

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


The continental breakfast
"Nothing illustrates the British disdain for Europe like the concept of Continental Breakfast." The History Woman's Blog Inspiration for...
May 24, 2022


Terrine de campagne
"Remember that it will taste better the next day" Jane Grigson A busy week is looming so it's possible there will not be many posts this...
Feb 14, 2022


Crème fraïche
"For me, crème fraïche is the number one top of the pops cook's ingredient in the cream family." Delia Smith The first time I...
Feb 3, 2022


I do like to be beside the seaside
Such is my lack of inspiration at the moment I am today combining two of my writer's block stimuli - a moment in time and a lucky dip. I...
Jan 30, 2022


Crème brulée - it's really English
"For some reason, a bowl of custard isn't seen as an appropriate dessert for a grown adult – but scorch the top and give it a French name...
Dec 27, 2021


Quickies - just a few
I don't have much time today so here are some quickies. Lychee granita - this is a photograph of a Donna Hay recipe for Lychee and...
Dec 2, 2021


My pissaladière story
"just add spring sunshine and a glass of wine" Andrew McConnell Tonight my local book group is meeting to choose our books for next year....
Dec 1, 2021


Elizabeth David's Carbonnade Nîmoise
is it 'authentic' or did she make it up? On Saturday we finally ate Carbonnade Nîmoise - a very old favourite recipe of Elizabeth...
Nov 15, 2021


Sauce soubise
"I think of soubise as the cashmere jumper of sauces. Nothing can compete with its soft, cosseting qualities." Nigel Slater Maybe I...
Oct 28, 2021


Flamiche - a first recipe
"my favourite savoury tart" Gabriel Gaté It could be mine too if I think about it. And I don't make it often enough - probably because...
Oct 15, 2021


Worrying about aioli
"Casting salt and a squeeze of lemon juice aside, the recipe only has three ingredients: get one of them wrong and the whole thing loses...
Oct 3, 2021


Duck confit - easy but expensive
"there are few things I have ever eaten that more effectively illustrate the point of the whole damn business that is home cooking." ...
Aug 24, 2021

