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Especially a food one. That said, anything that makes new ideas and ingredients easier to come by is alright by me. Like the current trend for all things vegetarian and vegan, which it would seem, are this seasons new colours.
Read moreRound these parts, when illness strikes of the cold and flu variety, the first thing my mind turns to is soup. Nope, not chicken soup (though I am partial to a good chook broth) but aromatic, zingy, spicy Thai soups.
Read moreThe sweet potato is crammed full of nutrients as well as being high on the comfort scale. I like to roast it hasselback style, topped with chopped chillies, salt and fresh rosemary. Like this it’s the perfect side to steaks, stewed chicken or even a hearty slow cooked lamb shank.
Read moreFor the third issue of Superfood Magazine I was asked to come up with six soup recipes, dishes to warm your wintery cockles and that put a spring in your step, and this was one I just had to include.
Read moreA far cry from the bread and butter pudding of my childhood, where scorched little raisins sat on top of burnt bread with a soggy milky underside (sorry auntie, puds just weren’t your forte) this one is rich and creamy, full of fresh homemade vanilla custard that’s soaked in to soft buttery brioche and comes complete with a crisp creme brûlée style top.
Read moreLaksa, tom kha soup and the piña colada are just a few of my favourite coconutty things, and now the coconut is having its moment in fashion I get to scoff it in all manner of stuff from snack bars to juices, which pleases me no end.
Read moreWe’ve all done it, come back from the food shop with random things you didn’t plan on buying, only later to find yourself wondering “what was I thinking?”.
Read morePicking up on ingredients in dishes when I’m out and about and figuring out what’s in them and how their tastes fit together, banking them in my head for future reference when I’m in my kitchen at home. But there are times when try as I might, I haven’t the foggiest what the flavours are that I’m tasting — like the first time I ate the Mexican pibil.
Read moreLeaf through a historical cook book and you’ll find all sorts of strange dishes (deer kidney with dates, anyone?). But there are some gems that we’ve held on to, like shepherds pie, toad in the hole, the roast dinner, and good old fashioned stew and dumplings.
Read moreSome ingredients have magical properties, the ability to change a dish completely. Like smoked paprika, a pinch of saffron, a chunk of chocolate, a sprinkling of truffle salt or a zingy preserved lemon (or two), though obviously not all at once. That’d be dinner disaster.
Read moreIf you fancy making some that’s more this decade than the old fashioned fave, baked camembert, why not give these a go – wedges of taleggio in crispy sourdough breadcrumbs, finished with a little sticky balsamic. Ooosh.
Read moreI’ve posted lots of variations on the fritter theme, crammed with everything from chick peas to cauliflower and sweet potato. These ones see carrots and courgettes take a turn, and I reckon they’re the best of the lot. It might be something to do with all the cheese in them...
Read moreIs the last thing you want your veggie pasta to make you think. And in this little take on the familiar classic, meat has no place and it isn’t missed one bit.
Read moreWhen I cottoned on to the fact that salads don’t have to be leaf based, my healthier eating options opened up a whole load more.
Read moreCod simmered in chorizo and saffron spiked broth with chick peas, lemon and parsley. Just typing it makes my mouth water.
Read moreIn the space of a week it managed to go from a couple of sample dishes using the clients produce to a 5 dish lunch for 15 people. Cooked on the roof. On an industrial BBQ. In 28 degree heat. No pressure then.
Read moreWhen pushed for time in the kitchen I often reach for pasta. But in an attempt to break away from the riff off a tomato sauce that I catch myself making on auto pilot, I figured I’d see what could be conjured out of some of my other favourite store cupboard and fridge staples instead.
Read moreEspecially when you’ve got a craving for Indian food, which I always think of as taking a while to prepare. But, spending a little time making your own Indian spice blend means you can easily and quickly put together family friendly dishes, even in the middle of weeknight madness.
Read moreI first encountered this concoction in a Peruvian restaurant in Soho on a Sunday night (as one does). The food was good but the drinks were better, especially when the barman gave me a shot of a mysterious golden syrup to try. It took just a fraction of a second figure out what it was — sour, sweet and electric on my tastebuds, it was unmistakably pineapple. I was hooked.
Read moreThis is my favourite Thai salad. I love it more than the seared beef noodle one and more than the green papaya one, which means it is utterly delicious.
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