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!

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.

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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 Cinnamon Star Cookies zimtsterne.

The ultimate German Christmas cookie, Zimtsterne or Cinnamon Star Cookies are deliciously chewy morsels, topped with a crisp layer of snowy white meringue.

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Apricot Glazed Christmas Ham title card.

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.

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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.

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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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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.

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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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German Dominosteine Chocolates Title Card.

Dominosteine are a traditional German Christmas praline made from layered gingerbread, fruit jelly and marzipan, all coated in a luscious layer of rich dark chocolate. These delicious treats are fun to make at home and are so tasty!

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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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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.


Fig and Honey Tart

Fig and Honey Tart

Fig and Honey Tart with fresh figs and almond frangipane wrapped in buttery short pastry and drizzled with honey is the perfect sweet recipe for autumn or fall.
Beef Shank Osso Buco

Beef Shank Osso Buco

Meltingly tender beef in a rich and tomatoey sauce, slow-cooked Beef Shank Osso Buco is pure Italian comfort food. Served with a bright and zesty blood orange gremolata and plenty of mashed potatoes, this is the ultimate meal when the weather turns cool.
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

A velvety and flavoursome soup that is pure comfort in a bowl. Greek Lemon Chicken Soup or Avgolemono is a stunning combination of chicken, lemon, orzo and herbs, thickened with whole eggs. Perfect for cool weather!
If you’ve ever travelled to Hungary you are sure to have eaten plenty of this famous dish. Similar to goulash, Hungarian Pork Stew or Pörkölt is thick and hearty with a rich tomatoey sauce, perfect as a winter warmer.

Hungarian Pork Stew – Pörkölt

If you’ve ever travelled to Hungary you are sure to have eaten plenty of this famous dish. Similar to goulash, Hungarian Pork Stew or Pörkölt is thick and hearty with a rich tomatoey sauce, perfect as a winter warmer.
Beeramisu title card.

Beeramisu (Tiramisu with Dark Beer)

Hold on a minute, beer-a-mi-what? You heard right, a Beeramisu is a traditional Italian Tiramisu with a generous helping of dark and fruity stout or porter beer. Perfect for the beer lovers in your life! It might sound strange at first, but this light and flavoursome Italian dessert is delicious with beer added.
Tender and sweet, White Wine Poached Pears filled with creamy mascarpone are a light and fragrant dinner party classic dessert.

White Wine Poached Pears

Tender and sweet, White Wine Poached Pears filled with creamy mascarpone are a light and fragrant dinner party dessert.
Obaztda is a delicious Bavarian Beer and Cheese Spread, perfect for picnics, the beer garden, or for lining your stomach before you start on that litre of beer - and it is super easy to make at home!

Obatzda (Bavarian Beer and Cheese Dip)

Obaztda is a delicious Bavarian Beer and Cheese Spread, perfect for picnics, the beer garden, or for lining your stomach before you start on that litre of beer – and it is super easy to make at home!
Real Bavarian Pork Schnitzel Title Card

Bavarian Pork Schnitzel

Possibly the most famous of all Germanic foods, Bavarian Pork Schnitzel is always a winner. Thinly beaten pork, generously coated in fresh breadcrumbs and fried to golden-brown perfection. Yum!

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.

Perfect Roast Goose title card.
Thai Massaman Beef Curry
Pork stroganoff title card.
Garlic Herb Roast Pork
Herby Brown Butter Ravioli
Italian Pork and Fennel Ragu 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