Delicious, easy recipes by Jay Wadams

Welcome to
Days of Jay

I'm Jay, cookbook author and food photographer.

Days of Jay is my website, where I share easy, delicious recipes for home cooking.

My recipes are packed with photos and useful tips and tricks to help you as you cook. They are all inspired by healthy, seasonal ingredients and my travels across the globe, especially in Germany, Italy, Cyprus, and Australasia.

Welcome to
Days of Jay

I'm Jay, cookbook author and food photographer. Days of Jay is my website, where I share easy, delicious recipes for home cooking.

My recipes are packed with photos and useful tips and tricks to help you as you cook. They are all inspired by healthy, seasonal ingredients and my travels across the globe, especially in Germany, Italy, Cyprus, and Australasia.

I am so excited to have you here, so let’s dive in and get cooking!


It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!


Well, the countdown is until the year’s end, and Christmas is just around the corner. Check out some of my most popular Christmas and festive recipes below!

Tender, moist turkey breast filled with traditional stuffing and roasted to perfection. This delicious roast only cooks in under 2 hours, making it perfect for smaller celebrations.

Tender, moist turkey breast filled with traditional stuffing and roasted to perfection. This delicious roast is ready in under two hours, making it perfect for smaller celebrations.

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Candied Orange Peels title card.

Candied Orange Peel makes a great gift (especially when coated in lashings of dark chocolate). It’s easy to make at home and a great way to turn orange peel (which would usually be tossed out) into a tasty candy.

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Classic British Christmas Cake recipe title card.

Even though I grew up on the other side of the world in New Zealand, it wouldn’t be Christmas Day without a Classic British Christmas Cake. This dense and sweet cake, packed with dried fruit, spices and plenty of brandy is an absolute must for the festive season and is something I look forward to…

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Quarkbällchen German Donut Holes title card.

Super light and fluffy on the inside and crisp and sugary on the outside, my German-style Donut holes or Quarkbällchen recipe is so easy it’s like kitchen magic. Made without yeast, they are ready in minutes. Perfect for parties or sharing with friends (or just eating all to yourself!)

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Delicate, crumbly pastry filled with aromatic spiced fruit, Christmas Fruit Mince Pies are one of the most delicious treats of the season. One is never enough!

Delicate, crumbly pastry filled with aromatic spiced fruit, Christmas Fruit Mince Pies are one of the most delicious treats of the season. One is never enough!

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Speculaas Dutch Spice Cookies

Speculaas or Dutch Spice Cookies are a wonderfully old fashioned Christmas treat and so delicious! These light and crisp cookies are full of fragrant and exotic spices, perfect for the festive season.

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Perfectly tender, rosy roast beef is easier than you think! Slow Roast Beef where the beef is seared before roasting at a very low temperature produces juicy, delicious beef every time.

Perfectly tender, rosy roast beef is easier than you think! Slow Roast Beef produces juicy, delicious beef every time.

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With beautifully bright colours Cranberry Orange Cured Salmon is a wonderful dish to serve as a starter at your festive table. It’s so simple to make and home and delicious with a creamy horseradish sauce.

With beautifully bright colours Cranberry Cranberry Orange Cured Salmon is a wonderful dish to serve as a starter at your festive table. It’s so simple to make at home and so delicious with a creamy horseradish sauce.

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German Nut Corners Nussecken Title Card.

Nussecken or Nut Corners are a famous German Christmas time treat made from a buttery shortbread base, topped with apricot jam and a layer of caramelized hazelnut. After baking, they are sliced into triangles, and the corners are dipped in delicious dark chocolate. Let me tell you, they are completely irresistible!

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German Braised Red Cabbage title card.

No festive table in Germany would be without a big pot of braised red cabbage, flavoured with apple, cloves and juniper berries. Depending on where in the country you are, this could be called Rotkohl or Blaukraut and it is the perfect accompaniment to roast goose.

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The Latest Recipes From My Kitchen

Discover my latest and greatest recipes below, or use the search function to find exactly what you’re looking for.


Fig and Honey Tart

Fig and Honey Tart

Fig and Honey Tart with fresh figs and almond frangipane wrapped in buttery short pastry and drizzled with honey is the perfect sweet recipe for autumn or fall.
Beef Shank Osso Buco

Beef Shank Osso Buco

Meltingly tender beef in a rich and tomatoey sauce, slow-cooked Beef Shank Osso Buco is pure Italian comfort food. Served with a bright and zesty blood orange gremolata and plenty of mashed potatoes, this is the ultimate meal when the weather turns cool.
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

A velvety and flavoursome soup that is pure comfort in a bowl. Greek Lemon Chicken Soup or Avgolemono is a stunning combination of chicken, lemon, orzo and herbs, thickened with whole eggs. Perfect for cool weather!
If you’ve ever travelled to Hungary you are sure to have eaten plenty of this famous dish. Similar to goulash, Hungarian Pork Stew or Pörkölt is thick and hearty with a rich tomatoey sauce, perfect as a winter warmer.

Hungarian Pork Stew – Pörkölt

If you’ve ever travelled to Hungary you are sure to have eaten plenty of this famous dish. Similar to goulash, Hungarian Pork Stew or Pörkölt is thick and hearty with a rich tomatoey sauce, perfect as a winter warmer.
Beeramisu title card.

Beeramisu (Tiramisu with Dark Beer)

Hold on a minute, beer-a-mi-what? You heard right, a Beeramisu is a traditional Italian Tiramisu with a generous helping of dark and fruity stout or porter beer. Perfect for the beer lovers in your life! It might sound strange at first, but this light and flavoursome Italian dessert is delicious with beer added.
Tender and sweet, White Wine Poached Pears filled with creamy mascarpone are a light and fragrant dinner party classic dessert.

White Wine Poached Pears

Tender and sweet, White Wine Poached Pears filled with creamy mascarpone are a light and fragrant dinner party dessert.
Obaztda is a delicious Bavarian Beer and Cheese Spread, perfect for picnics, the beer garden, or for lining your stomach before you start on that litre of beer - and it is super easy to make at home!

Obatzda (Bavarian Beer and Cheese Dip)

Obaztda is a delicious Bavarian Beer and Cheese Spread, perfect for picnics, the beer garden, or for lining your stomach before you start on that litre of beer – and it is super easy to make at home!
Real Bavarian Pork Schnitzel Title Card

Bavarian Pork Schnitzel

Possibly the most famous of all Germanic foods, Bavarian Pork Schnitzel is always a winner. Thinly beaten pork, generously coated in fresh breadcrumbs and fried to golden-brown perfection. Yum!

Recipes By Meal Type


light-bites
Main Event
Sweet Things
cocktail hour

Marillenknödel – Austrian Apricot Dumplings
Wurstsalat (German Sausage Salad)
Easy Cherry Tomato Tart
Zwetschgendatschi (Bavarian Plum Tart)
Homemade Chocolate Popsicles

Looking for Dinner Inspiration?


Below are some of my most popular dinner recipes. Quick and easy with simple ingredients and big flavours.

Spicy, fragrant and bursting with flavour, Asian inspired Pork Meatball Soup with noodles will chase away the winter blues. Ready in under 30 minutes, it is ideal for a weeknight dinner.
Flammkuchen German Pizza
Spicy Chicken Burgers serves with homemade coleslaw and fresh corn
Garlic Herb Crusted Chicken
Chilli Lime Fish Tacos
Speck and Artichoke Risotto

My FAvourite German Cake Recipes

While people often associate Germany with pretzels and beer, it’s really all about coffee and cake!

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Easy German Cake Recipes