Tag: food

October 2025

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Australia has recently been a topic of conversation that I’ve had with various friends and family. It seems that it’s not only the ‘in’ place to visit, but it’s also encouraging many young people from the UK to up sticks and try a completely different life. Indeed, just this month, my nephew is taking advantage of the two-year work visa scheme and is moving over to Sydney indefinitely! Hopefully, my son, Felix, won’t be following suit anytime soon – he holidayed there earlier this year, and for some time Australia was ‘flavour of the month’, however, I’m hoping that he’s finally back in the swing of London life and appreciating the pros of life in the UK. Admittedly, those pros can sometimes be hard to find; apart from, of course, the presence of myself and the rest of the family! The sunshine is one of the big attractions of living down under, but as I was saying to Felix just the other day, “wouldn’t you miss the seasons?”. And, it’s with this thought that I arrive at this month’s recipes… October marks our transition into the autumn, the days get cooler and shorter, but on the upside, there are the autumnal colours that start to arrive as the trees turn from green to reds, oranges, yellows and golds! With such glorious colours, why on earth would you want to move to Australia?!.. This month’s recipes are a celebration of those colours. Not only are they hearty and warming, but with ingredients such as butternut squash and sweet potato, they sing with seasonal colour. Menu One is ‘Marmalade Duck with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Lentils’ it’s a recipe from Raymond Blanc’s ‘Simply Raymond’ cookbook. It’s one of those impressive dishes which looks like you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen for hours, but it is, in fact, super easy. The sweetness of the potatoes complements the duck beautifully. If you’re feeling particularly healthy, you could even leave out the duck and just serve the ‘Roast Sweet Potatoes & Lentils’ as a vegetarian main course! Menu Two is another bright coloured dish, ‘Roast Pumpkin Masak Lemak’ is a recipe from one of my favourite cookbooks of 2025, Agak Agak by Shu Han Lee. The pumpkin is cooked in coconut milk with a spice paste; the result is a mildly spiced, subtly sweet, delicious dish.

Menu One

Marmalade Duck (with Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Lentils) Serves 4

This is one of those impressive dishes which looks like you’ve been slaving away in the kitchen for hours, but it is, in fact, super easy. The sweetness of the potatoes complements the duck beautifully. If you’re feeling particularly healthy, you could even leave out the duck and just serve the ‘Roast Sweet Potatoes & Lentils’ as a vegetarian main course (double the recipe). The recipe is from Raymond Blanc’s ‘Simply Raymond’ cookbook (I’ve slightly changed the cooking instructions as I prefer to cook the duck in the oven rather than on the hob).

4 boneless duck breasts (approx. 160g each), skin on

4 tablespoons orange marmalade

1 tablespoon water

Dash of red wine vinegar

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Score the skin of the duck breasts, through the fat but not all the way through to the flesh, and salt them.
  2. 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.
  3. Place the duck breasts on a baking tray in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, warm the marmalade. Add the water and a dash of red wine vinegar. If the sauce looks too thick, add a little more water. Taste and season with salt and pepper accordingly.
  5. Carve each duck breast and place the slices on plates with the marmalade sauce spooned over. Serve with the ‘Roasted Sweet Potato & Lentils’ (recipe below).

Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Lentils (serves 4 as a side or 2 as a main)

3 sweet potatoes

400g tin green lentils, drained and rinsed

2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

2 generous pinches of sea salt

4 turns of ground black pepper

2-3 handfuls of spinach

1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

A handful of coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

  1. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop each of them into 8-10 pieces.
  2. Lay the sweet potatoes in a roasting tin, add the oil, sea salt and black pepper, and toss the potatoes so that they are evenly coated.
  3. Roast the potatoes in a preheated oven, 160’c, for 20 minutes. Remove the tin from the oven, turn the potatoes, add the crushed garlic and return to the oven for a further 5-10 minutes. The potatoes should be slightly golden on the edges and just cooked through.
  4. Finally, remove from the oven and while still hot add the lentils and spinach. Gently toss. The lentils will warm through and the spinach will wilt a little. Finish with a dash of vinegar and sprinkle with parsley, if using.

Menu Two

Roast Pumpkin Masak Lemak (Serves 3-4)

This is a recipe from one of my favourite cookbooks of 2025, Agak Agak by Shu Han Lee. The pumpkin is cooked in coconut milk with a spice paste; the result is a mildly spiced, subtly sweet, delicious dish. Simply serve with rice.

