When I came to check out these muffins that a friend raved about, it seems they were invented by Jamie Oliver. Thank you Jamie! A whole load of other websites have variations – so nothing new here. Muffins are back! Bored with our usual breakfasts and lunches, muffins seemed a good idea. I have now…

A present of bread flour set me off on the path to make Swedish buns. The recipe for my first attempt was too ‘eggy’ and Carin, my Swedish exchange from my teenage years, agreed. They should be less rich but dark as the cinnamon and sugar caramelize on top. For the bun dough: 100g unsalted…

I have become a convert to za’atar since discovering the Zaytoun brand which was established as ‘a social enterprise and community interest company’ to establish a UK market for Palestinian artisanal produce. The flavour of the West Bank thyme is magic. This recipe was inspired by Yasmin Khan. Her book, Zaitoun, is one that I…

These biscuits are Scandinavian inspired and great to serve with drinks. The pastry is a bit like a puff pastry but the aim is to make the biscuits light but not too risen. To make 36 biscuits 600g plain flour400g butter, chopped10g salt1 egg, beaten2 tbsp poppy seeds1 tbsp sesame seeds50g Cheddar (or similar) cheese,…

An allotment neighbour has just given me a large handful of coriander. Good to be able to put it to immediate use. As Monisha Bharadwaj writes, ‘Green coriander chutney is the ubiquitous dipping sauce in India’. Quick, easy and delicious. Try it with onion bhajias, samosa or cold chicken. Nearly every Indian cookery writer will…

There must be endless versions of this dish but common to all are white poppy seeds, mustard seeds and chillies. The poppy seeds act as a thickener and mustard gives the distinctive flavour. I am very aware that what I am making is an Anglicized version of a much loved Bengali dish. The original idea…

This meal provoked debate. The motion was ‘A Spanish Omelette is not a Simple Meal’. However, both sides agreed it tasted really good. Discussion about whether or not a Spanish omelette should contain onion is probably centuries old and, by now, can be quietly left to individual taste and preference. Also left to individual choice…

Deciding that more ‘pulse based’ salads were needed, I have been experimenting with quinoa. So far, I have been offering quinoa as a second salad, served beside a lettuce based, green one. Yotam Ottolenghi describes it well, ‘The striking texture is light, sandy and almost crunchy’ and, again, ‘the mild nutty flavour is a wonderful…

We have never had such a good season for courgettes. For a quick snack to have with an evening drink, try courgette batons, coated in seasoned gram flour in which a teaspoon of turmeric has been mixed, and then fried in olive oil. A simple pleasure.

It’s mid July and beetroot and chard are in plentiful supply. This recipe was given to me by Margaret Kelland, a friend since junior school. Her farm shop, near Tring, stocks locally produced rapeseed oil* which is excellent and comes in a variety of flavours. She had used the chilli infused oil but without this,…