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
An Easy Recipe for Nut Free Pesto or Pistou. Skip straight to my recipe. Shopping list – to make this Nut Free Pesto you will need: Fresh Basil Pecorino or Parmesan Cheese (or the veggie equivalent if necessary) Good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil Lemon Juice Salt Pepper Garlic Why am I making pesto? Well, […]
Melba Toast Recipe – Posh Crackers from Leftover Bread
Melba Toast – how to make it – a simple Melba Toast Recipe: What is Melba Toast: Simply put, melba toast is sliced bread, cut to create fine pieces and then toasted. It’s best made with slightly stale pre-sliced bread and is a great way to use up leftovers. Easy steps to make your […]
Easy Artisan Bread – 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 […]
Warm salad of asparagus and quail eggs with fennel pollen.
Quail eggs, asparagus and fennel feast: I have some quail eggs left from making kedgeree. And, I managed to find some English asparagus this week, though it did look a little sad! So, rather than just steaming it, I wanted to make something different, since this summer the asparagus is such a rarity. The Wild […]
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 […]
Masterchef Challenge – Picahna Beef Cap with Chimichurri
As Good as it Gets – Salt Crust Picahna Beef with Chimichurri: While I’m horribly camera shy, I AM always tempted by a challenge. Especially when it involves cooking with some of the finest meat available in the UK. So, despite the fact that I spent most of July travelling, I still accepted a cookery […]