Recipes (my own and from reviewed recipe books), reviews of cookery books and cookery classes, food and kitchen equipment product reviews – if it’s about cooking or eating at home, it’s here!

Curried Beef Marrow Bone: A Trip Down Memory Lane

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When my sister and I were kids, we’d fight over the marrow bones in mum’s lamb curry. Mum would usually make it with leg or shoulder of lamb, which she’d have the butcher cut into large pieces, with the bones left in. The marrow managed to retain it’s distinct oleaginous texture and taste whilst also ... Read more »

Michel Roux’s Sauces

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I love a good sauce. Even the most beautiful, flavoursome, delicious meat can be lifted by a good sauce. So I’ve been keen to get my hands on Michel Roux’s Sauces. Michelin-starred Roux first wrote his compendium of savoury and sweet sauce recipes back in 1996. Quadrille have now published a new and revised edition ... Read more »

Free Range v. Organic Chickens: The Test

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There can’t be many who aren’t aware of the horrors of battery farming at it’s worst. Thousands of birds crammed into vast sheds – often windowless with artificial lights on 24/7; their movements completely restricted; their bodies pumped full of growth hormones to speed up the production cycle. And goodness knows what they’re fed on! ... Read more »

Boneless Leg of Lamb Braised in Red Wine With Garlic

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Anyone who’s visited Niamh (eatlikeagirl)’s stall at the Covent Garden Real Food Market over the last couple of months may well have salivated over her delicious slow-roasted pork or lamb served in home-made blaas (bread buns) with home-made condiments. Recently, she’s resolved her meat sourcing difficulties by turning to online farmer’s market, Paganum, purveyor of ... Read more »

Green Tomato & Raisin Chutney

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Having made jam (and marmalade, pickles, chutneys and ketchups) for the first time ever in August, I’ve really caught the preserving bug. And it’s proving to be a perfect way to use and store our home-grown vegetables. We planted our tomatoes out a little late this year so, although the yield has been fantastic, most ... Read more »

DIY Graze box

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A couple of months ago, I signed up to try Graze, a company who send out tasty fruit, nut and seed-based snacks, conveniently packaged into handy little packets that can be enjoyed throughout the day. graze box It’s a nice idea and appeals to those looking for a healthier, more interesting alternative to that mid-morning ... Read more »

Mango & Lime Jam

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It’s always nice when friends show both imagination and an understanding of what you’re about when choosing gifts for you, so I was touched by the gift of a box of 6 fat red-green mangoes as part of an anniversary present last weekend. (Don’t worry, these friends know us both well, the present included a ... Read more »

Pete’s “Courgette ‘Saka”

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During my August trip to Dusseldorf (for work), Pete was keen to find new ways to use some of the beautiful courgettes we’ve been growing in the garden. When he told me of about the moussaka-like dish he made one night (using courgettes instead of aubergine) I insisted he make it again as soon as ... Read more »