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Sunday dinner is done and thoughts are turning to dessert. The weather is still cold outside and the snow is losing its charm now, becoming slush on the roads that will no doubt turn Monday’s dreary January commute into something a little more treacherous. So with our stomachs conjugating over the roast we’ve just had, I wanted something [...]
New year. New start. Well… I have already begun cooking in my new kitchen a few months back now, but by way of catching up on blogging about it I thought I would introduce you to the corners of my kitchen that mean the most to me, and perhaps the introduction of a few new [...]
The weekends are made for weather like this. Standing at my kitchen window watching the world outside, pillowed in white. A fantastic snow day. So what could be more rib-sticking and soul-comforting than something slow cooked? I love being able to literally toss everything into a pot, stick it in the oven, put on my [...]
So we are through the Christmas holidays, an inch more on our waists and the kitchen fridge heaving with the half eaten left overs from the big family dinners and boxing day party platters. Here is a simple soup: velvety and comforting enough to sooth any seasonal colds (as well as hangovers at that). Ingredients: [...]
Oh my… I’ve been away a while. My apologies for that. It’s been quite a busy few autumn months that included a long trip to Malaysia, a busy new job, new home, a lot of new starts. And one of the best of these new starts – a new kitchen. But I’m back with bang [...]
My first memory of strawberry jam was the sweet jars of sticky spread my Mother made when I was four years old. She used to send me to school with little sandwiches of Cheddar cheese and strawberry jam on white bread. I used to swap one bread slice from the jam sandwich with the plain [...]
Part two of my British Summer necessities list, regards Clotted Cream. Really only popular on a national level since the 1980′s, the West Country of England has provided us with this most favourable form of dairy product to round off a perfect cream tea. Scones, in my opinion, are just not the same with out [...]
From green grass tennis courts and strawberries, outdoor music festivals and muddy wellington boots, clipped lawns and clotted cream teas. It can only mean one thing: A British Summer. In my culinary opinion, summer here in England would not be complete without butter on our morning toast, clotted cream on our scones and classic Victoria [...]
It’s time for a healthy post, after that last one… Higher in vitamins A and C than a white potato varieties and slightly lower in calories, the sweet potato could potentially revamp that classic baked potato favourite. If you’ve never tried it it’s a great tasting, and highly versatile alternative to the average potato. Sweet potato pie [...]
I remember when sticky toffee rice puff bars first appeared in the shops, complete with cereal branding to grab your attention. At least half the kids in my class had them in their lunch boxes at school. I was about nine years old and no doubt one of many kids who nagged their mothers for [...]
I love how much superstition surrounds these age-old beautiful trees. From the Anglo-Saxons who believed the plant contained the soul of a witch and that cutting one down would free her spirit to find revenge, to the early Christians who said that Christ’s cross was made from the wood of an Elder, this tree has caught the [...]
Making ice cream is surprisingly straightforward. There are many ways for the freezing process – but I found this was pretty easy, as it requires no repeat stirring every hour. This is another great recipe from my Grandmother’s archives. In her cookbooks, there are telltale signs that the pages that contain this recipe have been well [...]
Richly nutritious and healthy soup for lunch or dinner, starter or main – this is a simple soup that can be vegetarian friendly and even freeze-able for use at a later date. I know a lot of kids who love the sweet flavour that carrots provide when cooked in a decent stock and along with stack of croutons, it’s [...]
A gorgeously simple spaghetti meal made with just a handful of ingredients. Refreshing simplicity is really worth a try when the cupboard is a bit bare. Ingredients: Garlic 3 tbsp. olive oil 1 anchovy fillet Spaghetti (for two people) Method: Mince or finely chop the garlic (one clove per person) and fry off gently in [...]
It’s hard work in Britain, when barbecue season comes along. We fret about the weather and stare up at grey threat-filled clouds, brace ourselves stiffly against the gust of wind that makes eating outside a little more effort than it really should be. And what for? Pre-packaged burgers with high fat-content, sausages blacker than the [...]
So here is the first foodie challenge of what may become many. If you want to get in touch with something or have a food-related question, see the bottom of the post for details. This challenge (set by @jhmuzak) was to make pancakes suitable for vegans – pancakes that tasted nice and not like soggy [...]
When it comes to my Mother’s culinary repertoire, this is one of her crowning dishes (and the one my Dad goes on about the most). It’s a much loved family favourite and it always seems to be this special meal that gets cooked whenever there are a million family guests visiting. I won’t deny that [...]
Every now and then I come across one of my Grandmother’s recipes and it contains more than a healthy splash of sherry. Sometimes the alcohol seems a justifiable addition to the cooking process. Other times I have to wonder whether she stood at her Aga in the afternoons concocting these wonderful dishes with a glass of [...]
