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(All Recipes have Gluten-Free Options)

Welcome to Menu Mistress…

I love cookbooks and have an extensive collection! The idea of Menu Mistress is to share recipes from these books that I’ve tried and tested. This blog is essentially for people who love food but don’t have the time, energy or patience to find that winning recipe – that’s the job of Menu Mistress! Naturally I also enjoy eating out, so I’ve turned my hand to restaurant reviews too – check them out here!..

(Recipes are updated regularly – scroll down and sign up at the bottom of this page to receive reminders)

September 2026

Well, what a summer we’ve all had. For once we can’t complain that the sun hasn’t shone!

As we move into September, I’m not quite ready to give up on summer’s lighter dishes. So, this month I’m sharing two recipes which are paired with light, fresh sauces. Both demand little time and attention; they’re perfect recipes to ease us back into the kitchen after the summer holidays! Menu one is ‘Lamb Rump with Rocket Salsa Verde‘ from Tom Kerridge’s cookbook ‘Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain’. As its name suggests, the book celebrates the best of British ingredients. In this recipe, Kerridge honours British lamb, pairing it with a bold salsa verde. Menu Two is ‘Honey Duck Breast with Saladise Potatoes’. It’s a recipe with clean, fresh flavours, all it needs is a good green salad. Both recipes are quick, easy and very tasty; what more can you ask for?!..

Menu One

Lamb Rump with Rocket Salsa Verde (Serves 4)

This is a recipe from Tom Kerridge’s cookbook ‘Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain’. As its name suggests, the book celebrates the best of British ingredients. In this recipe, Kerridge celebrates British lamb, pairing it with a bold salsa verde. It’s a delicious, simple recipe!..

4 boneless lamb rumps (300g each)

3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

Rocket Salsa Verde:

2 handfuls of rocket leaves (50g)

A handful of basil leaves

A handful of flat leave parsley leaves

1 small garlic clove, finely grated

120ml extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons baby capers

1 banana shallot, finely chopped

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1. Trim any excess fat from the lamb rumps, leaving a very thin layer of fat on one side. Score the fat with a sharp knife and sprinkle both sides of the rumps with the rosemary and some salt and pepper.
2. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat and place the lamb rumps in the pan, fat side down. Let the fat render slowly from the lamb and cook for 4-5 minutes until the fat is crispy. Flip the lamb rumps over and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
3. Lift the lamb rumps out of the pan and lay them on an oven tray. Place in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 6-8 minutes, depending on their thickness, to finish cooking.
4. Meanwhile make the rocket salsa verde. Put the rocket, basil, parsley and garlic into a food processor. Pour in the olive oil and blend until smooth. Add the mustard, capers, shallot, sherry vinegar and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Blend again briefly then transfer to a bowl.
5. When the lamb is ready, remove from the oven and rest in a warm place for a few minutes. Carve the lamb and serve with the rocket salsa verde.

Menu Two

Honey Duck Breast with Saladise Potatoes (Serves 4)

With its clean, fresh flavours this recipe is a fantastic way to serve duck. All it needs is a good green salad. Quick, easy and very tasty, what more can you ask for?!..

24 small new potatoes, halved

150 g (5½ oz) duck fat, melted

4 garlic cloves, crushed

3 large duck breasts

3 tablespoons good-quality honey

5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sea salt, plus extra to season the duck

Freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon water

A handful of chopped parsley

1. Put the potatoes into a roasting tin, add the fat and garlic, and season with the teaspoon of salt and some black pepper. Toss together, then roast in a preheated oven, 200’c for 30-40 minutes, stirring a couple of times during the cooking time.
2. Meanwhile, score the skin of the duck breasts through the fat but not all the way through to the flesh and salt them.
3. Place the breasts in a dry frying pan, skin side down, over a low heat to render down most of the fat, this may take as much as 10-15 minutes. When the fat is rendered, turn up the heat to crisp up and brown the skin (about 2 minutes). Finally, turn over to sear the underside for minute or so.
4. Place the duck breasts on a baking tray in the preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
5. Finally, finish the sauce. Remove all but one tablespoon of the fat from the roasting pan. Add the honey, vinegar, salt and water then cook over a medium heat for a few minutes.
6. Slice the duck breasts and place them on a serving dish. Arrange the potatoes around them, top with the chopped parsley and pour over some of the honey sauce, reserving the rest for people to pour over their plates.

A Little Bit of Housekeeping…

To find all the recipes from my blogs go to the Recipes page where there is a link to print them off. 

Oven Settings – All my recipes presume that you are cooking with a fan oven, increase the temperature by 20’c for conventional ovens without a fan.

‘Staple Side Dishes’ – when you see this note beside a recipe, it indicates that I have previously published this side dish on Menu Mistress. I have re-published it so that you don’t have to trawl through my old recipe blogs to find it – Menu Mistress is about making your life in the kitchen easier!

Gluten-Free – I eat gluten-free, so all of my recipes have gluten-free options, although I must stress that if you have an allergy please double check all ingredients. If flour is used you can substitute it with gluten-free flour (I use Dove’s Free From range) and likewise with other ingredients such as pasta or soy sauce, you can use gluten free options.

Most of the recipes on Menu Mistress are courtesy of the creativity of cookery book writers, old and new. The recipes are an ‘amuse-bouche’ of those available in their books. Please go to my Cookbooks page for more information.

Music to Cook to….what I’ve been listening to in my kitchen!….Click on this link to listen to my playlists (listen without judgement – it’s just a bit of fun!)

Any feedback or recipe ideas? Leave your comments at the very bottom of this page… or feel free to contact me personally here!…

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