Asparagus and Trout Quiche
Since it was St George’s Day, Stephen suggested we cook some asparagus. Not needing much of an excuse to eat asparagus, I happily agreed but remembered that it’s still a bit early and the spears are a bit tough. I decided to use the asparagus in a quiche, hoping the baking would sweeten and tenderise […]
Read More..>>Asparagus and Chicken Risotto
I spotted the first of the English asparagus in Waitrose yesterday so eagerly grabbed some without giving much thought to what I was going to use it for. It seemed too early for asparagus but looking back at last year’s posts, we had the first of the season on the same week of the year. […]
Read More..>>Sausages and Mashed Potatoes
We spent the morning at a farmer’s market local to where my mum lives in Kent and, while we were there, picked up some sausages for dinner. Having used up all my cooking creativity over the last few days, I threw these in the oven while I made some mashed potatoes and some onion gravy. […]
Read More..>>Chicken and Pearl Barley Casserole
A recent cupboard audit unearthed a number of long-forgotten ingredients, including pearl barley which we used in a risotto last year. I don’t have very fond memories of it which probably explains why the rest of the bag has languished in our “pantry” (or, very small cupboard) ever since. Not wanting to throw it away, […]
Read More..>>Beef and Oyster Pie
This week is British Pie Week and with not a lot planned for dinner this weekend, we were grateful for the suggestion. This was actually supposed to be tomorrow’s lunch but we ended up swapping things around since tonight’s planned dish needed to spend some time in the freezer to tenderise, more on that tomorrow. […]
Read More..>>Roast Sirloin of Beef
So, with two carrier bags of meat to get through, it was obvious that today was going to be all about the roast beef. On the butchers block yesterday, the beef sirloin certainly looked impressive but it was only when I unwrapped it in the privacy of my own kitchen that I realised just how […]
Read More..>>Butchery Masterclass at Allens of Mayfair
Allens of Mayfair is the oldest butcher’s shop in London having proudly occupied the same site for the last 120 years. The history of the building is evident as soon as you approach the shop but once inside, it’s immediately obvious that this is no backwards-looking kind of establishment. What’s most striking are the carcasses […]
Read More..>>Success with Soup!
I can make soup! So long as I follow the recipe and don’t omit high-calorie ingredients like cream or mascarpone then a soup-shaped future is within my grasp. This is a Jamie Oliver recipe, from Return of the Naked Chef. Old skool. Potato and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Thyme, Mascarpone and Hazelnuts (he’s concise isn’t […]
Read More..>>Roast Chicken with Potato and Celeriac Rosti
Stephen’s mum was here for dinner last night and since it was the last evening before she returned home to South Africa, we opted for a traditional roast chicken. I was a bit disorientated while cooking though (due to yet another visit to the dentist) and forgot about the roast potatoes. I’d been thinking about […]
Read More..>>Pheasant Pie
I’m not sure I should be admitting to this (since I lambast my poor mother every time I go home and find long forgotten ingredients at the top of her cavernous cupboards that are so out of date the packaging looks like it belongs in a brand museum) but I’ve had a roll of filo […]
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