GEORGINA HAYDEN’S GREEK-INSPIRED HITS • SALTED HONEY TART
ON SALE 1-31 MAY 2024 £5.99 • deliciousmagazine.co.uk

POACHING
PERFECTION
How to take it
to chef level

SPINACH
SAVVY
Goodbye
sogginess!

45-PAGE
SPECIAL

Freshen up your
skills for spring

SAUCE
SKILLS
Proper
hollandaise

MUFFIN
MASTERY
For the ultimate
eggs florentine

welcome.

PHOTOGRAPHS: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

What I’m loving from
the test kitchen

ooking 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 a whole.
May means more sunshine (if I haven’t just jinxed it),
so it’s the perfect time to get inspired by one of the Med’s
great cuisines. Georgina Hayden’s fuss-free ‘Greekish’
recipes (p22) are how I imagine sunbeams would taste
(if they were stuffed with feta and wrapped in filo).
Ever wondered how top chefs make their dishes look
so good? Wonder no more – we get the insider intel from
one of the best, before proving you don’t need to cook
anything super complex to add some Michelin-starred
wow-factor the next time friends come round (p64).
And there you go – I’ve barely started singing the
praises of all the great stuff in this issue and I’ve
already run out of space. Best keep the sign-off short,
then: it’s a banger!

Tom Shingler, head of food, delicious.

There were good eats flying
thick and fast out of the
delicious. kitchen this month,
but the one I still find myself
daydreaming about is Yvonne
Poon’s steamed chicken (p60).
I hardly ever steam food at
home, but this dish highlighted
just how good a technique it is.
Hands-free, effortless cooking,
resulting in seriously juicy
chicken that absorbs the
marinade and sauce as it
cooks? Sign me up. The
mushrooms that go with it
are just as tasty too.

STOP PRESS!
We’re delighted to announce
a new partnership with kitchenware
company ProCook – we’ve used
their knives and pans in our test
kitchen since forever. It’s kicking
off this month – take a look at
p47 for our better-than-ever
Be a Better Cook section.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 3

make it yours.

WHAT’S
ON THE
MENU?
Food editor Tom
Shingler conjures
up some tantalising
May combos

4 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

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

BANG ON TREND

Rillettes de porc, p80

Celeriac, spinach and
black garlic ‘parmie’
tart, p38

Fermented hot sauce, p83
Jamaican ginger cake
with chocolate ganache
and berry coulis, p40

’Nduja risotto with
burnt lemon honey, p117
Salted honey tart, p90

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
notice – just add good
bread. Elainea Emmott’s
ginger cake is an ideal
sweet finish, offering plenty
of warming spice to keep
the flavour party going.

Black garlic, ’nduja and
salted honey – three
ingredients that are
enjoying some serious
time in the spotlight at the
moment. Together, they
make the ultimate
zeitgeist dinner party,
flowing from rustic
umami to creamy citrus
heat to floral sweetness.
A knockout meal for a
special weekend.

tea time.

If you make one thing…
Sitting somewhere between a scone and shortbread, this light and crumbly
shortcake comes studded with dark chocolate. It’s the perfect vehicle
to showcase that winning combo of strawberries and cream
Chocolate chip
strawberry shortcakes

RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: POLLYANNA COUPLAND. PHOTOGRAPH: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

Serves 6
Hands-on time 25 min, plus
resting
Oven time 25 min
Don’t be tempted to
skip the 30 minute rest
– this step will prevent
the shortcakes from turning flat.
BE A
BETTER
COOK

cut into 6 even pieces. Put
them on a tray lined with baking
paper, then chill in the fridge for
30 minutes (see Be A Better
Cook). Once chilled, brush with
a little double cream, sprinkle
with caster sugar, then bake
in a 180°C fan/gas 6 oven
for 25 minutes. Leave to cool
a little, then transfer to a
wire rack to cool completely.
Whip 300ml double cream

with 1 tsp vanilla extract to soft
peaks, then split open each
shortcake and dollop in most
of the cream. Spoon in some
strawberry halves, put the lids
back on, then top with the
remaining cream, strawberries
and a few mint leaves.
Per serving 713kcals, 52g fat
(32g saturated), 6.8g protein,
52g carbs (21g sugars), 0.1g
salt, 5.3g fibre

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

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 5

MAY

4
5
8
12
14
16
ON THE COVER
Eggs florentine p50
PHOTOGRAPH:
KRIS KIRKHAM
FOOD STYLING:
ALICE OSTAN
STYLING:
VICTORIA ELDRIDGE

18
20

22

33
36
42
96

78

What’s on the menu? Create
a feast with May’s recipes
If you make one thing... Choc
chip strawberry shortcakes
Appetisers Foodie news
The big bash A look back at
Karen Barnes’ farewell party
Over to you Your emails,
news and culinary views
Discoveries This month’s
best food and drink finds
The booklist Mark Diacono’s
best cookery reads for May
A homemade kombucha
with... Food hero Hugh
Fearnley-Whittingstall
Greek inspiration Georgina
Hayden’s new recipes bring
a taste of the taverna
Get the kit Georgina picks
her Greek kitchen essentials
What I cook at home Food
to share from Elainea Emmott
Veg hero of the month Let’s
hear it for jersey royals!
School dinners rule! The
future – and chequered past
– of that most crucial meal

Put on a spread with Debora
Robertson’s rillettes

110

123 Travel Head to Fife’s East
Neuk for seafood and more
130 Talking point Are kitchen
gadgets spoiling all our fun?

Be a better cook.
HELPING YOU HONE YOUR
SKILLS & BE MORE SUSTAINABLE
48 12 skills Key culinary
techniques in three recipes
59 The Chinese pantry Wood
ear mushrooms for the win
64 Presentation How to plate
up like a professional
70 Technical bake Irresistible
crullers from Nicola Lamb
74 Preserving Cherie Denham’s
chilli-spiked apple jelly
76 The showstopper A seasonal
pavlova with gooseberries
78 Debora Robertson Our
columnist on the soft skill
of pâté making
82 The project Make your own
fermented hot sauce
85 Don’t bin it! Cooking oil
86 Honey Why they’re not all
made equal, plus recipes

Tuna pasta gets a boost
with puttanesca flavours

94 Frozen assets Our clever
tricks may transform the
way you view your freezer

Drinks.
103 Cocktail of the month
The strawberry daiquiri
104 Susy’s best buys Venture
from your favourites with
our wine expert’s picks
106 Champion producers A
floral mead from Hive Mind
108 Beer school Mark Dredge
picks sustainable brews

Make it every day.
110 Pasta winner Our punchy
tuna puttanesca ragù
112 Mediterranean magic Quick
suppers with holiday vibes

Health matters.
119 Health news Advice to trust
120 Carbs, we forgive you It’s
time to make peace with this
misunderstood food group

112

Glow up your weeknights
with a touch of the Med

in the issue.

Other great stuff.
34 SUBSCRIBE AND GET A FREE COPY
OF GREEKISH You’d be rude not to…
81 WIN! Two nights in Cornwall
126 RECIPE INDEX
127 COMING NEXT MONTH
128 TAKE FIVE Your prize crossword
and monthly food quiz

22

A stunning filo-wrapped feta
is part of this Greekish feast

70

Meet crullers, the happening
new kids on the baking block

76

The sweet, floral taste of late
spring in pavlova form

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 7

Inspiration, bite-size news, reviews and great stuff to do

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.

may moments.

The poetry of life
on the farm

SEASONAL
PRODUCE
UK highlights
Asparagus, broccoli,
lettuce, elderflowers, new
potatoes, peas, radishes,
rhubarb, spinach, spring
cabbage, spring onions,
watercress
From overseas
Alphonso mangoes

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 in 10 British
regions through photography
and poetry, the exhibitions are
taking place around the UK
and Ireland until spring 2025.
Intrigued? Hear more on BBC
Radio 4’s Food Programme
(catch up on the BBC Sounds
app) as Jimi Famurewa visits
producers and poets to
discuss the project.
For information on upcoming
exhibitions, head to
wefeedtheuk.org

SUMMER SCHOOL
FOR FOOD LOVERS
Thinking about a career change, or just fancy
enhancing your foodie know-how? Our editorial
assistant Mia Rodriguez (pictured) visited The
School Of Artisan Food, on the Welbeck Estate in
Nottinghamshire, to preview its Artisan Summer
School (29 July to 23 August). It involves
breadmaking, patisserie, barbecue and more.
The four-week course also includes foraging and
tours of local producers, and costs £3,995, or
£4,995 with accommodation. Prefer something
a bit less full-on? There are also half-day/short
courses from £95. schoolofartisanfood.org →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 9

PUB OF THE
MONTH
THE SHIP INN,
NORTHUMBERLAND
shipinnnewton.co.uk

THE BOOZE
Try some of the ales made in the
pub’s microbrewery. Well worth
a sup are golden Sandcastles At
Dawn, Dolly Daydream ruby ale
and Sea Dog stout. Or be blown
away by the Trade Winds bitter.
THE FOOD
Try crab sandwiches or smoked
kipper pâté for lunch. The hearty
ploughman’s features a wedge of
Doddington Dairy cheese or ham
from R Carter & Son in Bamburgh.
Supper highlights include mussels
marinated in dill and fennel, or
rib-eye steak with red onion
marmalade and crispy potatoes.
Or book for their regular taster
menu, an evening collaboration
between chef and brewer.
THE WALK
Take in the views at Newton Point
or wander along the sands to
the ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle
and Craster Harbour beyond.

Create a buzz for
World Bee Day
Bees in trouble
means bad news for
us. Intensive farming
and pesticides have
hit the bee population
and, by extension, the
quality of our food.
World Bee Day
(20 May) reminds us
to make a difference.
Do your bit by planting
bee-friendly fruit and
veg, ditching the
pesticides, keeping
wild areas in your
garden and installing
a bee hotel. It will all
help the little buzzers
– not to mention our
ecosystem. And don’t
miss our honey
feature on p86.

