Delicious UK May 2024

Cooking is awesome. If I thought any differently I'd be in the wrong job, but (I hope!) you share my joy in taking a bunch of raw ingredients, applying heat to them and creating something greater than the sum of its parts. Cooking isn't just a fun thing to do, though – it's a set of skills you can keep adding to. That's why this month's mag is one of my all-time favourites – see below right for some exciting news. We're going big on skills. Not in a stale back-to-school way, but via lots of flavour-packed recipes. Even the most basic salad puts your knife skills to the test, but our deep dive into three classic dishes (p48) teaches you a whopping 12 techniques that'll benefit your cooking as…

SUNNY FLAVOURS Lemon and oregano chicken wings with feta dip, p28 Salt and vinegar jersey royal focaccia, p44 Gooseberry and toasted coconut pavlova, p77 Spring is on its way to summer, so enjoy seasonal flavours – and hopefully the first al fresco meal of the year. Zesty chicken wings go beautifully with a fluffy focaccia (perfect for leftover feta dip), before unveiling a very special pavlova that sings the praises of elderflower and gooseberry. FIRE AND SPICE Rillettes de porc, p80 Fermented hot sauce, p83 Jamaican ginger cake with chocolate ganache and berry coulis, p40 Something rich and fatty like rillettes really benefits from the tangy heat of hot sauce (although the French might strongly disagree). Prepare both in advance and you have a sensational lunch ready at a moment's…

tea time. Chocolate chip strawberry shortcakes Serves 6 Hands-on time 25 min, plus resting Oven time 25 min BE A BETTER COOK Don't be tempted to skip the 30 minute rest – this step will prevent the shortcakes from turning flat. Hull and halve 400g strawberries, toss with 2 tbsp caster sugar, 1 mint sprig and a squeeze of lemon, then set aside to macerate. Meanwhile, pulse 250g plain flour, 50g caster sugar, 1 tbsp baking powder, a pinch of salt and 85g chilled butter in a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add 80g whole milk, 80g double cream and 60g dark chocolate chips, then pulse again until it comes together into a wet dough. Turn out onto a floured surface, roll into a 5cm thick log, then cut into 6…

may moments. ANY EXCUSE FOR A PICNIC It's been a mild spring, so catch the last of the bluebells before they're gone. Pack some goodies (search ‘picnic recipes’ at deliciousmagazine.co.uk for pies and quiches galore) and find your nearest bluebell woods via meanderingwild.com or search for them at nationaltrust.org.uk. Bonus points for telling your walking companions that bluebell sap was once used as glue in Elizabethan bookbinding. SEASONAL PRODUCE UK highlights Asparagus, broccoli, lettuce, elderflowers, new potatoes, peas, radishes, rhubarb, spinach, spring cabbage, spring onions, watercress From overseas Alphonso mangoes The poetry of life on the farm Organised by environmental charity The Gaia Foundation, We Feed The UK is a roving art project on a mission to draw our attention to how food is grown. Telling the stories of 10 farmers…

WITH THANKS TO… Event organisers Lorna Wing (lornawingcookery.co.uk) and Jonathan Attwood (lastsupperltd.co.uk), Sacla’, KellyBronze Turkeys, Tempus Foods, Hampshire Cheeses, Yee Kwan Ice Cream, King's Fine Food, Shivering Mountain gin, Elusa Drinks, Double Dutch, Mademoiselle Macaron, Original Beans, Panache PR, JE Communications and Nisha Parmar PARTY PEOPLE Teams from Eye to Eye Media and delicious. put themselves in the frame along with food writers and TV stars…

STAR EMAIL ★ Subject: Better late than never From: Patricia Gray I was looking forward to making Pollyanna's carrot cake (Best Of The Best, March issue) for Mother's Day. The universe had other plans, however, and I was admitted for life-saving abdominal surgery. Mothering Sunday came and went while I was confined to hospital on a liquid-only diet. By Easter I was at last well enough to make this fabulous cake. A 10/10, even if I did go a little overboard with the zesty decoration! I'm grateful for another ‘go’ at life and I'm now leafing through my April issue, planning what to cook as I pick up my trusty knives and wooden spoon again. Thank you to the whole team – you are my food heroes! Subject: World-spanning brilliance…