1kg pumpkin or winter squash

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

¾ teaspoon and a pinch of sea salt

200ml coconut milk

200ml water

For the spice paste:

100g shallots, roughly chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled, roughly chopped

Thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

3 large red chillies, roughly chopped

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

To finish:

Juice of ½ lime

Handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1 red chilli, thinly sliced

  1. Cut the squash into 2-3 cm wedges, removing any seeds and fibrous bits and leaving the skin on. Toss with the oil  and a big pinch of salt and spread out on a large, deep roasting tray. Roast in a preheated oven, 190’c fan, for 20 minutes.
  2. In the meantime, pound all the spice paste ingredients together either in a small blender or with a pestle and mortar, until you get a fine paste. Fry the paste in a saucepan over a medium heat until very fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and water and bring to a simmer. Season with ¾ teaspoon of salt.
  3. Pour the sauce over the squash in the roasting tin, cover with foil, and continue to roast in the oven for another 20-25 minutes until tender.
  4. To serve, with a squeeze of lime, the chopped coriander and some chopped chilli.

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Linguine with Asparagus and Prosecco (Serves 4)

I thought that with the summer days getting shorter and our need to make the most of them it would be a good idea to share this wonderfully simple recipe from Skye McAlpine’s cookbook ‘A Table in Venice’ (I first shared it back in the summer of 2021). As she herself says, cooking with Prosecco always seems rather extravagant, but the delicacy of Prosecco definitely lends something extra special to the sauce. I also use Prosecco when I cook ‘Spaghetti Vongole’ (recipe here), as it gives the sauce a lightness (from the bubbles) and a subtle sweetness. You could, of course, use white wine instead of Prosecco, but do try it with Prosecco at some point. The mini bottles of Prosecco are perfect for this recipe, or of course you could get a full bottle and enjoy the remainder of the bottle with your meal!

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

400g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3 cm lengths

100ml Prosecco

Handful of parsley, chopped

400g linguine (gluten free if required)

30g butter

30g parmesan cheese, grated

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring over a low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes until softened but not coloured.
  2. Add the asparagus and Prosecco, and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the Prosecco has evaporated and the asparagus is tender (if it is not quite cooked by the time that the liquid has evaporated add a splash of water and cook for a little longer). Finally stir in the parsley.
  4. Meanwhile cook the linguine according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Just before draining the pasta, scoop out about half a cup of cooking water and set to one side.
  5. Drain the pasta, toss it back into the pan and add a good splash of the reserved cooking water to ‘loosen’ it. Little by little stir in the butter. Finally add the asparagus mixture, give everything a good stir and serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

June 2025

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With the arrival of June, we can finally say that summer has arrived!.. Summers in the UK often bring a mixed bag of weather yet every year I’m hopeful for long, hot days. Unfortunately I’m always a little disappointed, however, in that very ‘British’ way it gives me some comfort to moan and laugh about it. And when the sun does finally behave, isn’t it wonderful that the BBQ you’ve planned can actually take place outside?! Eating alfresco isn’t something we can bank on but we always like to try and with that ‘stiff upper lip’ we often only give in when the rain is torrential – “at least we can say we tried!”. Bearing this in mind, I thought that this month I’d share two recipes which are perfect for sunny days and alfresco eating, however, they are cooked in the safety of your kitchen and if the weather turns (which undoubtedly it will if there’s a Bank Holiday on the horizon!) you can be assured that these dishes with their sunny flavours will taste just as good indoors!…

Menu One is in fact two recipes – a true Southeast Asian medley. The main event is ‘Malaysian Roast Chicken with Coconut, Lemongrass & Squash’ and in addition, there’s a salad, ‘Cucumber, Pineapple and Peanut Rojak with Tamarind Dressing’. The chicken is very simple to prepare, it’s a one-pan recipe from Rukmini Iyer’s cookbook ‘A Roasting Tin Around the World’; it’s the ultimate traybake! The rich coconut aromas of this roast will make your kitchen smell wonderful – an advantage of not eating alfresco?! It’s incredibly moreish and mild enough for younger taste buds – serve some fresh, sliced chilli on the side for more daring adults. Meanwhile, the salad is from the cookbook ‘Agak Agak’ by Shu Han Lee; it’s a Singaporean recipe which complements the Malaysian flavours of the chicken deliciously. Menu Two is ‘Salmon with Cajun Spices’ from the cookbook, ‘Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain’. The Cajun spices work really well with the salmon, they don’t overwhelm but instead give it a balanced ‘punch’ which is softened with a creamy, lemony sauce. For the perfect light alfresco meal just serve it with some tenderstem broccoli or a good green salad, alternatively, if the rain is closing in and you need a little more ‘love’ on your plate you could add some steamed new potatoes!..

