Delicious UK July 2025

Every few years a survey claims we Brits are stuck in a recipe rut, cooking the same six or so dishes week after week. Now, as you're here with us, it's unlikely you share that problem – after all, we've cooked some 10,000 recipes together over the past 22 years. And yet… when it comes to salad, I can't be the only one who defaults to the same dressing over the same chopped veg. I might mix things up occasionally with crumbled feta. I may throw in a pulse or two. But when I want something fresh and quick, my creativity seems to be found wanting. Well, the team have done it again. They've created 10 new salads (p88) to keep you inspired, refreshed and well fed this summer. We…

One of my favourite rituals at the weekend is making a leisurely brunch of eggs and toast in various guises. But my hyper fixation of late, when I'm less inclined to stand in front of a hot stove, is to shortcut to deliciousness with the help of Secret Smokehouse's oak-smoked trout pâté (£5 for 200g). Bound with crème fraîche, horseradish, dill and lemon, it's addictive spread on toasted sourdough with slices of cold cucumber. I've been known to stir it into pasta, too. secretsmokehouse.co.uk…

Q Congratulations on 20 years of the Hand & Flowers! How was the anniversary party? A Thank you! It's been a crazy 20 years, but it's been brilliant. It's gone quickly but, when I look back, so much has been achieved. So it feels like a mixture of amazement and a retrospective of incredible experiences. Some brilliant, others absolute nightmares, but they've all been part of the journey. We decided to invite all our friends and people we know in the industry, those who have been a part of the journey with us and been our friends for 20 years, whose own businesses have also grown alongside ours. People like Tom Kitchin, Adam Byatt, Heston, Raymond Blanc (they've always been supportive) and then great friends like Clare Smyth, Simon Rogan,…

SEASON'S EATINGS PEAS If you grow your own peas you'll know how flavourful they can be picked right off the plant. Be wary of fresh pods in supermarkets, though – they start losing their sweetness just a day or two after being picked. Stir-fry on a barbecue in a metal sieve– they'll take on a welcome smokiness. TOMATOES Peak season British tomatoes are like nature's sweets. To really bring out their flavour, especially when raw, chop however you like, sprinkle with a liberal amount of salt, throw them in a colander and let them sit for 30 minutes. They'll lose some of their wateriness and intensify massively in flavour. CHERRIES I like them frozen; I even like them tinned, sold as pie filling. But a fresh cherry is inimitable. You…

On 24-27 July, Dinham House in North Cornwall opens its doors once more to the Rock Oyster Festival. Known as the ‘Glasto for foodies’, the weekend features a range of live music, chef demos, food and drink stalls, oyster shucking and more. This year Cornish brewery Harbour is the festival's official beer sponsor. Expect chart-topping headliners like Ministry of Sound Classical, Rag ‘n’ Bone Man and UB40, plus masterclasses from Richard Bertinet, John Torode, Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Jack Stein. From £65 for an adult day ticket, rockoysterfestival.co.uk/tickets…

You may love food writer and Guardian columnist Felicity Cloake, but a 389-page culinary adventure across the USA by bike?! It might sound challenging, but any concerns that the pages would be limited to burgers and doughnuts, or multi-lane freeways, are quickly put to bed. Bridget Jones-esque in its tracking (of pies consumed and miles cycled), this delicious diary is of course about food, but also the people who make and enjoy it, captured (poignantly) in election year. Expect mouthwatering, funny descriptions of a melting pot of food and drink, from barbecue and burritos to breakfast dumplings and braunschweiger.…