January 2026

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Happy New Year! Yes, another year of cooking adventures! I’ll be honest with you, there is a small part of me that feels slightly anxious at this thought. I’m always on the hunt for new, successful recipes, but there can be weeks when they’re elusive and I’m left restless in my kitchen. In an exaggerated way, I imagine it’s rather like an author with writer’s block – one moment you’re riding high on success and the next you feel very much lost and out of control. I flourish when cooking goes well. I suppose, to avoid disappointment, I could just keep to all my tried and tested favourites – there’s certainly enough already on this website! However, where would the fun in that be? So instead, I continue to feed my addiction of buying new cookery books and looking online for recipes which will hopefully be ‘winners’. One of this month’s recipes was discovered during a period in which I was struggling to find that aforementioned ‘winner’. Then, whilst searching the book stores, I found Athena Calderone’s ‘Cook Beautiful’, and soon after, I was singing in the kitchen! I thought that this recipe would be a particularly good recipe to share with you at the start of the year. And, I’m hoping that, like me, this recipe will leave you ‘singing’ in your kitchen!..

So, Menu One is ‘Pan-Roasted Chicken with Shallots & Dates’ from the cookbook, ‘Cook Beautiful’. Who would have thought that a few dates, olives and shallots could shine so wonderfully with a chicken breast?! Menu Two is ‘Simple Goan Fish Curry’. This recipe, which is from the cookbook ‘Simple’ by Diana Henry, may be ‘simple’, but it’s packed with flavour. Make sure your store cupboard has the ingredients at the ready for this delicious curry, which is easy to cook any day of the week.

So, 2026 here we come…Enjoy!..

Menu One

Pan- Roasted Chicken with Shallots & Dates (Serve 4)

Ok, I know that all the recipes I share are delicious, but this one is particularly good!.. Who would have thought that a few dates, olives and shallots could shine so wonderfully with a chicken breast?! Thanks to the cookbook ‘Cook Beautiful’ by Athena Calderone for this fantastic recipe. You’ll need an oven-proof frying pan – a cast-iron one is best. Caldrone suggests putting the pan in the oven first to get it really hot to brown the chicken breasts – a great idea if you have time on your hands (and remember the handle will be hot!).

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (or sunflower oil)

60g unsalted butter

10 shallots, peeled, larger ones halved lengthwise

4 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped

8-10 sprigs of thyme, divided

120ml dry white wine

360ml chicken stock

8 Medjool dates, pitted and halved lengthways

100g green olives, smashed and pitted (I use Nocellara olives)

1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 lemon, zested and juiced

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Place your largest oven-proof frying pan in a preheated oven, 230’c fan, for 15 minutes (see note above). Pat the chicken breasts dry and generously season on all sides with salt and pepper. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and place it on the stove. Add the oil and heat over a medium-high heat until very hot. Working in two batches, cook the chicken, skin-side down, until the skin is crispy and golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate, whilst you make the sauce.
  2. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the pan. Over a medium heat, add 30g of the butter, and when melted, add the shallots. Cook the shallots for 5-6 minutes until caramelised and golden. Add the garlic, a few thyme sprigs, and a further 15g of butter, and season with salt and pepper. Toss with the shallots and continue to cook until they begin to soften, 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the wine and reduce it by half. Add a few more thyme sprigs and the stock. Simmer over a low heat for 15 minutes, until reduced slightly. Check the seasoning and add the dates and olives to the sauce.
  4. Return the chicken to the pan, skin-side up and place in the oven, 230’c fan. Roast the chicken until it’s cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  5. Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate, set them aside and keep warm. Return the pan to the stove over a medium-high heat. Add the vinegar to the sauce, simmer until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 3-5 minutes. Remove it from the heat and stir in the remaining 15g of butter and the lemon juice. Check the seasoning. Return the chicken to the pan and serve immediately, garnished with the remaining thyme and lemon zest.

Menu Two

Simple Goan Fish Curry (Serves 4)

This recipe from the cookbook ‘Simple’ by Diana Henry, it may be ‘simple’, but it’s packed with flavour. Make sure your store cupboard has the ingredients at the ready for this delicious curry, which is easy to cook any day of the week..

