Sharing a love of good food - recipes from my kitchen - eating out - great producers & suppliers
Apricot & Almond Scones take a classic combination and use it to flavour wonderfully light, American-style scones. Dried apricots are soaked to bring them back to plump lusciousness and are complemented by flaked almonds and a touch of almond extract. Heavenly with a light drizzle …Read more
As I write, restaurants, cafes and pubs are closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But that doesn’t mean you can’t eat from some of your favourite places. Many now offer a takeaway service, and this week I tried that from Primo Piano in Leek. …Read more
Pasta with Sardines & Fennel is my take on a Sicilian classic, but using convenient and easily available tinned sardines. Fresh fennel, fennel seeds, lemon and garlic are joined by raisins and pine nuts. Topped with crispy mollica breadcrumbs or ‘poor man’s Parmesan’, Pasta with …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
Salsa Verde with Roasted Cauliflower is perfect for those who love robust flavour. With powerful ingredients like garlic, capers, herbs, & optional anchovies, this Italian cold sauce can enliven so many dishes. In this post I give you my version of Salsa Verde & I …Read more
Beer & Cheese Bread with Oats is a hearty, rustic loaf that’s full of flavour. It’s perfect for eating with cheeses, meats and pickles or alongside soups and stews. In this post I show you how to make it using my easy, no-knead overnight method …Read more
Raspberry & Coconut Scones might just be my best ever scone. Bursting with juicy raspberries and with the sweet taste of coconut brought by desiccated coconut, coconut milk and a light coconut drizzle, I think they’re irresistible. Use fresh or frozen raspberries in these American-style …Read more
Mint Cordial, made with just fresh mint, sugar and water, is a refreshing drink on a hot day. Try it over ice and topped with sparkling water or use it in mojito style cocktails with rum, vodka or gin. If you’re blessed with …Read more
Dandelion Syrup made at home is an interesting little project if you’ve plenty of pesticide-free flowers. Use the golden, delicately flavoured syrup as you would honey: over pancakes, at breakfast with yogurt or oats. Indeed anywhere you want to add sweetness with a little intriguing flavour. …Read more
Sourdough Potato Bread has great flavour, a moist, open crumb, and a wonderfully chewy crust. Inspired by an Italian recipe, I make it with my easy no-knead, overnight method which produces a sensational loaf of bread. Wonderful eaten just as it is, spread with butter, in …Read more
One Bowl Meals are a great way of eating a variety of different foods including loads of vegetables. They’re also perfect for using up leftovers plus odds and ends of veg, helping you reduce food waste and save money. Take a look at my examples, …Read more
Sourdough Crackers are a satisfying way of using up excess sourdough starter. But I think they’re so good it’s worth making extra starter just so you can bake them. Great on their own as a tasty nibble, or eat with cheese, dips or as a …Read more
Blueberry & Lemon Scones, studded with juicy fruit & flavoured with zingy lemon zest, are a not-too-sweet, easy to make treat. Use fresh or frozen blueberries in these American-style scones. To most Brits, a scone is something you slice through the middle and …Read more
Cheese & Ham Scones with Wild Garlic are great when you fancy a change from classic cheese scones. Still with plenty of cheese, they’re also studded with little morsels of ham. When wild garlic is in season, I love the subtle flavour it brings. At …Read more
Gazpacho Smoothie with Wild Garlic is a refreshing drink or light meal with lots of raw blended vegetables. Perfect on a hot day, you can substitute a small clove of garlic and greens such as spinach when wild garlic isn’t in season. If you want …Read more
Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake makes use of economical, everyday ingredients in a savoury dish that’s so much more than the sum of its parts. Enjoy as part of a vegetarian dinner that you don’t have to be a vegetarian to find satisfying. Leftovers can …Read more
In this post, I share some of my food and drink from last month, bringing together a selection from the blog and my social media during March 2020. March was a strange month. It started off relatively normal, albeit with fears about just how bad …Read more
Cheat’s Chicken Broth, although made in little more than half an hour, is full of flavour. Using commercial stock cubes and a chicken breast, it’s perfect when you or someone in your house is feeling poorly and needs food that’s easily digestible but nourishing. Make …Read more
The Staffordshire Cheese Company has been making artisan cheese for over twenty-five years. I recently spent a day in their creamery in Cheddleton, learning about and watching them produce their award-winning, handmade cheeses. I even played a teeny part in the production of one of …Read more
Chicken with Peppers is a simple, old Italian dish that needs very few ingredients but is full of flavour. The secret is cooking it gently in a covered pan so the peppers release their juices while the onions and garlic melt down. Together, they create …Read more
Coconut Oil Popcorn made at home is a fraction of the price of those expensive shop bought bags of ‘posh’ popcorn. Ready in less than 10 minutes, you’ll never go back to the packet stuff once you’ve tried this. We all need a …Read more
Microwave Sponge Pudding is just the thing when you want a sweet dessert and fast. After whipping up the batter, your pudding will take just 3 minutes to cook in the microwave. The result is a light and fluffy sponge, just ready to have some …Read more
Roasted Cauliflower Soup is a warming, comforting delight. Made with both milk and stock it’s creamy and velvety without being cloying or overly rich. Topped with crunchy, cheesy and garlicky croutons plus morsels of cheese to melt in as you eat, it’ll chase away the …Read more
Savoury Granola, a mix of seeds and nuts toasted with your choice of flavourings, is great for quickly adding nutrition, texture and flavour to loads of different meals. Kept in a jar in the fridge, a batch will last for weeks, ready to sprinkle over …Read more
Vegetable Slaw with Orange, Honey & Mustard Dressing is one of those recipes adaptable to whatever you happen to have in the fridge. I like a combination of shredded fresh raw vegetables with a good variety of colour. Favourites are crunchy peppers, carrot, onion and …Read more