This was a great dish to take to a Sunday lunch party and proved to be a very popular first course for six. Oven at 190° 1 roll of all butter puff pastry2 bunches of carrots2 medium sized, raw beetroot2 medium sized red onions, chopped2-4 tbs olive oil2 star anise1 sprig thyme1 tsp granulated sugar1…

A discussion with Mike, my local greengrocer, and the subject turned to carrot tops. He reminded me that Rachel Demuth, who ran the legendary vegetarian restaurant in Bath, had served carrot top pesto. Rick Stein made it too. Indeed pesto doesn’t just have to be basil (though that remains my favourite); kale is good and…

This recipe worked well for me. I made eight jars. 1.25kg Seville oranges5 -7 cm piece ginger1.5kg granulated sugar (unrefined if possible)1x 200g jar preserved stem ginger Wash the oranges and, if they are not organic, scrub them using warm water to remove wax. Put them into a preserving pan with 2.25 litres water and…

I really enjoy shopping for fish when I just choose whatever appeals and start planning the meal for the evening from that moment . Recently it was the rainbow trout that caught my eye and, as trout is a delicate fish, I decided to give it vibrant flavour.  The salsa sauce could be made in…

I am a fan of Epiphany. It’s the time to make Galette des Rois and have a last flurry of celebration before Christmas is truly over and all the decorations come down. Brussels sprouts are long lasting and a pack in the fridge not used on Christmas Day has been central to a most delicious…

A very good pastry for pies and quiches Which pastry to make for a quiche or pie is very much a personal choice.At the moment this is my favourite. Inspiration came from ElizabethDavid’s recipe for Tarte à L’Onion in French Provincial Cooking. 250g plain flour125g butter, chilled1 egg yolkChilled waterPinch of salt Put the flour…

Madhur Jaffrey is legendary. Not only did she win the best actress award at the Berlin film festival in 1965 for her role in Merchant Ivory’ s Shakespeare Wallah, but wrote what remains my ‘go to’ book on Indian cookery. A new edition has been published with the addition of a few new recipes of…

It’s not usually wise to try a new recipe over the Christmas season. There is enough stress – so best to stick to tried and tested menus. However, there is one new vegetable dish that I had to try. It is Ottolenghi’s recipe. The name of the sauce is jurot and in the recipe he…

This is a perfect salad for Thanksgiving or Christmas,  inspired by Nigella Lawson (who had used chestnuts). It is festive, colourful, refreshing, and great to take to a party.  The dressing can be made in advance.  1 or 2 radicchio, torn into bite-size pieces 100g pecans 100g crumbly blue cheese, such as Dorset Blue Vinny…

It wasn’t the meal I intended to make but it has been a crazy weekend and, by mistake, I had put the chicken I had planned to use in the deep freeze and not the fridge. Chicken tikka will happen another time but, as I had started its preparation by straining Greek yoghurt overnight, I…