This is so hearty that you could turn it into a meal by serving it with Leek and Cheddar Welsh rarebit (see here). To save your energy bills, it’s best to cook the potatoes when you are using the oven for something else; you can always keep the cooked potatoes in the...
Heritage tomatoes and Yorkshire Fettle on toast
If you can get hold of heritage tomatoes, they make this simple dish more interesting. Yorkshire Fettle is a cheese which is really an English feta and is less salty than the Greek version. It was initially called Yorkshire feta but there is a story/myth/legend/fib...
Charred asparagus and quail’s eggs with peas and lime
Asparagus is a curious thing, it comes and goes so quickly. The official season is 23 April until 21 June … but some people are a bit precious about this. Asparagus does not suddenly become tasteless and woody on 22 June so, if it is still around afterwards, why not...
Stuffed Mushrooms with Blue Cheese
The toasted flavor of the sunflower seeds nicely complements the blue cheese in this stuffing. This version is more cheesy and just as delicious. SERVES 4 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds 12 large mushrooms Вј cup crumbled blue cheese Вј cup cream cheese 2...
Celeriac and apple soup with walnut oil
This is such an easy but impressive soup to make. It requires minimum input, but the end result is an intriguing flavour … so maximum Brownie points. Because the celeriac has a taste of celery, the walnut oil pairs very well, while the apples help to add a little acid...
Broad bean, spring onion and lemon cheesecake
For this recipe we use fresh beans; you can use frozen but, in the summer, the fresh variety are so easy to get hold of that it’s nice to make use of them. For a variation, try substituting the broad beans with peas and some chopped mint leaves. This dish can be...
Very jammy biscuits
The original name for the version of these biscuits that is sold commercially comes from a Beano comic book character called Roger the Dodger, who I believe was quite jammy. If you are feeling adventurous or reckless you could change the jam for another flavour....
Smoky baked beans with poached eggs and chive oil
Making your own baked beans is surprisingly gratifying. You can use haricot beans as we do here, or a mix of kidney, butter or black beans depending on what you like the best. They’re great for breakfast served with toast or Herbed soda bread (see here), but also make...
Shortbread cake
This is essentially a shortbread but, when you add self-raising flour instead of plain flour, the texture changes and becomes lighter and more crumbly. The French call it sablé Breton so, if you hear somebody talking about that, you can give a knowing look. Serve it...
Rum and raisin biscuits
Often a ‘rum and raisin’ recipe will ask for rum essence but it’s nowhere near as good as the real thing that we use here and, because of that, these biscuits have a bit more of a kick. There is a warning in the recipe which says not to overwork the buttercream, so...
Poached autumn fruits
Autumn brings an abundance of fruits, the flavours of which are greatly enhanced by gentle poaching. Damsons and quinces work well in this recipe too, if you can get hold of them. It’s important to poach each type of fruit separately, as they all cook at slightly...
Muesli crumble
This is not your regular muesli – we have incorporated a crumble into the mix which makes it a bit richer. If you do not have all of the nuts or fruits which are called for in the recipe, don’t worry, just substitute them with whatever you do have in the...












