Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2016 i Delicious UK

Sunshine, strawberries, new herbs and vegetables, trees fuzzed with fresh leaves and the countryside at its lushest… There are greens and yellows with tinges of pink, orange and red everywhere you look – the colours of early summer in Britain – and when the sun shines, those moments are envied all over the world for their freshness and beauty. It’s time for fresh ideas in the kitchen, too. Perhaps make this the month you try something new… The quick recipe… PIZZAS WITH FIVE-MINUTE TOMATO SAUCE MAKES 2 MEDIUM PIZZAS. IF YOU’D RATHER MAKE YOUR OWN BASES, FIND A RECIPE AT DELICIOUSMAGAZINE.CO.UK Heat a large frying or sauté pan over a high heat until very hot, then tip in around 250g whole cherry tomatoes. Cook, tossing in the pan occasionally, for…

Cook the cover this month and you can win a fabulous set of baking kit from top British brands Dualit and Tala. It comprises: a versatile Dualit 400W hand mixer; a Tala Stoneware Mixing Bowl; top quality bakeware from Tala’s new Performance range (including a bundt tin and a mini sandwich cake tray); a triple sifter and cook’s dry measure – both original Tala 1950s designs; the Tala Queen Icing Set for stunning cake decorating; some Tala wooden spoons; and a set of Tala bags for presenting your cakes and bakes. talacooking.com; dualit.com FOR A CHANCE TO WINÉ Make the macaroon meringues on our June cover, take a picture and share it with us. APRIL’S COOK THE COVER WINNER • Rachel Garner wins £500 worth of Le Creuset pots for her…

1 A Rockin’ Good Way by Shakin’ Stevens It’s not cool, but it puts a spring in my step at breakfast! 2 Should I Stay or Should I Go by The Clash I crank it up loud in my headphones when I’m doing the food shop. 3 Off the Hook by The Rolling Stones A bluesy, pre-service tune to get you in the mood. 4 Back in Black by AC/DC A classic rock anthem for grilling meat to, while holding a beer! 5 Anna (Go To Him) by The Beatles One to wind down to with an after-dinner cocktail (make mine an Old Fashioned...). 6 Only The Lonely by Roy Orbison A great sing-along when clearing up at the end of the night.…

“My mom made everything from scratch to create that taste of home she and my dad craved so much in New Jersey. There were sesame leaves, chillies and courgettes from the garden, jugs of sweet dessert rice wine and tubs of pungent soaking tripe. At the age of six, I watched her effortlessly form perfectly round crispy seafood pancakes in wonky frying pans. I saw her instinctively season seaweed soup with toasted sesame oil, creating a magical nutty-fragranced broth. I smelled the sweet smoke of Korean barbecue and ran with excited little feet to the garage where Mom fed me juicy beef right off the grill. My mom opened my eyes, educated my palate, instructed my hands, inspired my soul… and successfully lured my heart to fall in love with…

“These pages are about us doing the hard work so you don’t have to… Joy! We’re sent anything from 40 to 100 new products a month, and we really do try them all: tasting, smelling the aromas, testing gadgets. Only if they’re useful, good-looking and value for money do they get the delicious. seal of approval.” KAREN BARNES, EDITOR FATHER’S DAY GIFT …or an any-time treat. Andy Swinscoe at the excellent Courtyard Dairy in North Yorkshire has created two boxes of cheese especially for delicious. readers. There’s a blue cheese box (£34.50) and a cheddar box (£31), each with four top-notch cheeses, available from the delicious. shop. Find tasting notes at deliciousmagazine.co.uk/blog. HEAD FOR THE garden We’ve had our first dose of sunshine (let’s hope it’s not the…

France. Singapore. Spain. Portugal. Malta. All over the world people are mad for eating snails. In the UK it’s a different story. Perhaps because they’re redolent of that wet crunch underfoot when we’re bringing in the washing on a dusky evening, it’s seldom that snails come into British cooks’ plans for dinner. Snail farmer (the fancy name is heliculturalist) Helen Howard would like to change our view. She wants us to reconsider the snail. Helen runs the UK’s number one snail farm, H&RH Escargots, in east Kent, which supplies top chefs all over the country. Since the company launched in 2006, sales of the unusual livestock have increased annually – and 2016 looks to be a bumper year. A ROMAN LEGACY Talking to Helen, I learn that snails haven’t always…

