Sharing a love of good food
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. Next, …Read more
Cheese, Smoky Bacon & Spring Onion Scones take the classic cheese scone to a new level. Light and fluffy, they have a generous amount of cheese plus nuggets of smoky bacon and savoury spring onion flavour. Eat warm with butter as a snack, for afternoon tea, …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, onion, celery, garlic and rosemary. The …Read more
Goat Chilli, with chunks of tender meat and black beans in a rich, spicy sauce, makes a great change from the usual beef (although beef chunks can be subbed in this recipe too). So easy to put together, this delicious chilli-spiked stew can be simmered …Read more
Mushroom, Cheese & Bacon Oat Bake (and its veggie incarnation with nuts instead of bacon) is a tasty, easy and economical dish. Which I think makes it perfect for weeknight dinners. Meeting a challenge set by Totally Locally, I was able to source all the …Read more
Cream of Chicken Soup is richly indulgent. Perfect for a tasty, comforting lunch, impressive enough to serve as a special occasion starter. But you might be surprised to learn that it contains relatively little cream. Its wonderful flavour and silky texture is thanks largely to skin-on …Read more
Minced Beef and Onion Pie is classic comfort food. But with everyday ingredients it’s so easy to make too. Onions, a clove of garlic and minced beef are browned in a little olive oil and butter then simmered in beef stock. Topped with a simple shortcrust pastry, …Read more
Potted Ham is a delicious, easy way to use up cooked ham. But I think it’s so good I often buy a ham hock specially to make it. Whichever ham you include, spread on toast or crusty bread with a few pickles on the side, Potted …Read more
Pinchos Morunos are wonderful little kebabs of spicy pork. Literally meaning ‘Moorish Skewers’, they’re an easy addition to a tapas spread. Or eat them as a main course with salad plus bread or potatoes. Quick-cooking pork tenderloin is marinated with garlic, smoked paprika, chilli flakes, …Read more
Lamb Kofte Kebabs always feel like a treat to me. Juicy minced meat with a touch of onion, garlic, herbs and spices, served with good bread, salad and garlicky yogurt, never fails to please. Cooked in a griddle pan, under the grill or on a …Read more
Bang Bang Chicken Noodle Salad is full of bold spicy, nutty, salty, sweet and savoury flavour. Based on a Chinese classic, my version takes tender shredded chicken, a knock-out 5-minute sauce, and combines them with noodles and lots of fresh vegetables to create an easy, …Read more
Rough Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls are surprisingly easy to make at home. Once you’ve tried them, I think you’ll agree that the homemade version of this popular British savoury snack is miles better than any mass produced offering. If you’ve never made rough puff pastry before, …Read more
Roasted Pepper, Salami & Cheese Scones are my latest take on the classic cheese scone. Inspired by the flavours of Italy, these savoury scones are studded with roasted red and yellow peppers, nuggets of sun-dried tomato, garlicky salami, fresh basil and, of course, plenty of …Read more
Aubergine with Pork & Chilli-Garlic Sauce is an utterly delicious but easy Chinese-inspired stir-fry. Chunks of aubergine are first fried until golden. Next, they’re quickly braised in a heady sauce including juicy minced pork, ginger, garlic, spring onions, soy sauce, Shaoxing rice wine, and chilli …Read more
Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf, made with quality beef mince and smoked bacon, tastes so good there’s no need for any sauces, gravy or toppings. Without fillers such as breadcrumbs, but flavoured with herbs, onion and a little cheese, this easy but tasty loaf is also suitable …Read more
Rabbit in a creamy cider sauce, slow cooked with bacon and garlic, then finished with fresh tarragon, is an easy, delicious classic. Sustainable, free-range and relatively inexpensive, wild rabbit has good flavour without being overly gamey. Gentle braising results in this lean meat becoming beautifully …Read more
Chicken & Vegetable Stew is an economical, delicious way to use up leftover roast chicken. The equivalent of a couple of chicken legs is enough to feed four people when you add plenty of vegetables and good chicken stock. To make the stew even more nourishing and …Read more
Chorizo, Bean & Cavolo Nero Soup is rich, hearty and with a good whack of chilli heat if you want. Although the chorizo is a must, you can change around the beans and type of greens you include. I like cannellini beans and cavolo nero, …Read more
Celery Soup, made with onions, garlic, a little potato, half stock and half milk, finished with an optional dash of double cream, is beautifully flavoured with a subtle taste of celery. For top notch Autumn and Winter comfort food, top each creamy, satisfying bowl with cubes …Read more
Harira is a traditional Moroccan soup, fragrant with spices and full of hearty chickpeas, lentils and sometimes meat too. But, often eaten to break a fast, it’s satisfying without being heavy. Lemon juice added just before serving brings a refreshing, zesty note. In this post …Read more
Chinese Pork Meatballs are my version of a dish often called Lion’s head meatballs. Pork mince is turned into wonderfully light meatballs with flavourings such as Chinese rice wine, garlic, ginger, soy and sesame. For contrasting texture there’s crunchy water chestnuts too. After browning, I like …Read more
Lamb with Anchovy, Garlic & Rosemary is a classic flavour combination found in both France and Italy. In this recipe, it comes in the form of a rich stew. Chunks of tender lamb plus a little belly pork, pancetta or bacon are joined by cannellini …Read more
Chicken with Mushrooms, Bacon, Garlic & Spinach makes an easy, flavour-packed dinner. Moist, tender chicken thighs with a crispy skin, plus spinach, in a garlicky, buttery broth flavoured with smoky bacon and earthy mushrooms. All it needs is some potatoes, grains or, to increase the …Read more
Karniyarik is a Turkish dish of soft baked aubergines stuffed with meat in a tomato sauce. My version includes lamb mince spiced with cumin, cinnamon, and chilli, topped with the traditional slice of green pepper and tomato. Served with rice or bulgur pilaff, a salad …Read more
Five Spice Pork Belly is a rich blend of cubed pork braised in a spicy tomato sauce. As well as Chinese flavours like five spice mix and Shaoxing rice wine, there’s a Thai influence too. The best of both worlds! Try Five Spice Pork Belly …Read more