″ / 5-10mm. Arrange the apricot halves around it in a ring with one in the middle. Gently push them into the mince a little, but do not bury them.
- Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- After removing from the oven, allow the tart to cool in its tin on a rack for a few minutes, before carefully removing the side ring. A palette knife will allow you to slide the tart off its base if you wish, or you can simply put the tart on its base onto a serving board/plate and serve it as it is: it looks just the same and that way it can’t fall apart!
Preparation time (duration): 30 mins
Cooking time (duration): 15-20 mins
Diet type: dairy-free
Number of servings (yield): 12
Meal type: dessert
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The traditional accompaniment to a glass of mulled wine during the Christmas season.
For this recipe you will need 2 sizes of pastry cutters (wine glasses will do in an emergency), 2 tart trays, a pastry brush and a wire cooling rack.
Recipe: Mince Pies
Summary: Can’t have Christmas without mince pies! Here’s how to make them dairy-free!
Ingredients
- 1 quantity shortcrust pastry
- flour for dusting
- dairy-free spread for greasing tins
- 1 standard size jar mincemeat
- 1 egg, beaten
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to Gas Mark 5 / 190°C / 375°F
- When the pastry has rested in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, roll out on a floured surface to a thickness of about ¼” / 5mm.
- Cut out 12 circles of each size, gathering up the leftovers and re-rolling as necessary.
- Grease tins thoroughly and ease the 12 larger circles into the trays.
- Put about a teaspoon of mincemeat in each pie. Resist the temptation to over-fill the pies as you will regret it when they overflow and the sugary mincemeat burns onto the tin.
- Cover each pie with a small circle, pressing down gently.
- Brush with beaten egg. If you wish, you can sprinkle the pies with a little granulated sugar for a crunchy top.
- Bake for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the pies are golden brown.
- Remove from oven when cooked and allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin, before turning them out onto a cooling rack.
Preparation time (duration): 15minutes + 30 minutes chilling time
Cooking time (duration): 15 – 20 minutes
Diet type: dairy free
Number of servings (yield): 12
Meal type: snack
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My mother has been making this cake for Christmas and special occasions in the family for about thirty years. It is truly delicious: moist but not sticky. It isn’t cheap because of all the fruit, but it is well worth the effort for a traditional Christmas cake. Do note that the cake is best made a month or so before you eat it.
Recipe: Traditional Fruit Cake
Summary: A moist and luxurious fruit cake, suitable as a Christmas or wedding cake
Ingredients
|
Round 8″ |
Round 9″ |
Round 10″ |
|
Square 7″ |
Square 8″ |
Square 9″ |
| Currants |
14 oz / 400g |
1lb 2oz / 500g |
1lb 6oz / 625g |
soak overnight in
a good slosh of rum or brandy |
| Sultanas |
7oz / 200g |
9oz / 250g |
12oz / 350g |
| Raisins |
7oz / 200g |
9oz / 250g |
12oz / 350g |
| Plain flour |
9oz / 250g |
11oz / 315g |
14oz / 400g |
| Flaked almonds |
1½oz / 35g |
2½oz / 60g |
3oz / 75g |
mince
together |
| Citrus peel |
1½oz/35g |
2½oz/60g |
3oz/75g |
| Mixed spice |
½ level tsp |
¾ level tsp |
1 scant tsp |
| Glacé cherries |
3oz / 75g |
3½oz / 85g |
5oz / 150g |
| Eggs |
3 large |
4 large |
5 large |
| Dairy-free spread |
7oz / 200g |
9oz / 250g |
12oz / 350g |
| Soft dark brown sugar |
7oz / 200g |
9oz / 250g |
12 oz / 350g |
| Lemon (grated rind and juice) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| Sherry, rum or brandy(optional) |
2 tbsps |
2½ tbsps |
3 tbsps |
Method
Instructions
For the preparation of this cake you will need at least three medium to large mixing bowls, using the largest one to cream the spread and sugar together.
