

Solving the leftover problem - 1
"The main flavouring ingredients should be well spiced and piquant; they can vary according to the taste and skill of the cook." Jane...
Oct 29, 2023


From world's worst to best - Scotland
"Scotland has undoubtedly gifted us with the weirdest and most wonderful combinations of foodstuffs the world has ever seen." Rosie...
Oct 21, 2023


Normandy apples and cream
"The best thing I know between France and England is the sea." Douglas William Jerrold Last week was a guru week and it was Jane...
Oct 16, 2023


Apples from Winton
"Passing time adds false memories and modifies real ones." Stephen King Eons ago I studied geography as one of my three A-level subjects....
Oct 13, 2023


Tamarind can do anything
"the optimal blend of umami and tang" Marion's Kitchen One more thing from the Black Cake book - tamarind. Well in the book it was...
Oct 12, 2023


Tradition and black cake
"Tradition is only about what people have or have not done. It's not about what they are capable of doing. And it's not about what they...
Oct 11, 2023


A-Z
"Chaos was the law of nature; Order was the dream of man." Henry Adams This is a kind of postscript to my recent post on language as part...
Oct 6, 2023


L'apéro
"People who wish to discipline the sexual organs should avoid drinking those artificial concoctions which are called 'aperitifs'"...
Sep 26, 2023


Life, the universe and everything on your plate
"Food is never just something to eat." Margaret Visser This plate is some 5000 years old. It's from ancient, ancient Egypt and depicts...
Sep 24, 2023


Cabbage rolls from long ago
Once upon a time I sat in this very spot and gazed upon the Mostar bridge. Well I am 90% certain it was in this spot - although, when I...
Sep 20, 2023


Salted caramel
"Its popularity may come from its effects on the reward systems of the human brain, resulting in 'hedonic escalation'". Wikipedia Is this...
Sep 15, 2023


Sainte Ménéhould
"I only wish I could have cooked it for her, as I know it was one of her favourites. We would have drunk a bottle of old Rhone with it....
Sep 14, 2023


History in a kind of pancake - or flatbread, maybe even chips
Cecina, Asfrisciolata, Socca, Turta, Turtellassu, Fainá, Torta di ceci, Calentita, Panisse, Panelle, Pizza a caballo ... so many names...
Sep 9, 2023


India and potatoes
"Potatoes seem to have become the roots of Indian cuisine, but India's relationship with potatoes is a little over 300 years." Armaan...
Sep 4, 2023


So retro, so English and so unavailable
"The prominence that American food has gained within the last century has led to redcurrant sauce being partially replaced by cranberry...
Sep 1, 2023


The Country captain dispute(s)
"I have yet to find two explanations for the name of this dish that agree!" Madhur Jaffrey Or two recipes that more or less align come...
Aug 31, 2023


Deliciously English
"sometimes it takes years of looking at other countries to realise how wonderful your own actually is." Jamie Oliver I'm sort of killing...
Aug 28, 2023


Crunchy spaghetti
"to move freely, a starting point is required" Rachel Roddy My starting point today is this dish - Spaghetti all'assassina which Rachel...
Aug 23, 2023


Fiddling around with THE cake
"These cakes, which are half pudding, half cakes can never fail. If they are undercooked they make a fine dessert with cream. They are...
Aug 22, 2023


Chapatis - first recipe, first food
"as with all bread-making, this is not the time for guesswork" Bob Granleese/The Guardian I have to say that as I read about chapatis,...
Aug 19, 2023

