Share with me you culinary secrets!

[Notasbigasithink]

I'm currently making spagbol and everyone whoever tries it always comments on how tasty it is! They can never put their finger on it but my secret ingredient is adding about a teaspoon (heaped!) of brown sugar!
I wait until nobody is around to witness this and have been doing it for years without being rumbled!
What do you add to standard, everyday meals to help liven them up?

Good glug of dry sherry when making mushroom soup (and some fresh thyme).
Always buy 98% pork sausages, from the butcher if possible, bake in the oven and rest for 10 minutes before serving. Makes the world of difference.
Add turmeric, cumin and coriander to Yorkshire pudding batter, cook as normal and serve with curries instead of rice/bread.

You have not seen the state of some of the sad veg and leftovers that go into my mince...

I put a dash of vermouth and some fresh tarragon in my mushroom soup, but it's the same principle. And definitely at least 3 kinds of mushroom. Yum.

And if I'm making soup knowing I'm freezing some, I don't add the cream if wanted until I've defrosted and reheated it, as it can split otherwise. So cream in bowl, not in pan.

😂 Fair enough.

Sticking to simple tips.
I think someone mentioned Marmite. A dollop of yeast extract added to gravy or a casserole.
Apple juice I sometimes have small cartons that I use for picnics. Add one to any kind of pork or beef casserole type dish.
Nutmeg on roast potatoes.

A trick from Nancy Birtwhistle. Make up a large quantity of crumble mix and put in a bag in the freezer. It doesn't freeze hard and you can just pour the frozen mix over fruit and bake. You can use literally any fruit in a crumble, I throw in the sad fruit or even tinned. I do this all the time.

Add milk to bolognese after browning your meat. Tenderises the mince.

@BOD @Autumngirl5

so I asked sis and she can’t really find the recipe but she said she used this Yeo valley recipe for the cake /sponges

https://www.yeovalley.co.uk/recipes/berry-victoria-sponge

and made a mango and lime compote, I found a few recipes for that with a search looks easy and then she used whipped cream inside the sponges with the compote, She is good at baking that’s why I appreciated it so much. Hope you enjoy and that Yeo valley berry cake looks divine