Pheasant with apples in a cider & cream sauce

Pheasants cooked with apples and fresh herbs in a silky, creamy sauce. Deliciously comforting! Continue reading “Pheasant with apples in a cider & cream sauce”

Sausagemeat party ring

This is basically a ring version of my go-to sausage rolls recipe. Continue reading “Sausagemeat party ring”

Air-fried “dirty fries” in 15 mins

Proper delicious fast food, taking about 10 minutes for cooking the fries and then a further 5 minutes of cooking to finish off.

Continue reading “Air-fried “dirty fries” in 15 mins”

Kung po-style prawns

Another sticky, spicy takeaway-style dish: this time, with prawns, but it works brilliantly with chicken pork or vegetables such as cauliflower or broccoli. Continue reading “Kung po-style prawns”

Sticky tamarind and sesame chicken

This is one of my favourite stand-by dishes and always fits the bill when I want something sticky with bags of flavour, take-out style. Continue reading “Sticky tamarind and sesame chicken”

Smoked mushroom & Dolcelatte tarts

With the smoked mushrooms, blue cheese and hint of tarragon sitting on crisp, buttery puff pastry, these easy tarts are full-on comfort food. Continue reading “Smoked mushroom & Dolcelatte tarts”

Crispy ginger & soy chicken bao with spiced mayo

Quite simply, this delicious food is perfect eaten in the garden for a street-food vibe or piled onto plates inside for people to assemble themselves! Continue reading “Crispy ginger & soy chicken bao with spiced mayo”

Chorizo, Manchego & caramelised onion tartlets

Packed with flavour, I return to these gutsy mini tarts frequently for simple snacks, as part of an Afternoon Tea spread or even for a picnic in the garden! Continue reading “Chorizo, Manchego & caramelised onion tartlets”

Teriyaki cauliflower “popcorn”

The combination of crispy, sticky, spicy and utterly delicious ticks many boxes for me. Ingredients such as soy sauce, garlic, ginger, chilli, sesame seeds and panko breadcrumbs combine with the cauliflower to give an exceptionally tasty dish. Continue reading “Teriyaki cauliflower “popcorn””

The best sticky BBQ wings with blue cheese dip

Sticky chicken wings and a punchy blue cheese dip: two very compatible bed-fellows that always guarantee foodie happiness. Not to mention very messy fingers! Continue reading “The best sticky BBQ wings with blue cheese dip”

Kaspressknödel – cheese dumplings

Deliciously simple pan-fried cheese patties, using left-over bread and a few staple ingredients. Continue reading “Kaspressknödel – cheese dumplings”

Fabulous fishcakes: my ultimate store-cupboard standby!

This is what I think is a real store-cupboard winner: they are delicious, take minutes to prepare and taste like you have spent ages making them!

Continue reading “Fabulous fishcakes: my ultimate store-cupboard standby!”

Thai-style stuffed chicken drumsticks

Generously stuffed Thai-style chicken, coated in a sticky soy and honey glaze, these are great eaten for any occasion: my favourite is devouring them in front of the TV! Continue reading “Thai-style stuffed chicken drumsticks”

Simple vegetable tarts

Very delicious tarts using practically whatever vegetables you have…..an ideal lunch or light main course. Continue reading “Simple vegetable tarts”

Thai chicken ballotine in lemongrass & ginger broth

Packed with Thai flavours and served with a simple and delicious broth, these rolled and stuffed chicken thighs make what I think is a light but gorgeous dish. Continue reading “Thai chicken ballotine in lemongrass & ginger broth”

The perfect gravy for a roast dinner

A delicious gravy brings together all the accompanying dishes in the most harmonious way to really make a roast shine. This recipe is my go-to gravy for all manner of roasts. A selection of some of my favourite roast accompaniments (including fool-proof Yorkshire Puddings and the best roast potatoes) is at the bottom of the page. Continue reading “The perfect gravy for a roast dinner”

The perfect Brussels sprouts!

This is my ultimate Brussels sprouts dish: little goodies such as smoked bacon, slightly caramelised red onions and chestnuts adding exciting additional flavours and textures that complement the sprouts. Continue reading “The perfect Brussels sprouts!”

My ultimate carrots to accompany a roast

A simple, delicious and slightly extravagant carrot side dish that can be prepared in advance and then heated up just before serving

Continue reading “My ultimate carrots to accompany a roast”

Steamed buns incl. bao, hirata… & filling ideas

I get SO much pleasure from street food, but I would say that steamed buns – whether Chinese bao, Japanese hirata – are right up there among my favourites.

