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Recipes for the enthusiastic home cook
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
Zesty Oat Biscuits are crispy, crunchy, and perfect with a cuppa. With a nutritious base of wholemeal flour and oats, they’re a cousin of digestive biscuits, but with the zesty flavours of orange, lemon and lime. Buttery and sweet, I like to add plumped dried fruit …Read more
Tamagoyaki Japanese Omelette, with its layers of folded egg, may look difficult. But it’s actually easy once you know how. Great for packed lunches and bento boxes, picnics, breakfast, or main meals, they make a tasty change from European-style omelettes. Okay, you may not be …Read more
Chocolate Peanut Cauliflower Smoothie may sound bizarre. But trust me: frozen cauliflower makes a fantastic neutral base for all sorts of smoothies. Besides adding a portion of vegetables, it will help thicken your smoothie and give it a wonderful silky texture. And I guarantee you …Read more
Carrot, Turmeric & Black Pepper Crackers have a mildly spicy warmth combined with a little sweetness from carrots. Satisfying crunchy, I think you’ll love them with cheese, dips and spreads, soups, or just enjoy as a snack. The crackers can be made with either ground …Read more
Berry Smoothie with Oats & Chia is a nutritious, quick and filling breakfast or snack at any time. As well as your choice of berries like raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries, there’s yogurt and milk, plus oats and chia seeds for extra fibre and protein. …Read more
Sardine Dog Biscuits are easily made at home with just 2 ingredients. All you need are tinned sardines plus your choice of flour: wheat-free, gluten-free or grain-free if necessary. Without the additives of many shop bought dog treats, you’ll know exactly what’s in these biscuits. …Read more
Smacked Cucumber with Chilli Oil is a refreshing, flavour-packed salad based on a Chinese classic. Smacking or smashing the cucumber gives more surface area to be cloaked in the salty, sweet, hot and sour dressing. Flavoured with soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic and …Read more
Potato Salad with Smoked Mackerel takes a classic side dish and makes it extra special. Creamy, smoky and with a hint of horseradish, hard-boiled eggs add to the interest along with flakes of mackerel. Pair with a green salad to enjoy as a main meal …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
Chia Jam, thick and full of fruit, can be made in around 20 minutes. Using chia seeds’ amazing ability to become gel-like, this jam doesn’t need the large amounts of sugar required to set traditional jams. In this post I show you how to make …Read more
Roasted Radishes may sound unusual, but they’re surprisingly tasty. Fast roasting in olive oil for around ten minutes mellows the radish’s natural pepperiness and makes them delectably juicy. Flavoured with garlic and a squeeze of lemon, I think they’re great as a side dish, warm …Read more
Brioche Hot Cross Buns are a richer version of the classic Easter sweet and spicy fruit bread. You still get warming spices and plump sultanas studding the dough. But here there’s a buttery brioche flavour too. Unlike many brioche recipes, you won’t need a stand …Read more
Savoury Flapjacks with Apple, Cheese & Walnuts are great for a healthy snack, packed lunch or picnic. Pair them with salad or veggies and they’re perfect for a main meal too, hot or cold. Based on oats, nutritious, savoury flapjacks are so easy to make. …Read more
Cheddar & Cream Cheese Scones with garlic & herbs are soft, fluffy and intensely flavoured. Cream cheese makes the scones flaky and tender as well as adding flavour. I’ve used a garlic and herb cream cheese, although you could use a plain one if you …Read more
Beetroot Crackers not only look good but, speckled throughout with nigella seeds, they taste wonderful too. The beetroot brings an attractive colour and earthy sweetness. The seeds, said to resemble anything from onion, cumin or oregano, add a contrasting mild bitterness that becomes quite addictive. …Read more
Grilled Spring Onions with Romesco Sauce turns an everyday ingredient into a simple but oh-so-good feast. Based on a Spanish-Catalan classic, spring onions are doused with olive oil and grilled. Or, if it’s barbecue weather, you can char them over hot coals. But what …Read more
Brioche Buns, enriched with eggs and butter, have become the preferred roll for gourmet burgers, pulled pork and the like. However, I often find them just too sweet for these savoury fillings. So I created my own version. Open up these dark, shiny Brioche Buns …Read more
Cheese, Onion & Chilli Bread is a great accompaniment to soups and stews. But it’s equally good sliced and made into sandwiches, especially toasted. Using my no-knead, overnight method, and baking the bread in a covered pot, it’s easy to get a well risen, flavoursome …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
Celeriac Latkes, or pancakes if you prefer, are a great alternative to the traditional potato version. Grated celeriac is mixed with onion, eggs, flour, seasoning, and griddled or fried until golden brown. This sweetens celeriac’s subtle celery-parsley-like flavour to make a delicious appetizer, snack or …Read more
Chinese Coleslaw Salad, full of crunchy vegetables, is the perfect accompaniment to many East Asian-inspired dishes. You won’t find the rich, creamy dressing of traditional European coleslaws here. Instead, shredded cabbage, carrot, cucumber and onion has a lightly sweet but refreshing and tangy dressing inspired …Read more
Root Vegetable Tian, with its thinly sliced vegetables, seasoned and baked until tender, finished with optional cheese, is a beautiful dish for Autumn and Winter. Its distinctive pattern of concentric circles is very easy to achieve using as many different multicoloured root vegetables as you …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
Smoked Mackerel Paté is incredibly easy but so good. Fillets of smoked mackerel are whizzed together with butter and a few simple seasonings, then topped with a horseradish-flavoured butter. Simplify the recipe further by leaving off the topping if you like. But, as the whole thing …Read more