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,…

Lime Roasted Chicken with Butternut Purée

So I may have been in a bit of a “gourmet” mood with this one, but stick with me.  While this may look very chefs table in its presentation, it is an insanely simple meal that would easily impress dinner guests with its luxurious appearance. In terms of the experience of eating it, the flavours…

Lamb Meatballs in Cranberry Wine Sauce (with Mint Green Mash)

Don’t let the title fool you, this isn’t nearly as gourmet-rubbish as it sounds, and it’s deceptively easy.  Lamb has a delicious rich flavour that pairs wonderfully with the acidity of wine and berries, and the cool fresh taste of mint.  The meatballs are incredibly simple and filling, and the mash provides the sturdy backbone…

Pork, Cider and Sage Lasagne

Total Cooking Time:  90 minutes – 2 hours Do not adjust your monitors, yes what you are seeing there is a very radioactive shade of green atop this lasagne.  Fear not, that is the product of melting the cheese known as ‘Sage Derby,’ and it certainly brings this dish alive.

Spicy Bean Croquettes

Every now and then you just want something that’s been breaded and fried; fish fingers, chicken nuggets, turkey twizzlers etc.  But why stop there?  I’ve always said there’s very few things in this world that feel better than arriving at a party in which the spread is totally beige, and I’m always looking to add…

Beef Steak with Mustard Sauce

Total Time:  10-15 minutes I’ve never been  a huge lover of steak – I often say I find it boring, and that I’d rather have the meat in a casserole or something.  But occasionally I get tempted, and I think there is elegance and skill in the simplicity of it; making the flavour of the…

Roast Chestnut, Mushroom & Red Wine Risotto

The time is now that many people are assembling their Christmas menus, and what’s atop most lists?  Turkey?  Goose?  Ham?  All fantastic center-points of a Christmas Dinner…but what of the vegetarians?  Nut Roasts are certainly a popular option, though for many this means a quick ready-made one from the supermarket which in some cases may…

Sweet Crab Rice Cakes

Crab meat, that elusive beast.  So many claim to be you, so few are!  Still, we know better, do we not?  That unmistakable, sweet delicate flavour delivered in an oh, so fragile flaky form.  Finding the freshest of crab meats is rather tough on the average shop, so for this I simply used tinned and…

Cod Poached in Tomato Sauce with Feta and Parsley Topping

I’ve never had a huge amount of seafood in my diet – the occasional prawn, a drunken filet-of-fish from time to time, but these are few and far between.  Feeling like it’s about time I shake things up I decided to give this a go.  I’ve seen a few recipes out there in which the…

Pretentious Ham, Egg and Chips (with a Pea Purée)

Ham, Egg and Chips is a staple of British pub food and simple home cooking in Britain.  Quick, easy and satisfying…so I thought how can I make this needlessly complicated and overthought?  Fact remains that this dish was absolutely delicious, very filling and visually gorgeous.  Definitely a fun one for when you’re entertaining dinner guests.