Last weekend was another of those food milestones that mark the year’s progress: the first English peas. And the crop from Puntarelle in Bermondsey Spa Terminus was great – plumper than expected for this early in the season, but sweet as they should be. I had to stop myself popping as many into me as…Continue reading Peas Please – Two Recipes for new season’s peas
#Borough Market
A terrorist attack anywhere in the world should fill us with horror – in Kabul, Baghdad or Sousse, just as much as in Manchester, London or Birstall. But when it is in a place where we find ourselves at least once a week, and a place that we associate with doing what we love, the…Continue reading #Borough Market
A Dining Revolution in Finland
A couple of years ago, Tuula and I were heading to Finland for two weeks and I remember saying that, while we had a lot to look forward to, it wouldn’t necessarily be a gastronomic holiday. That’s not to say that we hadn’t eaten some very food in Finland – fortifying food in winter and…Continue reading A Dining Revolution in Finland
Asparagus is not just for weekends – Two asparagus suppers
We eat asparagus as much as we can during its fleeting season – for weekend starters, for brunch and for midweek suppers too. Here are two recent supper dishes. One of these goes back pretty much to the start of my interest in cooking, the other is a new take on asparagus risotto. Asparagus…Continue reading Asparagus is not just for weekends – Two asparagus suppers
Weekday Soups for Winter
Spiced Vegetable Soup Spicy Chard Soup with feta-Sourdough Dumplings A benefit of going meat-free in January is that it makes us more creative about midweek cooking. One consequence is that we eat more soup – substantial soups that we make in big quantities and eat over more than one day. Should we do this…Continue reading Weekday Soups for Winter
A first guest in meatless January
Cream of Watercress Soup Celeriac & Salsify Salad with Boiled Lemon Aioli Cod with Shellfish, Garlic & Parsley Butter, Sauté Potatoes, Kalettes Time to get this blog back on the road… In January, we try not to eat meat. We stick to vegetarian on weeknights and veggie or fish at weekends. We have no…Continue reading A first guest in meatless January
BBQ Lamb – Garlic or No Garlic?
One of our most regular summer barbecue main courses is a butterflied leg of lamb, marinated in thyme, rosemary, lemon and chilli plus – but here’s the issue that we’ll get on to – garlic. Of all the barbecue dishes we do, this probably counts as my favourite, perhaps because of its simplicity. I loosely follow…Continue reading BBQ Lamb – Garlic or No Garlic?
Farewell Asparagus. Welcome Broad Beans
Gratinated Asparagus Oven-Roasted Chicken with Sumac, Pomegranate Molasses, Chilli & Sesame Seeds Lightly-Stewed Broad Beans, Peas and Gem Lettuce Turkish Spiced Pilaf In hindsight, since I was cooking the day after the referendum result, we should have eaten a plate from each of the other 27 EU countries, plus one for Scotland and one for Northern…Continue reading Farewell Asparagus. Welcome Broad Beans
40 Maltby Street – No Reservations Now
We have never really got the ‘no reservations’ thing. We know that some of the most interesting places in London have that rule, but we find it a massive deterrent. We understand the wish not to be booked up weeks ahead with people for whom the booking becomes a diarised aspiration. But surely it must result…Continue reading 40 Maltby Street – No Reservations Now
Skate (the first time in a long time) and more asparagus – a retro evening
Pot-roasted Asparagus Skate with Ham, Radicchio, Capers and Lemon Jersey Royals with Mint Marinated Grilled Vegetables Years ago, I cooked skate fairly often – I enjoyed the meaty taste and the way it could take such a diversity of other flavours. But then, more than a decade ago, I left a skate wing in the…Continue reading Skate (the first time in a long time) and more asparagus – a retro evening