Continue reading “Steamed buns incl. bao, hirata… & filling ideas”

Perfect roast potatoes

Shatteringly crisp potatoes with a very soft, fluffy and nicely seasoned interior are a must with any roast dinner. To be honest, though, I could eat them just on their own! Continue reading “Perfect roast potatoes”

Simple meatballs in tomato sauce

Proper comfort food using thrifty ingredients, these easy meatballs are a far cry from the tinned meatballs or those ones that come vac-packed in the supermarket! Continue reading “Simple meatballs in tomato sauce”

Hot & sour chicken and lentil curry

This is my chicken and lentil version of my hot and sour fish curry and it remains a simple, quick and very addictive curry. Continue reading “Hot & sour chicken and lentil curry”

Harissa chickpea flour flatbreads

These very simple flatbreads are perfect if there is a shortage of traditional flour (which is certainly hard to come by in some shops currently), but they are also great if you can’t have gluten. Continue reading “Harissa chickpea flour flatbreads”

Carrots with cumin and caramelised onions

A great dish using a few very modest ingredients, this works well as a side dish to accompany all manner of curries.

Continue reading “Carrots with cumin and caramelised onions”

A fabulous store-cupboard curry sauce

This is an even simpler version of my Fish Curry (recipe here). Now that curry was hardly extravagant, but this version uses even fewer ingredients and still tastes, as my partner said the other day, “bloody good”. Praise indeed! Continue reading “A fabulous store-cupboard curry sauce”

Hot and sour fish curry

This majestic and intensely fragrant curry, using common store cupboard spices, is very simple and quick to make. Continue reading “Hot and sour fish curry”

Sticky ginger and soy pork belly

Melt-in-the-mouth pork belly in a sticky honey and ginger glaze with a hint of chilli heat: what’s not to love? Continue reading “Sticky ginger and soy pork belly”

Tomato & pesto focaccia

Light, crispy and chewy, this focaccia is packed with flavour and is ideal torn apart to dip into oil, balsamic vinegar or used as the base for a bruschetta. Continue reading “Tomato & pesto focaccia”

Perfect & fool-proof Yorkshire Puddings

An essential accompaniment to any roast – even (or especially!) with Christmas lunch – Yorkshire Puddings have a reputation for being very hit and miss in terms of them working. My fool-proof recipe and top tips will guarantee crisp, light and towering puds. Continue reading “Perfect & fool-proof Yorkshire Puddings”

Spiced coconut & lime chicken

Spiced coconut & lime chicken is one of my go-to speedy curries! Easy, warming and very satisfying.  Continue reading “Spiced coconut & lime chicken”

Butternut squash gratin

Whether served as an accompaniment to a roast, with some slowly cooked sausages or simply eaten by itself with some bread to mop up the cheesy sauce, this gratin is real autumnal comfort food. Continue reading “Butternut squash gratin”

Smoked cheese & onion pasties

Some of my favourite dishes arise from using whatever is lying around and these full-flavoured pastries do just that: with the additional use of the indoor smoker for the remains of a block of cheese and some onions… Continue reading “Smoked cheese & onion pasties”

Quick Mongolian beef

Made in about 15 minutes, this insanely tasty dish – think hoisin sauce coating tender strips of gingery beef – has THE most addictive sauce and it easily tops any dish you can buy from a take-away. Continue reading “Quick Mongolian beef”

Chinese steamed buns and bao

Soft, pillowy and slightly sweet, steamed buns are a joy to eat. Perfect for a burger such as a sticky, spiced burger flavoured with lemongrass, ginger, soy sauce and the like. Continue reading “Chinese steamed buns and bao”

Spiced lamb egg chops

This sublime dish – great as a starter or to serve with drinks – is a joy to behold and I guarantee that once you start eating these chops you will not want to stop!

Continue reading “Spiced lamb egg chops”

Thai Sticky Quorn wraps (vegan)

Sticky, spicy, sweet and fragrant, this Thai dish proved to be a massive hit at a recent vegan supper I gave recently. So much so that I was asked for the recipe by several of my guests. Continue reading “Thai Sticky Quorn wraps (vegan)”

Nalli Gosht: lamb shanks in a spiced yoghurt sauce

This majestic curry, with melt-in-the-mouth spiced lamb and a thick sauce that is, quite frankly, to die for, is easy to make. It can be made a couple of days ahead, reheating gently when you are ready to eat. Continue reading “Nalli Gosht: lamb shanks in a spiced yoghurt sauce”

Bacon and goats’ cheese cruffins

The combined flavour of salty, spiced bacon, creamy goats’ cheese and buttery pastry is hard to beat and these are fast becoming one of my “go to” savoury bites. Continue reading “Bacon and goats’ cheese cruffins”

Thai fish cakes

Very simple and immensely satisfying – both to make and eat – these Thai fish cakes never last long in my house. And nor should they…. Continue reading “Thai fish cakes”

Spiced tandoori chicken wraps

Tender, spiced chicken pieces in soft flat breads, bursting with lettuce, red onion and a tangy yoghurt dressing, these are incredibly easy to make and are so tasty. Continue reading “Spiced tandoori chicken wraps”

Pan-fried sweetbreads in a lemon, garlic & caper sauce

Sweetbreads might be one of those “love them or hate them” foods, but pan-fried and finished with a lemony butter sauce, served with caramelised onions, they are a real treat. Continue reading “Pan-fried sweetbreads in a lemon, garlic & caper sauce”