Rain drove me in from the allotment and I decided to clean the top shelf of the kitchen cupboard. Found a packet of butter beans close to their use by date and remembered a butter bean mash – or perhaps it was called purée – being praised on the recent series of Masterchef. Soak the…

Troika Steppes, our thoroughbred horse, has come back to Burcott for his summer holidays and will have a rest from racing until he returns to Fergal O’Brien’s yard late in the summer. Everyone and every horse was delighted to see him. Petroc, his half brother, was especially intrigued to find out who was in the…

We are now in full rhubarb season . I’m very pleased with this recipe in which the rhubarb is lightly stewed before being placed in the tart. By using the excess juice in the glaze, all the flavour is kept and the tart has a good texture.. Rhubarb Frangipane Tart Make rich shortcrust pastry using…

The Hebridean Smokehouse (www.hebrideansmokehouse.com) supplied us so well with delicacies for Christmas that we had a repeat order for Easter. Their smoked scallops are delicious! Scallops are all the rage at the moment, for us anyway, My daughter has just bought a farmhouse at Orient, on the north tail of Long Island, that lists a scallop…

A busy weekend. We have Li-Yun staying with us for her last break before’ A’ levels begin. Lots to play for as she has offers from both Warwick and Durham to study physics. On Sunday I visited my aunt in Henley. She is 101 and very frail but the carers are brilliant. Hopefully she can…

Pasta has been much in the news. Good on Mary Berry if she adds white wine and cream to her ragu. I bet it tastes good. Giles Coren found ‘depth and poetry’ in a typically Roman dish of spaghetti with cheeses and black pepper, Cacio e Pepe, that he ate in Stevie Parle’s new London…

There must be something in the air, Suddenly lemon tarts and puddings are the rage. Two delicious sounding recipes by Rachel Roddy were published in Saturday’s Guardian but I had already decided which lemon tart to make for Sunday’s dinner. Really there could be no competition when Jane Grigson writes in her Fruit Book, ‘this…

I like pancakes stuffed with puréed apple and thick purées of plums with fromage frais. 300ml full fat milk 125g plain flour 2 eggs A generous knob of melted butter Whisk all the ingredients together – they should be the consistency of single cream – and allow to stand for at least half an hour.…