Menu One

Malaysian Roast Chicken with Coconut, Lemongrass & Squash (Serves 4)

(Served with Cucumber, Pineapple and Peanut Rojak with Tamarind Dressing)

This chicken dish is very simple to prepare, it’s a one-pan recipe from Rukmini Iyer’s cookbook ‘A Roasting Tin Around the World’; it’s the ultimate traybake! The rich coconut aromas of this roast will make your kitchen smell wonderful. It’s incredibly moreish and mild enough for younger taste buds – serve some fresh, sliced chilli on the side for more daring adults. You can simply serve with rice or in addition, I’ve discovered that this roast and its spices go particularly well with a salad that I found in the cookbook ‘Agak Agak’ by Shu Han Lee; it’s a Singaporean recipe which complements the Malaysian flavours of the chicken – the combination is a delicious Southeast Asian dream!

1 x 400ml tin coconut milk

1kg chicken thighs and drumsticks

600g butternut squash, thinly sliced

3 shallots, peeled and halved

Spice Paste:

3 shallots, peeled

5cm ginger, peeled

4 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 red chilli, stem removed

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 sticks of lemongrass

3 tablespoons tamarind paste

5 macadamia nuts (optional)

2 teaspoons brown sugar

To Serve:

Thinly sliced chilli and chopped coriander

  1. Tip all the ingredients for the spice paste into a food processor with enough of the coconut milk to make everything blend fairly smoothly together.
  2. Mix the paste with the remaining coconut milk then tip into a roasting tin along with the chicken, squash and shallots, making sure there’s plenty of sauce over the chicken.
  3. Transfer to a preheated oven, 180’c fan, and roast for 1 hour, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through and the squash is soft. Scatter over thinly sliced chilli and chopped coriander. Serve with rice and/or ‘Cucumber, Pineapple & Peanut Rojak’ (recipe below).

Cucumber, Pineapple and Peanut Rojak with Tamarind Dressing

Crisp cucumber, juicy pineapple, crunchy roasted peanuts and a sweet fruity dressing – what’s not to like? This is a Singaporean salad from the cookbook ‘Agak Agak’. It’s delicious alongside so many things – a recipe to remember!

*to roast the peanuts simply put the fresh peanuts in a single layer on a baking tray and roast in a preheated oven, 180’c fan, for about 15-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden.

1 large cucumber

250g pineapple, peeled, seeds and eyes removed

½ small red onion, very finely chopped

50g of freshly roasted peanuts, crushed (*see note above)

Handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped

For the Dressing:

4 tablespoons tamarind paste

4 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 birds eye chilli, finely chopped

  1. Combine the ingredients for the dressing, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt.
  2. Quarter the cucumber lengthwise, cut out the seedy middle then cut into 1cm pieces. Cut the pineapple into similar-sized pieces.
  3. Mix the cucumber, pineapple and onion together with the dressing. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  4. When ready to serve, add the peanuts and mint and toss to combine.

Menu Two

Salmon with Cajun Spices (Serves 2)

This is a recipe from the ‘Tom Kerridge Cooks Britain’ cookbook. The Cajun spices work really well with the salmon, they don’t overwhelm but instead give it a balanced ‘punch’ which is softened with a creamy, lemony sauce. The recipe is for two people but can easily be doubled!

2 salmon fillets, skin on

2 teaspoons Cajun spice blend

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

30g butter

Cajun Crème Fraîche Sauce:

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 banana shallots, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, finely diced

½ teaspoon Cajun spice blend

150ml fish stock

150ml crème fraiche

Juice of 1 lemon, or to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Sea salt and black pepper

Lemon wedges (to serve)

  1. Score the skin of the salmon with a sharp knife. Sprinkle both sides of the fillets with the Cajun spice mix and a little salt. Put the olive oil into a frying pan and place over a medium heat.
  2. When the oil is hot, add the salmon, skin side down, and press each fillet down with a fish slice for a few seconds. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side then take the pan off the heat. Add the butter to the pan and, as it melts, baste the salmon with it. Transfer the salmon to a warmed plate and leave to rest whilst you make the sauce.
  3. Place the frying pan back over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Toss in the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and Cajun spice blend and cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes.
  4. Add the stock and let it bubble to reduce by half. Now stir in the crème fraiche and cook for a minute or two until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper and add lemon juice to taste. Remove from the heat and add the chopped parsley.
  5. Spoon the sauce onto warmed serving plates and top with the salmon. Serve with lemon wedges and accompany with tenderstem broccoli.