4 teaspoons coriander seeds

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

4 dried red Kashmiri chillies

2cm root ginger, peeled and finely grated

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 teaspoon turmeric

Sea salt and black pepper

2 tablespoons sunflower or rapeseed oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large plum tomato, finely chopped

400ml can of coconut milk

1 tablespoon palm sugar or soft light brown sugar

2 teaspoons tamarind paste

1 green chilli, deseeded and finely sliced

500g firm white fish fillets, skinned and cut into 3cm pieces

2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves

  1. Toast the coriander, cumin seeds and the dried chillies in a dry frying pan for about a minute. Crush in a mortar and pestle, then mix in the ginger, garlic, turmeric and 1 teaspoon of salt.
  2. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat and fry the onion until soft and golden. Stir in the spice mix. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato and cook until soft. Add the coconut milk, sugar, tamarind and green chilli and bring to just under the boil. Immediately reduce the heat and simmer for about five minutes, until slightly thickened. Taste for seasoning
  3. Season the fish all over, then add to the sauce and simmer gently for about 4 minutes until cooked through. Check again for seasoning, add the coriander leaves and serve with rice.

Cocktail of the Month

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Ginger & Mandarin Sour (Serves 1)

What better excuse than Christmas for a cheeky cocktail?! This cocktail, with mandarin brandy and the warmth of ginger, has a sophisticated, festive flavour. I discovered it whilst dining at the Fordwich Arms (review here!), it was one of their signature cocktails. Naturally, I asked for the recipe!.. Cheers to a very Merry Christmas!

35ml mandarin brandy

25ml kings ginger

Juice of 1 lime

1 thin slice of ginger, coin-sized

1 egg white

Handful of ice

  1. Muddle the slice of ginger with the lime juice in the bottom of a cocktail shaker.
  2. Add the remaining ingredients except the ice. Dry shake (without ice) vigorously for 10 seconds then add the ice and shake for another 10 seconds until cold.
  3. Strain into a chilled glass. Cheers!

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Cullen Skink with Anchovy Puff Pastries

I first shared this recipe for Christmas 2020 – yes, during those Covid days, how time flies! Cullen Skink is a great soup to serve over the festive season. It’s quite light, so it makes a good starter for a festive meal. And, if you want to make it really special, do serve it with ‘Anchovy Puff Pastries’. In fact, these little pastry puffs are fantastic as a canapé with a glass of champagne!..

Cullen Skink (Serves 4)

Cullen Skink is a Scottish recipe from the village of Cullen in the Highlands, which is the home of finnan haddock  (a local smoked haddock), the traditional ingredient of this soup. ‘Skink’ means ‘essence’, so in other words this soup is the ‘Essence of Cullen’. It is a completely satisfying soup with an elegant air, thus it as at home on a fancy dinner table served to guests, as it is served to family members for a casual midweek meal. I recommend that you serve this soup with Anchovy Puff Pastries (recipe here)

350g potatoes (such a Maris Piper), peeled and cut into pieces

350g smoked haddock fillet

1 medium onion, diced

25g butter

425ml milk

150ml single cream

1 rounded tablespoon parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Put the potato pieces in a pan of cold, salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for about 10 minutes or until cooked through. Drain and mash.
  2. Put the haddock in a saucepan with 425ml of water, bring to the boil and simmer for 7-10 minutes until it is cooked. Lift out the fish, discard the skin and any bones (strain and reserve the cooking liquid). Flake the fish into large pieces.
  3.  Wipe out the saucepan, use it to cook the diced onion in the butter over a low heat for about 4-5 minutes until soft. Then add the reserved cooking liquid and mashed potato, cook over a medium heat, stirring to incorporate the potato.
  4. Reduce the heat, slowly add the milk and then the fish. Simmer for 10 minutes.
  5. Stir in the cream and parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
  6. Ladle into bowls and serve with the hot anchovy puff pastries (recipe here).

Anchovy Puff Pastries

These Anchovy Puffs are a recipe which you will definitely thank me for, they are absolutely delicious, not just with Cullen Skink, but also as canapés with a glass of champagne! The combination of the cold, salty ice cream inside the hot puff pastries is divine. I have recently discovered ‘Jus Roll’ gluten free puff pastry, and I must say I was very impressed with it, so if you are gluten free, you can still enjoy these delicious puffs…in fact the Anchovy Puffs pictured above were made with it!

