

Melons - choose a good one and eat
"Beyond a slice of prosciutto, there is little anyone can do with a truly ripe melon that can make it a better thing. I will go along...
Apr 5, 2021


Vegemite versus Marmite
Australians will always prefer Vegemite as Vegemite actually tastes like Australia. The English are welcome to their mild Marmite, it...
Apr 1, 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


Carrots as heroes
"After the potato, what's the first thing on the veg shopping list? The carrot." Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall Indeed - and that's what I...
Mar 23, 2021


Same old same old ... Part 1 - Parmesan and ricotta
Every day - 365 days a year - for I don't know how many years now, this lady makes ricotta twice a day, and helps her husband make...
Mar 18, 2021


Patatas a la riojana (+ chorizo) - a lucky dip
"one of the greatest dishes created by man ... it should represent Spain all over the world." Paul Bocuse I should say at the outset...
Feb 16, 2021


Stems and stalks
"It's such a nice surprise to learn stalks and stems are so delicious." Sean Moran I felt quite proud of my dinner last night - shown...
Feb 5, 2021


Crispy chilli sauce/oil
"Chile crisp is the garlicky, spicy, crunchy condiment that somehow works in everything from noodles to ice cream to peanut brittle."...
Feb 4, 2021


Carp - the most farmed fish in the world
"eat a fish, save a river" Maggie Beer If only it was that simple. Although we could certainly try harder than we do at the moment. ...
Feb 1, 2021


Coincidence, postscripts and lucky dips
"Very few cookbooks contain recipes for guinea fowl. Most chicken or pheasant recipes can be interchanged with guinea fowl". Maggie Beer...
Jan 31, 2021


Cucumber cool - so many ways
"Cucumbers have come to a special glory in recent years. Partly it is the result of being able to buy them round the 12 months. Even...
Jan 23, 2021


Flake, flakes, flaked, flaky ...
"People aren't really poor until they start using water on their corn flakes." Nancy Reagan I have been much taken of late by the use...
Jan 22, 2021


Gochujang and chillies
"Chillies great gift, for us, is their ability to somehow marry together a range of flavours - or even to wake up the palate to the...
Jan 17, 2021


A fashionable ingredient
"Really, add this spice to anything that calls for a layer of slow-building heat" Aliza Abarbanel - Bon Appétit I'm easing myself into...
Jan 14, 2021


It's hot - what to cook? A first recipe
"How one learns to dread the season for salads in England." Elizabeth David I personally dread the season for salads, meaning summer,...
Jan 11, 2021


The last of Christmas - Brussels sprouts
"The Marmite of the Christmas dinner table." Countryside Marmite is one of those umami things, so I can only assume that the writer of...
Jan 5, 2021


Marzipan and Eccles cakes
I have made a list of topics to write a post on - currently mostly with a Christmassy bent even though Christmas is now done and dusted...
Dec 29, 2020


Doro wat - lucky dip part 2
"patiently tending pots over the fire, coaxing flavour out of stone soup." Niki Kopcke - The Guardian This is the dish that I turned to...
Dec 17, 2020


The Christmas ham takeover
"always surplus to requirements given the 6kg of cold poultry sitting in the fridge" Felicity Cloake I know I've said it before but it...
Dec 14, 2020


Lucky dip - old English red cabbage
"The longer it stews, the more nutty and succulent it becomes, without losing its character: in fact it seems to taste better with...
Dec 8, 2020