‘Blast From the Past’ Recipe

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Baked Sea Bass & Lemon Potatoes with a Lemon Vinaigrette Salad (Serves 4)

I first shared this recipe back in August of 2020. It’s a lovely, simple recipe which I found in the cookbook, ‘Cook; A Year in the Kitchen with Britain’s Favourite Chefs’, just as its title indicates, it contains many different recipes from various chefs. This particular recipe is by Bill Granger and is one that I have cooked on numerous occasions. Cooking a whole fish can seem daunting – but believe me this recipe is particularly easy! It is worth cooking this dish simply for the lemon potatoes – they’re delicious, I often make them on their own to serve with simple roast chicken or other fish recipes.

*You can see the video of this fish dish being made by clicking on this link to my Instagram Page

1 whole sea bass for 4 people

1 bunch of coriander

10 spring onions

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

For the Lemon Potatoes:

1 kg new potatoes (waxy potatoes)

3 tablespooons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, crushed

125ml fish or chicken stock

60ml lemon juice

100g pitted black olives, sliced (optional)

1 small bunch parsley, chopped

Sea salt and black pepper

  1. For the lemon potatoes, cut the unpeeled potatoes into thick slices and place in a roasting tin. Add the olive oil, garlic, stock, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
  2. Bake in a preheated oven, 200’c fan, for 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes
  3. Meanwhile put the coriander, spring onions, chilli flakes, olive oil and salt in a processor and process to make a coarse paste.
  4. Make 3 slashes on each side of the fish and place on a baking tray. Spread the paste over the fish rubbing it into the slashes.
  5. After the potatoes have cooked for 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 180’c and place the fish in the oven on the shelf below the potatoes.
  6. Bake the fish (and continue baking the potatoes) for 20 minutes or until cooked through, 5 minutes before the end of cooking add the olives and the parsley to the potatoes.
  7. Serve immediately

Staple Side Dish – Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

Green Salad with Fennel

Make up a salad as desired and dress with this lemon vinaigrette (I particularly like a green salad with sliced fennel with this fish recipe):

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

finely grated zest and juice of half unwaxed lemon

pinch of sugar

sea salt and black pepper

  1. Whisk all the ingredients together.

Tuesday Treat

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Banana Soufflés with Caramel Sauce (Serves 6)

Oh my, these are good!.. They are soft, fluffy and fruity; a super light dessert which will impress everyone. Soufflés have a reputation for being difficult to make, but believe me when I say that these are super easy. The soufflé mix can be made up to two hours in advance, just keep chilled in the ramekins and bake straight from the fridge. Meanwhile, the caramel sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance; keep chilled and reheat gently to serve.

*It’s important to get the size of the ramekins right to make sure that they rise up – I used ramekins with a 200ml capacity (9cm diameter) and they rose up perfectly.

20g butter, softened for coating the ramekins

100g caster sugar, plus extra for coating

75ml whole milk

2 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoons cornflour

1 large ripe banana, about 100g

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

Icing sugar, for dusting

For the caramel sauce:

20g dark muscovado sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup

25g butter

150ml double cream

  1. Preheat the oven to 180’c fan and put a baking tray in the oven.
  2. Grease 6 ramekins (see note above) with butter and evenly coat the base and sides with a little sugar.
  3. Heat the milk until it’s just at a simmer then remove from the heat. Using an electric whisk, beat the egg yolks and 50g of the caster sugar together until pale, then whisk in the cornflour. Now, gradually whisk in the warm milk.
  4. Place the banana and vanilla bean paste in a food processor or blender and whizz until very smooth. Stir into the milk mixture.
  5. Using clean beaters, whisk the 2 egg whites until stiff, then gradually add the remaining sugar, whisking until shiny.
  6. Use a metal spoon to fold the banana mixture into the egg whites, a quarter at a time, until blended and mousse-like.
  7. Spoon the mixture into the prepared ramekins. Place on the hot baking tray and bake in the preheated oven, 180’c fan, for 12-15 minutes until risen and golden brown.
  8. Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce. Place the sugar, butter and syrup in a pan and heat gently, stirring, until smooth. Bring to a simmer then stir in the cream and cook gently for a further 2 minutes.
  9. Remove the soufflés from the oven dust with icing sugar and serve immediately with the warm sauce – it’s a good idea to make sure your guests are seated at the table so you can serve them the moment they come out of the oven so that everyone can appreciate them in their full ‘risen’ glory!