This is one of those surprisingly quickly made, hearty stews that simmer away in the background filling the house with tempting smells. It reheats perfectly and could be served with cous cous, as I have done, with rice, with noodles or with green veg and bread to mop up the copious juices. It’s spicy and…

Despite what aficionados will tell you, risotto made with a stock cube instead of tremblingly jellied home made stock will be delicious too. This one is a case in point but flavours are boosted by adding some of the prawns right at the beginning of the cooking with the onion and fennel. Flavours are subtle…

Forfar is a place in Scotland and Bridie is the surname of a travelling food seller in the nineteenth century who is credited with making and selling minced meat and onion pies with a distinctive deep pasty shape and crimped edges. I discovered them when I was researching my little book Pasties. I remembered them…

This is a sandwich to cook ahead for; everything is mise en place: aubergine poached, pepper and tomato roasted, all kept in plastic boxes ready for assembly after the bread is toasted. The feta, too, is creamed with thick, natural yoghurt, garlic and lemon and kept on standby in a plastic box in the fridge….

It is ages since I made lasagne. The way I make it, with a tomato sauce as well as a meat one plus béchamel, it’s quite an operation. This version, though, is a bit different. For a start, I used pork mince – moral: wear glasses when selecting mince from the freezer – and instead…

This is a great dish to knock up quickly when you`re starving and want an instant carbohydrate hit with attitude. It goes with almost anything, oriental or not, but is a great base for piling on added value in the shape of fried or steamed chicken, fish or Chinese mushrooms, or greens such as sprouting…