Not all salads need to be green.
When 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 moreChilled pea and mint shooters
Peas, mint and lemon are all flavours that taste like sunshine.
And together they make a zingy, healthy and chilled soup that’s ready in no time at all. They’re ideal as a starter, or better still, an accompaniment to charred meat and fish that’s hot off the coals.
Read moreCourgette noodle salad perfect for BBQ’s
I was asked recently to ‘do a bit of food’ for a pitch at work.
In 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 moreSweet potato fritters with charred corn
I’ve eaten some great scran in airports.
But never here in the UK. We all know British airports aren’t known for their culinary treasures. They’re known for 7am pints, substandard fry ups and lukewarm fast food. The most you can hope for is a pint or two of Stella and a slight wooziness as you board your flight, full of melty cheese, wobbly bacon and scorched coffee. Healthy food it is not.
Read moreCauliflower fritters with curry spice dip
Tastes good, feels good, does good.
Like a lot of folk, I’m not great at being told what I can and can’t do. And this is no more in evidence than when food is concerned. Cue grumpy face.
Read moreChick pea fritters with coconut riata
A veggie breakthrough.
I eat a lot of green dishes through the week, but for some reason few of them manage to make it to the blog. Determined to put a stop to this seemingly anti-vegetarianism, I need to break the cycle with a meat-free main — cue this hearty and healthy creation.
Read moreHasselback potatoes
Meet the cooler cousin of the baked potato.
Now, I’ve got nowt bad to say about the jacket spud... Crispy outer? Fluffy insides? Smothered in lashings of salty butter? Ooh go on then. But as tasty as they may be, for me they just feel more at home as a casual week night dinner rather than as part of a special meal.
Read moreFilled and grilled avocados
One of nature’s jewels.
The classic way to eat an avocado has got to be to pack it full of prawns in marie rose sauce. I must have had this 1970’s treat a hundred times courtesy of my beloved grandma. I ate it so often as a child that to this day whenever I visit her she makes sure to have one or two avocados in for me to scoff. That and a pork pie, but that’s another story.
Read moreSmoked tomato soup
A reciprocal arrangement.
I spied these little mugs in a charity shop last week, at £3 for the 4 of them I picked them up immediately. Mathew eyed me with that ‘we have no space for those’ look, but I didn’t let that stop me “Look how cute they are!” I said, clutching them, and before he could reply I hurried to the till.
Read morePotato and pea samosas with coriander and cucumber raita
Some flavours are hard to forget.
It was the autumn of 2004 and me, my boyfriend at the time and some of our friends were on an Indian adventure.
Instead of seeing friends off on their round the world traveling mission here in blighty, we decided to accompany them on the first leg of their journey — kicking off in Goa.
Read moreJamaican style curried pumpkin soup with coriander salsa
Soup season is back.
And what better way to stay healthy, to warm your cockles, eat seasonably and keep cash in your pocket than with the humble soup.
Read moreKiller Mac ’n’ Cheese
Lazy luxury with Lurpak.
I was contacted by the good folk at Lurpak recently, asking if I’d like to host their October Bake Club and be the month’s mentor, sharing my version of mac ’n’ cheese. I jumped at the chance — cook and share a dish made with lashings of lovely butter with fellow food lovers? Count me in.
Read morePortabella mushrooms with romesco sauce, fresh pesto and goat’s cheese
Too much of a good thing.
It can be all too easy to get stuck in a dinnertime rut. The same old favourite dishes cropping up time and again – if you’re not careful you can love them to the point of extinction. No popular meal should have to suffer this fate.
Read moreFour gluten free dips with seeded spelt flatbreads
A pretty and tasty way to get your 5 a day…
Especially useful during work when it’s easy to fall into the naughty snack trap.
Spinach, pea and puy lentil soup with chives and Stilton cream
Soup season is upon us.
And in my book there’s no easier way to cram in your five a day at the same time as getting a big dose of comfort, than with a humble soup.
Mixed mushrooms with tarragon and English mustard
Game changer alert.
Every once in a while a really simply recipe does the rounds that gets even nay-sayers to love an ingredient they usually avoid.
Pea, lemon and ricotta griddle cakes with roasted red pepper yogurt
Fancy something ‘green’? These griddle cakes should hit the spot.
If like me you sometimes find it difficult to squeeze in all the vegetables we’re supposed to eat in a day, then this recipe is for you.
Courgette and ricotta griddle cakes with homemade tzatziki
Money and its management has never been my strong point.
But this last few months I’ve been much more strict with my spending, especially when it comes to food (as you might imagine I’ve the propensity to go a little overboard).
Tarka dhal with crispy ginger
I think dhal is my favourite Indian dish.
I know the dhal family are classed as accompaniments and curry evangelists might think me a bit of a pansy for saying that, but I just can’t help it.