Although originating in Auchmithie, a small fishing village a little further up the coast, the town of Arbroath has become synonymous with the ‘smokie’. Tied in pairs, salted, then [...]
It’s this time of year when I start to visit my parents allotment regularly for seasonal fruit and vegetables. The tomatoes aren’t anywhere near ready yet, but the sorrel is flourishing in the [...]
A staple in the fishmongers in spring, mackerel is such great value, and the pickled fennel cuts through the oiliness with acidity. You can literally make this meal in ten minutes and serve [...]
You can’t have a barbecue without salads, and this potato salad with chorizo, and refreshing fennel salad both offset each other perfectly. Make sure you don’t leave the potatoes too big, I like [...]
One of the great things in life is sharing the joy of cooking with youngsters, I love to get into the kitchen with my girls and teach them new things. With this in mind, and to celebrate [...]
This classic dish of leftover potatoes and greens isn’t something I particularly encountered until I moved to work in London in my twenties. There I’d get it in the staff canteen for [...]
This always feels like a weekend soup, maybe because the boozy aroma hangs heavy in the air when cooking it, and maybe because I tend to finish the bottle of perry when cooking it. Perry is [...]
This dish speaks to me of childhood holidays in the Scottish Borders, add as much black pepper as you dare to bring the rich iron intense cabbage to life. You can dispense with the pancetta, it [...]
When I was younger I spent a lot of time with my Gran, she looked after us whenever my parents were working, usually with her elder sister. One of my abiding memories of meals with this hilarious [...]
Dooking for apples, treacle scones, guising and turnip lanterns. This was pretty much what defined my 1980s childhood Halloween in the west of Scotland. However as more and more we are exposed to [...]