Step 1-Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius/160 degrees for a fan oven/gas mark 4. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Then add the flour and bicarbonate of soda to a mixing bowl and place to one side. Take 1 tbsp of the muscovado sugar and put it to one side, then mix the rest of the sugar with flour and the porridge oats, making a well in the centre of the mixture.

Step 2-In another bowl, break up the bananas and mash them until completely smooth. Once you have done this, add the 2 egg whites, the 5 tbsp of olive oil and the buttermilk to the banana until it starts to combine.

Step 3-Pour the liquid mixture in to the well you created in the sugar, flour and porridge oats mixture and stir in quickly. The mixture may look like it needs further mixing, but don’t overdo it. Add the blueberries and give it one final stir to ensure the blueberries are evenly spread out.

Step 4-Split the mixture evenly among the 12 cups in the muffin tray, and sprinkle each cup with a bit of the remaining porridge oats and muscovado sugar.

Step 5-Bake the muffins for around 20 minutes until they have fully risen and have turned a dark golden brown colour. Allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. That’s it, these deliciously simple low fat banana and blueberry muffins are ready to enjoy!

Step 1-Preheat your oven to 180 degrees celcius. Add the 2 large eggs, the granulated sugar and the olive oil to a mixing bowl and beat together.

Step 2-Once the above ingredients have been mixed together, sift in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and all spice in to the mixing bowl and mix together well

Step 3-To the mixing bowl, add the grated carrots, raisins (or sultanas if you have chosen them), the lemon juice and salt before mixing together again.

Step 4-Once you are satisfied that the ingredients are well mixed, transfer the mixture to a cake tin and bake in your oven for around 30 to 40 minutes. You know the cake is done when you can place a skewer in the middle and it comes out completely dry. Leave for 5 minutes before removing it from the cake tin to cool.

Step 5-To start the cream cheese topping, put the mascarpone cheese, unsalted butter, icing sugar and lemon rind in to a bowl and beat until the mixture is smooth! Spread the cream cheese topping over the cake and place in the fridge for at least 5 hours or so before serving.

Step 1- Place the dried fruit and candied peel in a large mixing bowl, adding the 4 tbsp of brandy, and mix well. Leave this overnight to allow the fruit to absorb the flavour of the brandy, this will really help to make a delicious tasting cake!

Step 2-On the day that you plan to make the cake, grease and line a 9inch deep round cake tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper, and preheat the oven to 140 degrees celcius/120 degrees celcius in a fan oven/Gas mark 1.

Step 3-Apart from the almonds, place all the remaining ingredients in to a large mixing bowl and mix it together well. Then stir in the nuts and the soaked fruit, along with any of the remaining liquid that the fruit had been soaking in.

Step 4-Once the mixture is beaten together well, spoon it in to the 9 inch (23cm) deep round cake tin, smooth the top of the mixture and place a disk of baking paper on top. If you haven’t got a 9 inch (23cm) cake tin, you can use a 20cm square cake tin. Place the cake in the centre of the oven and cook for between 4-5 hours until the cake is a delicious golden brown colour. It should also be firm to touch. Here’s a tip, push a skewer in to the cake and pull I out again. If the skewer is clean when you pull it out, you know the cake is done. Leave the cake to cool in the tin.

Step 5- Once the cake has cooled, remove the baking paper disc, pierce the top of the cake in several places and pour over some brandy. Remove the cake from the cake tin, but leave it in the baking paper. Wrap it in more baking paper and store it in a cool place (preferably for a minimum of 3 weeks) until you want to serve it.

Step 6- When it comes to serving the cake, remove the baking paper and decorate it with the glace fruit or even ready to use icing. You could tie a ribbon around it if you are feeling extra festive! All there is left to do is share this delicious cake with your friends and family. Merry Christmas!

Step 1- Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celcius/400 degrees Fahrenheit/Gask mark 6.

Step 2-Peel and core the apples and set them to one side. Mix the flour, brown sugar orange zest and mixed spice together.

Step 3-Take about one third of the apples and place them in a pie dish. Sprinkle around half of the flour, brown sugar, orange zest and mixed spice mixture over the apples, before adding about half of the remaining apples and mixture on top again. Then neatly arrange any of the remaining apples on top and pour the orange juice on.

Step 4-Cut the butter in the pieces and place evenly among the apples.

Step 5- Take the shortcrust pastry and roll it out until it is about 4cm longer than the pie dish you are using. Cut a 1.25cm strip of pastry, wet the edges of the pie dish and stick the 1.25cm strip of pastry around the edge of the dish.

Step 6- Wet the pastry edge and place the main piece of pastry over the top of the pie dish. It is important to ensure that the edges of the pastry and pressed firmly together.

Step 7- Before placing in the oven, brush the pastry with water and sprinkle the caster sugar over it. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes at 200 degrees celcius/400 degrees Fahrenheit/Gas Mark 6 before reducing the temperature to 180 celcius/350 fahrenheit/gas mark 4 to cook for a further 30 minutes until the pastry turns a delicious golden brown colour.

Step 8-We love our apple pie with custard, but it is equally as delicious served with cream or ice cream. Enjoy!