I love hearing from people to discuss cooking or cooking-related projects. If you are interested in working with me in any capacity, or want to chat about a recipe or would like a cooking lesson, please don’t hesitate to contact me here. I am also on Instagram and Twitter.
I am based in Surrey UK, although I often run food-related events and give demos/cookery classes around London and the South East of England. Some of the projects I have been involved in are given below:
- food writing (for magazines)
- charity food fund-raising events
- radio broadcasts: giving food tips, recipe ideas and general food chat!
- giving food demonstrations
- teaching cookery skills at people’s homes or in cookery schools
- talks about cooking
- talks about getting the best out of everyday ingredients
- hosting supper clubs
Fancy a cooking lesson?
In addition to my role of Head of Food and Nutrition at the school where I teach, I give cooking lessons regularly in Surrey, London and South East, often at people’s homes on either a one-to-one basis or with a group of their friends and family, as well as being a guest tutor at The Natural Cook Company (near Alton, Hampshire). I teach all aspects of baking and cooking, from the basics to more advanced cookery.
I love combining my passion for cooking and the skills I use every day as a teacher; it is rewarding to see others have the confidence and the enthusiasm to then “have a go” themselves.
Recent lessons I have given have included:
- Thai food
- Canapés
- The perfect roast
- Choux pastry
- Macarons
- Cooking for children
- Bread making
- BBQ cooking
- Indian food
- Party food
- Cooking with seasonal produce
- Preparing Afternoon Tea
- Christmas cooking
If you would like further details about a cookery lesson, please get in touch here.
Magazine publications & baking projects
I am honoured to have been able to create recipes and provide cooking tips for various publications, including: Delicious Magazine, Sainsbury’s Magazine; Food Heaven Magazine; BBC Good Food Magazine, Brilliant Baking Magazine; Home Farmer Magazine.
I am always happy to create recipes to a given brief: a creative challenge is always right up my street!
The photos on this page are of some of my published recipes. I was thrilled that my white chocolate, strawberry & passionfruit cake – that I created for Sainsbury’s Magazine – had been voted by readers as their best-ever celebration cake.
Voted “Best-ever Celebration Cake” from the 25 years of Sainsbury’s Magazine.
Cooking promotions
In terms of food-related promotions, I have also very much enjoyed working the following, having created recipes for them:
- Jamie’s Italian
- Biscuiteers
- BakingMad.com
- Holy Lama Spice Drops
- It’s a baking thing
- Whitworths
- Absolute Spice
Cooking demonstrations
I have been delighted to have been invited to deliver several cookery demonstrations and give food talks, including the Elmbridge Food Festival, the Surrey County Show, the Eat Food Festival in Reigate, the Woking Food and Drinks Festival and the Farnham Food Festival. If you would like me to give a food demonstration, please get in touch with me.
A cookery book wish
One of my ambitions to extend my recipe writing from this website and my recipes published in magazines to publish my own cookery book: I have many book ideas, with a few of the ideas already planned out……
I am overjoyed, however, that many of my own recipes were published in the Best Home Cook book, including both of my dishes from the Final: my beef wellington and my sticky ginger & tamarind puddings.
Please also get in contact with me if you would like to use any of my recipes on this website in a publication: please click here to contact me.
Happy cooking,
Philip
Phil's Home Kitchen 
I am LOVING this!!!! Although it makes me A. Very hungry and B. miss our early morning baking chats!!! And your fab baking!!! You should definitely join us for cake Fridays! Me, Tor and Lisa H are on board at the moment. Have you thought about doing an Instagram feed of your pics? And a Pinterest account too? Xxxx
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Count me in for cake Fridays. Not used Instagram and Pinterest before: still getting to grips with social media xx
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Hello from California USA! I followed your link in Fresh Loaf to the pesto sourdough. Just ate my first piece hot out of the oven! Unbelievably fantastic!!! Now I have saved you to my favorites as I try your roasted garlic/rosemary/parm. focaccia. We are soup and bread lovers here in the snowy mountains. I do have to admit that I cheat on the sourdough because I have never been successful with starters. I bought some “sour salt” and add it to the dough to get some sourness. Thanks for all the great ideas! Carolynn
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Hi Carolynn. I am so glad you enjoyed it. Yes, soup and great bread are two of life’s total pleasures and are always such a joy to make. Regards, Philip
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Hi Philip. Just joined your blog.AMAZING I am baking your Kouign Amann waiting for it to rise in the fridge before doing the turns. Can you tell me please. Do you always like to bake with the fan heat. I have one but never used it yet. New cookI have a new electric cooker and still miss my old gas one. My question is when you bake could you please say where you like to place your baking in the oven. That is a problem for me and never know where the best results would be. For example the kouign Amann where did you place yours in the oven,and also did you place your baking tin on a tray,or on the grill.