THE ULTIMATE
CHEESE PULL
If you’ve failed to recreate the viral
cheese pull on ‘FoodTok’, you might
be using the wrong mozzarella.
Experiments* reveal some supermarket
brands are stringier than others, with
Asda stealing the top spot. Mozzarella
sticks from major supermarkets were
put to the test in air fryers and ovens,
then pulled apart. Asda’s cheese sticks
stretched to an average of 22.9cm –
more than double their nearest
supermarket rivals. Grate stuff.
1. Asda
2. Takeaway/kebab shop
3. Lidl
4. Marks & Spencer
5. Waitrose
6. Iceland
7. Aldi
8. McDonald’s
9. Sainsbury’s
10. Tesco

22.9 cm
17.9cm
9.2cm
7.5cm
7.4cm
7.3cm
6.1cm
5.7cm
4.5cm
4.5cm

*BY 888 CASINO. PUB WORDS: CAT THOMSON. PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

PUBBY CREDS
This popular dog-friendly inn is
a stone’s throw from the beach
at Low Newton. Step into a
reassuringly rustic interior of
exposed stone walls and wooden
pews, and a community
atmosphere boosted by regular
quiz, folk and cinema nights.

may moments.

All hail the sandwich!
A new food festival celebrates the nation’s favourite
comfort bite, the good old sandwich. In partnership
with Camden Town Brewery, Sarnie Party brings
together a stellar line-up of chefs and sandwich shops
from across the UK. Expect top brews and epic fillings.
17-19 May, Kentish Town, London; £30 including three
sandwiches and a Camden Town beer; sarnieparty.com

“TELL ME WHAT
YOU EAT...”
...And I will tell you what you are,
said the French gastronomist
Brillat-Savarin. Art director
Camilla Wordie’s new exhibition
of ‘food portraits’, Eat To Live Or
Live To Eat, attempts something
similar this month at the Feelium
Gallery & Studios in Kensington,
London. Combining portraits of
people with their favourite
ingredients, the series is a play on
classic portraiture that examines
relationships with food.
8-12 May, 10am-6pm, free entry,
feelium.art

FESTIVAL WATCH

HAMPSHIRE

SUSSEX

WALES

DORSET

The Watercress Festival
returns to Alresford for the
20th year running. There are
the food stalls and cooking
demos, but the big one-of-akind draw has to be the
watercress eating
championship. 19 May, free
entry, watercressfestival.org

Elderflower Fields is a
sustainably minded ‘wild
weekend family adventure’
in Ashdown Forest, with a
communal picnic for making
friends and finding local
producers. 24-27 May,
£175.69, £91 for children,
south.elderflowerfields.co.uk

The Hay Festival has writers,
comedians and musicians
galore. Foodie events include
children’s pizza making,
demos from River Cottage’s
Gelf Alderson and a Plant To
Plate workshop. 23 May2 June, free entry, some events
ticketed; hayfestival.com

On the Jurassic Coast it’s
cygnet-hatching time at
Abbotsbury Swannery,
where the Craft & Food Fair
runs for the weekend of
25-26 May, with food stalls
via Dorset Food & Drink.
From £7.50, abbotsbury
tickets.co.uk/events
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 11

fond farewell.

The big
bash
There ain’t no party like a delicious.
party, as we proved when we threw a
big leaving do at our London HQ for
editor Karen Barnes, after her 14 years
in the hot seat. Andi Oliver, Rick Stein
and Raymond Blanc were among the
great and good of the food world who
turned up to raise a glass, enjoy a nibble
and say goodbye to Karen in style

Fine food was
appreciated

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

Strong cocktails
were shaken

12 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Speeches were
enjoyed (and
tears shed)

spring moments

PARTY PEOPLE
Teams from Eye to Eye
Media and delicious.
put themselves in the
frame along with food
writers and TV stars

PHOTOGRAPHS: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

Old friends helped give
Karen a great send-off

deliciousmagazine.co.uk

delicious world.

OVER TO YOU

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
From: Lesley Dykes

Subject: Out of puff
From: Diane Cresswell

I was born in New Zealand and lived for some time
in Australia. When I moved to the UK the one thing
I was going to miss was my monthly subscription to
the Australian version of delicious. To my delight
the British delicious. is every bit as good and gives
me great pleasure. The peanut butter traybake was
a joy for Easter lunch and none of the kids left any.

Lately I’ve noticed shop-bought
puff pastry doesn’t rise properly,
and if it does, it’s dry and bland.
Looking at several brands in the
shops, I noted they are 56% flour
but only about 20% fat! Puff
pastry should be equal amounts
fat to flour. What’s going on here?
It’s so far from being puff pastry it
must be in breach of its product
description. Home cooks depend
on pre-made puff pastry, but what
we’re offered commercially
beggars belief. I’m hoping
delicious. can point readers
towards a reliable source.

Subject: Freezer epiphany
From: Jess Gomm
I’ve recently had my second child and it’s
hard to find time to cook, so your freezer
feature (The Timesavers, March issue) was
a great inspiration. Doing some prep in a
rare moment of downtime while the baby was
sleeping meant I now have staples in the freezer
I can use to make different weeknight meals – we
can still have variety but with minimal effort.

Subject: A present from the past
From: Kathy Minter
I’ve been lucky enough to buy some old copies of
delicious. on social media – 40 copies for just £10!
In excellent condition, they’re turning out to be
much more than old cookery magazines: they’re
also social documents. Since acquiring this joyful
bundle I’ve bought a monthly subscription. The
price may have risen but it’s still well worth it.
14 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Food editor Tom Shingler replies:
A great brand is Dorset Pastry
(from Ocado or dorsetpastry.com)
– or try making your own rough
puff (see our skill-packed sausage
rolls recipe on p52)

STAR
PRIZE
This month’s star
email wins a Magimix
Mini Plus – a small,
powerful food
processor worth
up to £200
The easy-to-use
Mini Plus can handle
blending, whisking,
slicing, grating
and more. With a
1.7 litre capacity
and a 400 watt
motor (guaranteed
for 30 years), it’s
ideal for small
kitchens, and all
blades and discs can
be stored in the
handy box provided.
magimix.co.uk
FOR YOUR
CHANCE
TO WIN
A MAGIMIX
MINI PLUS...
Let us know your
thoughts on this
month’s issue by
emailing us at
info@delicious
magazine.co.uk*

Follow us on Instagram and X/Twitter @deliciousmag

MEET THE READER

Suzannah Leyland owns a hair salon in
Dorchester and lives with her husband and
two food-loving sons. She’s been a keen fan
of the mag since her first maternity leave

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES. *FOR TS&CS SEE P126. CONTRIBUTIONS MAY BE EDITED FOR SPACE/CLARITY AND ARE PUBLISHED
ON THE BASIS THAT CONTRIBUTORS HAVE THE AGREEMENT OF ANYONE MENTIONED FOR ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION TO BE PUBLISHED

“The Giant Wotsits
with Maltesers combo
does it for me”
Signature recipe?

A sharing affair like tacos or fajitas. Or a hearty
spaghetti and meatballs or sausage casserole.
Secret weapon in the kitchen?

Tubs of fresh stock from M&S.
What’s on your foodie bucket list?

Mexico for fresh food, herbs and tequila.
Go-to local restaurant/café?

What’s your
emergency bake?
Unexpected bake sale,
housewarming, a friend in
need... There are times when
you need something speedy.
Here’s what our team and
delicious. Food Lovers group
members have up their sleeves…
TEAM delicious.
Marketing manager Jane
Geoghegan “My mother
always makes mini scotch
pancakes with butter and jam”
The food team’s Emily Gussin
“Brownies are easy and a
crowdpleaser. If I don’t have
chocolate in the cupboard, a batch
of scones is quick”
Shoot production manager
Samantha Duffus “Whenever
someone in the family needs
cheering up, my dad whips up a tray
of the best sticky toffee pudding”

The food team’s Pollyanna
Coupland “Pan-bang cookies! I
keep a roll of cookie dough in the
freezer – perfect for emergencies”
TEAM delicious. Food Lovers
Claire Fitzsimons “Lemon drizzle
– doesn’t need decorating”
Shirley Mundy “Upside-down
orange and polenta cake – easy
and quick”
Drusilla Wieloch “Frosted
marmalade cake”

The Square Bistro in Poundbury is a gem. My
son works there, as a bonus.
What’s been your biggest cooking adventure?

A Thai cookery course. Loved every minute.
What are your food goals for 2024?

I want to make and eat more sushi and more
vegetable dishes.

JOIN THE CHAT
Connect with other delicious. food lovers
on social @deliciousmag or join our Facebook group at
deliciousmagazine.co.uk/foodlovers

Weird food combo?

Giant Wotsits with Maltesers. That salty sweet
combination does it for me.
Food hero

My mother-in-law, Val Leyland. Sadly, she’s no
longer with us but she taught me how to cook
for the family with love.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO
BE INTERVIEWED?
Email a few words about yourself
to info@deliciousmagazine.co.uk

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discoveries
The best new goodies, tested by our team,
from producers big and small

Move over
hot honey…
…Hot maple syrup is
where it’s at. This
ridiculously moreish
concoction won’t only
take your greek yogurt
breakfast to a new
level but it’s also
brilliant for dips and
marinades, or drizzled
over summer fruit. It’s
made with premium
Grade A Canadian
maple syrup and gently
infused with the rare
wiri wiri pepper from
Guyana. These unusual
little peppers are also
the main ingredient in
Grandma’s other
products (two hot
sauces) and soon
to be available as
natural flakes.
Grandma’s Hot
Maple Syrup,
£10.95 for 200ml,
grandmashotsauce.
co.uk and delli.market

The coconut factor
The game-changer in Nuccy nut butters is the added coconut, which
rounds out the flavour and means no salt is needed. Because there are no
added nasties, you need to give the mixture a good stir each time, but
you’re rewarded with a moreish spread for your toast. It’s great dolloped
on your morning muesli too. Our star jar: the almond one.
Nuccy Almond Coco Flow, £7.19 for 170g,
nuccy.c.uk; also now at hollandandbarrett.com

WELCOME TO KOREA
The Japan Centre, the UK’s biggest online Japanese
supermarket with three stores in London, has launched a
Korean range. Our picks are the gochujang – the fermented
chilli paste that’s hot, full of umami and a moreish
essential in Korean cooking – and the soju, Korea’s
national drink. Traditionally distilled from grain, chilled
shots of it add to the vibe if you’re inviting friends to try
your as-authentic-as-possible Korean cooking. There are
fruit flavoured versions but we rate the original highest.
7Drops Original Fresh Soju, £6.28 for 360ml; Delief
Gochujang, £3.13 for 500g, japancentre.com

in the know.

