Wines Pairings for Christmas from Berry Bros. & Rudd: What do you do when you are working out what wines to buy for Christmas? It’s a time of year when you really want something a little bit special – and yet, there is such a range of food to think about, it can be hard […]
Easy Truffled Mac and Cheese
Truffle Mac and Cheese Recipe: This time of year, with heaps of golden leaves on the ground and the smell of damp, mushroomy autumn into winter, brings with it all kinds of culinary scents and flavours. For me, from late October through winter, I crave comfort foods like this easy truffled Mac and Cheese, baked in […]
Potato and Parma Ham Gratin – Cordon Bleu Cookery Made Simple
Posh Potato and Ham Gratin at the Cordon Bleu School: Quite often when I go to a cookery event I am conscious that the dish I have learnt may never be made again. Most of my cooking at home is simple. When it is NOT simple, it is generally something that requires long, slow cooking […]
Nut-Free Pesto – Home Made Pesto in Minutes
Pesto without nuts – Easy Recipe for Pistou: Skip straight to my recipe. Why am I making pesto? Well, it’s the time of year when my garden seems to rebel against all the careful planning I put in during Spring. I have a full maternity ward of greenish tomatoes which appear to be heading for […]
Melba Toasts – Posh Crackers from Leftover Bread
Melba Toast – how to make it: There are certain things which I firmly believe should be passed down through the generations. The making of Melba Toasts is one of those things – tiny sophisticated triangles of biscuity bread which pair perfectly with pates and dips and which look so much better than a bowl […]
Easy Artisan Bread – The Perfect Home Baked Bread for Every Household
Easy, no-knead artisan bread: While I can make a mean banana muffin I am no baker – and although I love the idea of baking my own bread, the reality of doing that just for myself has always been a step too far. Even when I’ve been given a breadmaker to try, my issue has […]
Perfect Pesto
Italians do it better – Pesto World Championships, Genoa, Italy: It stands to reason that Italians should make the best Pesto in the World. A simple fusion of two kinds of cheese, garlic, basil, olive oil, pine nuts and salt sounds on the face of it like something that could easily be recreated anywhere. But, […]
Italian Style Canapes for the Festive Season
Easy Festive Canapes with Prosciutto di San Daniele and Grana Padano: It is coming up to that time of year. Christmas and New Year are approaching fast – the holiday season. Just as we are all really busy shopping for the perfect presents, preparing for Christmas lunch and cleaning the house ready for the Mother […]
China: The Cookbook – Review
A Comprehensive and Fascinating Guide to Chinese Home Cuisine – China: The Cookbook I am the sort of cook who tends not to follow recipes. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy reading recipe books, I do. But, for the most part, I improvise a lot (with varying degrees of success). My own recipe […]
Courgetti with Oil and Garlic – a 5:2 Diet Low Calorie Recipe
Counting the Calories Italian Style – Courgetti with Oil and Garlic for the 5:2 Diet: It is that time of the year when there always seems to be a glut of courgettes. And, the good news for anyone doing the 5:2 diet or following any other low calorie diet is that courgettes are naturally very […]