Japanese Kit Kats: Wasabi, Roasted Tea, Rum Raisin, Cherry Blossom & More

Kit Kats are a quintessentially British chocolate snack, originally launched in London and South East England by Rowntree’s back in 1935. They quickly spread around the world and are now a popular sweet in many countries. The iconic “Have a Break, Have a Kit Kat” advertising slogan appeared in 1958, cementing the brand’s identity. Although ... Read more »

The Billingsgate Market Fish (& Egg) Pie

The Billingsgate Market Cookbook

A nice, fresh but rather small fillet of fresh Norwegian skrei cod we were sent recently necessitated a recipe that could stretch it into a filling meal for two. Pete remembered The Billingsgate Market Cookbook we bought after our day at The Billingsgate Seafood Training School and sure enough, their fish pie, bulked out with ... Read more »

Chicken Katsu Curry Rice Recipe

Like quite a few dishes in Japan, katsu originated elsewhere in the world but, as with many so-called yōshoku (Western) foods, the Japanese made it their own. Based on a European breaded cutlet, it was originally called katsuretsu (a phonetic representation of “cutlet”) but was quickly shorted to katsu. Pork (ton)katsu is the most popular ... Read more »

Gastrogeek’s Amazing Roasted Aubergine Macaroni Cheese

In this recipe from Rejina Sabur-Cross’ book, Gastrogeek, macaroni cheese is given a facelift with the unexpectedly delicious addition of smoky roasted aubergine, smoked cheddar and smoked paprika. To say we liked the recipe is an understatement! Not only did the textures and flavours of the dish come together to create a whole that was ... Read more »

Chocolate Ecstasy Tours in London

  My friend Jenn is the founder of Chocolate Ecstasy Tours, a company dedicated to helping people enjoy great chocolate. She (and a team of dedicated guides) run chocolate-themed walking tours in Mayfair and Chelsea during which they lead the (small) group between a number of carefully picked specialists. During the tour, you learn more ... Read more »

Butter, Sage & Lemon Roast Chicken

A roast chicken is a beautiful thing. The rewards are all out of proportion to the effort. It’s easy to ring the changes (though keeping things plain has a lot going for it too). And the leftovers are the best of any roast dinner. I often smear a little butter over the skin, as recommended ... Read more »

Cooking with Cod: Norwegian Skrei

I’d never heard of Skrei until I was contacted by the Norwegian Seafood Council about it. Apparently it’s “a very special type of cod, line caught, and a much loved Norwegian delicacy”. As far as I can tell, skrei is actually just the Norwegian word for cod, though I can’t work out whether it’s Atlantic ... Read more »