All Recipes

Rich, chocolatey, fudgy brownies with a rather unexpected ingredient hiding inside ... Mangelwurzel might not be the first thing you'd think of when reaching for your baking tin, but its natural moisture makes it surprisingly at home in a batch of homemade Chocolate & Mangelwurzel Brownies. Think squidgy centres, slightly crisp edges and plenty of chocolate. You wouldn't necessarily guess what's in them, but that's rather the fun of it. Why Mangelwurzel? Mangelwurzel is ofte

A little autumn sunshine in a jar, with an unexpected Somerset twist ... Sometimes the best kitchen experiments start with an ingredient that makes you stop and wonder what on earth you're going to do with it ... Enter the mangelwurzel. Traditionally grown as a fodder crop, this rather magnificent root vegetable has been keeping me busy in the kitchen, finding its way into everything from brownies and truffles to savoury bakes and, now, a rather lovely little preserve. This

An unexpected little twist on a familiar favourite ... Who knew mangelwurzel could find its way into a cocktail glass? We've been having fun experimenting with mangelwurzel in the kitchen. From brownies and truffles to savoury bakes and jellies, this rather overlooked root vegetable has been keeping us busy ... And now we're turning our attention to the drinks cabinet. The idea started with an apple and mangelwurzel syrup, but I became rather more intrigued by the thought of

Golden, fluffy, wonderfully savoury scones with a rather unexpected ingredient hiding inside ... I've been having a little fun finding new ways to use mangelwurzel, that rather overlooked traditional root vegetable. Having experimented with brownies, truffles, jellies and drinks, I thought it was time to see what it could bring to the savoury side of the kitchen ,,, And so, into the scone mixture it went. Finely grated raw mangelwurzel brings moisture and a gentle earthiness

Apples and lamb? It just works. There's something rather lovely about letting the seasons lead the way in the kitchen. A couple of lamb shanks, a bottle of medium-sweet Somerset cider, some Bramley apples, and a few wedges of crisp, sharp eating apple, little pearl onions and a few sprigs of rosemary. Nothing complicated, just a collection of ingredients that seem to understand one another. Slow-braised until the lamb is beautifully tender, with the Bramley melting into the c

Golden puff pastry, tender quince, rosy pink apples and a buttery brown sugar caramel. A proper autumn pudding that looks rather grand but is surprisingly achievable. There are some recipes that come together exactly as planned. And then there are the ones that take you on a few twists and turns. This Quince & Apple Brown Sugar Tarte Tatin began with a couple of quinces, some apples and an idea. I wanted the floral sweetness of quince, the familiar comfort of apple and a cara

Golden, buttery pastry, savoury roasted mushrooms and a gloriously garlicky, creamy centre. Autumn comfort food, with very little faffing, and without the wait. There is something rather lovely about a galette. It looks as though you've made a huge effort, but really, it's all about a few good ingredients, a little clever preparation and the willingness to embrace pastry that doesn't need to be perfectly behaved. This Wild Mushroom & Creamy Garlic Boursin Galette is all about

This year, my little quince tree finally came up trumps. Sixteen beautifully perfumed quinces, all mine. I was rather pleased with myself, if I'm honest. There's something deeply satisfying about watching a tree you've planted reward you with its own little harvest. And then, just as I was admiring my modest quince collection, a neighbour turned up and offloaded two baskets of the things on my doorstep. Two baskets!! Apparently, I had been promoted from someone with a quince

An autumn pavlova with a little surprise tucked inside ... There are pavlovas, and then there are pavlovas that make you wonder why on earth you've never thought of doing this before ... This one started with a batch of homemade quince cheese and a slightly mischievous idea. What if, instead of keeping quince cheese on the cheeseboard, we tucked it inside a French meringue pavlova? .. Not stirred through completely, not blended into a uniformly pink mixture, but swirled throu

You know when you make something and then start wondering what else you can do with it? That's where we are in my kitchen with quince cheese ... Now, quince cheese is perfectly happy doing its usual job on a cheeseboard. A little square alongside a lovely sharp cheese, a few crackers and some pickles, and everyone's perfectly content. Nothing wrong with that at all ... But where's the fun in leaving well enough alone? Because if you've got a batch of homemade quince cheese si

