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.
I am so excited to have you here, so let's dive in and get cooking!
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!
Homemade Irish Cream couldn’t be easier to make, tastes streets ahead of the commercial stuff, can be adjusted precisely to suit your sweet tooth and makes an excellent gift for friends – if you are prepared to share it!
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.
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.
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.
My easy recipe for making traditional Oktoberfest Lebkuchenherzen or Gingerbread Hearts at home. Hang these brightly decorated hearts around the neck of your sweetheart (or eat and enjoy!)
The ultimate German Christmas cookie, Zimtsterne or Cinnamon Star Cookies are deliciously chewy morsels, topped with a crisp layer of snowy white meringue.
Sweet and sticky with a touch of spice, my Apricot Glazed Christmas Ham recipe is sure to please the Christmas crowds. Made with a delicious apricot glaze, this ham is the tastiest, most stress-free Christmas main around.
One of my favourite Christmas bakes is Cinnamon Star Bread. With the delicious flavour of cinnamon rolls, this sweet bread recipe makes a beautiful loaf to feed a crowd. It is also actually much simpler than it looks, relying on clever cutting and twisting of the layers of dough to achieve the beautiful design.
Sweet, juicy and fragrant with a cinnamon sugar coating, Fried Apple Rings or Apfelkücherl are one of my favourite German Christmas market treats. You don’t have to stand around in the snow to enjoy them though, with my simple batter they are super easy to prepare at home.
Crisp, nutty and deeply chocolatey, my Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti are so simple to make and absolutely irresistible! This classic Italian cookie (known as Cantucci in the motherland) is ideal for Christmas baking and makes a perfect edible gift.
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.
Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats
You know it must be summer when the zucchini plants go wild, producing more than it seems possible to cook! Italian Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats are a great tasting way to take advantage of this abundant summer veg.
Tiropita (Greek Cheese Pies)
Made from flaky filo pastry, filled with creamy, tangy feta cheese, Tiropita or Greek Cheese Pies are a beloved breakfast treat in Greece and throughout the Mediterranean. Try them drizzled with runny honey. Yum!
Salsa Verde Pork Tenderloin
In this recipe, Pork tenderloin is rubbed with aromatic spices, quickly seared on the stovetop and then finished off in the oven. Topped off with a tangy, herby salsa verde, Quick, simple and packed with flavour.
4 Awesome Pork Chop Marinades
Pork chops four ways! With a simple marinade, the humble pork chop can travel around the globe. Spanish style Hot and Spicy Smoked Paprika, Japanese Teriyaki, French Honey Mustard or South American Salsa Verde. Get grilling!
Summer Roast Vegetable Salad
Full of beautiful colour, Summer Roast Vegetable Salad is delicious as a meal by itself or for an outdoor barbecue. Make a big batch as it keeps for days!
Elderflower Cordial (with just 3 ingredients!)
Sweet, floral and so refreshing, my 3 Ingredient Elderflower Cordial recipe is simple to make. This delicious syrup is perfect for cool drinks on hot summer days.
Maple Glazed Chicken
Sweet and sticky, my Maple Glazed Chicken Traybake makes a quick and delicious weeknight dinner. With a combination of fresh orange, garlic, herbs and an irresistible maple mustard glaze, this recipe has big flavours with very little effort.
Union Jack Sponge Cake (Coronation Cake)
My Union Jack Sponge Cake is the perfect cake to celebrate the Coronation! This gorgeous tray-bake is made from layers of light and fluffy sponge, rich custard cream and loads of fresh berries. Ideal for garden parties and feeding a crowd.
Recipes By Meal Type
Trending Recipes
Looking for Dinner Inspiration?
Below are some of my most popular dinner recipes. Quick and easy with simple ingredients and big flavours.
My FAvourite German Cake Recipes
While people often associate Germany with pretzels and beer, it’s really all about coffee and cake!