Pasta with Tuna, Tomatoes and Capers, a Store-cupboard Special April marks the arrival of the Hungry Gap in the UK – the period between the end of winter crops and the first harvests of spring. Many people aren’t aware that this gap exists, or what it truly...
Frozen Pea Risotto with Rocket As we wait for spring produce to truly arrive, I lean on my store-cupboard and freezer staples like peas to bring a touch of brightness to my cooking. Risotto was one of the first dishes that made me fall in love with the process of...
Leek and Lemon Rice-Orzo Pilaf 1st March heralds the start of meteorological spring and with it comes St. David’s Day and my corresponding need to cook anything with a vaguely Welsh theme, usually Welsh cakes, leeks or lamb. This recipe isn’t very Welsh...
Pomegranate Molasses Marinated Salmon Traybake with Sweet Potato, Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Blood Orange Gosh what a long recipe title. Sorry about that, I just couldn’t figure out which ingredients were best to highlight in it, given that they are all so...
Spiced Cauliflower & Paneer Tray Bake with Buttery Onions and Peas Not got the patience to stand by the hob and cook a curry-style dish, then this spiced cauliflower and paneer tray bake with buttery onions and peas is for you. It takes 45 minutes in the oven,...
Carrot and Coriander, Chicken Thigh Tray Bake with Bulgur Wheat and Feta If you’ve ever spent a period of time as a veg bag box recipient, then you’ll have found, as I have that the carrots they keep ’em coming. They’re relentless, appearing...
Pithivier with Butternut Squash, Curly Kale, Mozzarella, and Sun-dried Tomato Can you believe It Starts with Veg has been out 6 months next week? No, me neither. I also can’t believe its the end of 2024. When the new year rolled around last year, I remember...
Potato, Red Chicory and Chickpea Tray Bake with Halloumi & Black Olives Everyone loves a tray bake, don’t they? What’s your tray bake multi-tasking activity of choice? Mine is usually bunging clothes in the washing machine, hoovering the lounge, or if...
Cantaloupe Melon Salad with Tiger Prawns & Chilli Coriander Dressing I haven’t had the chance to go on holiday this summer, and so the entire reason for this recipe entry was my craving for summer holiday prawns. Prawns just like the ones that I’d order off...
Green Bean and Puy Lentil Salad with Vinaigrette, Soft Herbs and Pine Nuts This is a flavourful summer dish using green beans and speckled grey-ish, bluish, greenish puy lentils, dressed with a honey and grainy mustard vinaigrette, which can be enjoyed as a side dish...
It Starts with Veg is HERE, and a recipe for Pepper, Walnut, and Pomegranate Stew with Griddled Polenta Wedges My debut cookbook It Starts with Veg is out today, so I’m sharing for the first time, the story of how the book was put together, as well as sharing an...
Chard, Pancetta and Feta Quiche I used to hate making pastry. Thought it was some act of wizardry. I’ve more recently really come to enjoy the process, and it’s taught me so much about patience – not just the fact that a quiche takes hours to make...
Celery and Blue Cheese Soup Because, there is always celery that needs using up. How often do you buy a bunch of celery, use a stick or two for a recipe, and then leave the rest lingering in the fridge until it’s as bendy as I wish my legs were for yoga? Even...
Spring Green Leaves Stuffed with Rice, Sun-dried Tomato and Fennel Seed, Served with Warm Hummus, Garlicky Mushrooms and Harissa Oil Spring greens, also known as collard greens, are a loose-leaved type of cabbage. An inexpensive green (a large bunch will often cost...
Red Cabbage and Citrus Slaw with Sticky Pomegranate Trout January days can be a bit grey, so brighten things up with this colourful dish. Red cabbage is a great buy as a little goes a long way and will serve you many meals. You can find pomegranate molasses in most...
Any excuse to make my favourite flourless chocolate cake, and serve it with a tangy sweet passion fruit sauce Was this just an excuse the make my favourite chocolate cake again? Probably. I can’t claim to have invited the idea of this flourless chocolate cake,...
The natural sweetness of roasted Brussels sprouts are combined with spiced sautéed butter beans, crispy onions cooked in chickpea flour and nigella seeds, in this warm winter side dish. I nearly always follow the same formula to make a warm winter salad. Roasted veg...
These butternut squash & feta filo rolls, are yet another cunning way to smuggle cooked butternut squash into a recipe. This is my second recipe in a row with the inclusion of warm feta. My trip to Greece in September must still be on my mind, where amongst many...
A simple and seasonal idea for the beautifully unique romanesco involving a can of tomatoes and chunks of warm feta. Romanesco is an unusual looking vegetable, but behind those vidid green fractal patterns, and conical florets it’s really just a brassica that is...
Make the most of fresh sweetcorn in this quick to make pasta dish for two A tasty and quick dish to make the most of corn on the cob season, or a can of sweetcorn you may have lingering at the back of your cupboard. I actually came up with this dish when I came home...
A summer salad with peaches, mozzarella, croutons and a pesto made from home grown nasturtium leaves I’ve spent most of my adult life living in flats in London with no outside space, not by choice of course. In the pandemic I decided I’d had enough and...
A cream cheese tart topped with asparagus spears. These individual tarts make the perfect portion. You can use muffin or cupcake trays to bake them. I’m fairly obsessed with the crispiness of olive oil brushed and baked filo pastry. These lovely little tarts...
Trout tray bake with new potatoes, asparagus and radish; put everything in one tray and let the oven do the work The food stuff I hate the most in the world is a boiled new potato with papery skin. I know, it’s an utter crime to springtime, but I just...
Asparagus pappardelle with pistachio pangrattato for a simple seasonal supper April and May means it’s time for Asparagus in the UK and I look forward to this each and every year. The exact date it will appear depends largely on the weather and its impact on the...
Brussels Sprouts & Smoked Salmon Linguine A creamy indulgent linguini pasta dish inspired by festive ingredients – a surprising way to enjoy Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are not just for Christmas! But, just in case you do have some lying around after...
Squash gratin with herby breadcrumbs A warming, creamy autumnal dish that can be made with butternut or any other variety of squash. Sage + squash = autumn. Is there a better combo this time of year? Peeling the squash is optional but for butternut I prefer this dish...
Semifreddo means half cold in Italian and this simple dessert is a cross between a frozen mousse and an ice-cream. In this version I swirl through deep maroon plum puree and scatter in crumbled amaretti biscuits. I first made a version of this plum amaretti...
This refreshing salad with watermelon, halloumi, coriander leaf and toasted coriander seeds is the perfect thing to eat in a heat wave I’ve recently returned from a retreat chef job in Sicily, where afternoon snacking on watermelon was a daily treat. Watermelon...
Aubergine Skewers with Peanut Sauce & Quinoa a dish inspired by Indonesian Satay This dish is inspired by satay, an Indonesian dish consisting of grilled skewered meat – often chicken, served on skewers with a rich peanut sauce. If satay is on the menu I...
How to make sweetcorn ribs – the latest food trend. I serve mine with miso butter Sweetcorn ribs, as a concept have been around for a while now, although I’m not sure who is to credit for this amazing idea. In season sweetcorn is fantastic at the best of...
