A selection of recipes from our kitchen

Recipes from our kitchen

Enjoy a taste of Ballynahinch at home from our breakfast granola to afternoon tea treats.

Seeded Cheese Crackers

Ballynahinch Seeded Cheese Crackers

120g mixed seeds

40g sesame seeds

10g flaky sea Salt

130g gluten free plain flour

125ml water

80ml olive oil

Mix all of the above ingredients well until they form a paste.

Roll the mixture out evenly and as thin as possible between two sheets of parchment.

Place on a flat tray with another flat tray placed on top.

Bake at 180C for 15-20mins until golden brown.

Allow to cool, store in an air tight container.

Breakfast Muffins

Ballynahinch Breakfast Muffins

Makes a dozen

2 large eggs

150ml pot natural low-fat yogurt

50ml rapeseed oil

100g apple sauce

1 ripe banana, mashed

4 tbsp clear honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

200g wholemeal flour

50g rolled oats, plus extra for sprinkling

1½ tsp baking powder

1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1½ tsp cinnamon

100g grated carrot

2 tbsp mixed seed (we used pumpkin, sunflower and flaxseed)

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with 12 large muffin cases.

In a jug, mix the eggs, yogurt, oil, apple sauce, banana, honey and vanilla. Tip the remaining ingredients, except the seeds, into a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and mix to combine.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix briefly until you have a smooth batter – don’t overmix as this will make the muffins heavy.

Divide the batter between the cases. Sprinkle the muffins with the extra oats and the seeds.

Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and well risen, and a skewer inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Breakfast Granola

Ballynahinch Castle Granola

Makes 15-20 servings, (store in an airtight container it will hold perfectly.

Ingredients

720g oats

120ml sunflower oil

20ml maple syrup

120ml honey

240g flaked almonds

200g pecan nuts

120g whole almonds

160g coconut desiccated

120g pumpkin seeds

70g sunflower seeds

2 drops vanilla essence

200g raisins

Method

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees.

Keeping your raisins separate, mix all the other wet and dry ingredients in a basin, then evenly spread the well-coated mix onto a baking tray and into the oven.

Using an oven cloth or glove remove from the oven and lightly stir every 5-8 minutes — it’s very important you break up the mix and return it to your oven to caramelize and reach a golden-brown colour, which generally takes 35-40 minutes depending on the oven.

Add the raisins once the mix is cooked and store in an airtight container. We use golden and regular raisins mixed, but this can be substituted for any dry fruit you may have (apricots, cranberries, whatever you like).

Brown Soda Bread

SODA BREAD

Makes 1 Loaf

Ingredients

500g Flour – Wholemeal

200g Flour – Plain

700mL Buttermilk

50g Butter

2 Eggs

2tbsp Caster sugar

1tbsp Bread soda

1.5tsp Salt

Directions

Preheat the oven 160 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together

Add the buttermilk and the eggs and mix.

Add the melted butter and mix.

Place the ingredients into a bread tin. Bake for about 50 minutes until the bread is cooked. Take out of the tin and bake for 10 minutes 170 degrees.

Treacle & Walnut Bread

Treacle and Walnut Bread

Makes 1 Loaf

Ingredients

300g Flour - Wholemeal

100g Flour – Plain

50g Brown sugar

50g Porridge oats

50g Walnut

1.5tsp Bread soda

1.5tsp Baking powder

Pinch Salt

100g Greek style yogurt

75g Butter

350L Buttermilk

1 Egg

90g Treacle

Method

Preheat the oven 160 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together (but the walnuts).

Add the buttermilk, the eggs, treacle, yogurt and mix.

Add the melted butter and mix. Add the walnuts and incorporate them by folding them in the mix.

Place the ingredients into a bread tin. Bake for about 50 minutes until the bread is cooked. Take out of the tin and bake for 10 minutes 170 degrees.

