Bonfire Night: Recipes & Local Events

Bonfire Night

Remember, Remember, The 5th of November!

We all know the rhymeRemember, Remember the 5th of November, Gunpowder treason and plot. We see no reason, why gunpowder treason, should ever be forgot’

Hopefully there are no plots to blow up parliament this year! Bonfire night is a little different these days with families and friends getting together to enjoy bonfires, fireworks and hearty warming food.

If you’re stuck for ideas for what to do on bonfire night, then look no further. We have ideas for things to do at home, local events that are happening and yummy meals and nibbles to enjoy.

Bonfire Recipes

Let’s start with food (always a good place to start 😊).  Bonfires are not generally associated with healthy food, so we’ve included some healthier options along with a couple of indulgent treats which are great if you’re eating inside and also if you’re outside stood around the bonfire.

Sausage and roasted vegetable bake

Mary Berry has a tasty recipe that is easy and quick to make:

Ingredients – serves 4-6

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 large onions, sliced lengthways into wedges
  • 2 red peppers, deseeded and diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
  • 500g/1lb 2oz baby new potatoes, halved
  • 12 sausages, pricked with a fork 
  • 200ml/7fl oz white wine 
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
  2. Place all the ingredients except the wine in a large, resealable freezer bag. Seal the bag shut and shake well to coat everything in the oil. Alternatively, put everything in a large bowl and turn the ingredients until they are fully coated in the oil. 
  3. Tip into a large roasting tin, spreading the ingredients out into one even layer and ensuring that the sausages aren’t covered by any of the vegetables. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30–35 minutes until golden-brown. 
  4. Remove from the oven, turn the sausages over and toss the vegetables in the cooking juices. Pour in the wine and return to the oven for a further 20 minutes or until browned and the sausages are cooked and the potatoes tender. 
  5. Serve hot with a dollop of mustard on the side.

Beef Burger

Try this healthy beefburger to keep you warm on a cold night, from healthyfood.com:

Ingredients – Serves 4

  • 450g lean minced beef
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 1 courgette, grated
  • 4 sweet baby peppers, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs
  • Salt and pepper to season

To Serve:

  • 4 wholemeal burger buns    
  • 4 tbsp fruity relish
  • ¼ red onion, cut into rings
  • 2 spring onions, finely diced
  • 2 cups shredded lettuce

Method

  1. Place the minced beef in a large bowl. Add the vegetables, tomato puree, chilli sauce, breadcrumbs and seasoning. Mix well. For a smoother texture, mix ingredients in a food processor. Use hands to bind mixture and shape into 4 even-sized patties. Chill before cooking.
  2. Cook patties on a barbecue hotplate or in a pan for 7 minutes each side, or until cooked through.
  3. To assemble burgers, place beef patties in buns with fruity relish, onions, and lettuce.

Sides

Jacket potatoes are a great choice either for eating inside or sitting around the fire. Fill them will chilli, curry, cheese and bacon or beans for warming options.

Soup is another great option, and it’s so easy to make. Add a little oil to a pan and pop in any mix of vegetables. You can even include any leftover pumpkin from Halloween. Cover with chicken or vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Add salt, pepper and any herbs and spices to taste. Leave to simmer until the vegetables are tender and then blitz in a blender until smooth. 

Desserts – Parkin

Now for something sweet to finish off with. Parkin, a sticky, spicy ginger cake is traditionally eaten on bonfire night. Try making your own with this recipe from BBC Goodfood:

Ingredients – Makes 16 squares

  • 200g butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 1 large egg
  • 4 tbsp milk
  • 200g golden syrup
  • 85g treacle
  • 85g light soft brown sugar
  • 100g medium oatmeal
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Butter a deep 22cm square cake tin and line with baking parchment. Beat the egg and milk together with a fork.
  2. Gently melt the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter together in a large pan until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat. 
  3. Mix together the oatmeal, flour and ginger and stir into the syrup mixture, followed by the egg and milk.
  4. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 mins – 1 hr until the cake feels firm and a little crusty on top. Cool in the tin then wrap in more parchment and foil. This will become softer and stickier the longer you leave it. 

If you’re staying at home for bonfire night, here are some ideas to make it a fun filled evening. PS take a look at our Facebook Page for fun games to play with the kids such as Pumkpin Bean Bag Toss!

It’s a great time to get the kids involved in some baking. Try the following recipes for bonfire toffee, spiced cookies and toffee apples: 

Bonfire Toffee

Bonfire toffee from BBC Goodfood.

