... And what's the best food you've ever cooked yourself?

Definitely Shepherds Pie or Fish Pie. I love both of these and put much care into making them.

Steak and ale pie and cinnamon buns!

Steak and mushroom pie with a hot water crust pastry. I sometimes substitute chicken for steak or other veg in place of mushrooms, but the pastry is none negotiable!

For some visitors. (Years ago) I made Boeuf Bourgignonne They liked it so much that they took me out to get the meat to cook it again the next day.
My Danish pastries won a county competition at WI .

I am the soup dragon!

With my allotment producing so much veg ( not at the moment though) my soups are always on the menu at lunchtime.

I’ve had some very odd combinations, but over the years I’ve learnt what goes with what, and how to bulk it out with lentils or pulses.

My DH loves my minestrone best.

I love my simple leek and potato, made with new potatoes, spring onions, and leeks.

Quiches made with Gruyere cheese. I use anything I've got for fillings, so much better than shop bought. Samosas including own pastry, for special occasions. So expensive to buy and can make loads.

I'm (mysteriously) quite good with pastry and my favourite is a quiche made with caramelised red onions and Gruyere cheese. It has always been well received. Apart from that, my cheese scones prove popular.

Christmas Puddings
Homemade Cranberry sauce
Plum chutney
All given as extra gifts at Christmas.

My cheesecakes, scones and homemade bread are all in demand too. I love to cook (and eat) find it so relaxing.

On special occasions I make Tarte Montmartre from Jocelyn Dimbleby's dessert recipe book. It's chocolate pastry filled with baked lemon filling and then covered with a real dark chocolate glaze. Looks and tastes really good - though I say it myself.

I also do lemon, coffee and also cherry and almond sponges which go down well. The Dorset Apple Cake disappears pretty quickly too.

Yes, we have a sweet tooth. Fie on the sugar police.

Janipans I’ve never tried hot water crust for a meat pie before, do you just top it or is top and bottom pastry?

In the olden days of dinner parties, I actually made choux pastry SWANS filled with whipped cream! That was quite something and my family remember them to this day. Years later, now my baking efforts are fare less interesting.

I am a lousy cook

I admit it, I am jealous!

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Apple Pie (Fanny Craddock method). My GS invites his friends in to try when I am visiting and make one for him.

I once made a great Russian fish pie, which had long grain rice in the base. It was from a newspaper recipe, which I meant to keep, but didn't, so have never been able to replicate it.

I think my best dessert is Chocolate Roulade. It’s always requested at Christmas anyway. It freezes well too. I can’t think of any other dish though.

One thing I remember was some diced pork I bought. I threw in some wizened eating apples I had, a handful of raisins and made a thin sauce with goodness knows what and it was lovely to my surprise. So wish I’d written it down. There’s also a several things I made using recipes that I can no longer find. So frustrating!

I can make excellent pastry & I've got warm hands, my favourite is a cheese & onion pie with worcestershire sauce & nutmeg.

Fish pie with cod, prawns & boiled eggs

My Coleslaw was always a hit & I was always asked ot take a large bowl to parties

Beef & red wine casserole

Home made soup

Bread sauce at Christmas, also I make my own stuffing, lovely mushroom one or celery or apple or just plain sage & onion

Chinese is also a favourite, beef & broccoli from a very good chinese recipe book

Being a Yorkshire lass I make lovely Yorkshire Pudding

I love cooking & miss cooking for a family, now I cook & freeze lots, soups, casseroles, cakes, chilli & bolognese

One of my pleasures now is trying different vegetables & finding the best recipes to cook them

Kitty. Could I have your recipe for your gf sponge please. We have friends staying over in a few weeks who are gluten intolerant, it would be great if I could practice first ?

Though I say it myself, I do make a mean Victoria sponge - shall be making one later to take (some of it, anyway) to some v elderly neighbours.

Other than that, my ‘signature’ dish is probably my Dustbin Soup (my mother’s term for a whatever-you-have). Like 3dognight’s version, it will vary every time, but will typically contain 10+ plant items, often including red lentils and pearl barley. But it’s not vegan, since I usually use chicken stock and serve with grated mature Cheddar.

Dh would probably say his favourite is my cauliflower/macaroni cheese combo, breadcrumbs and more cheese on top, browned under the grill.
Or my Thai-style chicken fried rice, with lightly stir fried veggies on the side - we had that last night.

Never forget the taste of a rib of beef my dad bought. We took it to a farmhouse in Wales. It was so big it just about fitted in the oven- dad was a mason and a butcher friend had given him a great deal! We dined on it for days but the taste when it first came out of the oven was sublime.

I fancied a curry one Saturday for tea, but felt like a change from my old usual recipes - I had some sweet peppers that needed using up, so made a chicken, lentil and coconut curry with peppers and spinach - a bit of a fusion mash up, but very delicious - the lentils and veg pad it out nicely so it makes a good meal and a portion to freeze for midweek for DH and me

annsixty, can you go through your yorkshire pudding recipe? when I make it it tends to be a bit soggy!

My meringues, and pavlova, are legendary!! People go weak at the knees when I make them. (consult Delia for oven temperature and timings for meringue making - never fails me!).
Also, the other day I made Nigella's White Chocolate Cheesecake and everyone said (well the 2 who were permitted to join us for lunch outside!) said it was the best cheesecake they'd ever tasted. It was easy to make (though contains rather a lot of cream..health warning here!) but simply delicious though I say it myself.

@Artayral - Is there a way you could post your Molly Malone’s risotto recipe, please? If luck holds my youngest will visit from SanFran this summer & it sounds just his sort of thing. Sort if it’s a cheeky request.