Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
I get a regular delivery from Waitrose every Friday. I only began to get food delivered with the arrival of Covid; before I’d always preferred to do my own food shopping, choosing things myself and buying at a rhythm that fitted my life from week to week. I always did a basic buy once a […]
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I like to eat fish once or twice a week. Most often it’s salmon (organic farmed; wild when in season if I find it). Sometimes sea bream or sea bass; prawns to go into a fiery tomato sauce with pasta. I hadn’t particularly planned on cooking fish when I was wandering round Whole Foods in […]
Read MoreOver a month into lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s astounding how many people have taken to baking their own bread and it’s still nigh on impossible to buy bread flour or yeast. I’ve been lucky to be able to source fresh yeast and flour from my local Italian deli, Corto, but this gives […]
Read MoreIt wasn’t the original plan. I’d bought lamb to make a lamb tagine – an old family favourite – with the prospect of 7 of us for lunch. But then my brother and his two kids couldn’t make it due to a fairly last-minute car crisis, which left 4 of us to lunch – including […]
Read MoreI bought Gino D’Acampo’s Hidden Italy on the spur of the moment; it was on offer in WH Smith for a bargain £7. I’ve got a few of Gino’s books now. Like a true and good Italian, he keeps things simple, reasonably authentic – and his recipes work! Which isn’t something that can be said […]
Read MoreRegular readers will be forgiven for thinking I have a fixation with banana bread. But the truth is, I make it quite often and rarely bake other cakes or sweet breads. Thus it’s nice to ring the changes a bit, not just make a traditional banana bread with sultanas and walnuts (click here), but variations […]
Read MoreBaci di Dama have been a family favourite for years. Baci di dama translates from the Italian to ‘ladies’ kisses’ and these gorgeous little biscuits are a kiss of sweet delight with a cappuccino or espresso (though if you’re not into coffee, then tea works well too). I’ve always bought them from Carluccio’s Caffè and […]
Read MoreWhen I bought Jamie Oliver’s new book of Christmas cooking a couple of weeks ago, one of the recipes I thought I must try were his cantuccini, with the idea that I could package some up as little gifts. I bought the ingredients at the beginning of the week but life and Christmas shopping got […]
Read MoreI was cooking for just myself tonight and took a portion of organic salmon out of the freezer in the afternoon to defrost. I eat salmon about once a week. Partly because I love it and partly because it’s a great source of healthy fish oils. I do always buy organic though as some of […]
Read MoreLast weekend I went on an expedition to deepest, darkest Herefordshire. I say this as a Londoner. Entering Herefordshire is always something of an expedition and fraught with the possibility of getting lost. I was on the way to my daughter Nicola’s Hen-do. Fourteen of us were to be housed in a huge 8-bedroom house […]
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