WHERE Cookery School at Little Portland Street, London W1 ( cookeryschool.co.uk ) THE COURSE Advanced Intensive three-day course, £575 TESTED BY Christopher Edgington In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to tell you that before I did this course I wasn’t into cooking. I’m into eating, though. My friends and family love food and cook a lot, so I’ve always been lucky enough to be able to take a back seat and enjoy the fruits of someone else’s labour. I attended the last day of the three-day course to get a flavour of the cookery school and to try to understand why people are so passionate about the creation of something that I had, until now, taken for granted. WHAT IT’S LIKE As I left behind…

“They’re a genius invention: hunks of spiced meat on a skewer, grill-blackened to bring out those umami flavours to the full. No wonder the kebab is popular the world over. Just as important are the accompaniments, giving crunchiness, tang, cooling smoothness, plus the crucial carb. Here are three classic kebabs, each with a combination of flavours, all impossible to resist.” REBECCA WOOLLARD, FOOD EDITOR TEAM FAVOURITE Susan Low, deputy editor “Marinated meat, spices, sharp pickles and citrus, offset with a hint of smokiness… The chicken shish is hold-me-back good.” Turkish chicken shish SERVES 4. HANDS ON TIME 20 MIN, GRILLING TIME 10 MIN, PLUS MARINATING MAKE AHEAD The chicken tastes best marinated overnight, but even 1 hour will give flavour. FOOD TEAM’S TIPS To cook without skewers, fry the chicken…

STREET PARTY MENU FOR 10 Cheesy spinach and artichoke dip Sausage, cider and apple filo rolls Sweet & spicy chicken skewers Whole roasted herb and lemon salmon Carrot, beetroot and fennel salad Potato, mint, pea and broad bean salad Pistachio macaroon meringues with strawberry fool topping Cheesy spinach and artichoke dip SERVES 10. HANDS-ON TIME 15 MIN, OVEN TIME 35 MIN MAKE AHEAD Make the dip a few hours in advance, keep it covered in the fridge, then bake. • 500g spinach• 350g marinated chargrilled artichokes, sliced into quarters• 2 garlic cloves, crushed• 300g mayonnaise• 50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative), grated• 2 x 125g mozzarella balls, torn• 1 tbsp lemon juice• Crusty bread to serve 1 Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/ gas 4. Put the spinach in a large colander in the sink and pour over a…

As a cook and food writer, I can’t work without salt. A little bit added to a cake mixture, pancake batter or a pan of porridge adds another flavour dimension. A pinch makes a plate of sliced, ripe tomatoes, harvested straight from the vine, positively sing. It’s become fashionable to cook with pink salt from the Himalayas or black lava salt from Hawaii. Trendy or not, salt is essential to life, and its preservative qualities have enabled man to store food during the lean winter months. Production methods vary… Most regular table salt is extracted from rocks mined from the ground, or by solution mining, where water is injected into the ground to dissolve the salt, then evaporated once it’s above ground. Most sea salt is harvested from sea water…

The flowers of the Humulus lupulus plant – hops – have long been used in brewing to add flavour and fresh, bitter, fruity aroma to beers, and also to help preserve them. Now there’s interest in the character of each hop variety. Beers are being made that highlight the essential oils of a particular hop or blend. There’s been such an interest in hop varieties that there’s an international shortage of them. As with grape varieties, each hop has a signature aroma and flavour profile and, with some brewers putting the hops used on the labels, drinkers can now look out for their favourite. Marks & Spencer has a fine range of single-variety hop beers, including the crisp, citrussy Boadicea Golden Ale (£2.40 for 500ml), made by the Meantime brewery…

