Perfect for an autumn weekend, this Sri Lankan curry is usually made with beef or fish – both are brilliant, but I found pork cheeks at the butchers so that’s the version here. I’ve tweaked it a bit, mostly because I don’t seem to be able to slow cook anything at the moment without adding […]

Two things coincided to make me tackle a simplified version of this Italian classic – it featured on the brilliant Jamie’s Comfort Food and a box of lovely SO Organic goodies arrived from Sainsbury’s for me to try including arborio rice, Pinot Grigio and Balsamic vinegar. So I was all set for a saffron risotto […]

Presented with three key ingredients – a whole chicken, a bag of carrots and a couple of pounds of Maris Pipers – it would be easy to go for the obvious. And I do love a mid-week roast. But I’ve been challenged* to come up with something a little different so I’m going for lighter […]

It’s past the season for casseroles really, but with its chorizo, lemon and parsley this stew is light enough for a long sunny evening. And there are few dishes which aren’t improved by the addition of some fried chorizo. There are only  a few main ingredients and minimal preparation required. Start with the cubed beef – put […]

Happy St David’s Day! Today is a good day to get some Welsh cooking done – Welsh cakes are a must of course, but cawl should be on the menu too. This is my recipe so I can’t vouch for its authenticity – I’ve tried to make a lighter version that doesn’t need slow cooking. […]

This was a student favourite – before the days of even thinking about authenticity or difficult-to-follow recipes, it was just ‘curry’. What you needed midweek to give you an excuse to make poppadoms. I always used chicken on the bone – thighs, drumsticks or a mix as it’s more flavourful and doesn’t dry out like […]

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 […]

I make this a lot. Anything with mash needs onion gravy, it’s perfect with sausages and it worked really well with the recent faggot recipe. It’s inspired by a brilliant book – Just Like Mother Used to Make by Tom Norrington-Davies. It bears little resemblance to the original now after a few years of playing about with […]

Mutton has a reputation for being full of flavour but you rarely see it on supermarket shelves. So when the butcher at the market had a couple of lovely-looking Welsh mutton joints last week, I had to give it a try. Not knowing what to do with it, I asked the butcher – low and slow […]

It was chilly Friday night so I was pleased to see a couple of Cumberland sausages had been pulled out of the freezer for tea. No time for a full-on onion gravy so I improvised something quicker with storecupboard stuff. Also a good way to finally use the jar of caramelised onion chutney that’s been […]