Hot on the shelves
Here’s where to point your trolley when
you’re trundling down the aisles

WELL OILED
If Georgina Hayden’s recipes on p22 have put you in a
Greekish mood, you might be interested in some superlative
olive oils from that part of the world.
Citizens Of Soil supplies small-batch organic extra-virgin
olive oil from across the Med – Greece, Croatia, Spain... You
can buy a pouch to decant into your own bottle or if you’re
a real olive oil nut, you can get a monthly subscription.
If you’re really looking to impress, The Governor is an earlyharvest organic extra-virgin oil costing from £39.50 for 500ml.
Wait, come back… It’s made with ‘high phenolic’ lianolia olives
from ancient trees on a small farm on Corfu, which means it’s
a powerful antioxidant. With grassy aromas and a peppery
finish, it’s quite the dinner party star turn. Plus 10% of each
sale goes to The Pink Ribbon Foundation for breast cancer.
Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil Pouch and Set Up Kit,
£17.50 for 500ml (or £15/month for a 500ml subscription),
citizensofsoil.com; The Governor, £39.50 for 500ml,
thegovernorevoo.co.uk

HOT CHIPS
These new air fryer french fries might sound like a
gimmick, but they cook in a possibly record-breaking
five minutes. They’re also impressively crisp outside
and soft inside – as all good chips should be.
McCain Air Fryer Quick & Crispy French Fries, £3.75
for 750g, Tesco, Asda and Iceland

TESTERS: LES DUNN, MIA RODRIGUEZ, HELEN BULL, THEA EVERETT

CURRY NIGHT
The pastes from Aagrah Foods make a Friday night
curry so easy. Pair with a kebab using their spice mix
and we think you’ll agree the Yorkshire restaurant
chain is giving takeaways a run for their money.
Aagrah Seekh Kebab spice mix, £1.40 for 35g;
curry pastes, £3 for 270g, Tesco

Fill your freezer
Cult ice cream brand Yee Kwan supplied some
delightful ices for our big party (see p12), and now
the Sheffield company has started delivering
nationwide, so everyone can try its intriguing
flavours – including durian, lychee, chocolate miso
and our fave, black sesame seed. Yay to Yee!
From £2.50 for a 100ml tub (minimum order £28),
shop.yeekwan.com

KIWI TREAT
The mere mention of Tim Tams (new in the UK) will
turn many an Antipodean expat misty-eyed with
nostalgia. According to our Kiwi colleague, Claudia,
they’re similar to a Penguin “but way better”.
£2.50 for 9 (Original/Dark Chocolate), Waitrose and
Ocado (which also sells Chewy Caramel)
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 17

The booklist
Mark Diacono’s pick of the latest
releases includes unabashed celebrations
of steak and brunch alongside in-depth
guides to baking and Korean street food.
Plus: a uniquely absorbing food memoir

BOOK OF
THE MONTH
SIFT

Recipe I can’t wait to make:
Brown sugar custard tart
(above).
I didn’t know that… Autolyse
– the resting after mixing
flour with water which helps
gluten develop – is a French
word for ‘self-digestion’ or
‘self-breaking down’.
Find a brilliant sweet bake
from Nicola on p70

18 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

COLD KITCHEN:
A YEAR OF
CULINARY JOURNEYS

Pastry chef Nicola Lamb’s first book
is a masterclass in baking. Chapters
like ‘All About Flour’ and ‘How To
Build A Bake’ help you understand
why something did or didn’t happen
and what to do about it. There’s just
enough science, delivered with an
incision that illuminates the invisible
elements of the baking process.
If you bought this book only for the
base recipes – tart pastry and the like
– it would be worth it. The recipe
chapters, however, organised by
duration – afternoon bakes, day-long
projects and weekend undertakings
– cover everything from amazing
gateaux to simple biscuits.
I couldn’t not make the miso walnut
double-thick chocolate-chip cookies:
they’re even better than they sound.
A remarkable book, written with an
enthusiasm that has you embracing
what once seemed intimidating.

There are few with Caroline Eden’s
ability to convey the particularities
of people, place and landscapes
through food. In her fourth book, Eden
uses a dozen recipes from her travels
through Central Asia, Turkey, Ukraine,
the South Caucasus, Russia, the
Baltics and Poland to contemplate
food’s perhaps unique ability
to connect us to other cultures,
communities and individuals. This
honest, personal food memoir takes
the reader from Eden cooking the
recipes in her Edinburgh basement
kitchen to a Russian railway for pies,
Latvian capital Riga for dark beer
and rye pudding, and much more
besides. A special book to read,
cook from and be transported by.
Recipe I can’t wait to make: Teahouse
brittle with nuts and cherries.
I didn’t know that… Riga Central
Market was constructed using former
Zeppelin aircraft hangars.

Ebury Press £30, out 2 May;
photographs by Sam A Harris

Bloomsbury £18.99, out 9 May;
unillustrated

in the know.

STEAK: THE WHOLE STORY

BRUNCH IN LONDON

POCHA

If anyone was going to write
a love letter to steak, who better
than food writer and broadcaster
Tim Hayward. His book takes the
reader on a journey through
butchery and cuts to cooking
techniques (traditional and new),
and has plenty of recipes. The
writing is characteristically lively,
entertaining and full of love for
the subject. In examining the
historical, cultural and social
significance of steak, Hayward
doesn’t shy away from discussing
issues of sustainability and how
we might better source our meat.
If you’re seeking an unashamedly
nerdy guide to everything steak
has to offer, this is it.
Recipe I can’t wait to make:
Steak diane (below).
I didn’t know that… In the US
a sirloin steak is known as strip
steak or New York strip.

Brought together by OnePlate,
a charity working with the
hospitality industry to fund
sustainable food projects for
children across Africa and Asia,
this book includes 100 brunch
dishes from restaurants including
St John, Hoppers and Pophams,
and by chefs such as Jamie
Oliver, Yotam Ottolenghi and
Angela Hartnett. Whether it’s
french toast by Nopi or Hoppers’
omelette curry, you’ll not be
short of exceptional midmorning
inspiration. This beautiful window
into London’s brunch scene is
available via OnePlate’s website,
with 100% of the profits funding
food security projects for children.
Recipe I can’t wait to make: Anna
Jones’ turmeric dal eggs (below).
I didn’t know that… More than
70% of Cambodians survive
on less than $3 a day.

In her second book, food writer
Su Scott explores the street food
of Seoul, where she grew up.
A pocha (short for pojangmacha)
is a small, tarpaulin-covered cart
serving simple Korean food, which
Scott invokes in the 80 recipes
that span the entire day, from
breakfast treats to late night
snacks. The food and location
photography are as vibrant as
the recipes, together conveying
the spirit and distinctiveness
of Seoul’s 24/7 street food scene.
I loved the fresh kimchi, turmeric
pickled radish and candied sweet
potato – the latter from the genius
4pm Slump chapter. So much
is simple yet utterly appealing.
Recipe I can’t wait to make: Corn
cheese with chilli and lime (below).
I didn’t know that… According
to Korean folklore, the colour
red is feared by ghosts.

Quadrille £30, out 30 May;
photographs by Sam Folan

OnePlate £35, out 14 May;
photographs by Georgia Gold

Quadrille £27;
photographs by Toby Scott

A homemade kombucha
with Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall
The campaigning cook’s new book celebrates the latest science that
eating 30 plants a week can make us healthier – and he sees it as a joy,
not a job. Hugh shares his latest growing experiment, an unconventional
method for making a cuppa – and what keeps him up at night

I’m lucky to live on a 30-acre
farm and love being in nature.
I’ve just seen a sparrowhawk, a
kestrel and a buzzard swooping
outside my window. A rabbit is
hopping along in the orchard.
There might have been a time
when I’d be thinking about rabbit
recipes, but I’m happy to let him
do his thing. I’ve put up nesting
boxes and made wildlife ponds
and a few years ago a kingfisher
visited for the first time!

HUGH’S EVENING RITUAL
My wife and I value that special
moment of the day when we’ve
put our work away, I get supper
under way and we sit down
and have a drink. For a long
time, that would’ve been
a glass of wine or cider
or a beer. But at the moment,
it’s a homemade kombucha,
made with dried lemon verbena
from the garden – it has
a lovely fragrant note to it.
And sometimes I add a splash
of homemade blackcurrant
cordial, for an extra kick.

My family will be the first to
tell you I’m not the tidiest
person in the kitchen. I like
to have a little bit of chaos going
on around me when I cook. I don’t
feel the need to wash up as I go,
but I do try to put things to rights
before we sit down for supper.
There’s now a consensus
that eating 30 plants per
week is incredibly good for
us. That sounds daunting, but
it’s achievable and even fun.
Professor Tim Spector and top
nutritionists have embraced
the idea and I find it fascinating.
I’m delighted we have a
compelling introduction from
Tim in my new book, and I’m

trying to help with easy strategies
and recipes for where to go for
these extra plants [see tips, right].
I love to stop by the side
of the road at honesty boxes.
People put out beautiful
homegrown parsnips, carrots and
so on. Even though I grow a lot
myself, I can’t resist. You stick
a couple of quid in the box and go
home with a bunch of leeks or bag
of salad. And quite often I’ll end
up having a natter about what’s
going well this season and “How
are you getting on with the slugs?”
I’m excited to grow my own
nuts. I’m so keen on eating
nuts and seeds now, but most
are imported. I’ve now got
walnuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts
and even almonds growing
at home. It’s a long-term thing
because these trees take a while
to mature, but even the almonds
are now quite productive.
It bugs me that our government
has done so little to address
the UK’s obesity crisis. So
many of us are working on this –
amazing organisations like
The Food Foundation, Henry

voices in food.

