Thomas the Cook

1 large onion finely chopped
2 apples or 1 cooking apple peeled and chopped
1 tbsp thyme (fresh or dried)
25g flour
200ml apple juice
300ml milk
3 tbsp double cream
1 tbsp English mustard
Ham or gammon torn in chunks
1 pack of puff pastry
1 egg beaten with a drop of water

Fry the onion until slightly golden, then add the chunks of apple and cook off a little bit. Then add the juice, milk and cream. Season to taste. Add the thyme and mustard, and mix in the gammon chunks. Place the filling into an oven proof dish and put a puff pastry lid on it, cutting a cross in the middle as a vent and brush with egg. Cook for about 20-25 minutes and enjoy with buttery mash.

Today is Pancake Day and I'm going to make my famous coconut and banana pancakes. They are delicious and exotic tasting and a mile away from soggy piles of batter and sultanas.

Banana and coconut pancakes

110g plain sifted flour
2 eggs
200ml coconut milk
75ml water
Bananas
Pinch of salt
Dessicated coconut or flakes (optional)

Mix the wet ingredients together and pour into the dry, stir in the eggs to make a batter. Get a pan hot with a smidge of butter and fry sliced bananas (about 5mm thick). Set aside to cool while you make a pancake. Lay the pancake out and sprinkle over the coconut, put the banana slices down the middle, roll up and demolish!

 The Fella has a few star dishes that he sticks to, and one of them is his bread salad. It's like garlic-laden squidge heaven and is absolutely delicious and simple to make.

Bread salad

2 small punnets of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cucumber diced
1 French stick
Glug of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tin of tuna chunks
Olives (optional)

Put the halved tomatoes and diced cucumber in a massive bowl, put in the lemon juice and parsley. Stir in the garlic and flake in the tuna. Mix it quite roughly so the tomato juice binds it together and makes the bread soak up the parsley. Break the bread into bite size chunks, mix it together and drizzle the oil over it. Season if needed.

Fresh bread is fine for this but leaving it a day or two is even better as it has a bit more bite.