Karan Gokani’s Sri Lankan Jaffna Curry Powder

This Sri Lankan curry powder recipe is from Karan Gokani’s Hoppers The Cookbook, where it features in many of the book’s recipes including the very delicious Lamb Shank Curry. Read my full review of Hoppers: The Cookbook by Karan Gokani. Typically dishes from northern Sri Lanka tend to be a lot hotter than from the ... Read more »

The Hoppers London Lamb Shank Curry

Lamb Shank Curry

This rich and fragrant lamb shank curry from Karan Gokani’s Hoppers The Cookbook is a popular dish on Hoppers’ restaurant menu. In South India and Sri Lanka it’s commonly made with goat or mutton but Hoppers use good quality British lamb to create a fall-off-the-bone dish. This makes a great centre-piece for a meal for ... Read more »

Karan Gokani’s Unroasted Curry Powder

Cucumber Curry Featuring Karan Gokani's Unroasted Curry Powder

This fragrant curry powder recipe is from Karan Gokani’s Hoppers The Cookbook, where it features in many of the book’s recipes including the very delicious Sri Lankan Cucumber Curry. Read my full review of Hoppers: The Cookbook by Karan Gokani. This recipe is also known as thuna paha in Sinhalese, which literally translates as 'three ... Read more »

Leena’s Sri Lankan Cucumber Curry

Leena's Cucumber Curry from Hoppers The Cookbook by Karan Gokani

In the UK cucumbers are predominantly eaten raw or pickled. A backbone of British salads, or dainty finger sandwiches, or combined with yoghurt in dishes such as raita, tzatziki and cacik. But they are also fabulous to cook with, as evidenced by this very quick and easy Sri Lankan cucumber curry from Karan Gokani’s Hoppers ... Read more »

Hoppers The Cookbook by Karan Gokani

Hoppers The Cookbook by Karan Gokani

In the 7.5 years since it opened, Hoppers – a Sri Lankan and South Indian restaurant in London’s Soho – has garnered a large and loyal customer base, a slew of favourable reviews from press and bloggers alike, and secured a Michelin Bib Gourmand in its first year. Two more branches followed the first, the ... Read more »

A Weekday Set Lunch at Heaney’s in Cardiff

I’ve been meaning to visit Heaney’s for nigh on four years! We moved from London to Abergavenny at the start of 2019 and Heaney’s (in Cardiff’s Pontcanna neighbourhood) opened only 4 months earlier. It had gained a great reputation already and went straight onto my wish list to visit. Offering only a tasting menu though, ... Read more »

Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen on a plate

Lebkuchen are one of my favourite festive biscuits; German Christmas-time cookies redolent with ginger and mixed spices. This recipe from Mark Diacono’s Spice: A Cook’s Companion is a delight, easy to follow and so good it needs to be enjoyed throughout the year! Read our full review of Spice: A Cook’s Companion by Mark Diacono and you ... Read more »

Pan-fried chicken with Pimentón de la Vera by José Pizarro

Pan-Fried Chicken with Pimentón de la Vera

José Pizarro’s Pan-fried chicken with Pimentón de la Vera is a fabulous way to enjoy smoked paprika (named for the place it’s produced, a county in Spain’s Extremadura region). It’s a wonderfully simple recipe too. Good quality hot smoked paprika makes a difference here, as it provides the key flavour. This recipe is from Spice: ... Read more »

Bacon and Caraway Tart

Bacon and Caraway Tart

Having come to caraway late in life, we’re now making up for lost time by seeking out recipes that really show off this lovely spice. In his book, Spice: A Cook’s Companion Mark describes Caraway’s flavour as “a cross between cumin and thyme, with a nudge of orange peel, mint and aniseed” and we could ... Read more »

Spice: A Cook’s Companion by Mark Diacono

Spice: A Cook's Companion by Mark Diacono

In his previous book Herb: A Cook’s Companion, Mark Diacono wove together detailed advice on growing your own herbs (and handling store bought), with a selection of recipes that show off those herbs beautifully. In Spice: A Cook’s Companion he provides advice on how to source and blend spices well, and how to make the ... Read more »