INTERVIEW: PHOEBE STONE.
PHOTOGRAPHS: MATT AUSTIN, ISTOCK/GETTYIMAGES

Dimbleby, Jamie Oliver’s team.
For over a decade we’ve presented
government with policy options
that could help people struggling
and shift the culture away from
ultra-processed foods. Diet-related
disease is the single biggest
treatment cost for the NHS and
cause of premature death in the
UK. The food industry is about
delivering profit to shareholders,
so unless we see leadership from
government, not much will change.

“I like to have
a little bit of chaos
going on around
me when I cook”

I do something quite odd
when I make a cup of tea.
I pour a splash of hot water over
the tea bag, give it a swirl and tip
that trickle away. I used to drink
so much tea and somebody told
me it takes some caffeine out. It’s
just a habit but it seems to make
a better cuppa.

escape with my then-girlfriend
(now wife) and friends. We were
talking about doing another
series of A Cook On The Wild
Side, which I’d done two of, but
then I woke up at River Cottage
on a Monday when everyone had
gone back to London and thought,
“I wonder if I could persuade
Channel 4 to stay here instead
of getting back on the road…?”
Since then, there’s been a vaguely
sensible plan to keep things
ticking along, but originally it was
completely by chance.

It didn’t occur to me there’d
be more than one series of
River Cottage. We didn’t find it
as a location; it was my place to

How To Eat 30 Plants A Week
by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is
out on 9 May (Bloomsbury £25)

HUGH’S PLANT-PACKED TIPS
• The weekly supermarket shop
can get samey. Remind yourself
there’s probably a whole bunch
of plant foods you like and add
a few more to your next shop.
• We don’t embrace pulses
nearly as much as we could –
they’re such easy ingredients
to cook with. I have loads
of tinned pulses in my larder:
lentils, black chickpeas, regular
chickpeas, butter beans…
• Spices count, especially
when whole (cumin, coriander,
caraway). Even though they’re
used in small quantities, they
contain intense micronutrients
and phytochemicals – that’s why
they have such great flavours.
• Eating 30 different fresh fruit
and vegetables might push you
into eating unseasonal things
that have been imported:
sourcing 10 or a dozen fresh
items is brilliant, with the rest of
the 30 coming from herbs, spices,
nuts, seeds and pulses.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 21

Filo-wrapped feta
with spiced honey

Feeling Greekish?
These no-nonsense recipes from Georgina Hayden’s latest book, Greekish, are
simple to make and a joy to eat. Whether you want a light mezze or a feast
for a crowd, they’ll bring the fragrant flavours of the Med into your home
RECIPES GEORGINA HAYDEN PHOTOGRAPHS LAURA EDWARDS FOOD STYLING JOSS HERD STYLING TABITHA HAWKINS

sunny cooking.

GEORGINA’S STORY
A cook, food writer and
stylist, she grew up above
her family’s Greek-Cypriot
taverna in north London.
Georgina has written for
delicious. for many years,
her vibrant Mediterranean
dishes proving a big hit. She
was on Jamie Oliver’s food
team before going solo and
developing her own style,
appearing on TV regularly
and writing for magazines.
Greekish (see p32)
is her fourth cookbook. →

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 23

Spanokopita
fritters

“I love the ease of these fritters; they’re great as a light
meal with a salad or shaped smaller and cooked as a
snack or party bite. For extra body, I’ve added courgette
to the spinach. You can wilt the spinach in a pan, but I’m
a die-hard ‘salt the spinach leaves to wilt them’ woman”
24 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

sunny cooking.

Galatopita:
golden filo
custard pie

sunny cooking.

Patates antinaxtes:
pan-fried new potatoes
with red wine and
coriander
Serves 6
Hands on time 25 min
The trick here is cracking
the potatoes. Do them
one by one in a pestle
and mortar, hitting the potato
just enough to split it once, so it
has only one crack – any more
and it will disintegrate.
GEORGINA’S

TIP

• 1kg new potatoes, cracked
(see tip)
• About 200ml olive or
vegetable oil
• 2 tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 150ml red wine (vegan if you
need it to be)
1 Put the cracked potatoes in
a large wide saucepan (ideally
big enough to fit the potatoes
in a single layer). Pour in enough
oil to just cover the potatoes,
then put the pan over a medium
heat. Cook for 10-15 minutes
until the potatoes are tender
and golden. You don’t want the
oil to be spitting or bubbling
vigorously, just ticking away. As
soon as the potatoes are ready,
carefully strain away most of the
oil (save it for another recipe –
see Don’t Bin It, p85); leave just
enough to coat the potatoes.
2 Roughly crush the coriander
and cumin seeds, then stir into
the potatoes with the sea salt
and red wine. Bring to the boil,
then cover the pan and cook
for 3-4 minutes until the wine
has been absorbed into the
potatoes. Remove from the heat.
Either serve straightaway as
a side dish or leave to cool and
snack on, like I do.
Per serving 211kcals, 8.3g fat
(1.2g saturated), 3g protein,
25g carbs (1.9g sugars),
→
0.8g salt, 3g fibre
26 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

“These spuds are often referred to as
patates afelia, because the ingredients and
method mirror those in afelia, a famous
Cypriot pork dish. They don’t taste boozy,
but slightly caramelised. They’re great
hot but also amazing at room temperature,
and ideal to snack on with a drink”

“One-pot dinners are very
much in. We all want ease,
speed and less washing up.
One of my favourite Cypriot
dishes is lentil and rice faki;
this is essentially that with
sausages. It’s a meal I make
for my daughters, but one
we all appreciate”

Braised sausages,
lentils and fennel

“I don’t think there’s a chicken marinade I love more
than lemon and oregano, with proper seasoning and
plenty of olive oil. These crispy wings will satisfy your
need for crisp, tangy, lip-smacking chook”
Lemon and oregano
chicken wings with
feta dip
Serves 4 (or 8 as a snack)
Hands-on time 20 min
Oven time 35-40 min
Kefalotyri is a hard white
grating cheese made in
Greece and Cyprus from
sheep or goat’s milk. Find it in
delis or Greek/Cypriot stores,
or use pecorino.
KNOWHOW

• 1kg free-range chicken wings
• 1 lemon
• 2 tbsp olive oil
28 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

•
•
•
•

2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly ground
black pepper
• Cucumber to serve (optional)
For the feta dip
• 2 red chillies
• 1 garlic clove
• Olive oil, for frying
• 200g feta
• 150g greek yogurt
• 100g mayonnaise
• 40g kefalotyri cheese
(see Know-how)
• 1 lemon

1 Heat the oven to 200°C fan/
gas 7. You want the chicken
wings jointed into drumettes and
flats. If yours didn’t come this
way, cut off the tips, then chop
each wing through the main joint
to separate (you can freeze the
tips for making stock).
2 Put the wing pieces in a large
mixing bowl. Finely grate in the
zest from the lemon and squeeze
in the juice, then add the olive
oil, garlic powder, oregano, sea
salt and black pepper. Toss
together, really massaging the
flavours into the chicken. Line
a baking sheet with baking paper
and spread out the wings in one
layer. Roast for 35-45 minutes,
turning halfway through, until well
cooked and deep golden-brown.
3 While the wings are roasting,
make the dip. Halve the chillies
lengthways, then deseed and
finely slice. Finely slice the
garlic. Put a small pan over a
medium heat and add enough oil
to just cover the base. Fry the
chilli and garlic for a minute or
so, just until lightly golden, then
remove from the heat. Break up
the feta in a bowl and mash in
the greek yogurt. Using a fork
will be easiest – it’ll be a little
grainy but keep going. Stir in the
mayonnaise and finely grate in
the kefalotyri. Finely grate in the
zest of the lemon. Stir the fried
chilli and garlic into the feta dip,
then squeeze in the juice of half
the lemon. Mix everything
together well. Taste and adjust
the seasoning, adding more
lemon, salt and pepper if you
think they’re needed.
3 When the wings are ready,
transfer to a platter with a bowl
of the dip, drizzled with a little
more olive oil. I also like to serve
this dip with some chunky sticks
of refreshing cucumber.
Per serving (for 8) 350kcals,
28g fat (9.1g saturated),
23g protein, 1.5g carbs
(1.5g sugars), 2.2g salt,
→
0.2g fibre

sunny cooking.

