Sharing a love of good food - recipes from my kitchen - eating out - great producers & suppliers
Venison Bourguignon is inspired by the classic French bœuf bourguignon. Delicious and surprisingly easy to make at home, my version replaces the traditional beef with chunks of venison. Slow cooked with bacon, red wine, stock, garlic, and herbs, plus mushrooms and whole baby onions, the result …Read more
Salmon and Vegetable Soup is inspired by the fish soups of the Nordic countries. Easy but delicious, it features leek, potato, carrots, and salmon. These are cooked in a lightly creamy, buttery broth of stock and milk flavoured with fresh dill. With simple, everyday ingredients …Read more
Moroccan Lamb Meatballs in Spicy Tomato Sauce are easy but delicious. Similar in flavour to traditional Moroccan tagines but cooked in a fraction of the time. Juicy, browned lamb meatballs flavoured with a Moroccan-inspired spice mix nestled in a rich tomato sauce imbued with the …Read more
Haslet is an old fashioned but much-loved English pork meatloaf flavoured with sage and onion. It’s usually served cold in sandwiches, with pickles, or salad. Great fried until golden brown and eaten as part of a cooked breakfast too. These days, it’s less common to …Read more
Mushroom, Lentil & Kale Stew is rich, thick, and tasty. Packed full of veg and pulses in a lightly creamy, garlic and thyme flavoured broth, it’s a comforting bowlful. Using tinned lentils, this easy vegetarian (and vegan adaptable) stew is perfect on chilly days. Serve …Read more
Spicy Carlin Pea Soup with Roasted Peppers is easy, satisfying, and full of flavour. Using everyday vegetables, tinned pulses, and jarred peppers, this warmly spicy soup cooks in around thirty minutes. I’ve used British grown carlin peas, but you could swap in chickpeas or your …Read more
Pork Kebabs: minced pork flavoured with toasted fennel seeds, garlic, orange zest, and oregano. Eat these juicy full flavoured kebabs, inspired by the flavours of Greece, in a flatbread, with a tahini-yogurt sauce, salad, plus grains, flatbread or cauliflower ‘couscous’. Based on a recipe by …Read more
Sardine Fish Cakes, flavoured with dill and lemon, are soft within and have a golden crispy breadcrumb coating. Economical and good for you, richly flavoured tinned sardines make a fantastic and easy fish cake. I love to eat them with a super-quick mayo and yogurt …Read more
Homemade Oven Chips, crispy and moreish, are so easy. Whether you like classic straight, or crinkle cut, my fool proof recipe will give you crispy oven chips every time. Costing less than most store-bought chips and fries, and using less oil than the deep-fried version, …Read more
Aïgroissade is a simple, adaptable, lovely salad based on a traditional French dish from Provence. In my version, a colourful mix of lightly cooked then cooled fresh vegetables plus canned artichoke hearts and chickpeas are dressed in a garlic mayonnaise lightened with yogurt. Choose whichever …Read more
Pea & Pancetta Pasta is ideal when you need a filling and tasty meal in double-quick time. In fact, this recipe is so fast you’ll need to put the pasta on to cook before you start on the simple sauce which is inspired by Rome’s …Read more
Watermelon Salad, flavoured with mint and lime, was made for hot summer days. Refreshing, quick, and incredibly good. Joining juicy cubes of fresh watermelon are crunchy diced cucumber plus a little red onion and lime zest. A simple olive oil and lime juice dressing brings …Read more
Spicy Bean Balls, inspired by Tex-Mex flavours, make an easy and tasty dinner or lunch. So quick to make using your choice of tinned beans, plenty of spices and a few other simple ingredients, the balls take just 20 minutes to bake in the oven. …Read more
Using this easy Mixed Grain Salad as a template, you can create a whole range of salads by changing which grains, vegetables, and seasonings to include. My grain mix includes brown rice, spelt, bulgur wheat, quinoa, and couscous. But almost any combination will work. I …Read more
Marinated Roasted Peppers are even more delicious than regular roasted peppers. Here they take up the spicy flavour of the marinade which becomes infused with the peppers’ charred smokiness. Temper that spicy, smoky heat with creamy yet tangy goat’s cheese for a perfect pairing. Served …Read more
Asparagus Risotto is one of the joys of Spring. But my version takes it to the super-luxury level with a golden, melting grilled goat’s cheese topping. The season for British asparagus is short. So I make the most of it with generous amounts of the …Read more
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is a smoky, spicier take on traditional hummus. It still has the classic ingredients of chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon. But the earthy original is given a lightly sweet and smoky edge with roasted red pepper and Spanish paprika. For extra …Read more
Italian Pork Meatloaf is my take on polpettone which means ‘big meatball’. With herbs, garlic, fennel seeds, lemon and Parmesan, this easy recipe combines classic meatball flavours with a sliceable loaf that’s great hot or cold. I’ve used all pork mince, but you can replace half …Read more
French Onion & Oxtail Soup is great comfort food. Dig down beneath a toasty, cheesy topping and you’ll find rich onion soup made with tasty beef broth, filled with shreds of meltingly soft oxtail. Although the soup is best made over a couple of days, …Read more
Quick Pea & Bacon Soup, using convenient frozen peas, can be on the table in less than thirty minutes. Beautifully green in colour, with hints of smoky bacon and garlic, each bowl will provide at least two of your daily veg portions. Great as a …Read more
Spanish Lamb Stew is inspired by a dish I ate many years ago in central Spain. With chunks of tender meat and soft peppers in a garlic and paprika scented broth, close my eyes and I’m almost back there. My version includes chickpeas to stretch …Read more
Spicy Roasted Parsnip Soup is warming in both senses of the word. A steaming bowlful is just what’s needed on chilly days, plus its spice will bring a warming tingle to your taste buds! Roasting the parsnips first, with a generous amount of my special spice …Read more
Glazed Gammon, with its glossy, sweet yet tangy exterior and tender meat within, is a real showstopper. But it’s surprisingly easy to make at home and good to eat hot or cold. The gammon joint is first cooked by gentle simmering and then the skin discarded. …Read more
Creamy Bean & Pancetta Soup, despite its name, doesn’t contain any cream. Instead, its smooth creaminess comes from pureed cannellini beans and a little potato simmered in stock and milk. Adding great depth of flavour are pancetta (or smoked bacon) along with onion, celery, garlic and …Read more
Moroccan Spiced Baked Stuffed Squash, filled with spicy tomato sauce and chickpeas, finished with a drizzle of tahini sauce, makes a sensational vegetarian or plant-based main course. A Moroccan-inspired mix of cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon and chilli gives a warm, mild heat. To make …Read more