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!

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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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.

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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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Almond and Cranberry Nougat recipe title card.

Sweet and delicious, it is easier than you think to make homemade nougat. This recipe has no glucose or corn syrup and can be made with ordinary household ingredients. Perfect for Christmas gifts!

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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.

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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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Homemade marzipan title card.

My Homemade Marzipan recipe is super easy and tastes miles better than store-bought. This eggless, no-bake recipe comes together in minutes with just three ingredients. Perfect for Christmas time, fruit cakes, cookies, marzipan candy and more.

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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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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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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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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.


Turkey Stroganoff Title Card.

Turkey Stroganoff

Turkey Stroganoff is a wonderfully quick and easy dinner and always a crowd-pleaser. With a delicious creamy mushroom sauce and plenty of pasta and green beans, this lighter take on stroganoff can be made with fresh or leftover turkey.
Baked Teriyaki Glazed Salmon Title Card.

Baked Teriyaki Glazed Salmon

With juicy, tender salmon fillets smothered in an utterly irresistible homemade teriyaki sauce, my easy Teriyaki Salmon recipe is a weeknight wonder. Packed with flavour and goodness, this is a meal the whole family will enjoy.
Classic German Cheesecake käsekuchen with fresh fruit

Käsekuchen – German Cheesecake

Perfectly tangy, light and fluffy, a traditional German cheesecake or ‘Käsekuchen’ is a true baker’s delight. My tried and tested recipe works every time and is ideal for serving with coffee or as a dessert.
Lemon Ricotta Cake Title Card

Lemon Ricotta Cake

Light and airy, my Italian-inspired Lemon Ricotta Cake makes a lovely, simple treat after a meal. With a delicate, creamy, fluffy texture and a fresh, lemony kick, it’s hard to stop and just one slice! (And let’s face it, one piece is never enough!)
German Nut Corners Nussecken Title Card.

Nussecken (German Nut Corners)

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!
Chocolate hazelnut babka, braided chocolate loaf.

Chocolate Hazelnut Babka

With layers of sweet yeast dough, lavishly smothered with chocolate and studded with crunchy hazelnuts, my Chocolate Hazelnut Babka is completely irresistible.
Cashew Chicken Stir fry with bell peppers and basil.

Cashew Chicken

My quick Cashew Chicken recipe is so easy to make and miles better than any takeout. With tender chicken thighs, colourful peppers and crunchy cashews in a delicious sauce, this family-friendly recipe is a real crowd-pleaser.
Homemade marzipan title card.

Easy Homemade Marzipan

My Homemade Marzipan recipe is super easy and tastes miles better than store-bought. This eggless, no-bake recipe comes together in minutes with just three ingredients. Perfect for Christmas time, fruit cakes, cookies, marzipan candy and more.

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.

Chicken lentil soup title card.
German Potato Dumplings Title Card.
Zigeuner Schnitzel or Gypsy Schnitzel on a plate served with french fries and a glass of beer
Pork and Shrimp Gyoza on a tray with spicy dipping sauce and fresh herbs. Title Card.
Sticky Orange Chicken Drumsticks title card.
Turkey Stroganoff Title Card.

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