Saffron and Espelette pepper fish stew with gurnard, prawns and scallops
This recipe was originally written for Town & Country Uk.
A deeply flavourful and comforting dish perfect with just the right amount of heat. Espelette is a type of pepper grown in the French commune of Espelette in the Pyrénées. Often used in Provencal cooking I love its zippy almost zesty eat. You can find it in most supermarkets and certainly online but if you find yourself short of it feel free to use dried chilli flakes. Any firm white fish is suitable for this stew but I love to use gurnard. Ask your fishmonger to scale and fillet it but keep the skin on as it is incredibly tasty. Enjoy this with a good loaf of sourdough or hot toast.
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Pasta for friends with walnut, lemon, nutmeg and Grana Padano
A wonderful dish to serve with friends I love the smiles that come with placing a large platter of pasta on the table. Adding the reserved pasta water creates a luscious glossy sauce that pairs beautifully with the slight nutty heat of nutmeg and black pepper. The trick is to have all your ingredients ready before you guests arrive so that its just a case of boiling the pasts for ten minutes or so and chucking it all in the pan.
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Russet apple, maple and pecan cake with streusal topping
This recipe was originally written for Town & Country Uk.
This is the sort of cake my Grandmother used to make, little fuss and not at all fancy but incredibly delicious. The streusel topping is the star of the show and I like to be generous with the pecans for a bit of indulgence. I use russet apples for this but any firm, crisp eating apple will do. Enjoy it with a scoop of clotted cream if you wish but I like it just as it is.
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Centre Stage Roast Butternut Squash with Cranberries, Smoked Burrata, Hazelnut Sage Pesto and Crispy Sage
I call this a centre stage dish because it really can hold up as star of the show. I love placing vegetables at the heart of the table and for anyone perhaps trying to eat a little less meat this Christmas it makes for a wonderful main course.
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Spiced ginger cake with orange blossom mascarpone icing.
I love a ginger cake especially when paired with a zippy cream cheese icing and this is one of my favourite cakes to enjoy during the festive season. Switch up the ratios of the ground spices depending on your taste, but a must is the finely grated ginger
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Cranberry, Campari, Orange and Walnut Tart
Zesty, sweet with the delicious aromatic bitterness of Campari. A Campari fiend this is my ideal tart. I love it just as it is but it is heaven with some soft whipped sweet cream.
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Roasted butternut squash, hazelnut, seedy salad with pomegranate and crispy rosemary
I love the colours of this salad. It is one that never fails to bring sunshine to an autumnal table no matter the weather. I am generous with the seeds and nuts giving it a bit of a richness and crunchy indulgence
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Creamy Beetroot toasts with coriander and DIY dukkah
I love the colour of this dish. I’ve served it up on toasts but you can enjoy the beetroot as a dip or even as dolloped onto a salad. The dukkah is a great way to finish up any odds and ends of nuts and seeds and spices you’ve got lying around. I’ve given quantities below but feel free to
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Spiced aubergine flatbreads, cucumber salsa and herby yogurt
A plate of food that is perfect for when you’re too tired to do any proper cooking but fancy something tasty for supper. Hence I tend to freeze half of this and save some for those evenings. Despite being incredibly healthy it really hits the spot when it comes to comfort food.
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Jerusalem artichoke, leek, prosecco and walnut risotto.
This creamy risotto is perfect for chilly October evenings. To make it extra special use a good bottle of prosecco or champagne over white wine. You’ll use about half for the risotto and can reserve the other half for the chef if you wish.
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Baked plums with chai spiced cashew cream and maple sea salt hazelnut seed crunch
My local greengrocer had a glut of British plums that were going soft. He let me fill my bag much to my glee. I love baking plums when they are on the turn. The squishiness makes them all the better. The chai cashew cream has a beautiful warmth to it from the spices that pairs perfectly with the slight tang of the fruit. I like to top mine with something crunchy.
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Aqua-faba chocolate mousse with amaretto soaked cherries
I love chocolate mousse for pudding. A good chocolate mousse should be light and fluffy and wickedly chocolatey. This one is made with aqua-faba (also known as chickpea water).
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Crispy chickpeas with sumac and lemon
A perfect snack to nibble on I love to serve these to my dinner party guests before sitting down for supper. If you are a patient person I do recommend peeling the chickpeas.
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Rainbow roast tomato, mozzarella salad with basil and pine nut oil.
This recipe was originally written for Town & Country UK.
An elevated twist on the classic tomato mozzarella this is a brilliant ‘do ahead’ dinner party (or lunch party dish). Roast your tomatoes and prepare the dressing ahead of time and tear over your mozzarella just before you serve.
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Cherry ripple and amaretto no churn ice cream
I’ve used this method of making ice cream for years and swear by it. Even when I was bought an ice cream maker I remained loyal. Gosh knows where that machine is now…probably gathering dust somewhere next to the heart shaped waffle maker (a rather one-hit-wonder valentines impulse buy). For the home cook this is the way to make ice cream! Technically it’s more of a semifreddo but scooped up into a cone or drizzled with chocolate it’s all the same thing really.
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Charred herby gem lettuce with lemon and macadamia
A brilliant way to use up any forgotten, floppy gem lettuces I serve this both hot and cold. The dressing is simple but effective and whilst the macadamia nut is subtle it adds a wonderful creaminess to the dish.
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Coffee, banana, almond popsicles
No summer party is complete without a pudding and there is little as joy inducing as an ice cream. These remind me of making similar with my siblings when we were children but I’ve given them a grown up twist with a coffee kick.
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Charred asparagus with a broad bean and radish salsa
Asparagus is one of my favourite things about June and whilst it is in season I try to eat as much of it as I can. This is a great one for when you have the barbecue going but it is equally delicious if you just roast the asparagus in the oven.
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A glass of rosé and a summer salad
I have always been one of those that jumps when the weather turns warmer. I’ll throw off my socks and pull out my sandals and summer frocks with glee ignoring any persistently unpredictable English weather with a brisk determination for cheese and rosé in the garden.
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Strawberry, elderflower tea cake
When baked the strawberries become soft and juicy and their sweet juice runs into the sponge bringing a new texture to the cake. You have light and spongey, sweet and creamy and fruity-juicy.
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