“When I was 13 or 14, I started spending all my non-school hours in the kitchen, my great-grandmother’s sanctuary, which I had been forbidden to enter until then as no messy children were allowed. I felt drawn to the mysterious calm of this special room, and from that point on I never wanted to be anywhere else. From my family I inherited a dusty old handwritten recipe book filled with secrets, and I started studying it. On rainy days, I’d chase away the gloom by putting my hands in some sweet dough. What I love about kneading dough is that you’re bringing your body heat to work with the gluten and the flour: a real collaboration between you and the food. That’s the way my granny (nonna) taught me to…

“It was the best mayo I’ve ever had – creamy and smooth with a lovely soft consistency. ” Louise, Newark Naturally, summertime goes hand in hand with the sort of food best enjoyed al fresco, from your barbecue favourites such as burgers to picnic-perfect potato salads and coleslaws. But just because they’re classics, it doesn’t mean you can’t shake things up this year. Enter new Heinz [Seriously] Good Mayonnaise. With this premium condiment at the heart of your summer offerings, you can take dishes a step further. Made using the finest free-range eggs, oil and vinegar, with absolutely no artificial thickeners, colours or flavours, you can taste how this mayo got its name. Whether you add a big dollop of it to serve or use it as a key ingredient…

“These recipes were born out of the question almost all my clients and friends have asked me at some point: ‘How do I incorporate more green vegetables into my diet?’ That was all the inspiration I needed to create this collection of dishes.” ZITA STEYN A BIT ABOUT ZITA The South Africa-born cook ditched her City job to pursue a career in the world of healthy food. Now she consults for schools and catering companies, hosts supper clubs and teaches one-to-one about nutrition and healthy eating, through her London-based company foodfights.co.uk. Good Better Green is her first cookbook. Grain-free cauliflower ‘pizza’ with chard and olives SERVES 2. HANDS-ON TIME 40 MIN, OVEN TIME 35 MIN, PLUS CHILLING “Cauliflower deserves to be better known for its versatility. It can impersonate couscous,…

1 Use ripe but still firm tomatoes. Remove and discard the green stems, then use a small sharp knife to cut out the ‘eye’ of the tomato (where the stalk attaches to the fruit). Make a cross in the skin at the base of the tomato. Drop the tomatoes into a bowl of just-boiled water and leave for around 30 seconds to loosen the skins – don’t leave them in too long or the flesh will go mushy. 2 Using a small knife to help you, gently pull off the skins, starting at the base. They should come away easily (if not, put the tomatoes back in the just-boiled water for another 20-30 seconds). 3 Slice the peeled tomatoes in half through the ‘eye’. 4 Use a teaspoon to scoop…

“Boning a joint requires patience, but when you finally remove the bone it gives a proper sense of accomplishment, like untying a really tricky knot. If you’re having people round for a meal, this roast is a great choice because you can prepare it a day ahead, and it’s packed with wonderful summery ingredients.” LOTTIE COVELL, DEPUTY FOOD EDITOR Lamb shoulder stuffed with sun-dried tomatoes, goat’s cheese and basil SERVES 8-10. HANDS-ON TIME 1 HOUR 30 MIN, OVEN TIME 1 HOUR 20-50 MIN MAKE AHEAD Prepare up to 24 hours ahead, cover and chill. Bring up to room temperature before cooking. KNOW-HOW Tunnel boning keeps the shape of the meat (unlike butterflying, where you cut open the meat to get at the bone). It’s good for stuffing as it makes…

There’s no doubt food has the power to underpin family life. When I was 15 my mum died and I had an overriding sense of needing to keep our little household going. For the first few months I used to stop at the shops on my way home from school, buy the week’s shopping, then spend all day Saturday batch cooking casseroles to freeze, ready to keep me, my father and my 11-year-old brother in meals for the week. I think we all got to the point where we couldn’t face another beef stew – or, worse, some kind of 1970s concoction I used to make with tinned pilchards (easy on the purse but a challenge to the taste buds!). Now, looking back, I can’t believe I was…

