I made this chicken soup for yesterday’s lunch. I’m not working at the moment so can stay cosy and warm indoors if I like and only need to venture out in the cold if I need supplies or to go to the woods. I live five minutes’ walk from Selsdon Woods in Croydon and I…
Tag: Food bloggers
Savoury muffins
I made these muffins three weeks’ ago because I wanted something savoury to take for half time nourishment during the Crystal Palace v Newcastle game. As Palace supporters we’re really living on our nerves at the moment – fighting a relegation battle while being plagued with injury problems – some of our best players are…
Pasta bake
With the temperature plummeting it’s time to roll out some comfort, carb heavy recipes. As pasta bakes are cheap, tasty and very easy to make they can be top of your list. I say easy but I have just remembered an occasion years ago when I was cooking with my then teenage niece and we…
Smoked mackerel paté
You can whip up this paté in the time it takes to make the toast to go with it. It’s one of the quickest, easiest and tastiest recipes I know. I’ve calculated it costs about £2 per portion (and a generous portion at that) and is perfect for either a first course or as a sandwich…
Chicken pilaf
Pilaf is a a kind of Middle Eastern risotto. I make pilaf with chicken leftovers after a roast, in this case after the weekend’s spatchcock chicken. You only need a handful or two of chicken, and the scrappy bits of chicken at that, as the key ingredient is rice. So it’s a great way to…
Spatchcock chicken with anchovy butter
Spatchcock (or butterfly) chicken is a way of cooking a chicken by cutting out the backbone and pressing the chicken out flat. It’s handy for cooking on the barbecue but also great for cooking in the oven because you can reduce the cooking time by about 30 minutes, keeping energy costs down. Cooking chicken this…
Pea and mint soup with Parmesan crisp
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This soup ticks all the ‘cheap, fresh and easy’ boxes. It’s also incredibly quick and can be made in less than 10 minutes. I always have a bag of frozen peas in the freezer and a mass of mint growing in a pot in the garden –…
Griddled chicory with Gorgonzola dressing
This was a recipe I planned to use as a first course but with sourdough bread it was really substantial and I was too full to eat anything else. It’s based on a Jamie Oliver recipe which uses radicchio (which I couldn’t find so I used chicory instead) and raisins (which I didn’t have in…
Twice baked cheese soufflés on mushroom steaks
There is so much mystique around soufflés and how hard they are to make that it is only last year that I made my first soufflé. It was so easy I couldn’t believe I hadn’t made them before. The key thing is to be very careful about folding the whisked egg whites into the mixture…
Roasted beetroot, orange and feta salad
Beetroot is one of those vegetables people either love or hate. Roasting beetroot in olive oil and sea salt is completely different to eating tiny balls of vacuum packed beetroot soaked in vinegar. So if you have negative experiences of beetroot please give this roasted recipe a go. Beetroot provides a big flash of colour…
Minestrone
I’ve been working away for a few weeks recently, just coming home for long weekends. Before I started working away I tried to use up as much food as possible from the fridge, to avoid waste and save money on shopping. Like most people I know I often find myself throwing fresh food away and,…
Kedgeree
This is my version of kedgeree which uses a mix of cayenne pepper, curry powder and fresh chilli to give it heat and spice. I use brown rice for a healthier option (I love brown rice anyway) and often include different vegetables. I like using peppers and often use more than just one (a combination…
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…
Roasted whole celeriac
This is my version of a Jamie Oliver’s ‘Zombie’ brain recipe – a whole roasted celeriac. I served it with courgettes and Cavolo Nero, instead of pearl barely. It’s a perfect vegetarian alternative to a traditional roast dinner and is very quick and easy to prepare. I have kept the garlic whole because I wanted…
Cheap and cheesy vegetable bake
I popped into Sainsbury’s on my way back from a trip to Somerset on Sunday and found a packet of Brussels sprouts in the bargain section – 300g reduced from 80p to 19p – so I decided to use them in a vegetable bake. Added to a few florets of cauliflower (taken from a cauliflower…
Broccoli and Stilton soup
I was sitting up in bed on Saturday morning planning my week’s food shopping – reading through recipes online, as well as my cook books, while drinking cups of tea in the warm. I came across this article (How to make the perfect broccoli and Stilton soup by Felicity Cloake) so decided to add this soup…
Chocolate brownies with cranberries and hazelnuts
This is based on a Jamie Oliver recipe and works really well every time. You just need to make sure you don’t over bake the mixture as brownies should be soft and gooey in the middle. So there should still be some mixture on the skewer when you test it (the traditional way of testing…
Melanzane alla Parmigiana (baked aubergine with Parmesan)
This is my version of baked aubergines cooked in tomato sauce and Parmesan. I never get sick of aubergines. They are hearty and versatile and a good staple for a vegetarian diet. Aubergines are brilliant for dips, tagines, stews like ratatouille and of course cooked simply on their own. I often just brush them with…
Puy lentils with anchovies and toasted pine nuts
I always keep Puy lentils in the cupboard and much prefer them for salads than green or brown lentils which I use for cooked lentil recipes like vegetarian shepherd’s pie. Puy lentils go very well with anchovies and toasted pine nuts and I’ve just added some hard boiled eggs in this recipe for a more…
Apple tart (tarte aux pommes Maman Blanc)
I made this apple tart for the buffet table for a New Year’s Eve celebration with friends. I also baked some chocolate brownies (made with good quality chocolate, hazelnuts and organic cranberries) and a Waldorf salad which is fresh and crunchy and goes well with most buffet food. I had a cosy time in the…
Pavlova
This was our Christmas Eve dessert this year (unusual for me to make dessert actually because it’s my birthday and I normally celebrate by eating out). A Pavlova always looks festive and special and belies the amount of time required on preparation. You just need to make sure the meringue mixture is the right consistency…
Delicious salmon en croute for a cozy Christmas Eve
I made salmon en croute for Christmas Eve dinner – the plan was to have a quiet evening in, just me and my (grown up) children. We normally go out to eat on Christmas Eve because it’s my birthday. But this year was a big birthday and I had a party the week before so…
Mini lemon drizzle cakes
I made a large lemon drizzle cake to take to the office this week as it was my last day in the job. In the end I didn’t get to eat any myself (yes it must have tasted good to be gobbled up) so I wanted to make another one to have this weekend. But…
Super green lasagne
I had a similar lasagne last week at The Magic Garden pub in Battersea – it was delicious – and as usual when I find something particularly good I want to see if I can make my own. The Magic Garden used asparagus and I did too because I found a packet at a reduced…
Roasted cauliflower steaks with vierge sauce
This is a surprisingly substantial and filling dish and at about £1.50 a portion is incredible value. The cauliflower retains a firm texture and the vierge sauce is fresh, crunchy and colourful. Adding capers to the sauce gives the dish a sharp and piquant flavour. This is a very easy meal to make and only takes about…
Cheap, fresh and easy 