The sun is beating down swift rays with highs of thirty degrees this week. So I hope to be creating and introducing quite a few beautiful dishes for lunches, dinners, sides and snacks – ideal for any more heat waves over the summer months. This is a lovely rice salad from my Grandmother’s repertoire that [...]
Friday nights are made for steak and wine. Ingredients: For the steak 2 cloves of garlic per steak 2 sprigs of thyme per steak A pinch of salt 1 tbsp. good quality extra virgin olive oil For the tomatoes 10-15 ripe cherry tomatoes per person Balsamic vinegar Olive oil 1/2 tsp. sugar Freshly milled black [...]
I have never been one for stuffed pancakes. Call me a traditionalist but I like mine in crêpe form with just sugar and lemon juice, maybe cheese and onion if I’m feeling reckless, or as a tall stack with blueberries if I’m feeling American for breakfast. This recipe belonging to my Grandmother had me perplexed [...]
I found a letter written to Elise stuck in the back of Elizabeth David’s Italian Food and it read thus: ‘Churchgates Dear Elise, What an enchanting [...]
Tzatziki is a refreshing Greek dip perfect for barbecued meats from a simple lamb cutlet to homemade spicy burgers. It can be part of a mezze platter with all your favourite crudités like raw celery sticks, radishes and carrots or even with grilled vegetable kebabs and flat breads. My grandmother mentioned how well the dip goes with [...]
Fancy a little tart? Picnic season is upon this household and I have been making mini tarts to pack away into the picnic hamper. Here is a fantastic cheese tart recipe from my Grandmother’s repertoire complete with a complimenting pastry. There is a perfect balance of sweet and salty in every bite. When you’ve got the hand of [...]
Unfamiliar fruit and vegetables: you know the ones. You might have seen a foreign fruit on a supermarket shelf but never bought it yourself. You might have tasted an unusual vegetable in a restaurant but haven’t the foggiest idea how to prepare it. If this is you, don’t worry. To be honest I think there [...]
Leafing through my grandmother’s recipes again, I’ve been seeing a lot of anchovies, which, after deciding to cook every dish she has penned out, I didn’t really want to attempt. Anchovies: I didn’t really like them. I’m always avoiding them on pizzas or in anything really. But I do love aubergine – and for the [...]
Leafing through my grandmother’s recipes again, I’ve been seeing a lot of anchovies, which, after deciding to cook every dish she has penned out, I didn’t really want to attempt. Anchovies: I wasn’t a fan. I’m always avoiding them on pizzas or in anything really. But I do love aubergine – and for the sake [...]
Like apples? Don’t like apples? Either way I suggest you try out this treat for elevenses one week: a sweet snack with a quick cup of tea. It’s wonderfully moorish! Ingredients: 2 eating apples A tablespoon of lemon juice A tablespoon of demerara sugar 1 tbsp cinnamon 110g flour 110g caster sugar 100g unsalted soft butter [...]
I first tasted coconut macaroons in the Christmas Markets in Manchester a few years ago. Although originally macaroons are made with crushed almonds, these coconut versions are actually quite easy to make and are pretty snacks to decorate the table for any sort of party. Or just a comforting sweet bite to bake all for yourself… [...]
A lovely quick starter or fantastic side dish from the pages of my Grandmother’s cook book was this easy mushroom recipe. It’s so straightforward – mix it, stuff it, bake it. Make it up in advance and refrigerate it until you’re ready to put it in the oven. For you veggies out there – just supplement the [...]
My Grandmother wrote in 1969 that she sampled this little snack on a picnic in the mountains. Although she was in Austria at the time, this is a Lebanese snack. Now, forty years on, I find myself making them for a picnic of my own. These are little spinach triangle pies, bursting with the flavours of [...]
Crispy just-baked shells of cloud soft warm doughy sweetness. With raisins or with cheese. I’ve even seen treacle and herby ones too. Are they scary to make? No. Do they need that shop-bought perfection shape of approval? No. You could be sitting on a sunny croquet lawn in the West Country, or you could be [...]
Here’s a gorgeously fresh salad idea for your summer barbecues or garden suppers. Best served ice cold, with fresh mint, it goes really well with full flavoured cold meats such as duck or lamb. Savoury fruit salad? Yes – have a go, you won’t be disappointed. Ingredients: Melon (1 per every two people) 1/2 a stalk of grapes (try [...]
Ingredients Pineapple chunks 1 cup double cream 2 large egg yolks Vanilla essence Butter 50g (cubed) Flour 125g 1 tsp caster sugar 2 tbsp milk 2 eggs Make up the sweet short crust pastry by rubbing the butter and flour and sugar together between your fingers. When the mixture is crumbly add the eggs and [...]
