Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes (Formerly The Single Gourmet & Traveller blog)
Given my love of Italian food and because I’ve been writing this blog for over nine years now, it’s a bit surprising that I haven’t given a recipe for a traditional Lasagna al Forno before. I’ve given a vegetable version and have talked about making – and eating! – lasagna, but have not given an […]
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My son Jonathan has been a keen cook since he was small enough to need to stand on a stool to chop and mix ingredients and his sons Freddie (5½) and Benjamin (2¾) are fast following in his footsteps. Thus they were very excited yesterday by Daddy’s new ‘toy’: a super-grade KitchenAid mixer with a […]
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This is an adaptation of a Rick Stein recipe in his Long Weekends book. I’m particularly attached to this book (and the accompanying DVD of the TV series) at the moment, not only for its great and reliable recipes, but its subject: Long Weekends. Pre-Lockdown I’d become well practised at making the most of a […]
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I like the heat, I like the sun; I was born under the sun sign of Aries and put my love of the sun down to that. I promise you would never want to be out and about with me on a wet, cold and windy day because my mood takes a nosedive. However, even […]
Read MoreSince starting the blog, many people think I’m cooking up a storm of Ottolenghi, Marcus Wareing and other great cooks in my kitchen on a regular basis. The truth is, like most people, most of the time I’m cooking old familiar favourites that I can put together pretty quickly and easily. I rarely ‘entertain’ these […]
Read MoreIt’s been a slightly strange day with changed plans, though I did get to see my lovely friends Jane and Terry this morning, which is a sunshine way to start the day. Evening plans were postponed so I dug around in the freezer, throwing away some things I deemed far too old to risk. I’m […]
Read MoreThe family were coming round for a Sunday meal and I decided to go Greek style. I say ‘meal’ rather than ‘lunch’ or ‘supper’ as we tend to eat somewhere in-between. The grown-ups don’t like eating a large lunch; the little ones (Freddie 4 and Benjamin 20 months) can’t manage late. So we compromise and […]
Read MoreA heatwave has been scorching its way across Europe and I guess a temperature in the mid-30s in London today is not so bad when you consider other places – like France, Spain and Italy – have had record highs in the mid-40s. However, it definitely wasn’t a day for standing by a campfire in […]
Read MoreA crostata di marmellata by its English name would simply be a ‘jam tart’. I was inspired to make this Tuscan version following my recent week in Tuscany. Unlike its sophisticated French cousin – the tarte – the crostata is a rustic affair. It’s the kind of simple tart put together by your nonna (grandmother). A real nonna, […]
Read MoreThe family often come for a meal at the weekend, usually Sunday, which is lovely. We always like to make it special in some way, as families do on Sundays. I keep it easy though. Rather than a formal ‘starter’, I’ll put out bowls of olives and almonds; I’ll buy some good focaccia or fougasse […]
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