Every now and again, my freezer becomes so full that the door barely shuts. Obviously, this is a sub-optimal condition for a freezer to be in, so something has to come out before something else goes in. Yesterday, the thing that had to give was a shortcrust tart case – too bulky, too awkward and [...]
La Grillade is a typical French restaurant, just like the places you’d find in any sizable French town. Except it’s in Leeds. That makes it special. The restaurant is housed in the basement of a Victorian terrace, and looks uninspiring from the outside. Down the stairs, it’s a different world, a series of small dining [...]
This is my kitchen brigade. Despite their youth, they’re a skilled, enthusiastic and highly trained crew, excellent at pouring, measuring, stirring and rolling out. They’d be at home in the world’s best kitchens. They also like to listen to Iggy and the Stooges whilst cooking. This weekend, we made a batch of mincemeat for Christmas [...]
Nigel Slater is much respected in my kitchen. I’ve been religiously buying his cookbooks for over a decade now, and his recipes are the first thing I check in the Observer every Sunday morning. There is an ease and simplicity about Slater’s recipes that I like – his is the kind of easy and relaxed [...]
The first blackberries of the season are ripening well, and my favourite picking patches are heavy with fruit, all swelled to massive proportions by the heavy rain we’ve been experiencing. Our haul was about 2kg, enough for a crumble, with plenty left for the freezer. Blackberries are probably the most accessible of wild food – [...]