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!

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.

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

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.

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

Fried Apple Rings Title Card.

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.

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

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.

GET THE RECIPE

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!

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

Perfect Roast Goose title card.

Beautifully bronzed Roast Goose is one of the most impressive festive meals. The dark and succulent meat is wonderful served with a rich gravy, red cabbage and potato dumplings, ideal for family celebrations like Christmas dinner. Brining the goose ensures that the meat is perfectly juicy and seasoned. Yum!

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.


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.

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!
Melt in your mouth pork, topped with a vibrant green sauce, Salsa Verde Pork Tenderloin is so incredibly tasty it is worth making two as the first is guaranteed to disappear in a flash!

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.
Four Awesome Pork Marinades

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

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!
Maple Glazed Chicken Thighs

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 with berries and custard cream

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


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.

Roasted Eggplants stuffed with spiced lentils, tomatoes and herbs.
Creamy Salmon Pasta Recipe Title Card.
Pork Medallions and Peppers
Oven Roasted Chicken Marbella
Pork San Choy Bow Title Card.
Feta and Pesto Stuffed Chicken

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