If you need to follow a wheat, gluten or dairy free diet one thing for sure is that you will have to start cooking for yourself since there are few ready meals available that will be suitable for your restricted diet. But where do you start? And will anyone else be willing to eat with you? continue reading ›
“Shop sensibly and seasonally. Experiment with cheaper cuts of meat. Don’t be wasteful, and make the most of leftovers.”
This is the clarion call from The Thrifty Kitchen, a delightful new cookbook from the charity Independent Age, which supports older people living at home.
We have just returned from a fabulous adventure in Northern Finland. The forest floor - or Taiga - is thick with bilberries, cloud berries and juniper. Here are some images to give an impression of what it was like. continue reading ›
Lavender is in flower from now until the end of summer. Next time you are passing some take a careful look at the beautiful azure spikes. You might see a bee guzzling nectar and stuffing the pollen baskets on its legs. Lavender is wonderful to cook with. Start off with something simple like lavender shortbread. Just strip the buds from lavender spikes and add them to a standard shortbread mix after you have rubbed the butter into the flour and sugar. Then try adding some lavender florets to its sister herbs - thyme and rosemary.
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We have just been running in the park at Chatsworth in Derbyshire. It is a glorious morning. The sky is cobalt. The clouds billow like steam. The air is warm. Coots and moorhens fight ferociously on the River Derwent . But as I scan the parkland, so beautifully laid out by Capability Brown in the 18th century I am dismayed to see a hideous rash of rectangular scorch marks. The solid wooden picnic tables also look as if they have been ‘torched’. The cause is all too apparent - the Party Disposable BBQ - sold by all leading supermarkets and DIY stores for less than a fiver. continue reading ›
I have just seen a ‘backlog’ of coriander in my fridge and wondered what to do with it. After a few moments I remembered a gorgeous dish I selected with my fellow judges for the UK TV series - People’s Cook Book. Rushta is a wonderful, flavoursome soup originating from the Lebanon. It freezes well too.
The description on Alistair Sawday’s website for 22 York Street, London captured the style and ambience of this Georgian style Bed and Breakfast. Mr and Mrs Callis’s theatrical appearance at breakfast was as good as any west end production; animated conversation ensued between guests assembled around the large curved table. continue reading ›
This delightful pudding recipe is from the chef Joe McDermott. Joe is the chef and owner of the gorgeous, relaxed gastro pub, the Ilkley Moor Vaults. His recipe reminds me of panna cotta where some of the cream is replaced with buttermilk. This makes it lighter and gives a fresher taste. Buttermilk is very low in fat containing only 0.3g per 100g. The little buttermilk puddings complement the young, pink, Yorkshire rhubarb perfectly and look stunning. They are so easy to make so give them a try.
Each weekend I set myself a photographic task. I am trying to master my new Canon EOS and the only way to understand its many functions and become skilled enough to create great pictures - is to use it as much as I can. It’s like learning to use a computer. The more time you spend at the keyboard the better and more intuitive you become. The camera is an aid to my food writing and helps me to illustrate some of the pieces I write. But to practise I draw on anything which strikes me as visually interesting.
A capacious, partially glazed dome, studded with tiny sparkling white halogen lights suggests we have walked into a wondrous planetarium. But maybe we are in an airship? The panelled cupola is magnificent and I look up in wonder. My eyes drop slightly to the meticulously painted upper balcony of one of the country’s finest Victorian buildings - the Grade I listed Leeds Corn Exchange. I am in awe. Designed by Cuthbert Broddick in 1861 it is an architectural gem. Pleasing symmetry, original masonry, iron work and beautifully restored Yorkshire stone flagged floors. Painted in soft, coordinated heritage hues and surprisingly warm on this bitterly cold January day it is welcoming place to enjoy brunch, lunch, dinner or even a conference. There are state of the art meeting rooms here. The magnificent 13,000 square space no longer provides trading cubicles for corn but like the best buildings has adapted to changing times and become Anthony Flinn’s gastronomic emporium. This talented Leeds based chef has created a theatre for eating drinking and buying beautiful food and wine. Leeds has never seen anything like it. continue reading ›