I made some mincemeat a couple of weeks ago, and the jars have been maturing in a dark corner ever since. Time to make some mince pies. Mince pies need a good shortcrust pastry, of which there are many versions. I use an Italian almond shortcrust, modified from a recipe by Alistair Little. Put 150g [...]

An old method of preserving meat is to cook it slowly in fat, then leave it so that when the fat sets, the meat is entirely encased in it. Any type of meat can be cooked and preserved in this way, but the method is particularly suited to poultry, and especially to duck.To make confit [...]

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 [...]

Bacon is very easy to make. In its simplest form, it’s just the application of salt to pork, with some waiting around involved. My bacon isn’t much more complicated than this, and is based on the method from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s encyclopedic River Cottage Cookbook . Find a piece of pork belly, as big as you [...]