Great recipes made as simple as possible, but no simpler
Just three ingredients – if you count different flours as one. A long recipe for my first blog post, but not as complicated as it looks. You’ll end up with a tasty, chewy loaf, with a burnished crust; almost unrelated to supermarket-sliced, with a fraction …
Jackie asked for this recipe, and since I’ve been doing a bit of editing of Dad’s blog (grad jobs get too much hype), I’ve decided to stage a full on take over. He’s gallivanting in Texas, he’ll never know. Unless he uses his own new …
You could eat bacon and eggs every night, but sometimes I need a carb-fix too. Easier than you think and well worth the modest effort. A soothing dish that reminds me of my yoga instructor adding “gently” to every direction. Just a few ingredients, so …
Jackie asked for this recipe, and since I’ve been doing a bit of editing of Dad’s blog (grad jobs get too much hype), I’ve decided to stage a full on take over. He’s gallivanting in Texas, he’ll never know. Unless he uses his own new …
I’ve been sacrificing my liver in a gallant effort to find blog-worthy cocktail recipes. Here’s a summery one which fits the bill – an Old Friend. It is barely adapted from an adapted recipe on diffordsguide.com; a marvellous resource where you list all the bottles …
An easy curry accompaniment, or spruce it up with a handful of frozen prawns and fresh asparagus. If you’re trying to cook on a camp fire in a gale in the Lake District – no, the teaser Instagram photo wasn’t taken by me – then …
There’s no shortage of Banana Bread recipes available, but in her second guest post, Nellie has honed this one to perfection. Hovering just the right side of the bread/cake divide, not too sweet, but crammed full of walnuts and dark chocolate. The bread is moist …
Spring is coming when the wild garlic appears, interspersed with bluebells, daffodils and anemones. In the title picture, the wide leaves are the wild garlic; the narrow bunch are bluebells. Just saying. We all know what nettles look like, but I’m afraid the hazelnuts and …
Dad worked in Leipzig in the 1990’s, just after German reunification. The Elbe, which flowed sluggishly nearby, was the most polluted river in Europe, so his Elbe Fishing Club would meet instead at bars around the city. Sauerkraut wasn’t served, as Dad is not a …
Top tip – don’t go outside to kick a ball around when your marmalade is bubbling away. The good news was that my induction hob is easy to clean and this recipe is fairly forgiving – so despite my attempts to mess it up, the …
Our bake-off entry for a Zoom get-together. The theme was ‘memorable travels’ – we have not actually been to Marrakesh together, but maybe one day… However, this adaption of a Diana Henry apricot and almond cake seemed to evoke the tastes and smells of the …
I’ve been meaning to share this guest post for at least six months, but until now, never managed to recreate the lovely dish Atlanta prepared nonchalantly in Cornwall this summer. This was despite her sending me the recipe straight afterwards, in curry-coloured font. A long …
A large bowl of tangerines and a few other forlorn citrus fruits were revived by some not-so-seasonal booze, as was the family member who’d resorted to playing patience. 300ml Mount Gay rum 150ml Martini Rosso 75ml Campari 500ml citrus juice – I squeezed 8 tangerines, …
A gently spiced soup for a cold, damp day. Not quite as nice as a hug, but it will make you feel warm inside nevertheless. The recipe – originally from MOB Kitchen – was amended by Phoebe and tweaked further by me. Roasting the vegetables …
Everyone has their version of ragu Bolognese, so I’m a little nervous making cocky claims about mine, but it is good I promise… As ever, low (temperature) and slow (cooking) is the key. 100g streaky smoked bacon – sliced into small strips, say 3mm 2 …
Not as enticing a name as ‘Green Tomato Chutney’ I know, but more accurate given that many of mine were shades of orange at the point summer ended. Chutneys and pickles are a new world for me in the kitchen and I’m realising that making …
We always used to tease Mum that she was no good at pastry. Her certificate from the Cordon Bleu School in Paris was for a Très Bien degree, but it had ‘avec pâtisserie’ crossed out, as she had not completed that module. This guest recipe …
…with a cheeky bit of lobster. I’d planned to add smoked haddock to this comforting chunky soup, but the fishmonger was “all out, so what about a lovely cooked lobster instead?” I’m glad he persuaded me, as it was a fine addition to a dish …
Not the most alluring title, but less clunky than “Chicken and chorizo with peppers and butter beans”. It tasted even better reheated a couple of days later, after the flavours had mingled and mellowed in the fridge. More of a curate’s egg of a dish …
Yet another riff on a Nigel Slater recipe, this time ‘A hot, sweet plum chutney’ from Tender Volume Two. His description is apt. I added an aniseed tinge because I thought it would taste good and swapped some raisins for prunes, as the cupboard was …
Smoky, sweet, sour, hot… what’s not to like? I’m chuffed to have reduced the three ingredients in Black Axe Mangal’s recipe to two, albeit by substituting some naturally sweet vinegar. 150g large chillies 250ml Natural Umber Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with Mother – quite a …
You could eat bacon and eggs every night, but sometimes I need a carb-fix too. Easier than you think and well worth the modest effort. A soothing dish that reminds me of my yoga instructor adding “gently” to every direction. Just a few ingredients, so …
Another dish dictated by what was to hand, rather than what was called for, with the added benefit that I can claim the resulting recipe as my own. In Lucas Hollweg’s lovely original the fish nestled on a bed of spinach, which sounds yummy, but …