

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


That lucky dip - lamb and Greg Malouf
"In some ways, the name of the recipe builds a level of excitement and expectation of the dish that can improve the experience of...
Jun 5, 2024


Persuasion
"This would be a recipe to convert anyone who thinks celery is boring." Bee Wilson Well if you can persuade them to try it in the first...
May 15, 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


Desi or dépaysé - inventing comfort food
"Being the child of an immigrant has its own issues because your identity is so torn." Afreena Islam "Desi: a person of birth or descent...
Apr 25, 2024


Nik Sharma - a new Ottolenghi?
"The goal with recipe writing – and I think this rings true for anyone who works in the food world – is to drive people to try new...
Apr 2, 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


Questions arising - a cookbook present
"Emma Freud: Because you aren’t surrounded by an Indian community in the UK, has your cooking become more anglicised? Chetna Makan:...
Jan 10, 2024


Tuscany doesn't really do pasta
"all'etrusco on a Tuscan menu is not mere whimsy. these dishes actually forge a solid link with the past and incorporate the three basic...
Nov 30, 2023


Pictures, words, irritations and detours
“A picture is a poem without words.” Horace Today's post was going to be a riff on this painting, which turned up on my desk calendar...
Nov 27, 2023


Take five - from maths to Jamie
I began this post yesterday, inspired by the painting on the left, but I didn't finish it and anyway I was very dissatisfied with what I...
Nov 14, 2023


Looking for something new with Nigel
"The minute details of cooking continue to fascinate me, the quality of the time we spend in the kitchen, the little kitchen tasks that...
Oct 20, 2023


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


Best - who says?
"Best - "of the most excellent type or quality"; "giving most pleasure, happiest"; "most suitable or appropriate" Oxford Advanced...
Jul 25, 2023


White hot cool and rabbit stew
"A story is way more important than a recipe. A recipe can confuse you but a story ... a story can inspire you." Marco Pierre White...
Jun 26, 2023


Professionally Californian - a blog
"Queen of California Cool Cooking, Patron Saint of Vegetables" Lauren Kodiak/Kitchn I have a list of blog sites I come across now that...
Apr 13, 2023


They say I'm a good cook - but ...
"You have to eat to cook. You can't be a good cook and be a noneater. I think eating is the secret to good cooking." Julia Child...
Apr 12, 2023


Middle-Eastern then and now
"Fusion is just a way of describing what we are doing today. When you think of the Ottoman Empire, that's exactly what they were doing –...
Mar 21, 2023


Three good things on a plate
"It always feels less overwhelming when you remember that you're only 1-2-3 steps away from making a memorable meal." Alice Zaslavsky...
Feb 14, 2023

