April Fool! {Lemon Fool}

What better way to welcome April and Spring than with my lovely, refreshing April Fool! No surprises in store here, just a light and creamy delicious treat!

250ml whipping or double cream

1 tsp caster (berry) sugar

125ml Greek yogurt

Zest of ½ lemon plus squeeze of juice

125ml lemon curd

Lemon zest & ginger biscuits to serve

Lightly whip the cream with the sugar until you have lovely soft peaks – be careful not to over whip – then fold in the Greek yogurt, lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste to check it is sweet and lemony enough and adjust to your tastes if needed. Gently fold in the lemon curd to create a ripple effect. Spoon into glasses or individual serving dishes and chill.

When ready to serve top with some long strands of lemon zest and serve with ginger biscuits on the side for a delicious, fast and easy dessert.

Coronation Chicken Cups

For the last of my Afternoon Tea recipes collection, I couldn't resist a take on Coronation Chicken. Here I've served it in crispy wonton cups for a slightly modern spin on a true British classic. Elegant and a real crowd pleasure these take no time to make but be prepared – they will go in a hurry!

Makes 12 cups (and enough sauce for up to 24)

12 wonton wrappers

Olive oil

2 cooked chicken breasts*

125ml mayonnaise

125ml natural or Greek yogurt

1 tbsp curry powder

2 tbsp mango chutney

Squeeze of lemon juice

2 tbsp coriander, chopped,

Freshly ground black pepper

To garnish:

Whole coriander leaves

thinly sliced red onion (only need a couple of pieces per cup)

Pre-heat the oven to 350F/ 180C.

Brush the oil onto each wonton wrapper then place into a muffin or cupcake tin. Put in the oven for 5-7 minutes until golden and crisp. Once cooked transfer to a wire baking rack to cool and set aside.

In the small bowl of a food processor (or you could use a hand-held blender or blender) mix together the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder and mango chutney. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and a good grinding of black pepper. Puree until smooth then add the chopped coriander. Stir well then taste to check the seasoning and adjust if needed.

Shred up the chicken breasts and put into a medium sized bowl then add half of the sauce to the chicken. The amount of sauce needed will depend on how big the chicken breasts were that you used. Add as much as you like then stir well. Spoon the mixture into the wonton cups then top with a coriander leaf and a few shards of red onion.

*To cook the chicken I drizzled it with a little olive oil and seasoned with some salt and pepper, before roasting it in the oven at 350F/ 180C for 20-25 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Leave to cool completely before shredding.

Goats Cheese & Pesto Bites

Continuing with my Afternoon Tea theme another savoury recipe to add to the collection. These little bites are delicious and elegant and the perfect accompaniment to serve with all of the other treats. Even better, they take no time to make at all!

1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry

140g goats cheese*

2 tbsp pesto

Squeeze of lemon juice

Drizzle of Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Pre-heat the oven to 400F/ 200C.

Sprinkle some flour onto a large chopping board then unroll the puff pastry. Sprinkle a little extra flour on top of the pastry then cut it into small bite-sized squares. Using a fork prick holes all over each square, then bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven when ready and allow to cool.

While the puff pastry is cooking make the topping. In a small bowl mix together the goats cheese, pesto, lemon juice, olive oil and the ground black pepper. Mash well with a fork so that it is evenly mixed then set aside.

When ready to assemble put a small spoonful of the goats cheese mixture on each square then top with half a cherry tomato. Season with a little salt and pepper and serve.

*You don't have to be too precise with the quantity of goats cheese. It just so happens that the log of cheese that I buy comes in 140g packets. If they type you buy is sold in 150g packets then use that – it's not a fussy recipe (they just look it!).

Lemon Coconut Bars

Continuing with my Afternoon Tea theme for Mother's Day (April 3^rd in the UK) here are my quick and easy Lemon Coconut Bars. Irresistibly zesty, sticky and sweet, they won't last long!