Ingredients – Makes 500g toffee

  • Oil, for greasing
  • 450g dark brown sugar
  • 125ml hot water
  • ¼ tsp cream of tartar
  • 115g black treacle
  • 115g golden syrup

Method

  1. Line the base and sides of an A4 sized tin with non-stick baking paper and then grease it well.
  2. Put the sugar and hot water in a heavy bottomed pan and heat gently until the sugar is dissolved, do not stir the mixture at any point instead tilt the pan if you need to move it around.
  3. Weigh out the remaining ingredients, if you put them in a really well greased jug they will be much easier to pour out. Once the sugar has dissolved add all the ingredients and pop the sugar thermometer in, you can use the thermometer to give it a quick swirl but try not to mix it too much.
  4. Bring to the boil and boil until you reach soft crack on your thermometer (270/140C) This may take up to 30 minutes, be patient and do not leave the pan unattended as it can change quickly. As soon as it reaches the temp, tip it into your tin and leave it to cool.
  5. Once cool remove it from the tin and break up with a toffee hammer or rolling pin. Store in an airtight tin.

Spiced Cookies

For the spiced cookies, try our low sugar digestive biscuit recipe, taken from Davina’s 5 weeks to sugar free, and add a little mixed spice and cinnamon.

Ingredients – Makes approximately 24

  • 200g wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting the work surface
  • 200g oats
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 200g unsalted butter, well chilled and cut into cubes
  • 150g maple syrup
  • 1 tsp ground mixed spice
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  1. Put the flour, oats, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a food processor and blitz them – you want a mixture that’s just slightly coarser than flour. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, then tip it all into a bowl.
  2. Add the maple syrup and gently work it into the mixture until you have a dough. Don’t worry if it’s very soft, as it will firm up in the fridge. Wrap the dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.
  3. Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C Fan/Gas mark 5. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof paper. Generously flour your work surface.
  4. Divide the dough in half, then rewrap one piece and put it back in the fridge. Roll out the remaining half and, using a cutter about the size of a digestive biscuit, cut out circles. Re-roll the offcuts, making sure you use plenty of flour to prevent sticking. You should end up with 12 biscuits.
  5. Remove the rest of the dough from the fridge and repeat to make another 12 biscuits. Place the biscuits on the baking trays.
  6. Bake the biscuits for 15-20 minutes until they’re golden brown and crisp. Keep a very close eye on them, as a minute too long could mean they overcook. Remove the biscuits from the oven and immediately transfer them to a wire rack to cool.

Toffee Apples

This is a lovely little indulgent toffee apple recipe taken from allrecipes.co.uk:

Ingredients – Makes 15 toffee apples

  • 15 apples 
  • 400g caster sugar 
  • 350g golden syrup 
  • 350ml water 
  • lollipop sticks 

Method

  1. Lightly grease a few baking trays. Insert lollipop sticks into the whole, stemmed apples.
  2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, golden syrup and water. Heat to 149°C – 154° C or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads. Remove from heat.
  3. Holding the apple by its stick, dip in syrup and remove and turn to coat evenly. Place on prepared trays to harden.

Take a look at our ‘Healthy Bonfire Night Recipes‘ blog for more delicious warming bonfire night recipes.

Fun things to do with the Kids

Why not get the kids to make a guy. You don’t have to burn him on the bonfire 😊 Simply stuff old clothes (shirt and jeans) to make the body and attach a carved pumpkin to the top for the head.

Stick sparklers into potatoes and watch safely from a distance.

Treat yourself to some toasted marshmallows. Get the firepit heated up, wrap up warm and toast marshmallows whilst you watch the fireworks. Make sure to use wooden skewers and not metal, as they will get too hot.

If you fancy venturing out, here are a few local bonfires* that you can attend:

The Drury Lane bonfire in Horsforth on Friday 5th November starts at 6pm, where there will be a bonfire, fireworks and hot food and drinks. 

Yeadon cricket club are having their annual bonfire and firework display, on Saturday 6th November from 6pm. 

Calverley golf club are having a bonfire display, including indoor and outdoor food. The bonfire will be lit at 6.30pm.

Have a great bonfire night 2021 and stay safe 😊

Much Love

Caroline & Hannah xx

PS Why not book yourself in for a FREE Visit with us! Get ahead of the winter festivities (which all seem revolve around lots of delicious food!) by starting your journey to a healthier you today!

Or if you’re not local to Horsforth, take a look at our online membership site, TonedIn10, full of real-time workouts ready for you to follow along to from anywhere in the World!

*Please check up to date details for local bonfires