Bread sauce
on Nov 16, 2009 in thrift bread easy leftovers chicken game Partridge for dinner last night. Roasted for 20 minutes at 220C. Could have done with a minute or two more, I think. Slightly disappointing, we both thought, just a little too like chicken to be worth bothering with. But it was red legged partridge,...

Supreme de poulet aux morilles
on Nov 12, 2009 in family favourites quick recipe books books easy chicken Last night's dinner was supreme de poulet aux morilles. Except that it wasn't, because there were "only" porcini in the larder. And although I was notionally following the recipe in Raymond Blanc's A Taste of My Life, I don't think he'd hav...

Little cheesy biscuits
on Nov 12, 2009 in quick cooking ahead baking party food easy treats cheese-making These are seriously more-ish, so I've made them very small to avoid over-doing it. The recipe appears in various guises in virtually every recipe book that has a chapter on party food. I'm making them tonight for a community party on Saturday evening...

Trina's beetroot burgers
on Nov 11, 2009 in cheap vegetables books cookbooks easy vegetarian seasonal I'm not sure why I chose the beetroot burgers. It wasn't as if there were beetroots rotting at the bottom of my veg box; I had to go out specially to buy them.And then I didn't have the courage of my convictions: I felt embarrassed at serving beetroo...

Dahlias for 2010
on Nov 7, 2009 in list dahlias flowers gardening garden This is Sarah Raven's list of new dahlias to look out for next season; I've torn the page out of today's Telegraph, but I'd rather the paper was in the bin and the information somewhere I can be sure of finding it.Blacks, crimsons and deep redsD4 - a...

Oatcakes 2
on Nov 7, 2009 in biscuits baking oats easy These are the oatcakes I've been making recently; crunchier, shorter than the ones I posted the other day. I'm about to make them with a little parmesan grated into the mix, so that we can eat them before dinner (actually, it will be with a glass of...

Mincemeat with quince instead of apples
on Nov 6, 2009Five huge quince from the Italian deli: time for a serious look through the recipe books for some ideas. My grandmother Buzz made quince jam every year, and her manuscript book - parts of which date back to the 19th century - is still my best source...

Pepper honey
on Nov 4, 2009 in presents spice preserves easy treats larder lemon Who would have thought that pepper boiled up with a little sugar, water and lemon juice could be so delicious or so useful? 20 minutes to make my latest larder must-have. And that's including time to find a jar for it.This concoction has 101 uses: lu...

High fructose corn syrup: A recipe for hypertension
on Oct 30, 2009Confirming what we already know: anything with corn syrup is likely to be bad for us. That's most manufactured food then ... from Coca Cola right through to basic bread. Not just type 2 diabetes, but also high blood pressure.High fructose corn syrup...

Sticky ginger loaf
on Oct 28, 2009 in tea spice baking cake easy cricket teas It's hard to believe that a simple two-egg cake could be so full of flavours and richness. I've been wanting to make gingerbread for ages, but have lost my cousin Rosemary's recipe - it's her signature piece. Sadly, she's too ancient to bake these da...