Baklava ricotta
semifreddo

“The energy you use to make this filo-wrapped feta
and the pleasure you get from eating it are not equal.
It is the easiest thing to prepare and will pretty much
guarantee you a standing ovation as you present it. If
you don’t get at least one gasp, you’re cooking for the
wrong people. Get new friends, trade in your family.
Some recipes can take any old filo, but this one works
best with the thin kind you’ll find in Greek or Turkish
supermarkets. Hunt some down – it’s worth it”

Filo-wrapped feta
with spiced honey
Serves 2 as a starter or
4 as part of a mezze
Hands-on time 20 min
• 200g feta block
• 1 filo sheet (see Georgina’s
intro, above)
• Olive oil or vegetable oil for
brushing and frying
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp wine vinegar (red or white)
• ½ tsp aleppo pepper (or ¼ tsp
regular chilli flakes)
• 5 thyme sprigs
1 Wrap the feta in kitchen paper
and set aside to dry out a little,
patting away excess moisture.
Lay out the sheet of filo, brush
with oil and season well. Put
the feta halfway along the filo’s
short edge and roll it up, folding
in the edges before the last
fold. Crush the garlic and put it
in a small bowl with the honey,
vinegar and 1 tbsp water. Add
half the aleppo pepper, then

pick half the thyme leaves and
sprinkle them in.
2 Drizzle a couple of tablespoons
of oil into a small frying pan, then
fry the parcel over a medium
heat until golden brown and
crisp. It’ll need 2-3 minutes on
each side to get an even colour
all over. Add the honey mixture
to the pan – it will bubble rapidly
– and reduce the heat a little.
Working quickly, spoon the liquid
over the top of the parcel until
it’s all sticky, then remove from
the heat. Sprinkle with the
remaining thyme sprigs and
aleppo pepper to serve.
Per serving (for 4) 218kcals, 14g
fat (7.3g saturated), 8.5g protein,
15g carbs (9.4g sugars), 1.4g
salt, 0.5g fibre

Spanokopita fritters
Serves 4
Hands-on time 30 min, plus
15-20 min salting
• 100g baby leaf spinach
• 1 large courgette
• 1 tsp sea salt

• ½ bunch dill, mint or flatleaf
parsley – or a combination
• 4 spring onions
• 100g plain flour (gluten-free
if you need it to be)
• 1 tsp baking powder
(gluten-free if you need it
to be)
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 50g greek yogurt
• 100g feta
• Olive oil for frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges,
to serve
1 Roughly chop the spinach and
put in a colander over the sink.
Trim and coarsely grate the
courgette, add to the colander,
then toss the vegetables well
with the sea salt and leave for
15-20 minutes to draw out the
moisture. When ready, give
the mixture a good squeeze to
really extract all the water, then
transfer to a large mixing bowl.
2 Finely chop the herbs, trim
and finely slice the spring onions,
then add both to the bowl. Stir
in the flour, baking powder and
a good pinch of black pepper.
Beat in the eggs and yogurt.
Crumble the feta and stir it in.
3 Line a plate with kitchen paper.
Set a large frying pan over a
medium heat and pour in enough
olive oil to just cover the base.
Spoon in the fritter batter, one
heaped tablespoon at a time
– don’t crowd the pan. Fry for
3-4 minutes on each side until
golden and crisp, then transfer
to the paper-lined plate. Keep
frying until all the mixture is
cooked (add more oil if needed).
Serve with a generous pinch of
salt on top, and lemon wedges
for squeezing over.
Per serving 250kcals, 13g fat
(5.6g saturated), 12g protein,
21g carbs (2.2g sugars), 2g salt,
1.7g fibre

sunny cooking.

Galatopita: golden filo
custard pie
Serves 9
Hands-on time 40 min,
plus cooling
Oven time 38-45 min
Specialist kit 24cm square
or round cake tin
• 8 cardamom pods (or a good
sprinkling of ground cinnamon
or grated lemon zest)
• 300g caster sugar
• Pinch saffron (optional)
• 100g unsalted butter
• 250g filo sheets
• 3 large free-range eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 200ml whole milk
• 200ml double cream
1 Crush the cardamom pods
a little. Make a sugar syrup by
putting 175g of the sugar in
a saucepan with 125ml water
and the crushed cardamom
(or cinnamon/lemon zest) and
saffron, if using. Bring to the
boil, then simmer over a medium

heat for 5 minutes. Take off
the heat and set aside to cool.
2 Heat the oven to 170°C fan/
gas 5. Melt the butter in a small
pan (or heatproof bowl in the
microwave). Use a little of it to
butter a 24cm square or round
cake tin. Cover the filo with a
slightly damp clean tea towel
then, one by one, brush each
sheet with butter and concertina
the sheet lengthwise. Roll the
first sheet into a rose and place
in the centre of the cake tin.
Continue filling the tin, wrapping
the filo around the centre rose
like a snail (in a square tin, you
may need to make triangular filo
flowers to fill in the corners).
Brush all over with the remaining
butter, then put in the oven for
20-25 minutes until deep golden.
3 Whisk the remaining 125g
sugar with the eggs, vanilla
extract and a pinch of fine sea
salt. Slowly whisk in the milk
and cream until smooth. When
the filo is ready, pour over the
custard, jiggling the pan to
encourage it into all the folds,
and return to the oven. Bake for
18-20 minutes or until just set.
Prick all over with a sharp knife
and pour over the cooled sugar
syrup. Leave to cool completely
before serving.
Per serving 445kcals, 25g fat
(14g saturated), 5.8g protein,
50g carbs (35g sugars), 0.4g
salt, 0.9g fibre

“The direct translation of galatopita is
‘milk pie’, which is quite a good indicator
of the balance I was looking to achieve
– the right level of cream versus syrup.
Sweet, but not a smack-in-the-face
sugar hit. If you find using filo pastry
intimidating, I urge you to give this a
try – it’s a forgiving recipe, and custard
and syrup help cover a multitude of sins”

Braised sausages, lentils
and fennel
Serves 4
Hands-on time 30 min
Oven time 30 min
I’ve given a range for
how many sausages
you’ll need. They often
come in packs of six, and that’s
a good number for this recipe if
you’re feeding people of different
ages. However, if your family is
older, bigger or hungrier, use as
many as you like.
GEORGINA’S

TIP

• Olive oil
• 6-8 outdoor reared pork
sausages (check they’re gluten
and/or dairy free if you need
them to be)
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• Pinch aleppo pepper (or ½ tsp
regular chilli flakes)
• 1 heaped tbsp tomato purée
• 150ml wine (red or white)
• 2 x 400g tins green lentils
• 150ml beef or chicken stock
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Heat the oven to 190°C fan/
gas 6½. Set a large flameproof
casserole or wide ovenproof
frying pan on a low-medium
heat and drizzle in a little olive
oil. Fry the sausages for about
8 minutes, turning, until
browned all over.
2 While the sausages brown,
peel and finely slice the onions
and garlic. Trim the fennel,
reserving any nice fronds, and →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 31

sunny cooking.

NEXT MONTH
Özlem Warren’s
super-moreish
vegetarian
börek

cut the bulbs into wedges.
Crush the fennel seeds with
a pestle and mortar.
3 When the sausages are ready,
transfer them to a plate. Add the
fennel wedges to the sausage
pan and turn up the heat a little.
Fry until browned, then stir in
the onions, garlic and crushed
fennel seeds. Fry, stirring, for
5 minutes, then stir in the aleppo
pepper and tomato purée. Stir-fry
for another minute, then add
the wine. Bring to the boil, turn
down the heat and simmer for
3 minutes until the liquid has
reduced by half. Stir in the
lentils, including their liquid, with
the stock and red wine vinegar,
then season well. Put the
browned sausages on top, bring
to the boil, then cover with a lid.
4 Transfer the pan to the oven
and cook for 10 minutes.
Remove the lid from the pan,
return to the oven and cook,
uncovered, for 15-20 minutes
until everything is nicely
browned and the lentils are
thickened. Serve scattered with
the reserved fennel fronds.
Per serving 551kcals, 28g fat
(8.8g saturated), 25g protein,
32g carbs (8.5g sugars), 1.4g
salt, 19g fibre

LOVING
GEORGINA’S
RECIPES?
GET A COPY OF
GREEKISH FREE!
These recipes are from
Georgina’s new book
Greekish (Bloomsbury).
Turn to p34 to get it
FREE with a subscription
to delicious.
32 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

“I’d say this ice cream is more for a pudding
than scooping on a cone (though by all
means try it). Take it out of the freezer a
good 30 minutes before you want to serve
it and turn it out onto a serving board.
The caramelised filo bottom becomes an
attractive top, and you can scatter it with
more nuts if you like, or even an extra
drizzle of honey. The texture the filo gets
in the freezer is so pleasing”
Baklava ricotta
semifreddo
Serves 10
Hands-on time 40 minutes, plus
at least 6 hours freezing
Oven time 15-20 minutes
Specialist kit 900g loaf tin
• 70g unsalted butter
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• 100g caster sugar
• 6 filo sheets
• 75g walnuts
• 500g ricotta
• 1 tbsp rosewater
• 400ml double cream
• 1 lemon
• 100g honey
1 Heat your oven to 180°C fan/
gas 6. Melt the butter in a pan
(or in a heatproof bowl in a
microwave). Mix the cinnamon
with 40g of the sugar. Brush
the filo sheets with the butter
one by one, then sprinkle each
with one-sixth of the cinnamonsugar mixture. Scrunch each
sheet into ‘waves’ or loose
rosettes in a baking tray. Finely
chop the walnuts and scatter
over the top. Put in the oven
and bake for 15-20 minutes, or
until crisp and golden-brown all
over. Remove and leave to cool.
2 When the filo and nuts are
cool, scrunch it all up in the tray
so you have a mixture of medium

and small pieces to stir into
the ice cream; it’s nice if some
bits are clumpy. Line the loaf
tin with cling film, leaving an
overhang all around so you can
fold it back over the filling.
Sprinkle in enough filo mixture
to cover the bottom of the tin,
setting the rest aside.
3 Whizz the ricotta, the
remaining 60g sugar and the
rosewater in a food processor
until just combined and glossy.
Whip the cream in a large mixing
bowl until soft peaks form (that
flop over when you remove the
whisk), then fold in the ricotta
mixture using a large metal
spoon in a figure-of-eight
motion. Finely grate in the lemon
zest and drizzle in the honey.
Fold in most of the remaining
filo. Spoon into the prepared tin,
fold over the cling film and press
gently on top, then freeze for
at least 6 hours before serving.
4 To serve, bring out of the
freezer and leave at room
temperature for at least
15 minutes (ideally 30). Turn
out the ice cream loaf onto
a board, scatter with the
reserved toasted and crushed
filo and serve in slices.
Per serving 644kcals, 47g fat
(26g saturated), 20g protein,
35g carbs (20g sugars), 1.8g
salt, 1.5g fibre

in the know.

