Celebrating the Olympics with an English menu

Mayonnaise:

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon English mustard

Sea salt, black pepper

1 ¼ cups groundnut oil or light olive oil

1 tablespoon water

For the mayonnaise, mix the yolks and white wine vinegar in a small food processor until very thick and creamy. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil. Drizzle in the water to stabilize the emulsion. Serve with prawns.

— Gordon Ramsay, "Gordon Ramsay's Great British Pub Food" (Harper Collins, 2009)

ECCLES CAKES

Makes: 12

9 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 cups dried currants

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated

Zest of 1 orange

13 ounces puff pastry, thawed if frozen

1 free-range egg

1 tablespoon light cream

1. Melt the butter with the sugar, currants, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange zest. Chill for at least 1 hour, then divide the mixture into 12 balls.

2. Roll out pastry and cut into 4-inch squares. Place a ball of filling on each one, then bring the edges together to encase the filling. Pinch to seal so the filling does not escape when cooking.

3. Place, seam side down, on a lined baking sheet and chill for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

4. Whisk egg and cream to make an egg wash, then brush the cakes. Use kitchen shears to snip 3 small holes in the top of each cake. Bake 20-25 minutes, until golden and puffed. Transfer to a rack to cool.

— Claire Ptak and Henry Dimbleby, "Leon Baking and Desserts" (Octopus Books, $29.99, 304 pages)

NEW WAVE TEA SANDWICH IDEAS

Carrot and Hummus Crunch:

Fry 2 coarsely grated large carrots in a pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 chopped garlic cloves, 1/2 chopped red chile and 1 teaspoon caraway seeds over moderate heat for 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool. Spread sourdough bread slices with hummus, top with grated carrots, dollops of Greek yogurt and chopped cilantro.

Green Club:

Toast 3 slices whole-grain bread. Spread 3 tablespoons hummus over one slice, top with half a sliced avocado, some arugula leaves, alfalfa sprouts and cracked pepper. Prepare another slice of toast the same way and place on top. Place the final slice of toast on top.

Cheese and Onion:

Mix ¼ cup soft goat cheese with 2 tablespoons cream cheese. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and add half a sliced red onion. Let sweat. When it starts to wilt, add ¼ teaspoon sugar, a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper and 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar. Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Spread the goat cheese mixture over a slice of whole-wheat bread, top with red onion and a handful of arugula leaves, and a second slice of bread.

— adapted from "The Meat Free Monday Cookbook," edited by Annie Rigg (Kyle Books, $29.95, 240 pages)