Squidgy Chocolate Pudding

100g  dark chocolate

5 tbsp unsalted butter

2 extra large eggs

1 extra large egg yolk

3 tbsp caster sugar

3 tbsp plain flour

2 tsp cocoa powder

Serves: 4

Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus 1 hour in the fridge.

Melt the butter and the chocolate in a bain-marie.  Meanwhile, cream the eggs, egg yolk, and caster sugar in a bowl.  Add the melted chocolate and butter and mix until smooth.  Sift in the cocoa powder and flour and fold into the mixture.

Grease the insides of 4 ramekins with butter and spoon in the mixture.  Leave them in the fridge for at least an hour until they have cooled.  Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees.  Place the ramekins in a baking dish and add enough water to come about half way up the side of the ramekin.  Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Turn each pudding on to a place dust with icing sugar and cut open so the chocolate centre oozes out.  Serve with a blob of vanilla ice cream.

Spinach Soup

500 g Spinach

1 Large potato

2 Bacon rashers

1 Lt vegetable stock

Preparation Time: 20 mins

Serves 4

Dice the potato and cut the bacon into squares.  In a large pan, fry the bacon and potato until golden.  Add the spinach a few hand fulls at a time until it wilts down and then add the stock.  Simmer for 20 minutes until the potato is soft.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly before blending in a food processor until smooth.  Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil.