Tipple | Ginger & Maple Hot Toddy

Sweet, spicy and soothing, this cocktail also eases a sore throat and helps clear the sinuses. In fact it’s practically medicinal. Best enjoyed on a bracing walk by the sea

Makes 1 cup

3 slices of fresh ginger

1 ginger teabag

1 tsp maple syrup

Lemon slice

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

A shot of brandy or whisky (optional)

Place all the ingredients in a mug and top up with boiling water – use the cinnamon stick to stir it all together. If you plan to serve the hot toddy while out, make the ginger tea and add to a flask with the maple syrup and brandy or whisky, if using. To serve, pop the ginger, lemon slices, star anise and cinnamon sticks into each mug, pour over the ginger tea and enjoy.

This recipe is taken from our ‘gathering’ feature, which in our February issue is a bracing walk on the beach with hot drinks and snacks, followed by a make-ahead lunch at home. You’ll find all the recipes, including Granola Bars, White Bean Puree with Crunchy Topping, Mushroom Ragout, Gremolata and Jam Crumble Tart from page 6. The recipes are by Louise Gorrod and the photography by Emma Croman.

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Tipple | Turmeric Gingerade

A refreshing tipple for grown-up fans of a Blytonesque picnic

You can make this gingerade in advance and keep it in the fridge ready to add to your picnic hamper just before you leave the house.

Serves 6–8

1.3 ltr fresh apple juice

1 tbsp fresh turmeric root, grated

1 tsp fresh ginger root, grated

Juice of 2 large lemons

1 bottle of sparkling water

1 fresh orange, sliced, to serve

Handful of fresh mint sprigs, to serve

1 Place the apple juice, turmeric, ginger and lemon juice into a blender and blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in two batches).

2 Pour into a glass bottle or Thermos flask and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.

3 To serve, fill a glass two thirds full with the apple juice mix and top up with sparkling water to taste. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint and a slice of orange.

The Turmeric Gingerade is just one of the recipes from our feature ‘Take the Lead’ in our September issue, which is a menu and ideas for a picnic and dog walk with friends. The other recipes include Veggie Frittata, Late Summer Salad, Roasted Goats’ Cheese Stuffed Figs and Apple & Cinnamon Dark Chocolate Muffins. There’s even a recipe for some homemade dog treats! The recipes are by Kay Prestney and the photography by Rebecca Lewis.

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Tipple | Ginger Shandy Pitcher

For those who like a beer on a hot day, this drink – with lashings of ginger beer and ale – will have them ditching the cans in favour of a large glass of refreshing shandy.

Serves 6

1 ltr beer (we used Hoegaarden wheat beer)
330ml chilled ginger beer
Ice
1 lemon, thinly sliced
Mint sprigs, to garnish

In a large pitcher, combine the beer with the ginger beer. Add ice, the lemon slices and mint sprigs and briefly stir before serving.

This Ginger Shandy is from our feature, Tipples to Share, in our July issue. The recipes, by Louise Gorrod, also include a Paloma, Blueberry Thyme Gin Fizz, Rose Sangria and a Watermelon Lemonade. The issue is in shops now.

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Recipe | Soft gingerbread tiles with rum butter glaze

A tin of Ottolenghi’s fabulously festive biscuits will prove invaluable over the coming weeks. Serve to unexpected guests with a pot of coffee, offer to eager little hands searching for something sugary, or simply dip in whenever you need a sweetly spiced pick-me-up.

Makes 12–14 depending on size of stamp and cutter*
85g unsalted butter, at room temperature
90g soft dark brown sugar
100g black treacle (or blackstrap molasses)
1 egg yolk
235g plain flour, plus extra for dusting and printing
1⁄2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
1 tbsp Dutch processed cocoa powder (such as Green & Blacks)
For the rum butter glaze:
80g icing sugar
tiny pinch ground cinnamon
15g unsalted butter
1 tbsp dark rum (or lemon juice if you want to keep the glaze booze-free)

1 Place the butter, sugar and treacle in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on medium speed until smooth.
2 Sift all the dry ingredients into a bowl with 1⁄4 tsp each of salt and black pepper. Reduce the speed of the mixer and add the dry ingredients to the butter and treacle. Once the mix comes together, tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently.
3 Roll out the dough so it’s about 6mm thick (no need to chill it first, but the dough can be wrapped in cling film and kept in the fridge for up to two days before baking). Preheat oven to 170C/ Fan 150C/325F. Line two baking trays with baking parchment and set aside.
4 Dip the biscuit stamps in a small bowl of flour, shake off any excess and then press them firmly into the dough, one at a time, to create a deep imprint. (Bear in mind the biscuits will rise when cooked so light imprints will disappear.) Using a round biscuit cutter that is slightly larger than the pattern, cut out the pieces of imprinted gingerbread.
5 Transfer the biscuits to the lined baking trays about 2cm apart. Re-roll the dough and continue to stamp and cut until all the dough is used up. Bake for 9-10 mins, rotating the trays halfway through, until firm to the touch. They will continue to firm as they cool.
6 Prepare the glaze while the biscuits are in the oven, as it needs to be brushed on while they are still warm. Sift the icing sugar and cinnamon into a bowl. Add the melted butter, rum (or lemon juice) and 1 tsp of warm water and mix with a spoon until smooth. The glaze will thicken slightly if it sits around, so stir through a little more warm water if you need to – it should be the consistency of runny honey.
7 Remove the biscuits from the oven, leave to rest for 5 mins, then brush or dab the glaze all over with a pastry brush. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Biscuits will keep for up to five days in an airtight container.

Recipe from Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh (Ebury).

*Try to get hold of some biscuit stamps if you can – they can easily be bought online. Sold as ‘springerle’, they come in all patterns, shapes and sizes. If you can’t get hold of any, the biscuits can be made using regular round cutters or cut into squares or rectangles with a knife, or try using the ornate base of a cut glass tumbler.

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Recipe | Traditional Parkin ginger and treacle cake

Traditionally enjoyed in Yorkshire on Bonfire Night, parkin is a seasonal treat, packed with black treacle and spiced with ginger. It's the oatmeal in the recipe that gives it a unique, not quite ginger cake, texture. Bettys have been making it in Harrogate for 30 years, so they should know what they're on about! Bag yourself a Bettys traditional Yorkshire parkin for Bonfire Night.

If you're in the mood for baking one yourself here's Bettys' recipe for mini parkin.

Ingredients                                                 Special Equipment

100g butter                                                 8 mini loaf tins
40g black treacle                                       or x 1 1lb loaf tin
180g golden syrup
110g soft brown sugar
100g self raising flour
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
40g oats
40g ground almonds
2 tsp whole milk
2 eggs

Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C (fan assisted). Line the base of the mini loaf tins with a piece of baking parchment paper.

1. Place the butter, black treacle, golden syrup and soft brown sugar in a heavy based pan over a medium heat. Gently warm through to melt the butter and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved. When the mixture comes up to the boil, turn off the heat and set aside whilst you prepare the other ingredients.

2. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the self raising flour, spices, oats and ground almonds until they are well combined.

3. Pour the warm mixture over the dry ingredients and mix in well.  Set the mixture aside to cool a little.

4. Beat the milk and egg together thoroughly and then gradually stir into the warm mixture.

5. Pour the mix into the prepared loaf tins and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

6. Leave the loaves to cool down slightly before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.

Did you know Bettys also run a cookery school in Harrogate? Find out more.

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