

In the middle of France is Berry
"a province unharmed by too many visitors in spite of the reputation of Georges Sand, Alain Fournier and Bourges Cathedral - and of the...
Feb 9, 2023


Eggs - what's in a name?
"The variations on this simple dish are infinite" Robert Carrier Indeed they are and it is perfectly easy to become completely confused...
Feb 5, 2023


Brown but so much more
"Colour fades as flavour deepens: a metaphor for much of life I suggest." Nigella Lawson Which is, indeed food for thought. In her book...
Feb 4, 2023


Mashed potato
"The topic of mashed potato started a heated debate among my colleagues. Half of them insisted it had to be creamy, buttery and have...
Feb 1, 2023


Robert Carrier, tomatoes and indexes
"Cook dinner with Robert Carrier and you’ll need butter, cream, wine and quite a lot of cognac" Jay Rayner It's guru week - by which I...
Jan 30, 2023


French/Indian - did it happen?
"even while the European powers ruled, none of them had any effect on the basic diet of the local people. Rice, mainly 'boiled' rice ,...
Jan 26, 2023


Dinner on 9 June 1979
"You are going to love this : I unearthed the menu you served on 9 June 1979" Wendy Wendy is a friend from long ago, and now a faithful...
Dec 27, 2022


Not much to say about asparagus soup
"It sort of goes against the grain to turn the most beautiful of vegetables into a soup." Simon Hopkinson My next first recipe has been...
Dec 18, 2022


Little vinegar - vinaigrette
“it seems to me that a salad and its dressing are things we should take more or less for granted at a meal, like bread and salt; and not...
Dec 1, 2022


Baked apples - so many ways
"All millionaires love a baked apple" Ronald Firbank This all started with a purchase of a big bag of i'Mperfect apples from Coles by...
Nov 26, 2022


One soup or four?
"Our primary purpose in this book is to teach you how to cook, so that you will understand the fundamental techniques and gradually be...
Nov 9, 2022


Brioche à l'ancienne
"An idea is like a chocolate brioche. You have to let it cool to see if it is really good" I take my inspiration from anywhere I can get...
Sep 6, 2022


Coq au vin - slow food or quick and easy?
"The entire recipe for coq au vin in one popular cookbook, now in its third printing, read: 'Cut up two broilers. Brown them in butter...
Jul 25, 2022


The Bordelaise challenge
"Classic bordelaise sauce, which can transform shoe leather into strip steak, is made with veal stock, demi-glace and time - a lot of...
Jul 20, 2022


A new lucky dip - an old book
"This is not the cuisine for the housewife-in-a-hurry. But if time is available, how can it be better spent, how used to give greater...
Jul 20, 2022


Ignoring writer's block tricks
"Quotes are nothing but inspiration for the uninspired" Richard Kemp I'm going through one of my uninspired patches, which is when I...
Jul 18, 2022


The challenge of a French vegetarian meal
This weekend the family is at last celebrating the three June birthdays at my son's house. We shall all be contributing to the feast. ...
Jul 13, 2022


"The most exciting meal of my life"
This is me, roundabout the age of fifteen I think, and so a little older than when I experienced the most exciting meal of my life. It's...
Jun 30, 2022


Clafoutis
"This seemingly simple recipe baffled me for many years, as I endlessly ended up with a leaden duffer of a pud, so much so that I quite...
Jun 5, 2022


La daube provençal - so very, very good
"I have executed, with loyal respect, printed formulas for daubes in the interest of analysis and comparison but, left to my own devices...
May 30, 2022

