Ragu

This recipe is a world away from the kind of ‘spag bol’ I used to make in my student days – a quickly cooked sauce using just minced beef as the meat base which always seem to end up very watery. A good ragu on the other hand is a rich sauce, full of flavour…

Bank holiday barbecue

Last week’s soaring heat was perfect for the bank holiday weekend. The football I was in a particularly good mood after travelling to Stoke on the Friday night for the football (staying in a Holiday Inn right by the ground with my son and his Dad) to see Crystal Palace win 2-1 on Saturday and…

Meatballs in tomato sauce

I made a big batch of meatballs the other afternoon. It was a perfect way to spend a cold and wet January afternoon and to replenish supplies of home made ready meals for the freezer. All I need to do now is defrost a portion and boil up some spaghetti. I based this on a…

Happy halloumi burger

I had a brilliant day last Saturday. I met up with some of my best friends to watch the fireworks at the end of the Lord Mayor’s show from a boat on the Thames (followed by a little cruise up and down river). Before that I wandered around the food stalls on the South Bank…

Slow cooker beef bourguignon

I made this on Saturday to have something for myself and my son to have ready to eat after football (we support Crystal Palace). I wanted something easy and comforting to come home to after what we thought would be yet another demoralising defeat – we were yet to score a goal (or gain a…