1491 Henry Tudor was born on 28 June. After his elder brother Arthur died aged 15, he was crowned Henry VIII and became famed for his appetite; the annual meat provision for his court included 8,200 sheep, 2,330 deer and 53 wild boar. 1800 After Napoleon’s troops overcame the Austrians at the Battle of Marengo on 14 June, his chef created chicken marengo to commemorate the victory. The dish was similar to chicken à la provençale, but with the addition of crayfish and eggs. 1926 Norma Jeane Mortenson was born in Los Angeles on 1 June. In 1948 she was crowned Artichoke Queen in the town of Castroville. She later found fame as Marilyn Monroe, a name she legally adopted in 1956. After her untimely death, a set of her…

NADIYA’S KITCHEN £20; Michael Joseph (out 16 June) It was Nadiya Hussain’s baking skills (as well as her expressive eyebrows) that entranced many Bake Off fans, and now the 2015 champ has a new book. It’s not all baking: there are appealing, achievable family breakfasts, small plates, lunch and dinner recipes, as well as dishes that are a bit more special. Sweets (of course) play a role, including a whole chapter each on biscuits and puddings. COOK JAPANESE AT HOME £25; Kyle Books Ramen and sushi have led the trend for Japanese nosh in the UK, but most Brits are more likely to eat restaurant fare rather than try cooking it at home. Author Kimiko Barber aims to change that with this beautiful, well researched book. The 200 or so…

1 SURPRISING BERRIES They’re the size of blueberries, only they’re tomatoes. I roasted them in olive oil, mixed in torn fresh basil, then stirred the lot into a roast chicken salad. Half had mushed down, half popped in the mouth releasing a burst of flavour. Yum. £2 for 125g 2 OOH LA LA! Just one taste and you’ll know La Crémière Jersey Salted Caramel Sauce is a treat of the highest order. The ingredients are all natural and the flavour is rich and balanced. It was a battle of spoons when we were taste-testing in the office. Serve warm or spoon straight from the bottle. £9.90 for 2 x 250ml jars, thefoodmarket.com 3 GLUTEN-FREE PASTA …it’s too seldom a joy to eat. But Dove Farm’s buckwheat version, from its revamped…

1 AEG STEAMBAKE OVEN A multifunction oven to help you make the best bread, muffins, pies and pastries. 2 3X NORDICWARE BUNDT TIN PACKAGES Each winner receives three bundt tins, a cake lifter, cooling rack and thermometer. 3 5X £100 DONALD RUSSELL VOUCHERS Have the best BBQ with traditionally matured, grass-fed beef from a proper butcher based in Aberdeenshire. 4 3X EMMA BRIDGEWATER JUG AND TUMBLER SETS WITH BELVOIR Serve up Belvoir’s cordials and pressés from this beautiful glass jug. 5 2X HARRODS SLOANE HAMPERS A summery wicker box filled with wine, tea, coffee, cakes, biscuits and marmalade. 6 OZPIG WOOD-FIRED STOVE The garden stove doubles up as a handy barbecue for a two-in-one alfresco treat. 7 LUXURY STAY AT LORDS OF THE MANOR Prize includes champagne and Michelin-star dining…

HOW WE TEST Our panel are taste experts. We conduct our tests without packaging, so our tasters don’t know who made each product or its price. And to prevent one tester influencing another, the panel aren’t allowed to confer during the tests, so the results you read here are unbiased. WHAT WE LOOKED FOR A fiery kick is essential, and a little creaminess to balance the heat is welcome – but any sauce with an artificial flavour was marked down. There has to be enough grated horseradish to give a good, not-too-runny texture. SUPERMARKET WINNER Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Horseradish Sauce, £1.80 for 180g It packed the best flavour punch of the bunch and didn’t taste at all synthetic. The texture had a pleasing bite: neither too chunky nor too…