For cooking you will need a cake tin of your chosen size, a baking sheet, 3 sheets of either brown paper or newspaper and some string.
- Soak the dried fruit overnight in a good slosh of brandy or rum. This makes a big difference to the final texture of the cake. The alcohol will all cook off, so if you don’t want alcohol in the finished cake, don’t worry.
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6 / 200°C / 400°F
- Grease a cake tin with dairy-free spread and line it with two layers of greaseproof paper. Grease the paper lining as well. Cut a strip of brown paper or newspaper 2″ / 5cm higher than the depth of the tin and about 2″ / 5cm longer than the circumference of the tin. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, wrap it around the tin and secure with string. N.B. Do not use Sellotape or plastic string: they melt. You need proper, old-fashioned string.
- Mince together the almonds, peel and cherries. An old-fashioned mincer seems to work best, but a food processor with a small container would do. The aim is to end up with a finely chopped/mashed mixture.
- Sift the flour and mixed spice together in a bowl.
- Beat the eggs in another bowl.
- Cream the dairy-free spread and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add the beaten eggs to the spread and sugar mixture a little at a time. With each addition of egg add a small amount of your flour and spice mixture: roughly a dessertspoonful is plenty. The flour will stop the mixture from curdling. Beat well after each addition.
- Add the lemon rind and stir well.
- Add the dried fruit and the almond/peel/cherry mixture. Mix very thoroughly.
- Stir in the flour/mixed spice and add the lemon juice. Mix well again.
- Scoop into the tin, pressing down gently with a spoon to ensure there are no air pockets. Level the top with the back of the spoon.
- Line a baking tray with two layers of brown paper/newspaper and place the filled cake tin on it.
- Reduce the oven temperature to Gas Mark 3 / 170°C / 325°F
- Bake the cake on one shelf below the centre of the oven for:
- 1st hour – Gas Mark 3 / 170°C / 325°F
- 2nd hour – Gas Mark 2 / 150°C / 300°F
- 3rd hour – Gas Mark 1 / 140°C / 275°F
- 4th hour – Gas Mark ½ / 120°C / 250°F
- If the cake is still very pale after 3 hours, cook for the fourth hour at Gas Mark 1 / 140°C / 275°F. If after 3 hours the cake is already sufficiently brown but not fully cooked, put a sheet of brown paper over the top for the fourth hour. Otherwise leave uncovered and lower the temperature as per the instructions. After 3 hours test cake every 30 minutes to see if it is cooked. Test by pressing gently with your fingers: if it is cooked, it should spring back when pressed and it will have started to shrink in slightly from the sides.
- When the cake is cooked, remove it from the oven but leave it in the tin to cool.
- When it is completely cool, remove it from the tin. To make the cake keep well and stay moist, you may wish to prick over the top with a skewer and spoon a little sherry, brandy or rum into the cake. Turn the cake upside down and repeat the process. Wrap the cake in foil and store in an airtight tin. For the full effect, the pricking and dosing with spirits should be repeated twice more at intervals of a week.
- Before serving, we usually just cover with a thick layer of marzipan. You could go the whole hog and cover with marzipan and royal icing if you wanted…
Variations
This recipe works just as well if made with 81% Stone Ground Self Raising flour. The extra “oomph” of the self raising flour compensates for the increased heaviness of the bran content, and the taste and texture are really good. Most good health food shops sell Marriages 81% flour (not Holland and Barratt in my experience), though it is rare in supermarkets. You can use 100% Stone Ground flour, but you must expect a much heavier texture. You would also probably need to increase the liquid levels in the recipe to compensate for the extra absorbency of the high bran content. I know that 81% flour works perfectly to the original recipe because I’ve done it!
Preparation time (duration): 90 minutes
Cooking time (duration): 3 – 4 hours
Diet type: dairy free
Number of servings (yield): 20
Meal type: dessert
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