Fruit Scones

BALLYNAHINCH FRUIT SCONES

Makes 10

Ingredients

450g self-raising flour

50g sugar

100g butter, cut into cubes

260ml milk

100g sultanas

Pinch baking powder

Pinch salt

1 egg yolk

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees with the tray in the oven to preheat.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer.

With the paddle attachment, mix the dry ingredients with the butter on medium speed until it forms fine crumbs.

Add the milk and combine until it forms a dough. Incorporate the sultanas and mix for couple seconds.

With the help of a rolling pin, roll the dough into a square sheet 4cm thick. Stamp the scones with a lightly floured round cutter (4cm diameter) and remember not to twist the cutter at the end or your scones won’t rise properly.

Place the scones on the hot tray, brush the top with the egg yolk beaten with a tbsp of water. Bake for 12 minutes at 190 degrees

Raspberry Jam

Makes 2 jars (300ml)

Ingredients

500g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

450g sugar

10ml lemon juice

Directions

To start, if your raspberries are frozen let them defrost in the fridge overnight.

The following day mash them with a potato masher to get a coarse puree.

Place a small plate or metal tray in the freezer for about 20 minutes - this will help tell you when the jam is ready.

Add the sugar to the raspberries into a pot and bring to the boil, boiling for about 8-10 minutes.

Once it starts boiling, the mix will separate into two layers, solid on the top and a clear layer at the bottom.

Make sure to skim off the top solid layer, keeping the bottom layer.

Using a spoon, place a small dab of the jam on the plate or tray from the freezer.

If the jam sets that means it is ready to jar and you can pour into sterilized jars and store them in the fridge.

If the jam doesn't set on the plate, cook it for an extra few minutes and check again until the jam jellifies.

Hot Cross Buns

Hot Cross Buns

Makes 20

Ingredients

For the Buns

750g Strong flour

15g Instant yeast

15g Salt

75g Caster sugar

3 tsp Mixed spices

2 Eggs

75g Butter (soft)

520ml Water (room temperature)

300g Raisins

150g Mix peel

For the cross

100g Plain flour

35ml Oil

100ml Water

For the sugar syrup

100ml Water

100ml Sugar

Directions

Put the dry ingredients together on a mixer with the hook. Add the wet ingredients. Stop mixing when dough come out from the sides of the bowl. Add the dry fruit and combine.

Let it rise for about 1 hour until it is double in volume.

Press down the dough. Put it back into the bowl. Rest for another 30 minutes until it doubles in volume.

Portion the buns (about 80g) roll and put them in parchment paper one close to another. Let it rest until double the volume.

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and mix all the ingredients for the batter for the cross and put it on a piping bag. Once the buns have doubled their volume pipe out a cross on each and bake them for 20 minutes.

While the buns are cooking make the sugar syrup, bringing the water and sugar up to the boil (you can add flavour by adding a cinnamon stick and or some orange peel).

Let the syrup cool down and brush over the buns once they come out from the oven for a glossy finish.

Easter Layer Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

1kg sugar

1kg self-raising flour

2.5tsp baking powder

2.5tsp salt

1kg butter (softened)

20 free-range eggs

5tsp vanilla extract

Natural food colouring (5 different colours)

For the frosting

450g butter

750g cream cheese

2.7kg icing sugar

Decorations

Cadbury chocolate mini eggs

Edible flowers (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Line five cake tins (24mm diameter) with parchment paper.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the butter, eggs and vanilla extract in a jug, then pour in to the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.

Divide the mix into five and add a different food colouring to each.

Pour the separate coloured mixes into the five lined cake tins. Bake for 30 minutes.

Once cool enough to handle, take out of the tins and allow to cool down fully on a rack.

In the meantime make the frosting by whisking the butter and the cream cheese until uniform. Add the sifted icing sugar in two stages and incorporate fully.

Frost the top of each sponge and build the cake up, leaving some of the frosting to cover the cake.

Decorate with the mini eggs and edible flowers (optional)

Set aside until the frosting has hardened.

