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!

Biscotti or Cantucci are a deliciously crunchy Italian treat. My recipe for Almond and Apricot biscotti is so easy and perfect for the festive season. Serve with a strong espresso or a glass of Italian vin santo.

GET THE RECIPE

Cinnamon Star Bread Title Card showing star bread from two angles. Text overly 'Sweet Cinnamon Star Bread'.

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.

GET THE RECIPE

A plate of Vanillekipferl or Vanilla crescent cookies surrounded by Christmas decorations, walnuts, clementines and a candle.

Possibly the tastiest of all German Christmas cookies, Vanillekipferl are, crumbly, buttery crescent-shaped cookies, scented with heavenly vanilla. Yum!

GET THE RECIPE

German Christmas Stollen Title card showing two pictures of Stollen.

German Christmas Stollen is always a real treat during the holiday season. Made from an enriched yeast dough, loaded with rum-soaked fruit and candied peel, Stollen is delicious served with a cup of coffee or a warming mug of Glühwein.

GET THE RECIPE

Title card for Spitzbuben, showing cut out unbaked spitzbuben cookies on a tray and completed spitzbuben.

Spitzbuben are one of the most beautiful traditional German Christmas cookies. Also known as Linzer Augen or Linzer Cookies, the delicious combination of buttery short pastry and tangy redcurrant jelly is a Christmas classic.

GET THE RECIPE

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!

GET THE RECIPE

German style Gingerbread hearts

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!)

GET THE RECIPE

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.

GET THE RECIPE

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.

GET THE RECIPE

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.

GET THE RECIPE

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.


Juicy Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Maple Glazed Pork Chops

Glistening with a sweet and sticky sauce, these juicy and delicious Maple Glazed Pork Chops are a fantastic, easy dinner. Serve with new potatoes and fresh green asparagus.
Chicken and Farro Salad

Chicken and Farro Salad

Chicken and Farro Salad is hands down one of my favourite lean and green chicken recipes! Packed with nutritious grains, lean poached chicken and fresh vegetables, this super salad is healthy and incredibly delicious too!
Italian Roasted Peppes stuffed with tomatoes and goat's cheese served with rice

Italian Roasted Peppers

My Italian Roasted Peppers recipe is a simple and flavoursome dish full of all those summery flavours that we associate with la dolce vita; peppers, tomatoes, basil and lashings of good olive oil. Buon Appetito!
Baked Honey Lime Chicken

Honey Lime Chicken

Sweet, sticky and utterly delicious, Baked Honey Lime Chicken is simple to prepare and perfect for a midweek dinner. Cooked in a simple honey lime marinade, this easy chicken dish will soon become a one of your favourite easy dinners.

Passion Fruit Mojitos

Truly tasty, a Passionfruit Lime Mojito is perfect for sultry summer evenings. This recipe makes two, but there is no reason you couldn’t make up a big jug for a party. Top this refreshing drink with soda just before serving.

Restaurant Style Dragon Chicken

My restaurant-style Dragon Chicken recipe is fiery hot and sure to please any spice lover. Packed with juicy chicken, colourful bell peppers, crunchy cashews, and lots of chillies, one bite and you might feel like breathing fire yourself!

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.

Honey and Ginger Chicken
Chicken lentil soup title card.
Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks title card.
Creamy Mushroom Pork Medallions
Salmon en Croûte Title Card.

My FAvourite German Cake Recipes

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

Get the recipes!

Easy German Cake Recipes