Festive Cottage Pie

Tinsel glistening, lights twinkling, bucks fizz flowing – it must be December!  Friends (and enemies) of mine know that each year I make it my mission to try as many Christmas sandwiches from the supermarkets as I can.  I just enjoy the novelty of it – how are they going to cram Christmassy cheer between…

Haggis Meatballs with Glenfiddich Gravy

Burns Night is approaching, and I don’t know why, but I always feel compelled to find something new to do with haggis in preparation for the day.  Alas, I’m not Scottish, but one doesn’t need to be to appreciate that haggis and scotch together are one of life’s great taste experiences.  It’s a shame haggis…

Turkey and Cranberry Meatloaf

I’ve always been intrigued by meatloaf – the foodstuff, not the singer (though much love for him as well).  Perhaps it was due to the Simpsons referencing it frequently, and their dinnertime stock meal seeming to consist of it, but there was something so fascinating about the idea.  Here in the UK, it has never…

Orzo with Prawns and Bacon

“That’s strange looking rice.”   Words to this effect always seem to be uttered when orzo appears, and it’s easy to see why.  The oval-shaped pasta shapes do share a clear visual quality, however that really is as far as the similarities go, as is understood the moment it is put into one’s mouth.  The grains…

Chicken Katsu (with quick tonkatsu sauce)

I often marvel at how certain ingredients that were considered totally fringe and specialist a few years ago are not readily available in pretty much any large supermarket in the UK.  I remember spending ages searching my local Tesco growing up for ghee when I first discovered Indian cooking, and for the life of me couldn’t find…

Ginger Ale Battered Fish with Tartar Sauce

What do they eat on Fridays at the nuclear power plant? Fission Chips. *Pause for applause…3…2…1* Fish and chips – the quintessential British seaside meal.  Delicious fish fillets kept moist and flavourful thanks to its crispy batter coating alongside chunky chips, mushy peas and doused in salt and vinegar.  Beer batter is often the go-to,…

Devonshire Squab Pie

English food has a certain reputation that I won’t get into right now, but suffice to say if you ask somebody to name traditional English dishes you’ll probably get the standard fish ‘n’ chips, roast dinner, maybe a cream tea…not a whole lot more.  I’ve always found this to be a real shame, as there’s…

Cinnamon Roasted Pork with Parsnip Purée

Cinnamon is one of those spices which is grossly underused in savoury cooking – we all know the familiar taste of a posh Autumnal coffee with cinnamon spicing, or Christmas baked goods offering a warming feeling inside.  This delightfully snappy bark often appears as part of a spice mixtures of food from the subcontinent too,…

Cider Braised Sausages

  There’s something so reliable about a delicious portion of bangers and mash – the full, meaty sausages with smooth, buttery mashed potato smothered in a warm helping of gravy.  As far as weekday dinners go, it’s simple and effective.  However, even the most humble sausage could even do with a bit of posh dress…

Cottage Pie (Packed with Vegetables for Fussy Eaters)

While I am absolutely a lover of food and enjoy trying out new things, I am also undeniably a fussy eater.  Particularly when it comes to the textures of vegetables, I have a whole list of things I can’t generally stomach, even if I like their flavour – banana, mushroom, cooked tomatoes, courgette, aubergine, peppers,…