White Chocolate Iced Doughnuts

Ingredients

For the doughnuts

550g plain flour

14g dried yeast

50g caster sugar

125g milk

100g water

2 free range eggs

50g butter

1L sunflower oil

For the filling

500g double cream

50g fine sugar

1tsp vanilla essence

2tbsp strawberry jam

For the decoration

White chocolate

Candied and dried rose petals

Foraged dried gorse petals

Foraged dried heather petals

Dried cherries (or any other dried fruit)

Directions

Sift the flour into a bowl.

Add the yeast, sugar and combine all the ingredients with the hook attachment on low speed.

Add the eggs, the milk and water and keep mixing on low speed for 5 minutes.

Gradually add the butter, 1/4 at the time, until fully incorporated.

Keep mixing until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Prove for 1 hour until they double the size.

Knock the dough back and shape but rolling the dough and stamping a cutter (4cm round cutter).

Place them on a parchment paper and prove them for another 30 minutes.

Fry 160 degrees 3 minutes each side.

Cool down.

For the filling, add the cream, vanilla and sugar into the mixing bowl and whip until folded.

Add the strawberry jam. Put the mix on a piping bag with a round nozzle.

Once the doughnuts are cold, make a hole with a knife and fill them up with cream.

Melt down the white chocolate and add a bit of the dried cherries powdered.

Dip the doughnuts in chocolate and while still warm place the flowers and dried fruit on the top.

Wild Garlic Lobster Roll

Ingredients

Brioche

225g strong flour

4g dried yeast

1tbsp caster sugar

1tsp salt

2 eggs, beaten

45ml milk

135g butter, diced

1 egg yolk + 1 tbsp of water to paint the buns

Wild garlic mayonnaise

Small bunch of wild garlic

1 whole egg

Pinch salt

1tsp white wine vinegar

250g mild extra virgin olive oil

Lobster mix

1 lobster

2tbsp wild garlic mayonnaise

Juice of 1/4 lemon

Pinch of salt and pepper

To finish
Knob of butter

Wild garlic leaves

Chives and dill (finely chopped)

Directions

Sift the flour into a bowl.

Add the yeast, sugar and salt and combine all the ingredients.

Add the eggs and the milk and mix with the hook attachment on low speed for 5 minutes.

Gradually add 1/4 the butter at a time until fully incorporated.

Keep mixing until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Put the dough into a floured bowl, cling film and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 7 hours.

Roll about 50-60g of the brioche dough per bun, shape them as a cylinder, and place it on a non stick tray 1cm apart.

Once all the mini brioche buns are lined up paint the top with the egg yolk and water mix.

Let it proof in a war, place for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Paint the buns again with the egg wash and bake for 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the brioche comes out clean.

Keep aside until cold.

Then cut them into our final shape - will look similar to a hot dog bun.

For the wild garlic aioli, start by finely chopping the wild garlic, then put all the ingredients except the oil in the container of a hand blender.

Blitz for 20 seconds.

Keep blitzing, adding the oil in a slow steady stream until fully emulsified.

Keep in the fridge for a maximum of 2-3 days.

Poach the lobster in boiling water for 4-6 minutes for a medium 500g lobster.

Move the lobster into an ice bath for 15 minutes until completely cold.

Pull the flesh from the lobster and dice.

Mix it with the wild garlic mayonnaise and season with lemon, salt and pepper.

Toast the brioche bun with a little bit of butter on a medium heat pan.

Put the lobster mix on the bread and garnish the top with wild garlic leaves, dill and chives.

Chocolate & Lavender Teacakes

Ingredients

For the chocolate cookie base

115g butter

75g sugar

1 beaten egg

1/2 tsp vanilla essence

Zest od 1/2 an orange

150g flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

35g cornflour

35g cacao powder

For the Italian meringue

45g sugar

2ml glucose syrup

1tsp powdered dried lavender flowers (you can find it in any herbal store)

1/2 egg white

Temperature probe

For chocolate decor

300g 60% chocolate drop

Dried lavender flowers

Toasted hazelnuts

Directions

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Starting with the cookie base, in a standing mixer, whisk the butter and sugar until pale and creamed. Add in the beaten egg, vanilla and orange zest to make a paste.

