Category Archives: Chef

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Cheese and quince scones; a little off-piste

Cheese and quince scones; a little off-piste
It might seem an obvious thing to say, but the food I love to create, is the food I want to eat. I'm often plagued with troublesome voices trying to convince me that my food isn't cerebral enough, that it needs to be more refined and plated up as if it's on the culinary catwalk.…
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Braised squid with preserved lemons, garlic and bay

Braised squid with preserved lemons, garlic and bay
This one pot recipe is a great way to cook squid if you're not in the mood for quickly chargrilling or (deep?)frying it.  Squid needs to be cooked for a short amount of time at a high temperature or braised for a much longer time at a low temperature.  This ensures you get lovely tender…
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Panfried mackerel with gochujang & soy butter, sesame greens

Panfried mackerel with gochujang & soy butter, sesame greens
This is a super quick recipe using one of my favourite fish. Although traditionally low down in the pecking order and often overlooked in favour of more 'prized' fish like sea bass and salmon, mackerel is deliciously moist and rich and, if cooked properly, can rival many of its relatives. It's also dirt cheap to…
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Slow cooked beef shin & red wine ragù

Slow cooked beef shin & red wine ragù
I was inspired to slow cook some beef shin in red wine today after seeing James Dawe's  overnight ox cheek ragu on Instagram.   Once cooked at 75°C for a good 12 hours, the meat is removed, which is as tender as can be, the veg are mashed into the cooking liquor which is then reduced…
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Roast harissa pumpkin with jewelled cauliflower couscous and feta

Roast harissa pumpkin with jewelled cauliflower couscous and feta
As a rule, by the second half of October, I’d expect to be cooking up all sorts of warming stews and casseroles.  However, this year, as I write this seasonal pumpkin recipe, we’re being blessed with unusually high temperatures and cloudless skies.  According to iPhone weather, it’s a balmy 17°C out there…. Very strange!  So…
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New beginnings – poached quince with bay & star anise

New beginnings – poached quince with bay & star anise
Today marks day 2 of voluntary unemployment; a day of cooking quince and wondering what the hell I've done. Let me explain.  For some time I'd been feeling dissatisfied with work.  I returned to London after a trip to Sumatra and Malaysia in March and felt incredibly miserable.  I'd seen beautiful orangutans in the wild…
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