A joint of beef cooked slowly in a braising liquid of beef stock, red wine and Pedro Ximinez sherry with whole shallots, sliced onions and carrots makes a perfect winter warmer and also fits the bill whenever you’re seeking comfort. This recipe can be served two ways: cook the beef joint until it’s tender but ... Read more »
I’ve said it before and I’ll surely say it again: British beef and lamb are fantastic and really can’t be beaten for quality and taste! These days most of us eat far more globally than our parents and grandparents, by which I mean we travel the world on our plates; Chinese, Indian, Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese… ... Read more »
The generation of cooks before me bemoan the price of lamb shanks. Lamb shanks were once a really cheap cut, they say, but chefs made them trendy and demand and costs went up and, oh no, now they are just so expensive. And I nod, because I didn’t discover them in the days when they ... Read more »
Although I find our Masterchef series has become dull and formulaic I really enjoy Masterchef Australia, hosted by Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston. Although the occasional over-the-top sycophancy of some of the contestants can be a little grating, mostly they are just exhuberant and gung-ho in a way we seldom embrace in the ... Read more »
A few weeks ago, I was invited to All Star Lanes in Westfield Stratford to learn executive chef Steve Collins’ chilli con carne recipe and a few cocktails from mixologist Adam Seidman. The master classes were filmed as part of some new promotional material for Westfield Stratford’s website, though thankfully I’m only visible briefly! ... Read more »
Some months ago, I was asked if I’d like to attend a Gü Chocolate Dinner cooked by Gü’s head chef (who leads their product development team), Fred Ponnavoy. Of course, I screeched “yes, please” as fast as I could and also suggested my very chocolatey friend Dom to come too. Until nearer the time, we ... Read more »
This rib-sticking comfort-food pasta recipe for Creamy Sausage Pasta comes from A Slice of Cherry Pie by Julia Parsons. Warming and perfect for autumn and winter, or any cold day when you need warming up, this is easy to make and even easier to eat! Read our review of Julia Parson’s A Slice of Cherry Pie. ... Read more »
This recipe for meatballs with vodka sauce is taken from Jane Lawson’s Snowflakes and Schnapps, a Scandinavian-influenced cookery book. Find out more about the book in my review of Snowflakes and Schnapps. With little to nothing by way of recipe introductions, it’s harder to choose what to make. Perhaps it’s for this reason that I went ... Read more »
I’ve been desperate to cook some of the delectably tempting recipes in Cuisinier Gascon by Pascal Aussignac since I got my mitts on it just before leaving for the Falklands. It’s a really, really beautiful book, full of mouth-watering recipes and beautiful images, not just of some of the dishes but also of life in ... Read more »
The Place of Onions, in old Lille. After last night’s rainstorm the intense sticky heat has broken and today is cool, breezy, fresh… I love it! A drop of… [more]
We went to Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire at The Void this morning, an amazing VR experience where we got to be Rebel Alliance members going undercover as… [more]