Sift in the dry ingredients on low speed. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough and stamp the cookies with a scone cutter (3cm diameter). Place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees Celcius. Set aside.

Combine the sugar and the glucose in a pan and bring it up to 117 degrees Celcius using your temperature probe.

In the meantime, whisk the eggs in a standing mixer on a low speed, then increase the speed to medium-high and pour the heated sugar syrup in a slow and steady stream. Keep mixing until the meringue forms peaks and if you touch the bottom part of the bowl it is cold.

Add the lavender powder and combine. Place the meringue in a piping bag and put aside.

Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie. Pipe the meringue on top of the cookies in a teardrop shape. Dip the meringues in chocolate and sprinkle the lavender flowers and lightly toasted hazelnuts on top.

Rhubarb Frangipane

Ingredients
For the sable (o make in advance):
125g butter (chilled and diced)
90g sugar
1 free-range egg
250g plain flour
Pinch of salt
Baking beans

For the poached rhubarb (to make in advance):
1L water
1kg sugar
2 bunches of rhubarb, cut into regular batons

For the frangipane filling:
200g butter (soft)
200g butter
4 free-range eggs
150g flour
280g ground almonds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Zest of 1/2 a lemon

Directions
Start by making the sable the day before.
In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and salt until fully combined.
Add the egg and mix.
Sieve the flour in and mix until fully combined and you have a soft dough.
Roll the dough out onto kitchen film, wrap it up and rest in the fridge for at least an hour.
Flour your work surface and roll the dough out until 1cm thick.
On parchment paper or silicon mat, carefully line a 24cm tart tin with the rolled out sable pastry, trimming the excess.
Freeze the sable in its tart tin overnight. The rhubarb should also be poached the day before.
Weigh the water and the sugar into a pot and bring up to the boil.
Put the even batons of rhubarb into the boiling stock syrup and take off the heat, then let it cool down overnight.
When ready to prepare, preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celcius.
Blind bake the sable tartlet straight from the freezer, using baking beans for the first 16 minutes, then remove the beans and bake until it is a light golden colour (about five minutes). Set aside.
To make the frangipane mix, cream the butter and sugar in a mixer with the paddle attachment until the mix becomes pale and fluffy.
Beat the eggs in a different bowl then add to the mixer in two stages.
Sift the flour and add the ground almonds to the blend in two stages, mixing on medium speed. Add the lemon zest and cinnamon and combine.
Pour the frangipane mix into the previously baked sable tartlet.

At this stage you can decide how you finish your pie.
Option One: If you would like your rhubarb to have a little bite and a more vibrant taste, then bake your frangipane at 160 degrees Celcius for 35-45 minutes until the mix has a spongey texture.
Leave it to cool.
Strain the rhubarb, keeping the poaching syrup, then carefully place the poached and strained rhubarb on top of the frangipane.
Option Two: If you prefer the rhubarb to be extra soft and caramelised, then strain the rhubarb, keeping the poaching syrup, and carefully place the poached and strained rhubarb on top of the frangipane and bake at 160 degrees Celcius for 35-45 minutes.
This will result in a tart that is deeper in colour (like the picture) but sweeter in flavour.
Finish the cake by brushing a little amount of the remaining poached rhubarb syrup for a glossy finish right after baking the tart.

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

For the cake

450g sugar

6 free range eggs

360ml sunflower oil

500g grated carrot

420g plain flour

10g ground cinnamon

10g baking powder

10g baking soda

10g sea salt

To decorate

1kg cream cheese

150g icing sugar

Zest of 2 oranges

Edible flowers & carrot top fronds (the green stems of the carrots)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celcius.

Whisk the eggs and sugar in an electric mixer, slowly adding the oil to create an emulsion.

Sift the flour, cinnamon, salt, soda & baking powder and add into the mix in two stages.