STAR TURN
A foukou (rotisserie BBQ)
is a staple in GreekCypriot homes, and was
a housewarming present
from my parents when
we bought our first
home. Rain or shine,
it gets used!
From £159.97,
cyprusbbq.co.uk

My Greek kitchen

ESSENTIALS
“I’m always on the lookout for beautiful yet
efficient cooking utensils and gadgets, as well
as stylish table settings. These are a few of
my favourite things right now”
Georgina Hayden
NOT JUST A
PRETTY BOUQUET

You will often find
a tablecloth on our
dining table (usually with
mismatched napkins)
and Rose Moon textiles
from Cornwall are some
of my favourites. The
pomegranate print in
particular is a big hit.
Pomegranate round
tablecloth, £33.75,
rosemoontextiles.co.uk

GREAT PLATES
Ceramics are my Achilles
heel, and I can never resist
a trip to an antiques
fair or ceramics studio.
I discovered Elektra
Kamoutsis at a local
studio and adore her
work, especially the
platters where she
draws fruit and veg
freehand. Her oyster
plates (pictured) are
genius too. Plates from
£15, oyster plates from
£28, elektrakamoutsis.com

I see our garden as an extension of
the kitchen and grow what I can to
use in my cooking. I adore roses, and
use them in bakes and for decorating.
Dame Judi Dench roses (Georgina’s
favourite), bare rooted £23, potted
£33, davidaustinroses.co.uk

PORTRAIT: KRISTIN PERERS

FRUITY
TABLECLOTHS

DEEP-FRYING ESSENTIAL
I don’t often deep-fry but on the occasions I do –
to make calamari or deep-fried cheese bites – a good
spider is essential. £8.99, souschef.co.uk
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 33

LOVE
GEORGINA
HAYDEN’S
GREEKISH
RECIPES?
GET HER
BOOK...
FREE!
WORTH

£26

“Sunshine
on a plate”
Tom Kerridge

34 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Take out a delicious. subscription
and you’ll receive Greekish, the
latest sun-flecked book from the
award-winning author of Nistisima.
Inspired by her Greek-Cypriot roots
and Greek travels, Georgina has
remixed traditional recipes with
her own signature twists. Discover
quick, easy meals that burst with
sunny flavours – you’re sure to be
cooking them on repeat.
Look out for Mediterranean
classics such as grilled halloumi
with apricots or sokolatopita
(chocolate party cake), as well
as Greek-influenced dishes
with Georgina’s special tweaks,
including feta, cherry and white
chocolate cookies and riganada
tart with anchovies (pictured).

delicious. subscription offer.

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What I cook at home.

“It’s made
for sharing”
BY ELAINEA EMMOTT

Supper-club chef, food writer and
photographer Elainea creates wonderful
recipes that showcase inventive cooking,
seasonal British ingredients and Caribbean
flair. With generosity on display, it’s simple,
flavourful food for everyone to tuck into
PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND

voices in food.

“This is a great feasting dish for enjoying
with friends: a big pile of rosemary lamb
chops, garlicky cheesy potato skins and
seasonal asparagus on the side”

Lamb chop platter
with cheesy potato
skins, crispy bits
and asparagus

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 37

Celeriac, spinach and
black garlic ‘parmie’ tart
Serves 6
Hands-on time 30 min, plus
cooling
Simmering time 40 min
Oven time 20 min

MAKE
AHEAD

As a self-taught home cook,
food is my passion. I love
bringing people together
over a plate of something,
especially when there are
new flavours to wow and
delight them. In particular,
I like turning ideas upsidedown and mastering
how to get the best out of
two or three ingredients,
with influences from my
Caribbean culture

ABOUT ELAINEA
A former fashion designer, that
artistic flair found expression as
an award-winning photographer,
as well as producing great food
using staple ingredients elevated
with her creative nous. Elainea
has appeared on the Netflix and
Channel 4 show Crazy Delicious,
cooking for the likes of Heston
Blumenthal. @emmottelainea
38 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

You can boil, chop
and crisp the celeriac
up to a day in advance.

• 1 medium celeriac
• 3 vegetable stock cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
to drizzle
• 320g ready-rolled puff pastry
• 5 tbsp black garlic ketchup
(or 3 tbsp black garlic paste)
• 50g baby leaf spinach
• 100g parmesan (or veggie
equivalent), coarsely grated,
plus extra to serve
• Basil leaves to serve
1 Submerge the celeriac in cold
water and scrub it to remove
any dirt. Rinse, then put in a
large saucepan and pour over
enough water to cover. Mix in
the stock cubes, bring to the
boil, then cover and simmer for
40 minutes until nice and soft.
Drain and leave to cool slightly.
2 Once cool enough to handle,
top and tail the celeriac, then
cut away the rough skin. Cut
what’s left into 1cm cubes. Heat
the olive oil in a wide frying pan
over a medium heat, then add
the celeriac (working in batches
if needed) and fry until crisp
and golden all over. Set aside.
3 Heat the oven to 170°C fan/
gas 5 and put a large baking
sheet inside to heat up. Unroll
the sheet of pastry with the
paper it comes in underneath,
then score a 2.5cm border around
the edge with a sharp knife and
prick the centre all over with
a fork. Spread the black garlic
ketchup (or paste) over the
centre using a spoon, leaving
the border clear, then scatter

over most of the spinach. Top
with the celeriac cubes, then
tuck the remaining spinach leaves
in between. Sprinkle with the
grated parmesan, season with
salt and pepper, then carefully
use the paper to lift the tart
onto the hot baking sheet. Bake
for 20 minutes, then scatter
with the basil leaves and a little
more parmesan to serve.
Per serving 346kcals, 22g fat
(11g saturated), 10g protein,
25g carbs (6.2g sugars), 0.8g
salt, 2.7g fibre

Lamb chop platter
with cheesy potato
skins, crispy bits
and asparagus
Serves 4-6
Hands-on time 40 min
Simmering time 20 min
Oven time 1 hour
Useful to have Thermometer
• 6 British lamb chops
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 rosemary sprig, finely
chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to fry
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 250ml lamb stock
• Splash red wine (optional)
• Steamed asparagus to serve
For the potato skins
• 5 medium potatoes (unpeeled)
• Vegetable oil to deep-fry
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 100g unsalted butter
• 100ml double cream
• 175g gruyère, coarsely grated
• Bunch chives, finely chopped →

voices in food.

“Celeriac is so underrated – it’s versatile, great value for money and
has a nutty, moreish flavour. I cook it whole in a strong vegetable stock
before chopping it into pieces and crisping it for this umami-filled tart”

voices in food.

NEXT MONTH
Ruth Nieman
writes to her
food hero,
Marlena Spieler

1 Generously season the lamb
chops with salt and pepper,
then put in a shallow dish. Rub
in the garlic, rosemary and olive
oil, until completely coated, then
return to the fridge.
2 For the potatoes, heat the
oven to 220°C fan/gas 9. Bring
a large pan of salted water to
the boil, add 3 of the potatoes
and simmer for 20 minutes.
Drain, transfer to the oven and
bake for 1 hour until very crisp.
3 Meanwhile, peel the remaining
2 potatoes and either cut into
fine matchsticks or, for something
easier, use a coarse grater
to create long shards. Half-fill
a small saucepan with oil, bring
it to 150°C (a cube of bread will
brown in about 30 seconds), then
deep-fry the potato sticks until
crisp. Drain on kitchen paper,
sprinkle with salt, then set aside.
4 When the baked potatoes are
ready, remove from the oven and
cut them in half. Scoop out the
flesh and push through a potato
ricer into a saucepan (mash
them well if you don’t have a
ricer). Turn off the oven and put
the potato skins back in to keep
warm. Set the pan over a medium
heat, then use a whisk to beat
in the garlic, butter, cream and
cheese until thoroughly
combined. Set aside.
5 To cook the lamb chops, set
a large frying pan over a high
heat, add a drizzle of olive oil,
then the lamb chops in a single
layer. Fry for 2-3 minutes on
each side. Transfer to a plate to
rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile,
make a sauce. Turn the heat
down to low-medium, sprinkle in
the flour, then pour in the stock
while scraping off any bits stuck
to the pan. Add a splash of wine
(if using), then leave to bubble
and thicken for 3-5 minutes.
6 To serve, reheat the cheesy
mash if needed, then spoon
into the potato skins and
scatter with the chopped chives.
Put the lamb, potatoes and

40 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

asparagus on a platter with
the crispy potato sticks/shards.
Serve the lamb sauce alongside.
Per serving (for 6) 662kcals,
48g fat (25g saturated), 21g
protein, 35g carbs (2.2g sugars),
0.7g salt, 4g fibre

Jamaican ginger cake
with chocolate ganache
and berry coulis
Serves 10
Hands-on time 40 min
Oven time 50-60 min
Specialist kit 30cm square
or round baking tin
You can make the coulis
up to 3 days in advance
and keep it in the fridge.
The cake will keep in an airtight
container for up to 3 days.
MAKE
AHEAD

• 230g unsalted butter
• 230g soft brown sugar
• 80g black treacle
• 150g golden syrup
• 300ml whole milk
• 350g plain flour
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 2 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 medium free-range eggs,
beaten
• 6 tbsp dark rum
For the coulis
• 250g frozen berries
• 1 lemon wedge
• 50g caster sugar
For the ganache
• 150g dark chocolate, chopped
• 200ml double cream
• ½ tbsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Heat the oven to 160°C fan/
gas 4 and line the tin with baking
paper. Put the butter, brown
sugar, treacle and golden syrup
in a saucepan over a low heat
and gently stir until the butter
has melted and everything is
combined. Remove from the heat,
stir in the milk, then set aside.

