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Stirato is a rustic, Italian-style baguette whose name means ‘stretched’. Made with just bread flour, salt, fast-acting yeast and water, it has a crispy crust and open crumb. With this easy, no-knead recipe you’ll get great-tasting bread for very little effort. Just mix up the dough the …Read more
Quick Pickled Cucumber is an easy pickle that’s ready to eat in a few hours. You can flavour the light pickling liquor however you please. Here I’ve used fresh dill and mustard seeds for one jar and warmly spicy Aleppo pepper in the other. Without …Read more
Potted Cheese is an easy, no-cook, traditional British cheese spread that’s perfect on crackers, biscuits, crusty bread or toast. Cheese and butter are simply combined with your choice of herbs and spices plus a touch of booze. You can make it with a single cheese such …Read more
Spinach Dal is a nutritious, economical and tasty soup or curry inspired by Indian dal palak. Based on yellow split peas, with whole and ground spices, a little tomato plus lots of fresh spinach, I think it’s a wonderfully vibrant mix. In a final flourish, cumin …Read more
Do you have a glut of homegrown tomatoes to use up? Or maybe you’re looking for recipes for those market, veg box, and shop-bought tomatoes? In this post you’ll find a dozen of my favourite ways to use tomatoes. I only have a few pots …Read more
Panzanella is a simple but delicious Italian salad of tomatoes, bread, and onions. Wonderfully refreshing, it’s dressed with extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and basil. My version includes multicoloured tomatoes plus red onion, cucumber, celery, and a little garlic. I like the salad …Read more
Cheese & Walnut Loaf is a savoury tea bread that uses self raising flour and eggs rather than yeast. Easily put together and into the oven in about ten minutes, this tasty quick bread has a soft and moist cake-like crumb plus a slightly crispy outside …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, …Read more
Walnut & Pumpkin Seed Scottish Oatcakes are rustic, wholesome savoury biscuits or crackers. Perfect with cheese, pâté, nut butters, or to eat alongside soups, they’re incredibly easy to make and will keep for a month. The main ingredient is oats: make your own oatmeal by whizzing …Read more
Aubergine & Beetroot Moutabal (or baba ganoush) looks beautiful and tastes both smoky and sweet, earthy and mildly spicy. But this Middle Eastern inspired dip or spread with tahini, garlic, lemon and cumin is very easy to make. A whole aubergine is charred under the …Read more
Quick Flatbreads are easy to make and so versatile that every home cook should have this recipe! With no yeast, there’s no kneading and no waiting for the dough to rise. Just fifteen minutes’ rest and you’re ready to go. But, unlike many no-yeast quick flatbreads, …Read more
Cheesy Scottish Oatcakes are easy to make with simple ingredients. But they’re wickedly good! Based on a traditional savoury biscuit or cracker, the addition of cheese takes them to another level. You can eat the cheesy oatcakes as part of a cheeseboard, with pates or …Read more
Roasted Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Mint Pesto is one of my current favourite dishes. Aromatic cumin seeds, fruity and warm Aleppo pepper plus refreshing mint, transform earthy root veg and pulses into a great summer salad. The Mint Pesto that’s the star of the …Read more
Mint Pesto is a lively condiment that takes little more than ten minutes to make. Without the cheese included in the classic Italian basil version, vibrant Mint Pesto is hugely versatile. All you need are: almonds (or substitute your favourite nuts), garlic, a lemon, salt, …Read more
Strawberry & Cucumber Salad with Mint is light and refreshing. So quick to make, it’s perfect for hot summer days. Lovely as a side with fish, meat or barbecued foods. Or try it as a main meal salad topped with feta or goat’s cheese. …Read more
Mushrooms with Miso Butter are intense little flavour bombs! Stuffed with an umami-rich, savoury butter then quickly roasted until golden and bubbling, I think you’re going to love them. Great as a side with steak, chicken or fish, but so good they can be the …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
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
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
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
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
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