Bake with Lucie - May

Bake with Lucie - May

Lucie Wilson/The WI 2024

Nothing sparks joy quite like an early strawberry. Discover three delightful recipes with strawberries, peppers and lemons.

Bake with Lucie - May

This month, Hampshire WI supporter Lucie Wilson is making use of early strawberries – you may need to wait until the end of the month but we promise, they’re on their way!  

Lucie says, ‘Hello May! I hope you are all very well and had a lovely April and a wonderful Easter. I hope you enjoyed last month's recipes too and had lots of fun making them. Did you like the maple syrup granola? Isn’t it delicious?  

Did you know that the 21st of May is National Strawberries and Cream Day? May is also the month where peppers and tomatoes come into season. So, in honour of that, two of my recipes this month are based around these ingredients, they are picnic friendly and are just perfect for those warmer days ahead.  

My first recipe is absolutely delicious. They are Strawberries and Cream Eton Mess Fools. They are wonderful for a dinner party but also can be made picnic friendly and made portable too.  

My second recipe is one of my family's favourites. It is Harissa Chicken with a Parmesan and Piquanté Pepper Oven-baked Risotto. It only takes around 35 minutes to make and is definitely a crowd pleaser. It is a little bit spicy from the harissa and piquanté peppers (really very mildly) and is super creamy thanks to the parmesan.  

My third recipe this month is Mini Lemon Meringue Tarts. They are so quick and easy to make as I have used shop-bought pastry cases because making mini pastry cases can be so fiddly. These are brilliant as a last-minute picnic sweet treat and they are super tasty. Everything can be made in advance, so with only the meringue to make at the time, they can be rustled up in five minutes! 

 I really hope you like all my recipes this month and have fun making them. Have a lovely May! See you soon and have fun baking!’ 

strawberries and cream in a glass

Lucie Wilson/The WI 2024

Strawberries and Cream Eton Mess Fools

Recipe
a plate of chicken risotto

Lucie Wilson/The WI 2024

Harissa Chicken with Parmesan and Piquanté Pepper Oven Baked Risotto

Recipe
mini lemon meringue pies

Lucie Wilson/The WI 2024

Quick and Easy Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

Recipe
Lucie

Hi, I’m Lucie and it’s so very lovely to meet you. I’m your food and cookery baker, maker and writer and I love creating recipes that are new, exciting, seasonal and made with home grown ingredients for you all. I am 23 years old and I live in Hampshire with my lovely mum and our beautiful cats.

During my childhood I was brought up around food as my mum was a cookery teacher, (now French teacher), for schools and as soon as I was able, I had a wooden spoon in my hands. Me and my mum have always been close and cooking with her is one of my favourite things. My dad was a very good cook too but he sadly passed away from dementia when I was 8 years old. I have 2 sisters but they weren’t too interested in cooking so me and mum would spend hours in the kitchen baking and creating together.

Still to this day me and mum spend a good few hours every week shopping for ingredients and then cooking delicious things together. I think time spent cooking as a family is really important, it is wonderful to simply spend time with the ones you love and for an opportunity to develop new skills. I am part Scottish and Italian so home cooked food is a massive part of my family just as it is in the WI. Cookery is very important in the WI. Whether its jam making or cake baking it is one of the things that we all associated with the WI. My Grandmother and Godmother were both part of the same WI as me and mum, so it really is a family affair.

The WI is a wonderful community of people who join together with a collective view. Togetherness to learn and develop new skills and create a community that welcomes all. The WI is a wonderful way to meet new people and create long and lasting friendships. I really do love creating and baking for you all and I hope you enjoy my recipes and have as much fun making them as I do.Â