

Ordinary and exceptional
There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. C. S. Lewis I consider myself to be an ordinary person. Indeed a...
May 30, 2021


Do you know about okonomiyaki?
" it’s a loose collection of ingredients bound by the barest amount of glue." Felicity Cloake Last week's How to cook the perfect ......
May 18, 2021


Ice-cream - weird and/or just a bit different
"If you give someone a spoonful of this and tell them that it's crab ice cream, they'll recoil. But tell them that it's frozen crab...
May 14, 2021


Roast potatoes a thousand and one ways
"done right, they are a glimpse of heaven. The trick is to find the point at which fat, salt and heat combine to turn raw tubers into...
May 12, 2021


Patatas bravas
"no one made patatas bravas at home: 'They go to bars to try them. It is a social dish.'" Barcelona bar owner It's also one of those...
May 9, 2021


Singapore crabs
"this sticky, juicy, messy bowl of joy." Felicity Cloake Last week's "How to make the perfect ..." was Singapore chilli crab which is...
May 6, 2021


Before I forget
Well I have sort of forgotten what this was. It's a spaghetti carbonara, I know that much, but this photo has been sitting on my desktop...
Apr 29, 2021


Fairy floss
"The fluffy carnival treat is like nothing else edible. What else feels lighter than air in your hand and seems to evaporate once it gets...
Apr 22, 2021


Old English apple pie
"the apple pie is one of the great dishes of this island, and one that has spread right round the world, recognisably British still,...
Apr 21, 2021


What makes lasagne so good?
“Lasagna: the world's most perfect food!” 'Garfield' (Jim Davis) Last night we had three of our grandchildren staying overnight and they...
Apr 14, 2021


Quattro gatti (four cats) and bread gnocchi
a moment in time Back in 2016 on the way from France into Italy, we stayed at a divine bed and breakfast - the Palazzo di Monteoliveto...
Apr 10, 2021


Solving a dilemma with cheese and onions
"Cheese and onion, like Morecambe and Wise or gin and tonic, is one of those combinations that just works. It is far and away the best...
Apr 9, 2021


On fish stews - a lucky dip
"The line dividing a soup from a stew is often infirm." Richard Olney This particular lucky dip has been sitting next door to me on my...
Apr 7, 2021


Basically French
There are two inspirations for today's blog - a first recipe and this photograph. The photograph comes from my daily art desk calendar. ...
Mar 31, 2021


Tzatziki
"Tzatziki, while being a ridiculously fun word to say and a very good name for a dog if you are in need of one, is a classic Greek...
Mar 29, 2021


Fish pie and Fridays
"It's the warm, fuzzy equivalent of settling down for the Sunday afternoon film with a mug of tea" Felicity Cloake No it's not Friday,...
Mar 28, 2021


Some more weekend oddments
"Make everyday your weekend. Make everyday a play-day …” James A. Murphy It's the weekend again and again I find myself searching for...
Mar 27, 2021


Yum - potato salads for your Easter brunch
"What some call the “humble” spud, I think of as the most versatile, ever-surprising and flexible of vegetables. ... Even zooming in on...
Mar 26, 2021


Pork pies - uniquely English
"The thing I can't resist is a pork pie. That's my idea of a lovely treat." Delia Smith My granddaughter and grandson, who both go to the...
Mar 16, 2021


Roll'd - a family success story
"Roll'd has been compared to Vietnamese eateries in Footscray, Richmond and Springvale. I reckon it's a little more 'citified' than that...
Mar 5, 2021