Sorry for all the questions,but these are the things tha confuse me.
Kindest regards
Patricia
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Thank you Patricia. Yes I usually bake with the fan on and normally about the centre or just above centre of the oven. That is a safe place to start and as you get to know your oven more, you get a feel for the best place. For the Kouign Amanns, I placed the tins onto a tray as they were loose-bottomed tins and I didnt want to risk anything leaking onto the oven floor! Enjoy the Kouign Amanns. Regards, and much happy baking. Philip
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Oh Thanking you so very much Philip for answering so quickly and explaining. I shall do as you say and place them there in the middle.With this cooker i can have Tradiition heat on it’s own,or the fan on it’s own,or the fan and tradition togethertogether,but I think it is perhaps just the fan on it’s own that you speak of. Well i left the pastry to rise for two hours. I don’t think that it had doubled volume but risen perhas a little. I used dry yeast I usually use fresh yeast but had none at home today. I will do the three turns now,and i will leave tit overnight ready for the rolling out tomorrow morning I shall roll it into a long sausage and put them into muffin tins,last time i used a ring and the butter ran from them too much and the baking tin was like a swimming pool :-(The last time I made a Kouign amannI used the block of butter and beat it to a square to fit into the pastry,but only done two turns,the first turn after adding butter was placed in the fridge for half an hour,then the sugar was added only then to the second turn.,then rolled out and rolled out like a sausage and cut into single size rounds and grouped into the ring together to make like a flower and covered and left at room temp for two hours,and then baked. i was pleased but found the inside not as lovely as I hoped i like wheni it comes away like into little layers. So I really look forward to trying your recipe and baking them tomorrowI just love this kind of pastry,and Danish pastry,and pastry like that.
Once more dear Philip I thank you. i am so HAPPY to have found your WONDERFUL baking blog.
Kindest regards
Patricia
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Hi Philip – I am often called upon to make traybakes for our village cream tea weekends and village fete cake stall. I get really bored with the usual lemon drizzle, coffee and walnut etc., but obviously am a bit limited with not being able to put filling between layers as in a sandwich cake. Do you have any suggestions for something a little different yet not too “way out” as the people who support these events are usually not overly adventurous?
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Hi Lynne, without going too adventurous, as you suggest, how about a different drizzle (orange, lime or even passion fruit): or go for a ginger sponge with orange drizzle? Or a carrot cake tray bake? If you want something chocolatey, make a normal victoria sandwich for the traybake layer, but mix in some chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and top with a quick chocolate ganache and sprinkle over some crushed maltesers. I have quite a few more ideas coming to mind: please feel free to email me and I can give you the recipes too
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Thanks for the quick response Philip. Like the chocolate and maltesers idea. I did chocolate and orange previously.
A topic for your blog maybe?
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Yes choc and orange is great. All the very best with the traybake
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Hi, I was wondering if you have a recipe for the savory baklava you mentioned here: ” I have not made baklava for well over a year and my last one was a savoury version using toasted pine nuts, a little feta cheese, caramelised onions and sun-dried tomatoes: if you have never eaten a savoury baklava, you are missing out!” It sounds intriguing and I’d love to try it!
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Hi. I must dig out my notes and post this properly as a recipe as I normally don’t wiegh things out for this one. And a good excuse to make another batch of it of course! But I basically mixed feta, pine nuts, tomatoes to a crumbly texture, with a little honey, balsamic vinegar, onions and ground black pepper, and used this mixture between the layers. I also brushed over a little honey once it came out of the oven. But I will hunt down the proportions.
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Love love your recipes ! But after seeing a picture on Instagram of your “rose & pistachio rolls “ I cannot find the recipe ! The picture looked like a delicious . Could you possibly send the recipe ? Thank you .
Merlayne.
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Thank you. Yes, the recipe from those is https://bakingfanatic.wordpress.com/2019/09/05/fig-rose-pistachio-rolls-my-version-of-the-bake-off-technical-week-2/
I hope you enjoy them
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Any plans for a recipe book Phil?
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Hi I have many book ideas but nothing as yet come to fruition sadly. But maybe one day……
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I wish you had a “find” function on your excellent site. I can’t find the spiced pork dumplings that you have a picture of on the right side Thanks
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Hi, I’ve not posted that recipe itself yet. There is a search button on the right hand side (or rather there is on on a tablet or computer) which hopefully works in general
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Hi
Made your gooseberry chutney what was lovely – but it was quite runny – any ideas why ?
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If you boil it for longer it will become thicker, perhaps 5-10 mins or so. I like it on the runny side but it’s just a preference.
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