Venison and dark spices were made for each other. The richness of the game alongside the earthy, evocative flavours of black cardamom, star anise, and mace is a work of beauty. When you throw in the warming glow of the fortified wine from the Douro what evolves is a stew not…
This is my take on a traditional Scottish dish which is called variously hotch potch or hairst bree (harvest broth). Traditionally made made with neck of lamb or mutton, I prefer to use the shank as it renders it a bit meatier with less fat in my experience. The vegetables…
I often feel that gooseberries are the poor relations of the summer berries. Hidden behind thorns, thick skinned, hairy with a brown tail, and with a tartness that can make the sides of your mouth meet in the middle. Why would you bother? Perhaps my love of the gooseberry stems…
Sales of organic foods are on the rise with 4.5 million people in the UK now being regular organic shoppers. This can only be a good thing for the environment, for the end consumer and for the welfare of livestock. Of the foods which we buy that are organic, ‘breakfast’…
Or soup depending on when and how you eat it….. I love these dishes which are interchangeable in style and purpose. While red meats often imply heavy autumnal and winter stews, chicken can be light and summery whichever way you braise it. Summer really is a time where the food…
While panzanella and potato salad may be the star sideshows of the barbecue season it is fairly clear in most people’s minds cooking over hot coals means only one thing. Meat. But what does meat mean? It seems when summer finally appears and al fresco dining takes over, often a…
There’s little in this amazing world of flavours that gets me as excited as the one that is currently approaching perfect ripeness. The Scottish raspberry. It has long been my favourite fruit, possibly even my favourite flavour and it’s not that all too common a trait of parochialism that inspires…