‘“A food experience that changed my life…” This was my first visit to Venice, and I wasn’t prepared for the magnificent beauty of the place. It was Rialto Market that stole my heart, though. It’s stood on the Grand Canal for seven centuries and, though a tourist attraction, it’s also full of hungry locals. I hadn’t just come to admire – I was here to buy and cook a feast, determined to let the market’s fiercely seasonal produce be my guide. For me, the place was heaven: piles of ripe tomatoes redolent with the grassy fragrance of vines; plump, succulent cherries the most seductive shade of garnet; delicately flowered baby courgettes; and huge, fat flamingo-pink prawns, nestled among tangles of baby octopus, trays of glossy line-caught fish and enormous scallops.…

TEAM FAVOURITE Rebecca Woollard, food editor The tasting of this burger was preceded by a lot of chat from me about how I didn’t think bacon added anything to cheeseburgers. One bite and I took it all back… This is possibly the best burger I’ve ever eaten – the rarebit, together with the sauce and crispy bacon, is absolute genius. Run rarebit run burger MAKES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 45 MIN “We were once charged with making a burger that celebrated British ingredients, for an event called Meatopia. What could be more British than Welsh rarebit flavoured with English ale?” MAKE AHEAD Make the rarebit sauce and the Welsh rarebits up to 12 hours in advance and keep covered in the fridge. • 720g British grass-fed chuck steak, coarsely minced FOR…

Florentine tray cake MAKES 12-16 SLICES. HANDS-ON TIME 45 MIN, OVEN TIME 40 MIN, PLUS COOLING MAKE AHEAD Freeze the un-iced sponge at the end of step 1, wrapped in cling film, for up to 1 month. Defrost thoroughly to ice. The iced cake will keep for 24 hours in an airtight tin. • 200g unsalted butter, softened• 180g light muscovado sugar• 3 large free-range eggs• 100g mixed blanched almonds and hazelnuts, ground quite finely in a food processor, plus an extra 75g, roughly chopped• 100g plain flour• 1 tsp baking powder• 200g glacé cherries, chopped• 6 tbsp mixed peel• 2 x 48g packs Werther’s Original Chewy Toffees, finely chopped (a light dusting of flour will help you chop them more easily) FOR THE ICING • 200g dark chocolate, or high cocoa content milk chocolate• 50ml whipping cream• Pinch sea salt YOU’LL…

Dear reader delicious. is a magazine created to inspire your cooking every day, from midweek meals to show-stopping food for friends. It’s also about teaching new skills and knowledge to make you a better cook. Subscribe this month and we’ll send you a free Lakeland Toscana platter and salad bowl, worth £28. They look convincingly like earthenware but are made from hardy melamine with a beautiful Italian-style design, so they’re perfect for outdoor eating. Everyone who’s seen them in the office has loved them. GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE • FREE Lakeland Toscana platter & salad bowl, worth £28 • Subscribe by Direct Debit and save 36% on the full shop price • Every issue delivered straight to your door DON’T MISS OUT – SUBSCRIBE TODAY THREE EASY WAYS TO SUBSCRIBE…

“This recipe reminds me of walking through a Middle Eastern souk, with all the gorgeous spices and dried edible flowers. The subtle aroma of rose is also reminiscent of a British summer’s day. If you’re looking for the perfect thing to nibble as the players thrash it out on Centre Court, these scones are it.” ERIC LANLARD Pistachio and rosewater scones MAKES 6. HANDS-ON TIME 35 MIN, OVEN TIME 20 MIN FOOD TEAM’S TIP If you’re not a fan of rosewater, use vanilla extract instead. • 225g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting• ¼ tsp salt• 75g golden caster sugar• 50g unsalted butter, diced• 1 tsp rosewater (from the baking section of large supermarkets, or see tips)• 150ml buttermilk• 4 tbsp whole milk• 50g shelled unsalted pistachios, chopped• Beaten egg to glaze YOU’LL ALSO NEED… • A 5.5cm diameter…

