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!

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.

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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!)

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Chewy, creamy, perfect caramels with a delicate hint of honey, my recipe for Soft Honey Vanilla Caramels is super easy and dangerously addictive.

Lusciously soft, chewy and gently flavoured with a hint of honey, Honey Vanilla Caramels are pure pleasure. Homemade candy is easier to make than you might think!

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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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Christmas Fruit Mince Tart

There’s nothing quite like the delicious aroma of a freshly baked Christmas Fruit Mince Tart to let you know the festive season has really begun. With brandied fruit mince and a buttery almond pastry, this recipe is perfect for a Christmas feast.

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Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

With perfect spirals of chocolate and vanilla, my melt-in-the-mouth Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies are as good to look at as they are to eat. Made from crumbly, buttery shortbread they make a perfect and beautiful Christmas gift, though they are delicious any time of year!

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German Mulled wine recipe title card showing a mug of Glühwein and a man holding a mug of mulled wine.

A warming, gently spiced mug of Glühwein, or German Mulled Wine is one of the great pleasures of Christmas and the winter months. It is simple to make at home and fills the whole house with the most incredible aroma!

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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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Mini Berry Pavlova title card.

My simple recipe for Mini Berry Pavlovas with lots of tips and techniques to make sure you get the perfect Christmas pavlova!

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My Mulled Wine Cheesecake is full of Christmas’s rich spices and flavours. A deep-red, almost black mulled wine jelly on top of a creamy citrussy filling with a deliciously spicy base. This fabulous no-bake cheesecake is Christmas heaven!

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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.


Homemade Chicken Banh Mi Vietnamese roll

Vietnamese Chicken Roll – Bánh Mì

From the laneways of Vietnam to Sydney’s inner west, there are few foods more satisfying than a Vietnamese Chicken Bánh Mì. They’re a true flavour explosion, packed with juicy, tender chicken, pickled vegetables, pâté, fresh herbs and lots of spice.
Whipped Feta and Honey

Whipped Feta and Honey

Smooth, salty and seriously tasty, Whipped Feta and Honey is the perfect dip to serve on a summer grazing platter with loads of grilled Mediterranean vegetables.
Tomato Burrata Caprese Salad

Tomato Burrata Caprese Salad

Bright, colourful and perfectly delicious Tomato Burrata Caprese Salad (Insalata Caprese) is the ultimate Italian summer salad with fresh green basil, creamy white burrata and juicy red tomatoes representing the colours of the Italian flag.

Apricots Poached in Rosé Wine

Gently cooked in rosé wine, scented with vanilla, served with a big scoop of ice cream and some buttery homemade shortbread cookies, my Rosé Vanilla Poached Apricots are truly heavenly.
No cook refrigerator pickles Made with a simple brine, and a combination of cucumber, shallots and red pepper

No Cook Refrigerator Pickles

Sweet, crunchy and with a hint of spice, No Cook Refrigerator Pickles are brilliant in sandwiches, with cold meats or just for snacking on. My simple recipe is so quick and easy to put together and is easily adjusted to suit your tastes.
Tender sweet pastry, silky creme patisserie, all topped with ripe and juicy nectarines? Oh yes, my easy Nectarine Tart is the perfect summer dessert for showing off beautiful ripe fruit.

Nectarine Tart

Tender sweet pastry, silky creme patisserie, all topped with ripe and juicy nectarines? Oh yes, my easy Nectarine Tart is the perfect summer dessert for showing off beautiful ripe fruit.
Spicy Chicken Burgers serves with homemade coleslaw and fresh corn

Spicy Chicken Burgers

There’s nothing like a homemade burger, and my Spicy Chicken Burgers recipe is always a winner. With golden crumbed chicken thigh fillets, spicy Sriracha mayonnaise and fresh coleslaw, these bad boys beat store-bought burgers every time.
Real Bavarian Roast Pork

Bavarian Roast Pork – Krustenbraten

The ultimate Bavarian Sunday roast: Krustenbraten with Dunkelbiersoße. My classic recipe for crispy, juicy Bavarian roast pork with a lip-smackingly good dark beer sauce is always a winner and perfect for cooler weather.

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.

Creamy Mushroom Pork Medallions
Pork stroganoff title card.
Chicken and Chickpea Pilaf
Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Chicken recipe
Ricotta Gnocchi with Lemon and Sage title card.
Chilli Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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