If it was a clambake in Alaska fifty years ago we would have been digging right now. But this is a hot day in Norfolk: two older ladies; one cooking over charcoal, the other doing all the work. Ground Aberdeen Angus, homemade relish, pickles and game chips. Music? Only America’s finest will do – Ain’t That A Lot Of Love, Taj Mahal, featuring Jesse Ed Davis 1968 ..read more

Wine and beer are fine but this is a non alcoholic summer cup, made with equal quantities of blood orange juice, fizzy water, plus slices of blood orange and sprigs of mint. Best poured over crushed ice, frozen berries or perhaps a fruit ice lolly! Very refreshing after an afternoon in the sun ..read more

Good for birthdays and in this case a Jubilee – this cake is easy to make and delightful to eat. Equal weights of self raising flour, eggs, sugar and melted butter are mixed thoroughly together and cooked in two non-stick sandwich tins at approximately 160-180°C for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked. When cool the cake may be filled with sliced strawberries and whipped double cream or as here, with set Greek yoghurt. The top is decorated with strawberries and a dusting of icing sugar. Mmmm ..read more

This is a family favourite and a must for birthdays and Christmas. It’s from an old recipe book; I’ve reduced the sugar here and find that Cadbury’s Bournville gives the smoothest consistency for the melted chocolate, but use chocolate with a higher percentage cocoa content for a darker, richer flavour. The roulade freezes very well and takes only a few hours to defrost. You will need a Swiss roll or shallow baking tin, approximately 34 x 24 cm and about 2 cm deep. Ingredients 5 large eggs, separated 140g caster sugar 175g plain chocolate 2 tablespoons water For the filling: 300ml double c ..read more

These non-authentic focaccie make a tender-hearted snack … Ingredients: For the dough: 10oz/285g plain flour, one sachet of dried yeast (7g), 150ml crème fraîche, about 30ml/2Tbsp olive oil, a little salt and some warm water. For the toppings: half a small pumpkin, one yellow pepper, one large red onion, one beefy tomato, balsamic vinegar, 75g/3oz feta cheese, black pepper, one small can of anchovies. Fresh thyme, sage, rosemary. Olive oil. Method: First put the yeast in a little bowl with a teaspoonful of flour and the same of sugar. Add warm water, stir and leave until foamy. Meanwhi ..read more

My neighbour Joy is the kind of person who gives of herself utterly. Occasionally, she makes a big pot of something tasty and feeds family, neighbours, friends. The other night she knocked at my door with a still hot container of spicy-delicious lentils and roti. I have made no attempt to obtain the secrets of the recipe. But Joy herself has volunteered that the stew contains lentils, butternut squash, garlic and spices. (Onions too, I feel.) And that roasting the squash together with some whole cloves of garlic before adding to the lentils makes for a better flavour. Served here with a salad ..read more

As English as Bakewell tart. We used to eat it at school in Gt Yarmouth, smothered in custard. But hang on, isn’t frangipane Italian? Made for St Francis? Chi sa? as they say in Bakewell. Ingredients For the pastry: 2oz/60g white flour, 1oz/30g butter, a squeeze of lemon juice, a small spoonful of brown sugar, a tiny amount of cold water. Fruit: 5oz/140g fresh or frozen English raspberries, plus more if making the compôte. In reality, just use a pack or punnet. A tablespoonful or so of sugar, fruit liqueur or apple juice. For the frangipane: 3-4oz/100g ground almonds, the same of butter, 2 ..read more

I was trying to remember whether this dish was called Pommes Dauphinois or Pommes au Gratin or something else when I realised it was just plain old cheesy potatoes, the sort we ate all the time when young. It varies from the classic French recipe because of incorporating a white sauce instead of only cream. See what you think Ingredients: 4 medium potatoes, half a pint (300ml) semi skimmed milk, 1 Tbsp white flour, 100-150g/4-5 oz cheese ( I used good cheddar and Lancashire) 120ml/4oz crème fraîche, one leek, two fat cloves of garlic, a knob or two of butter, black pepper and salt. Method ..read more

I don’t know whether you like to run down the contents of your fridge until nothing is left save a bit of milk, crème fraîche, eggs and a drawer of sprouting potatoes? And then think what to make? But I find it stimulating. The following two or three recipes all feature these ingredients to some degree … Although I love making pancakes and tarts I had never made clafoutis before this one. Browsing through other people’s recipes I found that the desired texture, batter ingredients, relative quantities, cooking time and fruit used varies enormously. But the following shows how I made the one I ..read more

Mackerel (Scomber scombrus) are so much part of traditional Britain that they are used to name a type of cloud pattern – Mackerel sky. They can be caught off beaches and piers, like this one at Cromer. Mackerel popularity goes up and down – once used for bait and now a pretty trendy item, they seem to have lost their MSC certification for the time being at least owing to high international demand and a lack of agreement on stock allocation. However, I dug one out of the freezer to make this quick and delicious stir fry. Practically all ingredients may be exchanged for something else. Ingredi ..read more