MIDWEEK PROMISE Your guarantee for every recipe in this section: NO MORE THAN… • 10 ingredients • 30 min hands-on time • 650 calories per portion (but many of the recipes have fewer) • 10g sat fat per portion PLUS… • No unnecessary added sugar • Minimal washing up UNDER £5 MEAL Beetroot and feta burgers SERVES 4. HANDS-ON TIME 30 MIN MAKE DOUBLE & FREEZE Double the ingredients to make 8 patties. Wrap 4 of the burgers in cling film and foil, then freeze. Cook from frozen in the oven at 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 for 20-25 minutes until piping hot. • 400g raw beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated• Small bunch spring onions, finely chopped• 2 garlic cloves, crushed• Small bunch fresh mint, chopped• Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon• 3 tbsp plain flour• 1 medium…

A BIT ABOUT SOPHIE Until recently she was head chef at Pont St in Knightsbridge and is executive chef at The Gorgeous Kitchen in Heathrow’s Terminal 2. Sophie has also appeared on TV in shows such as Channel 4’s Cook Yourself Thin and has now written her seventh cookery book, Chef on a Diet. “So many ‘diet’ recipes are super boring. I’ve used my years of experience as a chef to make healthy recipes that are great to eat and enjoyable to prepare. I wanted this book to be about the food, not rules. I’m not into calorie counting – calories can be a useful reference, but if you focus on the numbers too much, they become almost meaningless. Rather, a successful diet is about how the body digests food,…

“One of my favourite ways to eat artichokes is in risotto. The best for this dish are the small, spiky, violet ones; they have a huge amount of flavour and, when fresh, are soft and easy to prepare. If you can’t find them, look for artichokes with a pointed top, which indicates the choke inside is small, so there’ll be little waste. The stems are flavourful too – just peel away the stringy exterior. It’s important to use well-seasoned stock for risotto, and to measure the rice carefully. When it’s cooked, the risotto needs to look wet – it should ‘sigh’ onto the plate rather than sit in a stiff blob.” MEET THE CHEF Theo Randall’s love of Italian cooking was inspired by childhood family holidays spent driving through Italy,…

It’s crunch time: the shortlisted producers in our inaugural delicious. Produce Awards (launched in association with kitchen specialists Fisher & Paykel; fisherpaykel.com/uk) have been announced. At the beginning of the year we asked you to tell us your favourite bakers, butchers, cheesemakers, fishermen, dairy farmers and other producers, and received hundreds of nominations – thank you! Visit delicious magazine.co.uk to see if your nominees made it through to the shortlist. Meanwhile, we’re preparing for the final judging, which takes place in London early next month. Our judges include the esteemed teacher, restaurateur and broadcaster Prue Leith CBE, food writer Sophie Grigson, chefs Peter Gordon and Theo Randall, delicious. editor Karen Barnes and others. Look out for the announcement of the winners in the October issue of delicious.…

If you gave up on cooking because all you did was burn everything, perhaps you were more avant-garde than you realise, says JAMES RAMSDEN, our London trendspotter-at-large For the modern chef worth his or her salt, burning food isn’t a sign of ineptitude but a statement of intent, of a robust and confident hand. Consider Kitty Fisher’s (kittyfishers.com) in Mayfair: burnt onion butter with charred (aka burnt) sourdough – sweet, scorched, the hot lick of embers, it’s a fine thing indeed. Down south at The Manor (themanor clapham.co.uk) there’s charred leeks with caramelised comté and wild garlic, while at Yotam Ottolenghi’s Nopi in Soho (ottolenghi.co.uk/nopi) you can scoop up burnt spring onion dip with your flatbread (burning alliums is very much The Thing, by the way). Brassicas get scorched too:…

10-12 JUNE Edinburgh Juniper Festival, Summerhall There’ll be more than 30 gins to taste your way through, so it’s just as well there’s a good line-up of streetfood. Get in on the action at one of the talks, then finish off the day with a spot of shopping at the arts and crafts stalls. A grand day out (just make sure you book a taxi home). Tickets £24; summerhall.co.uk 15-19 JUNE Taste of London, Regent’s Park The popular food festival is back with another starry line-up of Nathan Outlaw, Monica Galetti, Francesco Mazzei and Pierre Koffmann and many others. Watch your favourite chefs in the demo theatre or eat your way around the stalls run by top restaurants. Get hands-on in classes or kick back and enjoy live music. Tickets…

