Elderflowers are appearing and their smell is special. Elderflowers and lilac blossom tell us that summer is close. As with making elderflower cordial, the sprigs must be in full bloom but not turning brown, picked on a warm day when there has been no rain for the last two days and on no account wash…

Hurrah! My dill is happy and plentiful. Dill reminds me of Scandinavia in summer. It goes brilliantly with fish, potatoes and cucumber. Three of my cucumber seeds are showing and have two leaves each. I hope for great parings of dill and cucumber for lazy lunches later in the summer. 4 smoked trout fillets3 tsp…

It was a perfect meal on a perfect evening, asparagus with risotto alla Milanese. I love classic Italian meals for their respect of good ingredients and simplicity. We are in lockdown but our asparagus is plentiful. My search for saffron proved to be much easier than I thought. Our local shop (which in different times…

Decided that this evening’s meal has to come from what is in the fridge. Coronavirus nerves have kicked in and, even though, here in Bath, everyone does seem to be keeping the correct distance, I try to shop only once a week. A bit like Masterchef’s ‘invention test’, I realised that I could make a…

Our last row of Swiss chard is beginning to bolt and this is such a delicious way to use it. 3 carrots, peeled and cut at an angle into 2 cm pieces Olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp cumin seeds ½ tsp sumac (optional) Bunch of Swiss chard,…

As I write (28 March 2020) the coronavirus is gripping. My walk into Bath to shop yesterday was beautiful in terms of the weather, air and bird song but scary enough to put me off other forays for a while. I have had my ‘Marie-Antoinette moment’. Thinking to cook Milanese risotto, I discovered that I…

At home with the coronavirus around is a good moment to check through the store cupboard in the kitchen. Time for invention and, so far, the most rewarding dish has been this salad. 4 medium beetroot, trimmed and scrubbed (not peeled), cut into six wedges 3 tbsp olive oil 100-150g green or Puy lentils, cooked…

I seem to have a theme going; potato stews with olives, herbs and spices. My first was Ben Tish’s roasted potatoes, then I discovered a tagine of monkfish with potatoes and now this wonderful stew. As with all rustic dishes there are many variations. A white onion can be used in place of the red,…

The origins of this dish are Moroccan. It is delicious and satisfying. I have had to make it a few times to work out the timings. I want the tomatoes to be soft, not squashy, and the potatoes cooked through with just enough sauce. I have tried skinning the green peppers but think they are…

This recipe is adapted from one in the Brownies and Biscotti booklet published by The Australian Women’s Weekly, a real cache of good recipes. I make smaller batches of biscotti than in the original recipe as I do not want them too large. I still make about 30 biscuits. They keep well (for up to…