Having gone through some recent building works (18 months worth!) from which appeared a shiny new kitchen, I became a master at creating quick and simple recipes, often using only one pan or baking tray, such as this Potato, Asparagus and Halloumi Salad. I actually purchased an inexpensive mini oven, which also had two rings…
Light Meals and Salads
Vitamix feta and yoghurt dip {Great British Chefs}
In partnership with Vitamix and Great British Chefs Hooray, the sun is shining again! As mentioned, I’m working on some exciting new seasonal recipes with Vitamix using my new Vitamix S-Series, S30 – I’ve had some lush Frozen Peach and Rosemary Margaritas on the go already plus there’s a fuller review here. The S30 is perfect for whipping…
Salmon, Egg and Cress Sourdough Toasts
A high-protein breakfast, brunch or spring starter made with sourdough, roasted salmon, egg and home grown cress
Recipe: Kasza and Lentil Salad with Griddled Courgette and Halloumi
A super-quick store-cupboard/fridge-raid supper – Kasza and Lentil Salad with Griddled Courgette and Halloumi. Hello! It has been a long time since I have sat down to share a simple recipe, without the pressures of looming deadlines. I am pleased to say that despite possibly the busiest six months of my entire life – renovating…
Recipe: Beetroot and Kale Soup with Almond Crumble
Hello and a Happy 2016! Yes, I’m going to start the year by sharing a predictably healthy recipe…but it is one of my favourites. It is especially for all the beetroot fans out there…and yes, I know there are many of you. My Beetroot and Kale Soup is served with an Almond Crumble (which you…
Baby Kiwi and Burrata Salad
I’m always keen to be introduced to new things and in the case of these sweet little kiwiberries – berry fruits known as NERGI® or baby kiwis, I was right to be intrigued. It turns out that baby kiwis aren’t really a new thing at all. They have been cultivated in France since 2013 and they…
French-Style Irish Beef Salad by Bord Bia
When the Irish Food Board sent me this recipe to try recently, I couldn’t wait to make it, pack it up and take it on a picnic. It almost looked too pretty to transport, but actually, it travelled well. I kept the tomatoes and the boiled eggs whole and in a separate container until I…
A Polish-Inspired Beetroot Salad with Apples, Radish and Dill
A Polish-inspired beetroot summer salad with apples, radish and dill I was interested to read this week about the four distinct waves of Polish migration to the UK. I tend to only think of my parents’ generation, resettling to the UK after the Second World War and of course, of the most recent wave. In…
Clearspring Gluten Free Brown Rice Noodles with Spinach and Tomato
It’s always nice to find ways of making our favourite recipes a little healthier and this is especially true of pasta. This month, I’ve experimented with courgette or zucchini noodles, sometimes called ‘zoodles’ and also with a new type of 100% organic Clearspring gluten free brown rice noodles – recipe below. Usually, these type of noodles are…
Make-Ahead Leek and Poppy Seed Sausage Rolls
We’ve only recently started making our own sausage rolls at home, but now that we’ve tried them, there’s no going back to the shop-bought variety. The homemade version is altogether a different thing – flaky pastry, good quality sausage meat of your choice (I get mine from Hedges Farm in St Albans) and a few…
3 Quick Cheese Snacks for the Good Food Channel
Today is officially the last day of National Vegetarian Week 2014. In case you’ve taken the challenge and are in search of some simple and tasty recipes to round off the weekend, I thought I’d highlight three recent quick cheese snacks, created for the Good Food Channel. Really though, who needs an excuse to indulge…
British Asparagus, spinach, beetroot and halloumi salad
Hooray – foodies up and down the land are celebrating the start of British Asparagus season. It’s here for just a short window of time, officially from 23rd April to 21st June 2014 and I, for one, have been spotting lots of it when out and about. Fortunately, the asparagus season this year coincides with…
Kopytka – Polish Gnocchi for Tenderstem ®
Hurray! Today officially marks the first day of spring. March has already been an incredibly busy month for me recipe-wise and I have lots of great things to share with you over the next few days. Firstly, I wanted to tell you about a new recipe up on the Tenderstem ® broccoli website, which I was…
Shredded Chicken Pancakes for Chinese New Year
This Friday lots of people will be marking Chinese New Year. It’s out with the old and in with the new and if you’re up for a spot of Chinese-themed celebrating, there’s plenty out there to be enjoyed. Last year we took the children into Chinatown in London to show them some of the Chinese…
Baked Camembert with Smoked Chilli Honey
As we inch closer to February, we’re nearing St Valentine’s Day and if you’re staying home this year, you might have started to think about planning your menu. You really want a menu that’s simple and not too stressful, tasty and a little bit creative. Sharing food is always nice, I think, or something that…
Coronation Turkey Picnic Rolls
Coronation Turkey Picnic Rolls (Appetizers | English and Irish): A family-friendly picnic or lunchtime treat
Recipe – Bethany Kehdy’s Whipped Hummus with Lamb
Yesterday I wrote about a stunning new book by Bethany Kehdy called The Jewelled Kitchen and today, as promised, I’m sharing a recipe I made from the book called Whipped Hummus with Lamb. I very nearly made the Spiced Naked Sausages from the Mezze section, but at the last minute the children asked for hummus…
Food on BBC Three Counties Radio and a Mushroom and Thyme Cream Bruschetta Recipe
On Saturday I was very lucky again to be invited back onto BBC Three Counties Radio as a guest on Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen. What fun! It’s always such a great show to listen to and even more enjoyable to take part as a guest. The show involves two hours of food, talk and music along with host…
Silvena Rowe’s Watermelon and Feta Salad with Za’atar Crumble
Ottoman-inspired food. Not something that you might come across everyday, but what a treat. There is something quite magical about the blending of sweet with sour, hints of honey, sprinkles of sumac, cinnamon, cumin, za’atar. Street markets offering marinated meats, shawarma, garlic sauce, tahini, preserved chillis. Mezze tables with olives, hummus, freshly baked flat bread….
Fresh Buffalo Mozzarella and Tomato Salad
I think this is my favourite salad. It is so easy to throw together and any variation on it is welcome at my table. This time, I used a fresh, creamy Buffalo Mozarella, bought from Tony’s Italian deli, Buongiorno Italia in St Albans. The tomatoes are fresh plum tomatoes, now in season. A handful of rocket leaves…
Polish Carrot and Apple Salad (Surówka z Marchewki)
There comes a point at which you have to stop eating cake. It is a sad point, but one that is necessary and as we come into summer, now is the perfect time to switch from baking to salad eating. I can see me holding out for, hmn, let’s see, about a week! On the…
British Asparagus, Mozzarella Salad
Is it hot or cold, do we have sunshine or rain? Is anyone else confused?! Up until yesterday, we were eating warming soups and stews, today, the sunnier and more in keeping with spring weather, inspired this lovely bright British asparagus, mozzarella, tomato and egg salad. This is a sort of cross between asparagus with poached egg (a heavenly combination) and an Italian…
Quick Lunch: Cheese and Leek Toastie – River Cottage Veg Everyday
I pretty much knew as soon as I opened River Cottage Veg Everyday, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s latest (and best-selling) televison tie-in, that Hugh’s Leek and Cheese Toastie would be the first recipe I would make from it.
Baked Aubergine {Yotam Ottolenghi Recipe}
This baked aubergine recipe is taken from Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook called plenty. With a few tweaks you can make this delicious recipe your own! I have to say that when I popped into my local Morrisons store this week, I did not expect to be met by such an amazing array of seasonal fruit and vegetables. I…
