Welcome to my recipes
There are getting on for 1000 in this collection. They’re all simple, seasonal and very achievable, whether you’re cooking something quick and light or settling in for something slow and comforting. The recipes here reflect the way I cook at home and the way I like to eat; they are very much shaped by the seasons and by the ingredients themselves.
To help you find your way around my recipes, use the search bar below, it allows you to explore the recipes in whatever way suits you. You can choose a season, select a course, or search by recipe type. With so many here, it's a good way to make browsing easier and more intuitive. Many of the following recipes are accompanied by video, so you can cook along or just get a sense of the dish before you begin.
Fresh crab with tarragon and chervil mayonnaise
Freshly cooked crab makes a delicious summer lunch. A little herb mayonnaise and some good bread is all it really needs.
Plum, tomato, red onion, mint and coriander salad
I think we can safely call this a fruit salad – although you might not want to serve it with scoops of ice cream.
Red peppers with smashed white beans, roasted nuts and pumpkin seeds
Roasting red peppers intensifies their sweetness, but it also brings about a slight bitterness in them.
Fried mutton loin with shaved cauliflower, preserved lemon & smoked paprika
I cooked the loins hot and fast, with coarse salt, olive oil and the verve of youth. The meat was sensational – as tender as you could wish for.
Chard with garlic, quinoa, tomatoes and parsley
There are several varieties of chard, but it’s rainbow chard I love the most. The leaves tend to be thick and waxy and grow like dark-green, billowy clouds stitched to multicoloured stems.
Sweetcorn, rosemary and smoked cheddar soufflé
Is the soufflé on the brink of extinction? It’s certainly been on the endangered list since I started cooking, over 20 years ago.
Seared squid with garlic, lemon, smoked paprika, new potatoes and lots of herbs
Fresh squid is one of the finest things you can cook, provided you don't overcook it. A minute or two over a fiercely hot fire or grill is all it takes for it to become sweet, tender and lightly charred around the edges
Slow-roast tomato soup with fried mackerel and basil pesto
This is the ultimate tomato soup and something I've been making for years
Roast chicken with herbs, potatoes and aïoli
This is a really wonderful way to cook chicken and potatoes, particularly when you're dealing with a good bird with lots of flavour. As it roasts the potatoes soak up all the garlic and herb spiked juices
Pickled cucumbers with dill & oak
Try to find fresh little cucumbers or gherkins that smell sweet and are firm to the touch, as these will give you pickles with the best flavour
The FLT with proper tartare sauce
If you like a good BLT, then you're going to go wild for an FLT. Hot, buttery fish scented with garlic and herbs, sweet ripe tomatoes, cool crisp lettuce and a generous spoonful of proper tartare sauce
Courgette flowers filled with peas, dill and mint
Lots of good fruit and vegetable markets will sell small boxes of courgette flowers – they’re a special part of the plant.