2 Sift the flour, bicarb, a pinch
of salt and pepper, the ground
ginger and cinnamon into a large
bowl. Stir to combine, then
make a well in the centre. Pour
the beaten eggs into the well,
then start to incorporate the
flour mixture and eggs, trying
not to collapse the well. As the
mixture in the centre thickens,
add a small amount of the butter
mixture, gradually getting more
confident in your stirring. Keep
adding the butter in small
amounts, stirring constantly,
until it’s all added and combined.
Go slowly – it should take about
5 minutes. Stir in the rum.
3 Pour the mixture into the cake
tin and bake for 50-60 minutes
or until a skewer pushed into the
centre comes out clean. Turn
out the cake onto a wire rack
and leave to cool completely.
4 Meanwhile, make the coulis.
Put all the ingredients in a pan
over a low heat, add 100ml
water, then bring to a simmer.
Cook gently for 10 minutes,
then leave to cool slightly.
Transfer to a food processor,
whizz until smooth, then strain
through a fine sieve into a jug
to remove any seeds.
5 To make the ganache, put a
heatproof bowl over a pan of
simmering water, making sure
the bowl doesn’t touch the
water. Add the chocolate and
leave to melt. In another
saucepan, bring the cream
and sugar to the boil. Pour this
over the melted chocolate with
the vanilla, whisking to combine.
6 To serve, slice the cake, cover
each piece with ganache and
spoon the coulis around it.
Per serving 720kcals, 39g fat
(24g saturated), 7.9g protein,
78g carbs (52g sugars), 0.3g
salt, 3.7g fibre

“As a raucous child, I grew up with this heavenly
smell of sweet sticky comfort coming from the
kitchen on Saturday afternoons, putting us all in
a good mood. It’s a great cake in its own right –
easy to make, versatile and homely – but adding a
chocolate ganache and coulis makes it sophisticated.
Great when friends come round for dinner”

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 41

Veg hero of the month.

Jersey
royals

Seeing these small, firm spuds in the
shops sparks seasonal excitement – for
the distinct nutty flavour they bring to
dishes and for the promise that warmer
salad days are well on their way
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND
AND EMILY GUSSIN PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON
ILLUSTRATIONS POLLYANNA COUPLAND

WHAT ARE JERSEY ROYALS?
New potatoes are small, freshly harvested young
tubers, while jersey royals are a specific variety
of potato, grown exclusively in Jersey, the largest
of the Channel Islands. They’re often kidneyshaped and have thin, flaky skins, firm flesh and
an earthy, nutty flavour.
WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT THEM?
Like champagne and roquefort, jersey royals
can’t be produced anywhere other than in their
designated region. The distinctive taste is said to
be down to the traditional method of production
– they’re grown on sloping south-facing côtils
(fields) and fertilised with vraic (seaweed
collected from the shoreline and spread over the
côtils). Their firm flesh makes them ideal for all
sorts of cooking, but they’re especially good in
salads. Because there’s a limited supply of jersey
royals and they’re only around until July, they’re
particularly sought after by chefs and home cooks.
ARE THEY GOOD FOR YOU?
Jersey royals are a good source of vitamin C and
they’re also great for fibre. Mainly, though, they’re
an excellent source of carbohydrate – find out the
key role carbs play in our health on p120. →

seasonal star.

Pillowy focaccia dough is taken up a notch with the
addition of mashed jersey royals, making it soft and
rich. It’s then topped with crisped salt and vinegar
potato slices. Our favourite bread of 2024 so far…
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 43

YOUR ALL-NEW JERSEY ROYAL RECIPES

Jersey royal and brown
crab salad
Serves 6 as a side
Hands-on time 20 min, plus
optional cooling time
The salad can be served
warm or cold, so you can
cook the potatoes in
advance if you don’t plan on
serving it warm.
If you can find only
EASY
SWAPS mixed brown and white
crabmeat, that’s fine.
MAKE
AHEAD

• 800g jersey royals, larger
ones halved
• 100g brown crabmeat
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche
• 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon,
plus a squeeze of juice
• 6 spring onions, finely sliced
at an angle
• Small bunch dill, chopped
(reserve a few fronds to
garnish)
1 Bring a large pan of salted
water to the boil. Meanwhile,
scrub the potatoes clean, then
cook in the water for about
15 minutes or until tender when
pierced with a knife. Drain and
leave to cool a little.
2 In a large bowl, mix the
crabmeat with the crème
fraîche, mustard, lemon zest
and a squeeze of juice. Stir
in most of the spring onions
and the dill, followed by the
potatoes. Serve on a platter,
scattered with the remaining
spring onions and dill fronds.
Per serving 218kcals, 11g fat
(6.7g saturated), 6.7g protein,
21g carbs (2.4g sugars), 0.3g
salt, 3g fibre

SCAN HERE...
Find heaps
more brilliant
jersey royal
recipes and
make the most
of these little
beauties
44 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Salt and vinegar jersey
royal focaccia
Serves 10
Hands-on time 45 min, plus
3 hours resting and overnight
proving
Oven time 45-50 min
Specialist kit 20cm x 30cm
high-sided baking tin
No stand mixer? You can
knead by hand, but it’ll
take a little longer.
Focaccia is always best
MAKE
AHEAD eaten freshly baked, but
it’ll keep in an airtight
container for up to 3 days.
KNOWHOW

• 150g wholemeal bread flour
• 400g strong white bread flour
• 4g instant yeast
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 350ml lukewarm water
• 400g jersey royals
• 2 tbsp malt vinegar, plus 2 tsp
and extra to serve
• ½ tbsp salt
• 100ml extra-virgin olive oil,
plus extra for oiling, drizzling
and serving
• Sea salt flakes for sprinkling
1 In the bowl of a stand mixer
with a dough hook attached,
combine the flours, yeast, sugar
and lukewarm water. Cover
and set aside for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook half the
potatoes in a pan of boiling
salted water for 15-18 minutes
until tender. Drain and mash
(leave the skins on), adding the
2 tsp malt vinegar.
2 Add the salt to the flour
mixture with a splash of water

to help it dissolve, then add the
mashed potatoes. Knead for
5-6 minutes while drizzling in
the 100ml olive oil. Once
smooth, glossy and elastic, cover
and set aside for 40 minutes.
3 ‘Coil fold’ the dough: use wet
hands to scoop under one edge
of the dough, lift it up, then
fold it over itself. Turn the bowl
by a quarter and repeat, then
turn and repeat twice more.
Cover and set aside to rest for
40 minutes. Repeat this process
3 more times, every 40 minutes.
4 Once you’ve completed the
final fold and rest, line the baking
tin with baking paper, then drizzle
in a little olive oil and spread it
out with your fingers. Carefully
persuade the dough into the tin
and gently ease it out towards
the sides, so it’s a rough
rectangle of even thickness –
don’t push or pull too firmly.
Don’t worry if it doesn’t reach
the edges of the tin – it will fill
out as it proves. Cover with a
clean tea towel and put in the
fridge to prove overnight.
5 The next day, take the tin out
of the fridge to let the dough
come to room temperature
(about 30 minutes). Heat the
oven to 200°C fan/gas 7. Finely
slice the remaining potatoes and
mix in a bowl with 2 tbsp vinegar
and a good pinch of salt.
6 Oil your fingers and press
them into the dough to create
deep dimples all over the top.
Scatter with the sliced potatoes.
Drizzle over plenty more olive oil,
sprinkle with sea salt flakes,
then bake for 30 minutes. Turn
the heat down to 180°C fan/
gas 6 (don’t open the oven) and
bake for another 15-20 minutes
until golden. Transfer to a wire
rack to cool, but feel free to eat
while still warm. Serve with more
olive oil and vinegar for dipping.
Per serving 313kcals, 10g fat
(1.5g saturated), 7.7g protein,
45g carbs (2.1g sugars), 0.7g
salt, 3.6g fibre

seasonal star.

Jersey royals and crab are in season at the same time – and
they’re the perfect pairing. Often overlooked in favour of white
crabmeat, brown has a richer flavour, complementing the earthy
potatoes beautifully. An indulgent potato salad, perfect for spring

NEXT MONTH
Lettuce every
which way

Supports your
active lifestyle

*

Contains:

Omega 3 + Turmeric + Glucosamine + Vitamin D
*Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal bones and normal muscle function. Manganese contributes to the normal formation of connective tissue. Vitamin C contributes
to normal collagen formation for the normal function of bones & cartilage. **Source ©2023 NIQ data, Value and Units, Vitamin & Minerals (Client defined), 52 w/e 09.09.23, Total UK.

Be a Better Cook
INCREASE YOUR SKILLS AND KNOW-HOW WITH THE
HELP OF OUR EXPERTS. THIS MONTH: HOW TO PLATE LIKE
A PRO, FERMENT YOUR OWN PROPER HOT SAUCE,
YOUR GUIDE TO THE CHINESE PANTRY AND MORE

Every recipe you’ve cooked involved some
sort of technique, no matter how basic.
These three dishes each feature four
culinary skills that, once mastered, you’ll
roll out time and time again. The food
team’s Pollyanna Coupland analyses each skill and
shares the secrets to its success. Add all 12 to your
portfolio and you’ll be a master chef in no time
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

be a better cook.

The key to panicfree hollandaise
sauce? It’s all
about preparation
and taking your
time: think of it
as meditational

There’s a simple
trick involving
a sieve that will
transform your
poached eggs. We
promise you won’t
look back

PHOTOGRAPH: KRIS KIRKHAM

Nobody wants a
soggy mess of
green slime for
the egg to nest
on. We show you
how to get the
wilt just right

You don’t even
need to put the oven
on to make muffins –
the cooking’s all done
in a dry frying pan
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 49

Don’t leave this beautiful brunch to the professionals – it’s the
ultimate weekend indulgence and a great showcase for your culinary
talents. Nothing beats proper hollandaise and a freshly cooked muffin!
+ COVER RECIPE

YOUR EGGS FLORENTINE SKILLS

1
2

HOMEMADE MUFFINS are a game-changer – just like freshly baked
bread, they’re a world away from shop-bought. The overnight prove
brings a better flavour and less work in the morning for your brunch.
HOLLANDAISE is the emulsified sauce mayonnaise wants to be when
it grows up. It scares a lot of cooks (and some chefs), but here are my
top tips for getting it right:
• Whisking by hand might seem old-school, but it allows you to keep
an eye on what’s going on and work at a steady pace.
• Try to have everything at the same temperature when whisking
things together to avoid splitting. Aim for warm, not hot.
• Don’t rush. Make sure the egg yolks have thickened properly before
adding the vinegar and butter, otherwise the sauce won’t emulsify.
• If the sauce splits and adding a splash of water doesn’t work, all is
not lost – put another egg yolk in a bowl over the simmering water,
whisk it for 2 minutes until thick, then slowly drizzle and whisk into
the split mixture. It should re-emulsify.
• Season liberally – there’s a lot of rich butter in the sauce, which
needs a heap of salt and pepper to bring it to life.

