Jane Grigson’s rhubarb and grapefruit jam is a great favourite but, for a change, I wanted to make more of marmalade. There is no recipe as such for making this marmalade but rules: You need well flavoured juice made from the grapefruit and rhubarb pulp. The grapefruit must not be waxed. Be very sure the…

This is a classic Elizabeth David recipe. ‘A delicious and delicate vegetable dish to serve with white fish or a roast of veal.’ 500g firm, ripe tomatoes35g butterSaltPinch caster sugar2 tsp tarragon butter Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and skin them carefully, keeping them whole. Melt the butter in a heavy frying pan, put…

My broad beans are a bumper crop, the best for many years.. Aqua Dulce were planted deep late in October. I worried that the wet winter would rot them but they have all come through and were a mass of flowers. Now the lower pods are finger length and ready to pick. In Turkey there…

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…