They are very easy to make, the ice cream is not ‘proper’ ice cream so does not need stirring – you just mix and freeze! The puff pastries can be frozen – just defrost and reheat before serving.

1 egg yolk

60g cream cheese

120ml double cream, lightly whipped

25g anchovy fillets, drained and chopped

A pinch of cayenne pepper

1 packet of ready rolled puff pastry (gluten free if required)

1 egg, beaten

1-2 tablespoons of porridge oats

A little flour of rolling (gluten free if required)

  1. In a small bowl lightly whisk the egg yolk until creamy. Whisk in the cream cheese and then stir in the lightly whipped double cream, chopped anchovies, cayenne pepper and parsley. Transfer to a shallow container and freeze for about 2 hours until hard (there is no need to stir this ice cream).
  2. On a lightly floured surface unroll the pastry. Using a 3” round cutter, cut out circles and transfer to a baking sheet. Then take a small knife and ‘knock up’ the edges of the pastry to encourage rising. Chill for 30 minutes before baking.
  3. Brush the pastry circles with the beaten egg and sprinkle with some porridge oats. Bake in a preheated oven, 220’c fan, for 7-10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown and puffed.
  4. Remove the pastries and whilst still hot split them in half across the middle and spoon the anchovy ice cream into each.
  5. Serve straight away either with the Cullen Skink (recipe here) or as canapés with a glass of champagne!

Tuesday Treat

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Raspberry & Pomegranate Roulade

Any roulade is a favourite dessert of mine, however, this one is particularly good! The cream filling is cut with Greek yoghurt, in addition there’s the fresh zing from lemon zest and the tartness of raspberries and pomegranate seeds. With added ground almonds, the meringue roulade is slightly more cake-like but still very light. Like all roulades this is best eaten fresh!

4 large egg whites

225g caster sugar

50g ground almonds

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon cornflour

For the filling:

350ml double cream

160g strained full-fat Greek-style yogurt

Finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons icing sugar, plus more to dust

100g raspberries

130g pomegranate seeds

For the topping:

1-2 tablespoons shelled, unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped

*You will need a 30x20cm Swiss roll tin, lined with baking parchment (alternatively you could draw a rectangle, 30x20cm, on piece of baking parchment placed on a baking tray).

  1. Place the egg whites in a large bowl and whisk to soft peaks. Slowly add the sugar, whisking in a few tablespoons at a time until it has all been used up and you have stiff, glossy meringue. Gently fold in the almonds lemon juice and cornflour.
  2. Spoon the meringue into the prepared tin and use a spatula to smooth out.
  3. Bake in a preheated oven, 150’c fan, for 30 minutes, until firm on top and slightly golden.
  4. Meanwhile tear off another piece of baking parchment of the same size and lay it on a clean work surface – you’ll need this to roll the meringue when it’s cooked.
  5. Whisk the cream, yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla extract and icing sugar in a bowl to a thick cream. Place half the berries in a bowl and use a fork to mash, to create pools of juice.
  6. When the meringue is cooked, turn it out onto the fresh piece of baking parchment you prepared earlier. Gently peel off the parchment from the base of the meringue and leave to completely cool (this will take about 10 minutes).
  7. When the meringue is cold, spoon the cream over it, reserving a couple of tablespoons for decoration. Sprinkle over most of the pomegranate seeds, reserving 2 spoonfuls for decoration, and scatter over the whole raspberries and crushed berries, swirling the juices with the end of the spoon so that you have bright pink streaks running through it.

December 2025

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One word – Christmas! So without further ado, here are two recipes that should make your life a little easier during the busy festive season.

