I want to start this post by saying thank you so, so much to everyone who has liked, shared or commented on my various posts announcing the birth of my first book, Do Yourself a Flavour. It’s pretty nuts to be able to say that I’m an author, so please do enjoy this meme made … Continue reading On Progress: Sweet potato in coconut and chilli broth
At risk of turning into Sir Nigel Slater, I ask you of you this: is there any combination of onions, bacon, potatoes and cheese that doesn't taste good together? The best, most obvious amalgamation of the above is the outrageously rich dish of tartiflette, which contains so much cheese that it's actually illegal for lactose … Continue reading Excellent Potato, Onion, Bacon and Cheese Thing
THE "GET TO THE RECIPE" BIT: It’s always a bit of a cop-out option to start any piece of writing by talking about the words you hate, but I’m going to do it here anyway, because I am feeble in the face of linguistic convenience. So, among ‘hearty,’ ‘yummy,’ ‘flavoursome’ (or its barfsome American cousin, … Continue reading FULLY NOURISHED: Scotch Broth with chilli, lemon and kale
Oh. It's January. How has that happened? It was June last week, then I ate some turkey, and now everyone on my social media feed is making vegan beef forerib out of beetroot and cashew nuts. I decided long ago, on the grounds of an irrational hatred of the Gregorian calendar (base twelve makes me … Continue reading Curried Cauliflower Puffs and Why Christmas Isn’t Over Yet
Part I: the context It started with a message from my pal Sophie around midday: "We are bringing venison to the bothy. Would you like to help cook it?" I squealed with delight, in the same way that someone might respond to finding out that they’re going to barbados on a surprise holiday, or have … Continue reading Roadkill ramblings: venison is usually deerer than this
Hankering is a fabulous concept. It encapsulates a culinary quest; a determination to carefully hunt down and savour whatever delicious morsel might have lodged itself in your consciousness this week. Like its younger cousin, the craving, hankerings won’t go away until they’re satisfied - but that’s where the similarities end. A hankering can wait, humming … Continue reading Pineapple Downside-Up Cake: A Hankering
Honk honk, have a swift and punchy introduction, followed by a swift and punchy recipe. *** This chilli, tomato and olive pasta sauce is so mouth-fillingly rich that your tastebuds will be able to afford an all inclusive to the Seychelles straight after eating it. And while it might look a bit like puttanesca from … Continue reading Turbo-Umami Pasta Sauce
Hello all. In the spirit of continuing my summer of frugal fun, I’ve just spent 4 and a half fabulous days on a trip to Copenhagen with my former flatmates. Praise be to Ryanair, and to Danish friends with spare rooms - so far, so cheap. But what about feeding ourselves? How would we* experience … Continue reading The Dearest Diary: Copenhagen Cuisine on a Kroner
For those uninitiated, this series is about the time I spent cooking on a goat farm in France. It was bonkers. This is part IV which, happily, comes after parts I, II and III. Part IV is about The Sanglier That Came to Tea, and you’ll get a courgette fritter recipe too. I think this … Continue reading The Sanglier That Came to Tea (Plus Courgette Fritters)
The plums. It was the the plums that convinced me to stay. There were hundreds of them, pops of colour peeking out from the foliage and weighing the branches down with their beckoning plumpness. The thought of filling clean jars with hot jam danced around in my frontal lobes, replacing any feelings of panic or unease, so I went back to the barn to ask Evelyne what she usually did with them
Student Cuisine for the Gloomy Teen 