WHY BOTHER? If you want one gadget to do the job of multiple appliances, the Magic Bullet might be for you. WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT? It’s compact, simple and perfect for making single-serve juices/smoothies, for grinding spices, puréeing veg or finely chopping ingredients. This handy little gadget was actually launched in the UK in 2001, then was eclipsed by the ‘superfood nutrition extractor’ NutriBullet (made by the same company). The Magic has since been redesigned – the new motor is apparently more powerful and the accessories are better. DRAWBACKS? It has less welly than the NutriBullet. WOULD I BUY ONE? No doubt about it – if only for grinding coffee beans (my grinder recently, well, ground to a halt), but also for fuss-free chopping, whizzing up breadcrumbs and blending small…

THE COOKBOOK Good Good Food: Recipes to help you look, feel and live well by Sarah Raven (£25; Bloomsbury) TESTED BY Susan Low Well known as a gardener, TV presenter, author and cook, Sarah Raven started her professional life as a doctor – and the fact that she has medical experience inspires an immediate sense of confidence. No spurious health claims or fashion-led eating here. Sarah’s aim in writing this book is clear: “Choosing the best, non-faddy superfoods that can really make a difference to your health… then offering you my best ideas on how to eat them.” The opening chapter sets out her common-sense approach to eating well and healthily, including what to eat/drink and what to avoid. Throughout the text are fact boxes on 100 or so ingredients,…

THE FAMILY TABLE I grew up in Dorset and loved the fact that, almost every day, we’d eat dinner together as a family. We’d sit in the dining room round a big wooden table, which Mum set beautifully with fresh flowers, then we tucked into the food presented on sharing plates. These days I serve sharing plates at my roaming restaurant, Forgotten Feast, so those early meals obviously made an impression. FATEFUL GRAVY I wasn’t good at sport and other ‘boy stuff’ as a child, but I did enjoy experimenting with cooking. When I was 17, I got a job working as a waiter at a local pub called The Bottle Inn. I remember spilling gravy on a woman wearing a white dress… I moved into the kitchen after that…

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT Sherry is a fortified wine, aged in wooden barrels. Oloroso is darker and stronger than most sherries and has been oxidatively aged – some air is let into the barrels – developing complex, nutty flavours. Look out for dry versions, which tend to be more sophisticated than their sweeter counterparts. Dry oloroso has a slightly sweet aroma, so its dry taste comes as a surprise but makes it mouthwatering to cook with. The warm fragrance hits you a mile away, and its flavour gives savoury depth to shellfish, meat and vegetable dishes. Because it’s fortified (meaning it’s had alcohol added, in this case grape spirit), sherry keeps longer than wine once opened. It doesn’t stay fresh indefinitely, though. Store it in the fridge…

“The recipes I write are strongly influenced by Levantine cuisine, in which fresh herbs are a vital part of each recipe rather than an afterthought garnish. The obsession runs so deep, in fact, that my husband and I used herbs as the table names at our wedding last year. Without fresh herbs, I honestly think I’d give up cooking. They go into almost every dish I make – whether it’s an abundant salad, a slow-roasted dish of succulent meat or a thick, rich sauce. Soft herbs are there to be used liberally, in whole bunches or handfuls rather than a miserly pinch. So whichever of these recipes you choose to make, add herbs with abandon – it will make the difference between a good meal and a sensational one.” REBECCA…

GRAB A BARGAIN • Finest Nero d’Avola 2014, Sicily, Italy (£6, Tesco) An easy-going, juicy, cherryish red that’s good with spiced red meats. You could also pour it with lasagne. • Six Hats Fairtrade Sauvignon Blanc 2015, South Africa (£8, or 2 for £12 until 27 June, Marks & Spencer) If you like your sauv blanc fresh, zesty and even a bit grassy, then this Cape wine is for you. Try it with leafy salads and goat’s cheese. • Triade Bianco 2014, Campania, Italy (£8.79, down to £6.59 8-28 June, Waitrose) Classy southern Italian white with an almond streak and a light, creamy note from subtle oak ageing. One for fresh salmon. FRIDAY SPECIAL • Waitrose Barossa Shiraz 2014, South Australia (£11.99, down to £8.99 8-28 June, Waitrose) A rich Aussie packed with berry…

