On a rainy day in February, when it seemed that half the country had turned into an inland sea, we unexpectedly found ourselves with over four kilos of incredibly fresh, top quality Skrei (line-caught Norwegian cod). We’d been expecting a far smaller delivery but a miscommunication somewhere along the line resulted in “individual portions” being ... Read more »
In December I was invited to a seafood cookery class hosted by my friend Signe Johansen (blogger, food writer and food anthropologist) on behalf of the Norwegian Seafood Council, to showcase the quality of Norwegian seafood and share some ideas for how to make the most of it. Having cooked several different dishes with the ... Read more »
I’d never made a potato salad before this one. Well… actually I had made warm salads that include potatoes… but never the classic version I think of when hearing “potato salad” – new potatoes bound together in a mayonnaise-based dressing. Several years ago, the American Head of IT where I worked shared his potato salad advice ... Read more »
I remember very clearly when the all new Sainsbury’s magazine was launched back in May 1993. Back then, supermarket magazines were pretty wretched; thin and cheaply produced with a dearth of compelling content. The Sainsbury’s magazine pumped oxygen into a stagnant pond and I loved it from the get go! Delia Smith and husband Michael ... Read more »
It was a mini Ready Steady Cook challenge. My ingredients consisted of a large sweet potato, a white onion, plus tinned tomatoes and a can of coconut milk from my store cupboard and a wide selection of spices on the shelf. A sweet potato curry was the answer! Sweet Potato Curry Ingredients 1-2 tablespoons vegetable ... Read more »
I’ve blogged about wild garlic aka ramsons aka allium ursinum aka bear’s garlic before. A wild relative of chive with a strong garlic flavour, it’s native across Europe and Asia. The ursine botanical name and nickname come from the brown bear’s love of the pungent bulbs, though there are no such bears in my favourite ... Read more »
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 »
Since learning the recipe for super Easy Potato Dauphinoise at a Waitrose cookery school class many years ago, we’ve made these quick and delicious potatoes many, many times. Thinking about possible variations, I started imagining the addition of onions. From onions, it’s not a big leap to caramelised onions… But caramelising onions properly, still they are ... Read more »
I was recently invited to review some products from The Oxo Good Grips range. I’ve used and purchased some of the kitchen utensils before, and really like the well-designed handles, which are both easy to grip and ergonomically comfortable to hold. I chose to review their mandolin slicer and an angled measuring jug. Oxo Mandolin Slicer ... Read more »
I’ve always been put off making Dauphinoise potatoes because recipes I’ve previously come across require laboriously layering very thin slices of raw potatoes, neatly and evenly, before pouring cream over them and baking for absolutely ages. But recently, I learned a far quicker and easier method, which fits perfectly with my impatient style of cooking ... 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]