Add the grated carrot and mix.

Grease a round 24cm cake tin and add the mix. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

Leave aside to cool down while preparing the frosting.

Whisk the cream cheese and add the sifted icing sugar in two stages. Grate the orange zest and combine.

Once the sponge is cool, cut the cake in half (horizontally) to create two layers.

Spread the frosting on top of each layer and stick together.

Cover the cake with the remaining frosting.

Decorate the cake with edible flowers and the small carrot top fronds.

Rhubarb Financier

RHUBARB FINANCIER

Makes 10

Ingredients

75g butter

150g sugar

50g flour

50g ground almonds

4 egg whites

Pinch of salt

½ tsp vanilla essence

Bunch of rhubarb, cut into small squares (2.5cms)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C

Melt the butter and leave aside to cool down to room temperature.

Sift the sugar, salt, flour and ground almonds into a bowl. Add the butter and the vanilla to the mix and combine with a spatula.

Beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add to the previous mix in three steps and mix very gently.

Pour the mix into rectangular moulds 5x2 cm. Place the rhubarb squares on top of the financier mix, sitting in the middle of the moulds.

Bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Christmas Pudding

Our Christmas Pudding is one of our most popular Christmas treats & our kitchen team have shared their recipe for a scrumptious pudding this Christmas.

Ingredients

250g raisins

50g currants

50g sultanas

50g glaced cherries

20g flaked almonds

90ml brandy

The peel of 1 lemon and 1 orange

1g each cinnamon, clove, nutmeg

50g suet

50g plain flour

100g brown sugar

6g salt

2 eggs

Directions

Over 24 hours, soak the raisins, sultanas, currants, cherries in the brandy and cover.

Mix all the ingredients together and leave another 24 hours covered.

Grease the moulds and add the pudding in.

Bain marie at 100 degrees for 2 hours.

Mince Pies

Christmas is not complete without indulging on some festive mince pies. Here at Ballynahinch, mince pies are one of our favourite Christmas treats and our kitchen team have shared their recipe for delicious mince pies.

Ingredients

220g mix peel

300g raisins

200g currants

200g sultanas

60g flaked almonds

50ml brandy

The peel of 2 lemons and 2 oranges

1tsp mix spice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

225g suet

50g plain flour

300g brown sugar

400g bramley apple

Pastry

250g plain flour

125g butter

125g caster sugar

1 egg

Directions

Mix all the ingredients.

Leave in a bowl covered overnight.

The next morning bake in oven 100 degrees for 2 hours covered with foil.

Stir from time to time while cooling down.

Once cold add a splash of brandy and stir again.

For the pastry

Mix the ingredients and make a dough. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, roll it in tartlet moulds, put the mince inside, make a lid to cover your mince pies and bake them until golden brown.

A selection of recipes from our kitchen

Recipes from our kitchen

Seeded Cheese Crackers

Breakfast Muffins

Breakfast Granola

Brown Soda Bread

Treacle & Walnut Bread

Fruit Scones

Raspberry Jam

Hot Cross Buns

Easter Layer Cake

White Chocolate Iced Doughnuts

Wild Garlic Lobster Roll

Chocolate & Lavender Teacakes

Rhubarb Frangipane

Carrot Cake

Rhubarb Financier

Christmas Pudding

Mince Pies

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A selection of recipes from our kitchen

Recipes from our kitchen

Seeded Cheese Crackers

Breakfast Muffins

Breakfast Granola

Brown Soda Bread

Treacle & Walnut Bread

Fruit Scones

Raspberry Jam

Hot Cross Buns

Easter Layer Cake

White Chocolate Iced Doughnuts

Wild Garlic Lobster Roll

Chocolate & Lavender Teacakes

Rhubarb Frangipane

Carrot Cake

Rhubarb Financier

Christmas Pudding

Mince Pies

Special OfferBed and Breakfast Rate

Special OfferOne Night Getaway

Special Offer2 Night Break with Dinner 1 Evening

Share your experience with us