Delighted to have had an email from Astrid for whom purée of fresh peas was the highlight of her ‘Sicilian cena’. How great that she can enjoy fresh peas early in March while away from Norway, staying in her Mediterranean home. We have made our first planting of peas and so can, hopefully, also enjoy…

Zeitgeist if you will but food and recipe columns, as well as letter pages, are increasingly turning to recipes for left-overs and what we throw out which is good to eat. I am happy to pass on using banana skins but Calabrese broccoli stalks are another matter – they are the best bits. Take off…

Some fresh turnips, all white, purple and green, caught my eye in the local Waitrose. I have never been the biggest fan of turnips beyond using them in a navarin of lamb but have discovered this most delicious recipe. 6-8 small turnips, peeled and cut into quartersA big knob of butterPinch of sugar2 tsp white…

Thank you Sabrina Ghayour for introducing me to a great new dish. In her book, Bazaar, she has this recipe for kale, cabbage and feta kuku. Kuku is an Iranian version of frittata but, as it contains flour and baking powder, it also has a nod towards being a cake. It is great for a…

This is the most cheering winter salad I know as everything except the dill is red or orange. It is a great opportunity to embrace colour. It is delicious served with smoked fish or by itself as a starter. Beetroot and red onion turn it into a more substantial dish. Sumac is crucial to balance…

‘Something as simple as anchovies on toast can be a real treat.’ Mark Hix There are many other treats involving anchovies such as teaspoons of Mark Hix’s ‘anchovy ice-cream’ (anchovy fillets pounded with clotted cream and then frozen) on ‘amuse bouche’ size shapes of puff pastry. The Provençal version of anchovies on toast, anchoide, mixes…

It’s not that I don’t like Christmas cake, I do, but a few pieces are enough. This cake is much lighter and does get eaten. The ingredients can be varied. I even make it in place of a Simnel cake for Easter, replacing half the cherries with finely chopped marzipan. Oven at 160°C. Grease a…

In the summer I grew little fat cucumbers which were delicious peeled and cut into batons. They gave a crunchiness to salads. Now I am buying cucumbers and using them very differently. I am pickling them so they are soft but give flavour. I keep a constant supply in a jar in the fridge. Once…

This is a delight and a revelation. Parsley butter is given more status with its French title, Beurre Maître d’Hôtel, and it’s magic. Try it on steaks, new potatoes or carrots. Mixed with lentils it makes a great dish to serve with pheasant, venison or pork. It is also useful to serve with turkey leftovers.…

Strictly it’s rösti, not rosti, but I think this dish has been around for long enough for us to drop the umlauts. I like the classic, simple version which makes an ideal choice for breakfast when there are no left over potatoes. 2 good sized potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated1 banana shallot, peeled and finely…