Spaghetti with no-cook tomato sauce

Use the best oil and the ripest tomatoes you can get your hands on – there is nowhere to hide. SERVES 4 1.5kg large ripe tomatoes (I used bull’s hearts) 2 tbsp red-wine vinegar 1 small garlic clove, peeled and...

Posted: 03.08.22 0 Comments

Favourite stone fruit recipes

When I write about food I have an internal fight with myself. I want to make my writing and the recipes that sit next to it like talking to a friend. Like you are across the kitchen podding some peas or drinking a beer....

Posted: 26.07.22 0 Comments

What to feed a vegetarian at a barbecue

Cooking over coals is so suited to vegetables, and almost any can be used. Undistracted by meat fat, I find the subtlety of veg allows the smoky hum of the coals to come even more alive. Favourites this year have...

Posted: 12.07.22 3 Comments

What to feed a vegetarian at a BBQ (part II)

One of the most popular articles on my site last year was addressing a question I get asked a lot: what to feed vegetarians at a barbecue I remember years ago taking a block of halloumi to a party so I knew there...

Posted: 08.07.22 1 Comments

Charred runner beans with lemon and yoghurt

A super-simple recipe that sings of summer. Use a griddle pan or barbecue; if you have neither, a dry frying pan will do the trick, too. SERVES 2 as a side 400g runner beans, tops trimmed 2 lemons, halved 1 tsp...

Posted: 29.06.22 0 Comments

Olive oil-braised runner and butter beans with tomato, feta and flatbreads

I serve these for lunch or dinner with feta, flatbreads and salad. They also make a good starter for a more substantial meal with good bread for mopping up the juices. Serves 4 400g runner beans 150ml good...

Posted: 3 Comments

Keralan runner bean curry

This a quite a dry curry based very loosely on a thoran, but mine has a bit more sauce than a traditional thoran to suit British tastes. If you have the time and the inclination, you could use a fresh coconut and grate...

Posted: 0 Comments

Tomatoes on toast with chilli and fennel seeds 

It virtually goes without saying that the better the tomatoes, the better the toasts. I love Ligurian bull’s heart tomatoes and, of course, our rainbow ones from the Isle of Wight. If your tomatoes are less tasty,...

Posted: 15.06.22 0 Comments

Five Ways with Fresh Herbs

Herbs hold a special magic for me in the kitchen. As a young chef I remember listening to a talk by the amazing Jekka McVicar, the queen of herbs, a guardian of rare herb varieties and an expert on all thing herbal; she...

Posted: 30.05.22 2 Comments

How to eat more knockout delicious veg (and less meat)

I’m not usually a fan of a ‘national day or week’. National mulled wine day on March 4th anyone? And I’m always torn between celebrating national carrot cake day (3rd Feb) and international carrot cake day (4th...

Posted: 12.05.22 8 Comments