Food, foraging and Travel
This is my take on the best gingerbread I have ever eaten from a little village called Grasmere in the Lake District. If you haven’t been to the Lakes, let alone the Grasmere gingerbread shop then put it on your bucket list. They claim to have invented gingerbread back in 1854, created by a Victorian […]
Read More Grasmere style Fiery GingerbreadMy take on the traditional basque cake, I’ve loaded this one with cherry jam and meadowsweet custard. It’s super indulgent and incredibly moorish. With cherries bang in season and literally hanging off the trees I thought it would be a no brainer to use cherries. I have chosen to flavour the custard as I think […]
Read More Gateaux BasqueA decadent torte using Carosesa , which is a delicious mix of carob and tahini that has been blended into a rich vegan butter. It lends the torte a pleasant nuttiness with the warmth of chocolate from the carob. I have served the torte with roasted walnut praline and confit lemon , which offsets all […]
Read More Carosesa, walnut and chocolate torteHere’s simple method to making traditional shortcrust pastry by hand. I have added some seaweed powder and cayenne pepper to this as it was being used for a duck egg, garden pea, mint and Brie quiche. But of course you can just leave it out and go more traditional. Shortcrust pastry Ingredients 200g plain flour […]
Read More How to make Shortcrust PastryKhao Tom is basically a rice porridge, traditionally served for breakfast in Thailand. Although I eat it anytime of the day. I remember having it for the first time from a street vendor in Bangkok. I was intrigued to see what it was like and mingle with the workers passing by en route to work. […]
Read More Khao Tom, Congee or Thai rice porridgeI was kindly given this recipe and in all honesty I’d never heard of it. That’s the beauty of cooking, you never EVER stop learning. It blows my mind : ) It is such a delicious dish, tasty, simple to make and uses minimal ingredients. I have used a couple of cod fillets as that […]
Read More Moqueca – Brazilian Seafood StewThis was a super delicious dessert I had in china town, Bangkok. I will never forget it : ) I’ve finally researched it and got around to recreating it using a delicious carob and sesame butter created by the wonderful Yasemen at Carosesa . This gives the dumplings a really nutty and almost chocolaty flavour […]
Read More Black sesame and carob rice dumplings with a fiery ginger teaThis is a fairly simple recipe but of course takes time, if you’re not confident on butchering a while duck then ask your butcher to do it for you. Have a go, chop and change the ingredients to your liking and remember, there are no rules in cooking! : ) Duck broth 1 tablespoon of […]
Read More Duck Noodle soupHere’s a really simple but delicious recipe, you can chop and change the ingredients and make it as sweet or savoury as you like. It’s also a great way to utilise pine, of which is bang in season right now. Ingredients: 400g blueberries 1 tablespoon of honey Pinch of sea salt 1 strip of tangerine […]
Read More Blueberry, tangerine and pine CompoteThis is far removed from the traditional recipe, but the isolation fridge raid got me like…. It’s super simple and only takes a bit of time and loving 2 leeks, thinly sliced, and slowly cooked down in butter and a little salt until soft and sweet. 2 x skin on chicken legs, poached in chicken […]
Read More Chicken, leek and potato ‘’lasagne’’, shiitake mushroom gravyThis is my version of the Filipino classic, Adobo. I have served it with a refreshing mango salad and jasmine rice. It’s a easy peasy recipe that can be done well in advanced and tastes even better the following day. Recipe: Adobo • 8 bone in chicken thighs • 8 cloves garlic, peeled • 200ml […]
Read More Chicken Adobo, mango salad and jasmine RiceSpruce tips are an easy one to identify and are not only packed full of flavour, but Vitamin C too. The best time to pick them is in the spring just as the new shoot tips begin to grow. They stand out a mile with their beautiful almost fluorescent lime green colour, soft needles and […]
Read More Spruce tips, a beginners guide to foraging, part 5In all honesty I was never a fan of meadowsweet until late. I was always intrigued by its aroma and visually it looks stunning, there’s no doubting that. I was using it all wrong, over infusing it and creating this overpowering slightly bitter medicinal flavour, reminiscent of savlon or TCP. The plant itself is easy […]
Read More Meadowsweet, A beginners guide to foraging, part 4Sweet woodruff is a common plant and can be found in hedgerows, woodlands and even your garden. It is easy to identify and has a tiny little clusters of white flowers when it blooms. It’s coming into its element now and is generally used as flavouring only. The flavour is somewhat a mix between vanilla, […]
Read More Sweet Woodruff – A beginners guide to foraging, Part 3A nice, simple way to make a Creme Patissiere or thick custard with minimal fuss and ingredients. This recipe in particular is enriched with butter at the end making in incredibly rich and indulgent. I flavoured and infused mine with meadowsweet but you can of course leave it plain or add vanilla. It can be […]
Read More How to make Creme Patissiere