Chicken and Chorizo Pie (with Crushed Potato Topping)

Leftover chicken is such a beautiful thing – effortlessly it can be used in so many weeknight meals, lunches or whatever.  I often put mine in a curry, risotto or something similar – easy, reliable, whatever.  This time I decided I fancied something new – especially with all the potatoes I had in the fridge…

Creamy Chicken and Mint Pasta

Last week I was fortunate enough to be cooked a delicious meal using pasta, bacon and creme fraiche.  It got me thinking about how wonderful creme fraiche is as an ingredient – particularly as a basis for a sauce.  Thicker and less sweet than single/double cream, it absorbs and spreads other flavours outstandingly well.  For…

Jerk Chicken with Rice and Beans

I will begin by stating that this may not be totally authentic – it is very much something I put together myself, and is not meant to be a traditional recreation of an exact dish. What made this so nice was its ease – one pot, entirely cooked in the oven, perfect for sharing across…

Prawn and Avocado Salad

I ummed and ahhed about whether to call this a salad or a cocktail, and I’m still not convinced I went with the right choice.  I think the fact that it’s about 60% greens (despite appearances) settled it.  That, and a rare decision to distance myself from 70s dinner parties. Whatever you call it, it…

Halloumi, Prosciutto and Mixed Melon Salad

I recently discovered that Halloumi sales are higher in the United Kingdom than anywhere else in Europe.  We adore this Cypriot non-melting cheese so much that a pop-up in Camden recently started selling Halloumi Fries (which look delicious, by the way). This simple, easy salad combines the classic combination of melon and ham with that…

Crispy Crackling Pork by #youngchef

Though I wish I could claim credit for the delightful recipe you are about to read, I cannot.  I was recently contacted by a very talented budding chef taking his early steps (or at this rate, strides) into the world of cooking, for whom I am privileged to share this meal for Crispy Crackling Pork….

Sausage, Apple and Blue Cheese Risotto

A few years ago I had was attempting to make a pear, ham and blue cheese salad but alas, the pears were (typically) too hard.  Instead, I settled on some apples I had nearby.  I found the slightly more tart tang of the apples interacted with the blue cheese in a different way – the…

Roasted Squash and Cauliflower Curry Soup

I’ve only recently discovered the joy that is roasted cauliflower in curry powder.  Having always been a fan of Aloo Ghobi, it was no surprise that this worked but WHOA, did it work.  This was a gorgeously silky soup packed with flavour.  The squash gave it a beautiful body and the curried cauliflower offered a…

Spicy Bean Burrito

Living in London, you’d think every cuisine in the world would be available at a heartbeat and, to be fair, that is for the most part true.  Still, I’ve always felt that the wonders of Mexican food are somewhat under-represented in the British Isles.  Fortunately, these stupendous dishes are not as complex as you might…

Sundried Tomato and Pine Nut Risotto

  Earlier last year I fell in love with sundried tomatoes.  The concentrated, rich, oily flavour packs a punch unlike any other tomato product.  Perfect with pasta, on toasted bread, or on some strong cheese – perhaps my favourite use of sundried tomatoes is in this dish.  While the tomatoes provide the flavour, the pine…