There were about six million sausages left over from a BBQ this weekend and, having exhausted my patience for eating them with gravy (something I didn’t think it possible to tire of, I’ll admit) I was craving something just a little bit lighter and brighter. The lemon and herbs added right at the end of this recipe allow it to just about retain a spring/summer feel, whilst being comforting enough to suit the reality of the weather we’ve actually had to endure this season. It may not have escaped your notice that I have used tory pasta for this dish. Specifically, ditaloni regati from Waitrose ..read more

I have once again allowed months to pass without giving anything I’ve cooked its rightful immortal home on my actual blog. In my defence, I’ve moved house and had probably at least two quarter life crises in the time since I was last here. I’m now fully settled in a little caravan in the Kentish countryside and therefore hope I might find myself back into the swing of properly transcribing anything I knock up that might be of use to you, on an at least semi-regular basis. If I continue to fall short, remember you can always find me on the social media profiles linked at the bottom of this post ..read more

Wild garlic season is just about upon us. Over the next couple of months you’ll clock your favourite food lovers slathering wild garlic pesto on anything and everything, swapping tips on socials and point blank refusing to divulge the best spots for foraging. If you’re local and curious, feel free to drop me a message and I’ll let you know a couple of good spots – failing that, Riverford often include wild garlic in their veg boxes (which I whole heartedly recommend) at this time of year. If you can’t find smoked garlic – I got mine in Big Tesco – regular will do just fine. This recipe serves ..read more

If left to my own devices, I would very much be a ‘cake for breakfast’ person almost all of the time. My favourite thing about birthdays is that they usually leave a good few days of cake for breakfast in their wake. Carrot Cake Baked Oats give off big cake for breakfast energy without having to commit to the sugar high or the urgent need for second breakfast (a slice of birthday cake needs a toast chaser, at the very least, to keep one going until lunchtime). This isn’t one of my super-quick-on-the-table-in-two-seconds recipes, I’ve found that during the lockdowns I’ve enjoyed taking a little ..read more

To my fellow waifs and strays eating lunch on their own every day of their sad locked down little lives, this one goes out to you. I often catch myself having a hankering for something like tomato soup but simply cannot be arsed with the obligation to eat soup every day for a fortnight having made it in family-sized quantities. If you find yourself in the same position, I’ve got you. This is delicious. It makes one single serving, it took me half an hour and (as with pretty much everything I ever do) very little effort. Note before starting: you’ll need a stick blender or similar For the soup ..read more

This recipe should, I hope, encapsulate everything you ask me for most frequently. Vegetarian (vegan, in fact), but not relying on pretend meat for its protein (not that I’m averse to pretend meat, as you know). A small list of ingredients, not a particularly labour intensive affair and – everybody’s favourite – cheap. I’d say this would comfortably serve three for lunch. In my sad little locked down case, of course, that means one serving is poured into a bowl and two are portioned away in plastic boxes for later in the week. I tend to serve it with greens on the side, too, because I am just ..read more

This year – for the first time in my life – I hosted Christmas at my flat. On Christmas Eve Eve, four pints deep with my best friend, it suddenly hit me that I hadn’t got in the ingredients to make marzipan dates for my Mum (her favourite, and therefore a festive essential). Cue my insisting that we leave the pub immediately to get to the supermarket before it closed and rectify my fatal mistake. After all that, it will surprise nobody to learn that on Christmas Day I was on the prosecco from the very moment I woke up and neglected to remember that marzipan and medjool dates were awaiting my a ..read more

I’m currently recovering from a cheeky little dose of Coronavirus. This soup was something I made myself somewhere in the early stages of death and promised to make again when I was well enough to write it down and here I am, temperature returned to normal and energy levels slowly regenerating, delivering on my word. You’ll notice that it’s a lesser spotted not-vegetarian recipe. I was sick and I wanted to eat bacon. Moments such as these are the very reason I never actually call myself a vegetarian. If you have beer and you’re so inclined, add half a can at the same time as the stock. I haven ..read more

When I asked on socials recently what people were looking for when it comes to vegetarian recipes, I was overwhelmed with requests along the lines of ‘anything that isn’t another f*cking pasta dish’. Fair. I know it’s easy to over-carb when you’re eating a mostly veggie diet and I know that’s something people prefer to be mindful of. I promise I’m listening (this halloumi with white beans, red pepper + tomatoes is a shining recent example) but there’s no denying the fact that what I’m probably best at is comfort carbs, I just can’t switch it off. Pasta is, to me, the only true superfood. The w ..read more

This recipe might only be suitable if you’re almost exactly the same kind of cook as me. I cook mostly for myself, have no qualms about how long something might take but frequently find myself cutting corners just to see if I can get away with it. The corner I cut here might upset people who cook properly. I can’t be bothered to drain the potatoes. I simply do not have the energy or kitchen towel backstock to rinse and moisture-squeeze and dry adequately. The moisture-squeezing is, I understand, essential for optimum crispiness. However, I’ll take a sort-of-crispy rosti over all that effort so ..read more