Road testing Samuel Groves cookware – Mushroom Frittata. For the enthusiastic home cook, little is more exciting than cookware. When a box containing Samuel Groves pans arrived at my door it created more than a little frisson. Of all the multitude of parcels that have been delivered since lockdown began, this was the best by […]
Cumberland Pork Sausage with Fennel, Cannellini Beans, Lemon and Olives
Easy one-pan recipe for Cumberland Pork Sausage Meatballs with Cannellini Beans. Not long ago I was sent a selection of meat from Lake District Farmers. A feast of options, in the box there were plenty of Cumberland sausages, some thick-cut pork loin steaks and an intriguing tube of Cumberland sausagemeat – something I haven’t seen […]
Prawn and Pea Risotto
Early Summer Prawn and Pea Risotto Recipe Paired with Calem Branco Douro 2018 In winter I make a lot of risotto – it’s the ultimate comfort food, like a savoury rice pudding. Once the sun comes out I’m a little less inclined to stand stirring the pot to make that perfect risotto, but there are […]
Oastbrook Sparkling Rosé with New Season English Asparagus Hollandaise
Asparagus Hollandaise with English Sparkling Wine from Oastbrook. There’s nothing better than the taste of new season English Asparagus; it’s one of those vegetables that can stand on its own feet and is best served simply. So our latest wine match recipe is for asparagus with a delicious Hollandaise Sauce, matched with a wonderful bottle […]
Summer Drinking Suggestions with Le Grand Aioli Recipe
Summer Wines and a taste of Provence with Le Grand Aioli. We all need things to take our mind off the present at the moment and with the summer being presaged by a warm spring and with memories of past years’ adventures in our consciousness it seemed like a good idea to plan for warmer […]
Chicken and Leek Quiche – testing Oast to Host Flour
Chicken and Leek Quiche recipe and the ultimate Gluten Free Flour. Isn’t it a universal truth that whatever you can’t have is what you immediately crave? My mother was diabetic – and spent her life once diagnosed craving chocolate. My sister in law follows a medically recommended gluten-free diet. And, when she and my brother […]
Potted Stilton with Walnuts and an Introduction to Non Vintage Port
Potted Stilton – the perfect pairing for Port? We’ve been tasting some excellent Port recently – and learning a bit more about one of those drinks many of us take for granted. I’m more used to drinking Port with a cheeseboard or with potted Stilton, but there are a lot more ways to enjoy this […]
Turkey Breast Paupiettes with Pickled Walnut, Apple and Sage
Christmas in a Parcel – Turkey Breast Paupiettes with Opies Pickled Walnuts. #Ad: Written in Conjunction with Opies It’s that time of year again! The festive season when everyone else seems to be planning a feast for 500 or so. For those of us with small families, though, I’m sharing some of the options around […]
English Summer Wine Tasting
Crab Pie and an English Wine Week Preview. On a perfect English Easter weekend what could be better than having a tasting of some of the new crop of English wines for the summer. Whilst we languish in the dog days of Brexit there is an energy and excitement about English wine that would have […]
A Love Story, Asparagus and Grenache Gris
Asparagus, Pancetta and Quail Eggs paired with Grenache Gris. Who doesn’t love a bit of romance? The story of Domaine Jones, of an English woman who went out to work in the South of France in the 1990s and, after running the local wine co-operative in Mont Tauch went on not only to buy a […]