There are burgers, and then there are burgers that demand a pile of napkins and absolutely no attempt at eating gracefully ... These Pork, Nduja & Fennel Meatballs with Apple & Fennel Rémoulade fall firmly into the latter category. I've combined juicy pork mince with fiery nduja paste, fennel seeds, garlic and ground coriander to make meatballs that are packed with flavour. They're baked in the oven until beautifully golden, then tucked into soft burger buns with a generous

Golden, buttery puff pastry topped with creamy French cheese, savoury salami, sweet quince cheese and fragrant thyme. A little French-inspired kitchen improvisation that turned out rather well ... When the Fridge Has Other Plans You know those moments when you have a perfectly good idea for something to cook, only to discover that the fridge hasn't quite got the memo? ... This was one of those moments. The original plan involved bacon and Brie, which sounded rather lovely. E

There are certain things that mark the changing of the seasons for me. The smell in the air of the first fires in the grate. The hedgerows turning from green to gold. The sudden appearance of enormous pumpkins ... And, perhaps my favourite of all, the moment one of the neighbours down the road announces on Facebook that her quinces are ready. There is something wonderfully exciting about that little message appearing. The quinces are ready ... And I'm off! Yesterday, howeve

Because when you decide all of the figs need to come off the tree NOW, you immediately acquire a completely different problem: a fig glut ... There are worse problems to have, admittedly. A basket overflowing with fat, ripe figs is a rather beautiful sight. Right up until you realise that there are only so many figs you can eat warm from the tree, only so many you can tuck into a tart, and that the fruit bowl is beginning to look less like an invitation to dinner and more li

Honey-roasted quince, nestled into crisp buttery pastry and baked beneath a silky vanilla custard ... There are some things that are worth taking your time over, and quince is very definitely one of them. These little Honey Roasted Quince Custard Tarts started with a handful of quinces and the idea of roasting them slowly with honey and thyme until they became soft, golden and sticky. Once I had them, putting them into a custard tart seemed almost inevitable. The quince bring

There are some recipes that begin with a plan ... And then there are the ones that happen because you have eight deeply dark, beautifully ripe Victoria plums sitting in the kitchen and absolutely no intention of letting them go to waste ... This was very much the latter. The plums were big, soft and properly ripe — the sort that practically collapse when you cut into them. I wanted to roast them gently and see what happened, so into the oven they went with a splash of orange

Is it too early to start thinking about mince pies? Yes. Absolutely yes, and I have no excuse ... Well… actually, I do ... I was recently asked to consider putting together a Christmas food hamper. At the time it was July, the local blackberry bushes were fit to bursting, and my mind naturally drifted towards my Nature’s Larder collection of recipes. I've always loved freezing blackberries. There's something fabulously useful about having a stash of them tucked away, read

Slow-cooked pork shoulder in Somerset cider, with sweet apples, fennel and mustard There are recipes you plan days in advance, and then there are the ones that happen because you've got a pork shoulder in the fridge and a bottle of cider sitting on the worktop. This was one of those. I'd been making chutney, which left me with cider, and suddenly the idea of putting that cider into a slow-cooked pork shoulder seemed far more sensible than drinking it while I decided what to d

There are certain combinations that arrive in your kitchen and make you stop for a minute. Greengages and gooseberries were one of those ... Sweet, fragrant greengages on one side, sharp little gooseberries on the other, and suddenly I was wondering what would happen if I stopped thinking about them as two separate fruits and let them get themselves into a little bit of trouble together ... The answer, as it turns out, is chutney, and not just any chutney ... This is a Hot Gr

Now, I know that technically, there is no such thing as blackberry cassis ... Cassis is traditionally made from blackcurrants, and I am perfectly aware that blackberries are not blackcurrants. But I rather like the romance of it. Blackberry liqueur sounds like a perfectly sensible name for Blackberry Vodka, but Blackberry Cassis sounds darker somehow. A little more mysterious. Like something you might find in an old Somerset kitchen, written in faded ink in the back of a rec