This is the most wonderful, comforting soup when evenings become colder. Elizabeth David was hardly complementary: ‘The onion soup generally regarded as ‘French’, with sodden bread, strings of cheese, and half-cooked onion floating about in it, seems to me a good deal overrated and rather indigestible. ‘ Of course, there are many variations of how…

Slices of watermelon were on sale at the fruit stall in Bath and, by chance, my daughter had sent me a photograph and recipe for a watermelon and tomato salad she had made which looked very much like the one by Rumini Iyer that featured in the Guardian’s Feast section (issue 330) a few weeks…

An evening on the allotment and I am offered runner beans, courgettes and potatoes. Together with the vegetables I had planned to make, they made a wonderful meal. Oven at 180℃ 1 cauliflower, broken into small florets2 courgettes, cut into slices 1.5 cm thick1 tbsp rape seed oil6 potatoes, scrubbed2 leeks, washed and sliced into…

This dish, much loved by the Guardian reviewers and recipe writers, is based on the famous warm chicken salad served in the Zuni Café in San Francisco. The restaurant is famed for its roast chicken dishes created by their late head chef, Judy Rodgers. The chicken is always rubbed with salt for at least 24…

It has been a great year for radishes which can be ready to eat four weeks from sowing The trend for mixed salads favours them by using the leaves (especially from thinnings) as well as the root. They have never been universally popular. Mrs Beeton was dismissive. She remarked that radishes are ‘usually eaten raw…

Digging over the patch next to the sweet cicely, I found the tag that must have come with the first plant 20 or more years ago. It explains how not only the leaves and seeds can be used but also the root. Gerard in his Herbal knew this well: ‘The roots are likewise most excellent…

The broad beans have produced a generous crop and, over the last few weeks, we have gone from raw broad beans mixed with cubes of pecorino cheese to sliced young beans in their pods and podded beans mixed in with other vegetables. Old beans are more of a problem but a magic way is to…

Gin is special to Friday evenings in summer when it is warm enough to sit outside. Even more special is that I have made elderflower cordial and, although I am very wary of cocktails in general and will avoid two spirits in the same glass for the rest of my life, this drink is thirst…

This recipe is the only page I have left from a cookbook that must have been published by Marks & Spencer 45 years ago. The theme was cooking for the deep freeze and its author Mary Berry. No wonder it is such a good recipe and one I have used many times to make birthday…

A different way of treating very young broad beans, inspired by a recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi which is a delight for serious garlic and chilli fans. 500g young broad beans1 tbsp plain flourOlive oil1 red chilli, pith removed before finely chopping the flesh. Seeds can be omitted or included.5 garlic cloves (YO uses 10), peeled…