

Cool as a cucumber
"Pert as a pear-monger I'd be, If Molly were but kind; Cool as a cucumber could see The rest of womankind" John Gay 1732 I was going to...
Sep 26, 2024


Simple essentials - Nigel's first recipes
"Small details that make a big difference" Nigel Slater It's first recipe time and working my way through my bookshelves I have come to...
Sep 3, 2024


Not quite Pasta alla Norma
"Eggplant is slowly fried until burnished and rich with olive oil, then served with pasta in a garlicky tomato sauce and garnished with...
Aug 10, 2024


My kitchen bit by bit - 2
"Anything can be a lodestar in a person's life, I suppose, and for some fortunates like me, the kitchen serves well." MFK Fisher Which...
Jul 23, 2024


Rambling around osso buco
“the meat soft as the leg of an angel who has lived a purely airborne existence.” Billy Collins This post is all down to a first recipe...
Jul 21, 2024


Stephanie's idea of 'simple'
"A lot is said about simplicity in modern, Fench-influenced cookery. I find it very difficult to find a suitable definition of a simple...
Jun 28, 2024


The first 46 pages before ...
"The introduction is the first and best chance to win the attention of people who otherwise would not care." Martin Lloyd-Jones Inspired...
Jun 7, 2024


First recipe impact - is it why we buy?
"without naming names, I find that many miss out on the opportunity to sell the casual reader by making your first recipe absolutely...
May 7, 2024


Variations - granola
"There is no real recipe for it, as it is made to the taste of the person preparing it." Family Spice Yes I know - this is not granola. ...
Apr 8, 2024


A is for Alexanders, Z is for Zander - A-Z
"Every culinary endeavour begins with ingredients." Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall What a slightly creepy conjunction of names - Alexanders...
Mar 16, 2024


Almost 50 years post Cuisine Minceur
"This was far and away the most influential cookery book of the latter half of the last century. It affected almost everything we eat...
Feb 17, 2024


Cuisine heureuse - two men and a first recipe
"Books are so much more than simply a collection of words. They are glimpses into an epoch and the author's soul." François de...
Jan 29, 2024


Changing the form, but retaining the spirit
“When I opened up my first restaurant it was never to cook Greek food the way most people had seen it.” Peter Conistis The dish at left...
Jan 17, 2024


A postscript on first recipes
As a self-taught cook, I learned through cookbooks and love them dearly. There's an evolution to learning to cook this way and choosing...
Oct 18, 2023


Hot sauce - or is it a bath?
"it is a dish which essentially needs the accompaniment of plenty of strong coarse red wine, such as the local Barbera. It is also...
Oct 17, 2023


Venice leeks and what's for dinner tonight?
"Perhaps no one ever gets to know Venice as much as they remember her, recall her from an episode in some other dream." Marlena de Blasi...
Oct 1, 2023


Cabbage, potatoes, Portugal, soup - basic
"I have written this book to introduce Portuguese dishes to cooks in this country, rather than to tell them what to eat in Portugal." ...
Sep 19, 2023


Classic - apple pie
"Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." Jane Austen The first thing to say is that this is a first recipe...
Sep 10, 2023


Coconut rice - so many ways
"Truly fluffy coconut rice eluded me for years. I felt like I tried every variation possible, but when I lifted the lid, I’d stare at...
Jul 27, 2023


An oldie but a goodie
"There was this woman tossing French omelettes, splashing eggs about the place, brandishing big knives, panting heavily as she careened...
Jul 11, 2023