Menu One is ‘Lamb, Date & Chilli Stew’ from the cookbook Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour. Don’t be put off by the mention of chilli as this stew is very mild, plus the dates give it a moreish sweetness; it’s suitable for all taste buds, young and old. Doubled or even tripled, it’s a good option for feeding a crowd, and in addition, it can be frozen. What’s not to like?! Menu Two is ‘Courgette, Pea & Ricotta’ Lasagne from chef/food writer, Nina Parker. Lasagne is always a good option for entertaining, as it can be prepared in advance and then just put in the oven when your guests arrive. Even better, this one is super easy as you don’t have to ‘faff’ around making a béchamel sauce, instead you just whip ricotta with grated cheese. It’s vegetarian, so is a good option for vegetarian guests or simply for those who have had their fill of meat over the festive season.

Merry Christmas to you all!

(Watch out for my Christmas treat next week – it will be perfect for your celebratory table!)

Menu One

Lamb, Date & Chilli Stew (Serves 4-6)

From the cookbook Persiana Everyday by Sabrina Ghayour, this stew will please most taste buds; the chilli is a very mild addition, it simply rounds off the dish by cutting the sweetness off the dates. Serve with rice or couscous.

Vegetable oil

1 large onion, roughly chopped

800g boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1.5cm cubes

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 heaped teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon chilli flakes (or ½ teaspoon if you’re less brave)

4-6 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly bashed but kept whole

250g best-quality dates (I use Medjool), pitted and roughly chopped

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Place a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and pour in enough vegetable oil to coat the base of the pan. Add the onion and cook until softened and translucent. Add the lamb and spices and stir well to coat the lamb in them, then season generously with salt and pepper.
  2. Add garlic cloves and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Now stir in the dates, followed by the vinegar. Cook for 5 minutes or so, stirring regularly.
  3. Pour over enough boiling water to generously cover the contents of the pan. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure it isn’t sticking on the bottom.
  4. Check the liquid volume, topping with water if necessary, and check and adjust the seasoning to taste, then cook uncovered for another hour or so until the meat is beautifully tender. Serve with rice or couscous.

Menu Two

Courgette, Pea & Ricotta Lasagne (Serves Four)

This lasagne from chef/food writer Nina Parker, is super easy as you don’t have to ‘faff’ around making a béchamel sauce, instead you just whip ricotta with grated cheese.

350g lasagne pasta sheets (gluten-free if required)

For the filling:

3 tbsp olive oil

3 medium courgettes, sliced into 3cm chunks

350g cherry tomatoes, halved

400g tinned chickpeas (1 tsp bicarbonate of soda)

6 garlic cloves, diced

200g frozen peas

Small bunch fresh basil, roughly chopped

2 buffalo mozzarella balls, torn into 3cm pieces.

For the tomato sauce:

2 tins of plum tomatoes

2 garlic cloves, grated,

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 tsp sugar,

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional).

For the ricotta sauce:

45g melted butter

150g Grana Padano, plus about 20g extra for grating over the top

500g ricotta cheese,

Lots of grated nutmeg to taste

Zest of 1 lemon and a small squeeze of juice,

Salt + pepper

170ml whole milk

Extra olive oil and grated cheese for the topping

  1. Grease a 25cmx33cm baking dish with a spoon of oil.
  2. Pour the chickpeas with the tin water into a bowl and top with extra water to completely cover. Mix in 1 level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and leave while the courgettes cook.
  3. Set a large saucepan over a medium-to-high heat with 3 spoons of olive oil. Add the chopped courgettes and tomatoes. Season with salt & pepper, cover (leaving a gap) and cook for 10 mins. Mix every so often. Stir in the 6 cloves of chopped garlic and cook for another 5 mins. Wash the chickpeas under cold water, drain and add to the pot. Season and simmer for another 5 mins. Stir in the peas and basil.
  4. Put all the tomato sauce ingredients into a blender and blitz for 20 secs until smooth.
  5. Add all ingredients for ricotta sauce into a bowl and beat together for 20 seconds.
  6. Spread a few spoons of the tomato sauce across the baking dish and top with one layer of lasagne, followed by more tomato sauce. Add half of the courgette mix, top with 1 ball of mozzarella, grated cheese, 1/3 of the ricotta sauce, and salt & pepper. Repeat once. Finally, top with more pasta, the last 3rd of the ricotta sauce, grated cheese, seasoning and olive oil.
  7. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 40/45 mins in the middle of the oven.
  8. Eat straight away with extra cheese!