

Lucky dip - other greens
"If you can imagine a buttery, meltingly soft, mustard-greens-flavoured polenta, this is it." Madhur Jaffrey There were a couple of...
Jun 13, 2021


A special bargain
"Nothing is cheap which is superfluous, for what one does not need, is dear at a penny." Plutarch I'm trying to get back to the David's...
Jun 12, 2021


Prunes - a beginning
"The prune is a dried plum, full of sunshine and sweetness." Jane Grigson I had to open a large packet of prunes for my Persian chicken...
Jun 5, 2021


Making your own cheese
"You're definitely, definitely better off buying cheese from people who know what they're doing, But, it is fun". Juliet Harbutt This...
Jun 1, 2021


Sweetly appetising dates
"a kind of guilt-free, natural toffee" Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall I'm pretty sure I've done dates in a general sense before but somehow...
May 29, 2021


Orange juice
"Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine." Anita Bryant La Garde Freinet - where Johnny Depp used to live, looking...
May 24, 2021


Chicken and asparagus - a pairing
This was going to be a short and sharp quickie - and probably not a very interesting one at that - as I was running out of time yesterday....
May 22, 2021


Preserving capsicums without poisoning yourself
"Consider, for a moment, the sweet pepper. No other plant demands so much, gives so little, yet keeps us coming back for more." Hank Shaw...
May 4, 2021


Nut butters
"The peanut butter I prefer is the one whose ingredient list contains two words. Peanuts. Salt. Anything else doesn't get a place in my...
Apr 15, 2021


Custard
"The French call it crème anglaise, which says everything about our love for it." Felicity Cloake I'm writing about custard - well...
Apr 11, 2021


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

