It feels a bit out of season to be blogging this on a glorious May day, as I always make it for a Boxing Day buffet. But it makes a tasty weekend lunch or it would be great for a picnic. I recently used a tin of tuna instead of the smoked mackerel and that […]

There was a brisket joint at the butchers last week – it was cheap, looked good and with a Bank Holiday looming, I figured it was bound to be slow-cooking weather. So in the inevitable pissing rain, I  went searching for a recipe this morning. I’ve never cooked it before and my only real reference point was […]

You can’t beat a home-made pie – it’s up there with soup and a cracking roast in terms of ‘most comforting things to cook’ in my book. And it doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming, thanks to frozen pastry. Turkey or chicken and ham pie is a fantastic way to turn leftovers into […]

You know how The Colonel has a secret blend of spices for his fried chicken – well, I’ve got one too. Only it’s not a secret because I’m about to share it. I use it for traditional ‘Southern Fried’ coating for fish, chicken, turkey or fish. Recently I’ve taken to doing a final coat of panko […]

Such an easy dish, this. Takes no time to cook and livens up a tea time very easily – perfect to make a pork chop or chicken thigh a little bit more exciting. And saves on making a separate sauce. Pop the oven on to 200 decC to get warm. Separate a cauliflower into florets […]

This is 20 minute tea that came about from a Friday-night need for something quick to cook with fish. It’s mostly ‘store cupboard’ ingredients too which helps in a busy week. I used a smoked haddock fillet (a favourite at the moment) but I’d make this with cod or coley too I think. Maybe even a […]

Faggots and peas for tea has been a recent discovery. They were a favourite of my dad’s for a Saturday lunch but I always thought they were pretty grim. On a whim about a year ago I tried some from the butchers at the local market – they’re amazing! This weekend they didn’t have any […]

It’s that time of year again when the fine chaps at WordPress send out a little reminder of what my blog’s been doing all year. Last year enough people had been kind enough to drop by to fill 14 Boeing 747s, apparently. This year about 16,000 turned up – the equivalent of a six-date sell-out […]

In a short series of pie posts (two, to be honest), I thought I’d share my very easy approach to Shepherds/Cottage pie. And a real quick cheat’s version. Again, start with a pan of spuds. Gently fry a finely diced onion and carrot for about five minutes, then add mince (lamb or beef depending on […]

I know a lot of people think it’s minging, but I’m a big fan of corned beef. In a sandwich with brown sauce on crusty white bread – heavenly. So I also love a bit of corned beef hash. Which made me think about what else could be hashed. There’s usually a pack of smoked mackerel […]