Sunday Times

Jan 16, 2019

Gérard Basset - a memory

Like so many people in the wine world, and I do mean the world, I am deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death earlier today of...

Dec 31, 2016

Chestnuts: Chestnut Chocolate Cake

Definitely a chestnut cake with chocolate, rather than the other way round, but if you want it to be more chocolaty use 240g chocolate....

Dec 30, 2016

Chestnuts: Potatoes with Chestnuts, Bacon & Mushrooms

This is almost a meal in itself, but it also makes a very good accompaniment to roast game birds, poultry, venison and pork. If you’ve...

Dec 17, 2016

Chestnuts: Chestnut, Prune and Sausage Stuffing

This is the stuffing I usually do for goose. In fact, whenever I try something different (apples, potatoes, apricots, walnuts or...

Dec 10, 2016

Chestnuts: Pork Tenderloins Layered with Chestnuts and Mushrooms

If you’re feeling extravagant, use cèpes. Otherwise, use a variety with a good flavour such as chestnut mushrooms. And if you can only...

Dec 4, 2016

Chestnuts: Chestnut Soup

This is archetypal winter food – thick and warming. It’s filling enough for a simple mid-week lunch and delicious enough for a dinner...

Oct 23, 2016

Chestnuts: Introduction, tips & quick ideas

There are few smells more evocative than the waft of roasting chestnuts and few more perfect ways of spending a Sunday afternoon than...

Oct 3, 2016

Tomatoes: Mediterranean Tomato and Olive Tarts

These are basically pizzas with a polenta pastry crust. The advantage, apart from the fact that the base is deliciously crunchy and...

Sep 25, 2016

Tomatoes: Spanish Tomato Sauce

I have been calling this sauce salmorejo for as long as I’ve been making it, but as I no longer remember where I saw the recipe or how...

Sep 24, 2016

Tomatoes: Baked Sea Bream with Tarragon and Tomatoes

There’s nothing to this. The tomatoes burst as they cook, creating a sauce while you enjoy your aperitif. Bream with tarragon is magical,...

Sep 17, 2016

Tomatoes: Tomato and Ricotta Sformata

This is a breeze to make and looks smart – a pale yellow set-custard studded with cherry tomatoes, although in the picture above I used a...

Sep 10, 2016

Tomatoes: Gelée de Tomates

This was one of the recipes I wrote for The Sunday Times. The others were published in August 2009, but this one had to be dropped at the...

Sep 9, 2016

Tomatoes: Introduction & How To Peel

Fresh tomatoes are with us all year, but there’s still something about eating them in summer – even late summer – that’s so much better....

Aug 31, 2016

Herbs: Tips and Extras

Some other ways with herbs: • Herb butters for meat, fish, vegetables, pasta, risotto, sandwiches et al. Use any herb you like, including...

Aug 29, 2016

Herbs: Raspberry, Rosé and Rosemary Sorbet

This is a combination of two recipes given to me by the Chilean winery Errazuriz, so it is their fruity Errazuriz Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé...

Aug 23, 2016

Herbs: Roast Chicken with Thyme and Cream Cheese

Herbs and cream cheese slotted in under the skin along the breasts not only flavour the bird but also keep the flesh beautifully moist –...

Aug 20, 2016

Herbs: Dill and Orange-Stuffed Whole Roast Fish

This is a simple, zingy stuffing for whole fish such as sea bass, bream, red mullet, mackerel or trout or whatever is in season and...

Aug 14, 2016

Herbs: Risotto with rosemary and parsley

I’m wary of the kitchen sink approach to risotto - swamping the essential taste of rice, butter and stock with ingredients more suited to...

Aug 6, 2016

Herbs: Rocket, Basil, Mint and Parsley Soup

Rosemary is perfect with lamb, sage is a triumph with pork, mint brings out the flavour of peas and tarragon and chicken were made for...

Aug 1, 2016

Blackcurrants: Tips and Extras

Ending off this blackcurrant series with, as always, some tips and extra ideas of what to do with all the blackcurrants I know you've...