Plum and Orange Jam

This is a lovely jam that sets well and ends up clear and glossy, a light burgundy colour. Apart from the occasional piece of plum skin, it is more like jelly than jam. This recipe makes several jars, how many obviously depends on size but I always include several smaller jars so I can give…

GETTING AHEAD FOR CHRISTMAS: Pickled Onions

In an ideal world there will always be a big jar of home made pickled onions in the cupboard. Everyone loves them so much and they are one of the first things I learnt to make from Betty, my mother-in-law. I used to have a copy of her spice mix but now I buy ready…

GETTING AHEAD FOR CHRISTMAS: Traditional Christmas Puddings

When I think back to the palaver my mother went through with the annual ritual of making the Christmas puddings, not to mention mincemeat for mince pies and Christmas cake, it is shockingly easy to make them today. All you do is stir all the ingredients together and steam the mixture in pudding basins. The…

3 Nov 19

Bonfire night completely passed me by. I was in, ignoring it, the fire crackling, snuggled up on the sofa with Red. She, like other lurchers I’ve known, is quite chilled about all the banging and flashing of lights, having lived with building work from a young age. The fireworks continue all week and there were…

27 Oct 19

Comfort food is the order of the day in my house, soups, stew and things on toast is what I’m craving. Oh yes, and the occasional game bird. I once walked past a garage-cum-office opposite my doctor, very close to where I live and a bloke came out with a brace of pheasant. ‘Where are…

20 Oct 19

Another week dominated by my knee ligament injury. If I carry on as normal – walking the dog, cooking, shopping, writing at my desk, going to a movie etc – I pay for it. So I’m still rationing myself and trying to spend as much time with my leg up as possible. I find it…

14 Oct 19

This week has been dominated by a painful knee injury. It’s meant I haven’t been able to do anything very much. Sitting at my desk is a problem, standing up is a problem, walking is a problem. In fact, I am told by the chiropractor that I need to ice it for twenty minutes every…

6 Oct 19

Enjoyably busy cooking week for me, making some of my autumnal favourites including another new way with meatballs, a faux chicken liver parfait and super-easy, super-favourite bavette with oven chips, whilst introducing permutations (a very good word for using leftovers) with my favourite Italian veal stew. Sunday Lunch at www.goatledge.com, the colourful seafood hut and…

Superior Cauli Cheese

When my sister arrived from Sydney on a visit, our first meal together was cauliflower cheese. When we visited our brother in Spain, she made it for him. Cauliflower cheese is a tradition in our family. You could say we were weaned on it; it was probably mother’s Desert Island dish. Great though it is…

Aubergine and Roasted Red Pepper Stew

This is one of those lovely gooey aubergine stews, this time mixed with sloppy, intensely flavoured roast red pepper, onion, a hint of chilli and a goodly slug of white wine with flat leaf parsley to pretty. Serve it with short stumpy pasta tossed with Parmesan or over doorstep bruschetta with a generous garlic rub….