COMFORT FOOD

My mother’s mince pies are like no other I’ve ever tried. Her mincemeat is far more how I imagine it tasting to a Medieval palate. Made...

My gorgeous friends and fellow ex-pat musos, Jeroen Speak and Dorothy Ker sent me a bag of feijoas they'd grown in their allotment here...

This delicious and hearty soup is perfect for a rainy autumn day - and there are a fair few of those happening at the moment here in...

I adore the traditional Dijon chicken with flambéed with cognac, heavy cream and tarragon. It is SO rich though. I wanted to replicate...

Latticed pies are always wonderful to look at. The one pictured is a bit rushed and rustic, but still drew gasps when I presented it at...

Every year, my mother would make walnut crescents as part of her annual Christmas baking repertoire - a formidable collection of recipes....

A lovely friend of mine sent some beautiful smoked tomatoes from The Tomato Stall in the Isle of Wight, and this dish was born. I've done...

I've based my vanilla cupcake recipe on the Hummingbird Bakery recipe as I haven't encountered a better one, quite honestly! However I...

There’s something about vegetable fritters that screams summer to me. My mother made the most extraordinary fritters. Her specialty were...

I'm often asked for my favourite, most versatile, never-fail chocolate cake recipe. This one always wins. It was given to me by my...

I’m always keen to create meals packed with veges for my kids and this one packs a punch with or without meat. It’s a beautiful base...

Now that picnic weather is starting in the UK (though admittedly the weather has taken a turn today for the grey and rainy), I’ve been...

During the COVID-19 lockdown, I’ve been craving another childhood favourite: my Aunty Linda’s Cucumber and Pineapple Pickle. An absolute...

This recipe is from one of my favourite eateries in New Zealand, Floriditas. I decided to make them a few weeks ago because my...

I am proud of these. It’s taken a lot of tries but I’m happy to sacrifice my waistline for culinary perfection - and I reckon I've nailed...

This is a wonderfully nostalgic cake from my childhood - known in our family as ‘Czechoslovakian Cake’, the recipe for which was given to...

This is definitely the most luxurious quiche I've ever made - I usually make it just as a traditional Quiche Lorraine (my favourite...

This recipe is Nigella Lawson's (bar a few tweaks), from her book, 'Feast'. It is utterly marvellous with pork or lamb and makes a...

Belgian (or 'Belgium') biscuits are a Kiwi classic - spiced cookies sandwiched together with raspberry jam and iced. In NZ, we sprinkle...

I have spent quite a few years perfecting this recipe, which was made up, but fairly traditional in that the flavours are those that...

Ginger crunch - a Kiwi classic. I like it gingery and hot with oats for extra texture with an espresso on the side! The base is a bit...

I really, really, really love nuts. Especially walnuts and pecans, as you will come to notice, if you haven't already. The pecan pie is a...

This is a household favourite - so easy and so delicious, and it only uses tinned tomatoes, though you can use the equivalent weight in...

(Vegetarian if lardons are omitted) This is brilliantly quick and easy and you don't have to cook the cheesy roux sauce separately! I...

One of the most satisfying things to do when you're trying to live frugally is turn one meal in to several. Roast dinners are perfect for...

I had an old tin of Carnation sweetened condensed milk and a half-eaten bag of pecans in the pantry that needed using, so I researched...

We had four fillets of sea bass in the freezer and needed omega 3 for our Netflix-fried brains during the COVID-19 Lockdown. This is such...

I usually just put whatever I have in to a stew so every time is different but this one was a winner! I served it with potato and spinach...