Lemon Coconut Bars

225g/ 8oz digestive biscuits

115g/ 4oz butter

Small tin of condensed milk*

115g/ 4oz unsweetened dessicated coconut

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

115g/ 4oz Icing sugar

55g/ 2oz toasted coconut for topping (optional)

Extra lemon zest for garnish (optional)

Line a square pyrex dish or other medium sized square tin with cling film then set aside.

Crush the digestive biscuits, either in a food processor or in a sandwich bag with a rolling pin until you have fine crumbs.

In a medium sized pan melt the butter with the condensed milk. Once melted mix in the crushed biscuits, coconut and the lemon zest. Press the mixture into the dish and put into the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

While the lemon bars are chilling make the icing. Sift the icing sugar into a medium sized bowl then add 2 tbsp of juice from the the lemon and stir until you have a smooth fairly thin icing that you can drizzle. Once the lemon bars have chilled drizzle over the icing then sprinkle over the toasted coconut and lemon zest if using. Return to the fridge to chill again (if you are in a hurry you can stick them into the freezer quickly) then cut into bars and serve with a cup of tea.

*In Canada the tins I buy are 300ml which works out at about 385g. A little less than the 397g size of tin you get in the UK but definitely not worth opening another tin for! Use either depending on where you live. These bars are definitely sticky and I recommend keeping them in the fridge. If you would prefer a firmer bar simply use less condensed milk - I like them sticky so use the full amount but for a firmer bar I would suggest cutting it down to 315g/ 11oz. Enjoy!

Classic Scones with Clotted Cream & Wild Rose Petal Jam

I absolutely love afternoon tea. When we were younger every now and then as a special treat on a Sunday, mum would make us a full Afternoon tea (or High Tea as it can also be called). We would literally walk into the kitchen and the table would be covered with freshly made, still warm scones, our favourite sandwiches cut up into perfect little triangles or fingers, a classic Victoria sponge (or sometimes a chocolate cake), lemon bars or tiffin cake and sometimes a quiche or other savoury treat. Since Mother's Day is approaching in the UK (April 3^rd) I have decided over the next couple of weeks to make some recipes that when put together will make the perfect afternoon tea- an ideal treat for your mum on Mother's Day!

On top of that I recently received an email from Foodbuzz who are partnering with Electrolux and Kelly Ripa to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund by hosting a Top 9 Takeover Tea Party. For every post created with a Tea Party theme, Foodbuzz with donate $50! Yes $50! But there's more!! You too can help raise money for such a good cause. By going to the Electrolux website you can pick the perfect outfit to wear to Kelly Ripa's Tea Party For A Cause. For every outfit picked Electrolux with donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. It's for such a good cause so take a moment, pick a fun outfit and help raise some money!

So with two great reasons to post some Afternoon tea/ Tea party recipes, what better recipe to start with than my classic fruit scones! I have used Wild Rose Jam as I have been desperate to use it for a while, but you could easily stick to traditional strawberry or raspberry jam – whatever is your preference. The important thing is to try and eat these while they are still a little warm, with of course, a nice pot of tea!

Classic Scones with Clotted Cream & Wild Rose Petal Jam

Makes roughly 10 scones

225g/ 8oz self-raising flour

2 tsp baking powder

55g/ 2oz unsalted butter

30g/ 1oz fine granulated sugar (caster)

1 egg

Milk

Preheat the oven to 220C/ 425F/ GM 7. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.

Sieve the flour and the baking powder into a large bowl, then add the butter in small pieces and rub into the flour with your fingers, until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and stir well. Beat the egg in a jug and add enough milk so that it comes to 150ml/ 5fl oz. Add the egg and milk mixture a little at a time to the flour mix as you may not need it all and mix it so that it is nice and soft. Turn out on to a lightly floured work surface and continue to knead lightly until it is smooth and not sticky.

Roll out to approximately 2cm (3/4 inch) thick and then using a round cutter approximately 5cm/ 2inches in diameter cut out the scones and place on the lined baking tray. Using any leftover milk and egg mix, brush the top of each scone. If you don’t have any egg mix left simple use a little milk. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until they are nice and golden on top.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly on a wire rack.

Eat while still warm topped with a good spoonful of clotted cream and jam (or if you prefer butter and jam) and a good cup of tea!