

Capsicum stuffed with tomatoes
"an Italian idea that has been put into words well by Elizabeth David, Simon Hopkinson and Nigel Slater among many others. And no wonder – it is such a good idea" Rachel Roddy I spent another happy almost hour with Nigel today, checking out his book Tender volume 1 for my lunch party on Sunday. If you remember I had forgotten to check this volume out. And of course there were heaps of other possibilities in addition to what I wrote about the other day, but I think I will
Dec 12, 2025


Thickening with bread - a ramble
"Where there is stale bread there is home." Juls' Kitchen This was going to be a blog about the different ways you can thicken things. ...
Aug 29, 2025


Recent eating - from the thrown together to the sublime
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and I guess that's what I have been trying to do for almost 60 years now. So I...
Jun 21, 2025


Chicken and green peppercorns for dinner
“It was there all the time: That small, green, aromatic, fresh berry that eventually becomes our common black or white peppercorn was...
Nov 30, 2024


"Potatoes cooked in olive oil or butter"
"Because they absorb a good deal of whatever fat they are cooked in, it follows that the fat should always be the best possible." ...
Oct 19, 2024


An Elizabeth David recipe - some thoughts
"It is her recipes that I am grateful to have found as they are not traditional and they are not precise" The Simply Luxurious Life...
Oct 17, 2024


Collectors and/or creators
"it’s about familiarising yourself with ingredients and understanding flavours." Alex Hely Hutchinson There are so many things that you...
Sep 20, 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


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


Elizabeth vs Nigel - pastry, onions, cheese
"my favourite savoury tart. It made it's first appearance in Appetite and I make it to this day." Nigel Slater A few weeks ago now, in...
Jul 12, 2024


An empty week
"One seventh of your life is spent on Monday." Aldous Huxley Actually it is now Tuesday, which demonstrates some of what I was going to...
May 28, 2024


A sort of French heritage
"What had stuck was the taste for a kind of food quite ideally unlike anything I had known before. Ever since, I have been trying to...
May 19, 2024


Allspice
"Everything is in there: it gives you a hint of cinnamon, nutmeg, that pepper-y, clove-y taste, all of these different flavours out of...
Feb 12, 2024


An unexpected delight
"God bless the French lunch hour." Elizabeth David A lucky dip. Elizabeth David's book of essays and writings from here and there, An...
Nov 5, 2023


Deconstructing Tomates Provençales
"Why mess with perfection?" Jamie of Jamie and Julia I began with this Baked tomatoes, crumbs and herbs from Nigel Slater in a recent...
Sep 21, 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


Orzo or rice? with chicken
"an urgent need for dishes that served to soothe rather than excite. " Nigel Slater Nigella gets top billing again - this time with her...
Sep 16, 2023


Bitter sweet - chocolate mousse memories
"No matter how many new desserts come along, the classic chocolate mousse is rarely met with anything but delight." Nigel Slater This is...
Aug 30, 2023


Mare nostrum
"When visitors to France and Spain, in particular, drive towards the sea they say that the sensation at a certain point is of opening a...
May 24, 2023


Carrot soup
"a recipe designed to be as fluid as the weather" Nigel Slater Yesterday I wrote about boredom and looking at the title of this post you...
Apr 29, 2023