With their delicate aroma, velvety blush skin and sunshine yellow flesh, peaches bring a burst of joy to the fruit bowl and mark the arrival of summer proper (I’ve been counting the days since spring). Paired with cream and gooey meringue, baked into a pie or griddled and served with parma ham, the sweetly sharp notes of this stone fruit add balance to recipes – and the welcome flavours of a warm summer’s day. LOTTIE COVELL, DEPUTY FOOD EDITOR WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR White peaches tend to be sweeter and more delicate than the yellow-fleshed variety, which have plentiful flavour and juicy tang. Look for fruit with unblemished skin that feel yieldingly ripe but still firm. The aroma should be alluringly sweet. FIVE QUICK FIXES 1 Halve and stone…

What makes Florette’s salad leaves so succulent, tender and colourful? The answer is simple - just an unbeatable mix of fresh air and sunshine. It helps the leaves grow strong and vibrant, and also stay fresh from ground to bag. Growing the salad in prime locations across Europe all year round ensures that it always enjoys perfect growing conditions. After harvesting leaves fresh from the British summer, Florette moves on to France for the spring and autumn supplies, with Spain, Portugal and Italy providing the goodness during winter. There’s a perfect Florette bag for every meal. The Classic Crispy is a versatile salad, with its eye-catching mix of red radicchio, lambs lettuce and frisée. Toss with prawns and mango for a tasty main, or use to top a salmon bruschetta…

Lighter baked scotch eggs MAKES 8. HANDS-ON TIME 1 HOUR 10 MIN, OVEN TIME 25 MIN, PLUS CHILLING HOW WE DID IT We pan-fried the scotch eggs in minimal oil to brown them, then baked them. This used a lot less fat than deep-frying but the scotch eggs were still crisp. We also used extra-lean pork mince. MAKE AHEAD Make up to the end of step 4 up to 24 hours ahead and keep covered in the fridge. • 8 medium free-range eggs (they're easier to peel if they're not super-fresh) at room temperature, plus 2 eggs, beaten• 500g British free-range extra-lean pork mince• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh flatleaf parsley• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage• 1 tbsp roughly chopped fresh thyme leaves• ½ tbsp olive oil• 200g button mushrooms, chopped• 2 garlic cloves, crushed• 6 tbsp plain…

1 Put 225g softened unsalted butter and 225g caster sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon or electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together for 4-5 minutes (longer if using a wooden spoon) until pale, light and fluffy. The paler the mixture becomes, the more air has been incorporated, which helps to create a lighter cake. 2 Break 4 large free-range eggs (at room temperature) into a small bowl and beat lightly with a fork until broken up. Gradually add the eggs to the creamed butter and sugar, beating well after each addition. Adding eggs that are too cold, or adding them too quickly, can cause the mixture to curdle. If this happens, add a spoonful of self-raising flour to help stabilise the mixture. 3…

RECIPES THAT WORK Every recipe is rigorously tested by our food team, using state-of-the-art Electrolux ovens, so you can be confident they work every time. INGREDIENTS We aim to use easy-to-find seasonal ingredients. We’ll tell you where to find any unusual ingredients and/or what to substitute them with. We use higher-welfare meat for testing, supplied by The Ginger Pig (thegingerpig.co.uk). This symbol next to an ingredient means there are more ideas for using it on our Loose Ends page. HONEST COOKING TIMES Unlike many magazines, our timings include prep such as chopping. Hands-on time is when you’re chopping, stirring or frying. Oven/simmering time is when you can leave the dish in the oven or on the hob. Indicates a vegetarian recipe. Indicates a gluten-free recipe. KNOW-HOW Whenever you see this…