Make a Poldark inspired picnic

Make some Cornish inspired treats to eat while watching the new series of Poldark.

Spend your Sunday baking these Cornwall inspired sweet treats for a Poldark inspired picnic.

  • Total time

  • Prep time

  • Amount

    Makes 5-6 scones

  • Ingredients
    • 225g self-raising flour plus extra for dusting
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 40g butter slightly softened (but still cool) and cubed
    • 1 tbsp caster sugar
    • pinch of salt
    • 1 large free-range egg
    • 120ml milk

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/gas 7.

2. Sift the flour and baking powder in a large bowl and add the butter Then rub the butter and flour together until you have a breadcrumb-like mixture.

3. Gently stir in the sugar and add the pinch of salt.

4. Now whisk the egg into the milk and pour into the flour and butter mixture (saving a little bit in the bottom of the jug to brush the scones with before baking), stirring it until you have a dough. If the dough is a bit sticky, don't worry, as this will ensure they rise really well!

5. Lightly flour a surface and gently roll out the dough until it is 2cm thick. Then, using a 5cm cutter, cut out your scones (another tip is to push down and pull up the cutter without twisting it so that the scones rise evenly). Gather up the leftover dough, roll out again and cut another scone – you should end up with five or six scones.

6. Pop the scones on a baking tray and brush with the milky egg mix.

7. Bake for 10–12 minutes or until pale golden and risen. Then allow them to cool on a wire rack . . . What am I talking about! Eat them warm with loads of Cornish clotted cream and jam!


Fabulous Family Food

Book cover for Fabulous Family Food

Nadia's cooking has made her a firm favourite with women everywhere. She knows how challenging it can be to get good food on the table in the midst of school runs, husband-wrangling, dog walking and a busy day job - and now she's coming to your rescue with this inspiring new book. She shares over 100 of her favourite recipes, all tested on her own family and guaranteed to be stress-free to cook and delicious to eat.

From one-pot wonders and freezer favourites to gorgeous cakes and desserts, from food to impress your guests to quick midweek suppers, the recipes are easy to follow and the dishes are mouthwatering. Written with her trademark warmth, and imbued with her love of food, Nadia's Fabulous Family Food is a book you'll turn to again and again.


  • Total time

  • Prep time

  • Amount

    Makes 15-18 tarts

  • Ingredients
    • 200g plain flour plus extra to dust
    • 125g butter plus extra for greasing
    • 75g caster sugar
    • 40g egg (approximately 1 egg) beaten
    • Assorted jams (allow 1 teaspoonful per tart)

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Grease the tart tins.

2. Rub together the flour and butter in a bowl until the mixture resembles fine cake crumbs.

3. Add the egg to the caster sugar and mix them together – this allows the sugar grains to dissolve into the egg so that the sugar is evenly distributed throughout the pastry. Add the egg-and-sugar mix to the flour mixture, then knead them together to form a dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

4. Roll out the pastry on a floured surface to a thickness of about 5mm. Using a round pastry cutter, cut out circles that are slightly bigger than the holes in your jam tart tins. Gently press the circles into the holes in the tins. The remaining pastry can be rolled out and used again, but bear in mind that it will become slightly tougher with each rolling.

5. Carefully place a good teaspoonful of jam into each pastry case. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Leave the tarts to cool in the tins for about 5 minutes, until the jam has set, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Baker's Tip

Lemon curd tarts are also tasty and, if you use lemon curd as well as an assortment of flavoured jams, you'll create a colourful display that's perfect for children's parties.


The Baker's Daughter

by Louise Johncox

Louise Johncox comes from a long line of bakers and confectioners. As a child she would sit on a flour tin at her father's side and eat whatever was fresh from the oven - a hot bread roll or a fluffy piece of sponge - and when her father, a master baker, retired, Louise decided it was time to capture his wisdom and baking expertise, writing down his recipes for the first time and preserving his magical legacy for her children.

With a Foreword by Albert Roux, The Baker's Daughter weaves Louise's delightful childhood memories of life in her family tea shop with her father's delicious recipes for you to try at home, honed by over forty years of instinct and experience. From classic cream cakes and traditional buns, to celebration cakes, handcrafted chocolates and her father's signature cream meringues, these recipes come laden with the sights, smells and warmth of the tea room and bakehouse.