3

PERFECT POACHED EGGS are the holy grail of egg cookery. It’s all
about using the freshest eggs, sieving them to get rid of the watery
part of the whites (which creates those stringy, ghostly wisps in the
water), adding a splash of vinegar (no salt) to the water and creating
a whirlpool to coddle the white around the yolk.

4

CHOPPING HERBS might not sound like a thrilling subject, but there’s
a reason chefs judge each other’s talents based on how finely they
slice chives. Poor technique or a blunt knife blade will crush herbs as
much as chop them, releasing liquid and leaving you with something
soggy and bruised rather than fresh and crisp.

Eggs florentine
Serves 5
Hands-on time 1 hour 20 min,
plus at least 1 hour 30 min
proving
Specialist kit 8cm round cutter
Make the muffin dough
the day before and leave
to prove in the fridge
overnight. You can also cook the
muffins up to 24 hours in
advance (and if you’re not using
all five, they freeze well).
You can, of course,
NEXT
replace the spinach with
TIME
smoked salmon to make
eggs royale, or with ham to
make eggs benedict.
MAKE
AHEAD

• 1 tbsp distilled vinegar
• 10 medium free-range eggs, as
fresh as possible
• Salted butter for spreading
• 300g baby leaf spinach
• ¼ bunch flatleaf parsley,
leaves picked
For the muffins
• 75g water, lukewarm
• 75g whole milk, lukewarm
• ½ tsp instant or fast-action
yeast
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 250g plain flour, plus extra
to dust
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 2 tbsp fine semolina
For the hollandaise
• 60ml white wine vinegar
• 1 shallot, finely sliced
• 1 tarragon sprig (or thyme
sprig)
• ¼ tsp black peppercorns,
cracked
• 200g unsalted butter
• 2 medium free-range egg yolks

be a better cook.

• Squeeze lemon juice
• 2 tbsp very finely chopped
chives
1 Begin with the muffins, as
they need time to prove. Mix the
water, milk, yeast and oil in a jug
and set aside for 10 minutes to
activate. Sift the flour into a
bowl, stir in the salt and make a
well in the centre. Slowly pour in
the liquid, stirring with a fork to
incorporate the dry ingredients,
until you end up with a rough
dough. Gather it into a ball with
your hands, then knead for
5 minutes on a lightly floured
worktop until smooth and springy.
Return to the cleaned bowl,
cover with a tea towel and leave
to rise in a warm place for 1 hour
(or in the fridge overnight).
2 After this first prove, the
dough should have roughly
doubled in size. Carefully tip
it onto a lightly floured worktop
and roll out to a 3cm thick sheet.
Use an 8cm round cutter to cut
out 5 muffins – the fifth will
probably need to come from
re-rolled offcuts. Sprinkle half
the semolina over a large oven
tray, put the muffins on it,
then sprinkle the remaining
semolina over the top. Cover
the tray with a towel and prove
for 30 minutes more.
3 Meanwhile, make the
hollandaise. Put the vinegar,
shallot, tarragon (or thyme) and
peppercorns in a small saucepan
and bring to the boil. Simmer for
a few minutes until reduced by
around half, then leave to cool.
Melt the butter in the microwave
or in a saucepan, then leave to
cool until lukewarm.
4 Once the muffins have
completed their prove, put a
large frying pan over a medium
heat. Cook the muffins for
5 minutes on each side. They
need a full 10 minutes to cook
through, so keep an eye on the
temperature of the pan – you
don’t want them to start burning

before they’re cooked through
to the centre. Set aside.
5 Bring a small pan of water to a
simmer and put a heatproof bowl
over the top (make sure it’s not
touching the water). Add the egg
yolks and whisk for 1-2 minutes
until pale, doubled in size and at
ribbon stage (thick enough to
leave a trail when you lift out the
whisk and the sauce drops off
the whisk back into the bowl).
Strain the cooled vinegar
reduction through a fine sieve,
then add 1 tbsp of the reduction
to the eggs (you shouldn’t have
much more than this, if any).
6 Remove the bowl from the
heat and put it on a tea towel to
help keep it stable. Have a small
amount of water in a cup to
hand, then very gradually trickle
in the butter while whisking
continuously. If the mixture
looks like it’s about to split (if it
turns grainy or suddenly turns
thinner instead of thicker), add
a little of the water to bring it
back together. There will be
white solids at the bottom of the
jug as you’re nearing the end of
the melted butter – stop before
you get to those. Taste and
season the hollandaise with salt
and lemon juice, then stir in
most of the chopped chives. Put
the bowl back over the hot water
to keep warm – on the lowest
heat, as the sauce doesn’t like
being reheated and could split.
7 For the eggs, bring a large
saucepan of water to the boil
and add the vinegar, then turn
down to a gentle simmer. Set up
a tray lined with kitchen paper.
One by one, crack the eggs into
a fine sieve set over a bowl to
strain off the watery part of
the white, then transfer the
egg to a small dish or ramekin.
Whisk the water in a clockwise
motion to create a vortex,
lower the dish as close to the
simmering water as you can,
then plop the egg right into the
centre of the vortex. Cook for

Peak Sunday
brunch cooking

3½ minutes. You’ll probably need
to work in batches to fit in all
the eggs. Lift out the eggs with
a slotted spoon and transfer to
the paper-lined tray to drain.
Season with salt and pepper.
8 While the eggs are cooking,
halve, toast and butter the
muffins. Put the spinach in a
frying pan over a high heat, cover
and leave for just a minute or
two until it begins to wilt (don’t
wait until it’s fully wilted as it’ll
continue to cook off the heat
and you could end up with a
soggy mess). Arrange the parsley
leaves on top of each other, roll
up tightly, then slice as finely as
possible. Toss the spinach and
parsley together with a pinch of
salt and pepper.
9 Top each muffin half with
spinach, an egg, then plenty of
the chive hollandaise. Finish with
the reserved chopped chives.
Per serving 698kcals, 48g fat
(25g saturated), 23g protein,
42g carbs (1.2g sugars), 0.6g
→
salt, 2.8g fibre
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 51

A sausage roll of any kind is good in our book, but every element
in this recipe is made by your own fair hand. The pops of acidity
from the pickled shallots cut through the pork, which is denser and
far more flavourful than shop-bought sausagemeat, while the
rough puff pastry enrobes everything in buttery goodness
YOUR SAUSAGE ROLL SKILLS

1

Homemade pickles take time but give you total control over the
end result. Like them sharp? Add a touch less water. Like them sweet?
Up the sugar. Play around with the type of vinegar and add different
spices to make your personalised pickle. The reason we (almost)
quarter the shallots is because it speeds up the process.

2

Rough puff pastry is my favourite pastry to work with and a
seriously impressive thing to make at home. The key is to keep the
butter chilled at all times to stop it melting into the flour, so keep
it in the fridge whenever you’re not using it. Don’t be scared by
uneven lumps of butter and a variable texture – it’s what makes this
a ‘rough’ puff.

3

Sausagemeat varies hugely in quality and, unless you’re going to a
good butcher, tends to be over-salted and pretty poor. Making your
own is simple and speedy, and lets you control the flavour and
texture. I’ve gone with Italian-led flavours and a dense texture that
favours meat over fat, but feel free to get creative.

4

Egg washing is more complex than you might
think and makes a real difference. A bronzed, shiny
sausage roll is far more appealing than a sandy,
patchy one. Add a pinch of salt to your beaten
egg and leave it for about 10 minutes to help
break down the proteins in the egg white, creating
a thin wash you can paint evenly over your pastry.
Applying in two stages (with a quick chill in
between) creates a double layer for extra gloss.

Sausage rolls
Makes 6 large or
12 small
Hands-on time 1 hour 30 min,
plus 1 week to pickle the
shallots and 2 hours resting
Oven time 35-40 min
Specialist kit Sterilised jar

DON’T
WASTE
IT

52 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

You’ll have more pickled
shallots than you need
for this recipe, but the

remaining ones will keep in the
fridge for months. The uncooked
sausage rolls can also be frozen.
To cook from frozen, increase
the oven time to 45-55 minutes
(depending on how big you’ve
made them).
The shallots need a
MAKE
AHEAD week to pickle properly,
so bear this in mind. The
pastry can also be made up to a
day in advance.

For the pickled shallots
• 150g small shallots
• 100g malt vinegar
• 50g sugar
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
• 100ml water
For the pastry
• 250g unsalted butter,
fridge cold
• 330g plain flour, plus extra
to dust
• 100g ice-cold water
• 1 medium free-range egg,
beaten with a large pinch
salt
• 1 tsp poppy seeds
For the sausagemeat
• 500g pork belly
• 500g pork fillet
• ½ tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp chilli flakes
• 1½ tsp freshly ground black
pepper
• 1½ tsp table salt
1 Peel the shallots, keeping
the roots intact, then cut
almost all the way into quarters,
stopping just before you cut
through the root (so the petals
stay together). Put the rest of
the pickled shallot ingredients
in a small pan and add a pinch
of salt. Add the shallots, bring
to the boil, then leave to cool.
Transfer to a sterilised jar and
leave in a cool, dry place to
pickle for at least a week.
2 To make the pastry, coarsely
grate the chilled butter into
a bowl, then add the flour and
rub together loosely with your →

be a better cook.

Perfectly golden
pastry actually
owes a fair bit to
the egg wash. This
is a secret you’ll
wish your grandma
had told you

With rough puff,
lumps are nothing
to get hot under
the collar about.
The process is
more about chilling
than anything else

Pink gloop, be
gone. This is a
sausage roll that’s
packed with
goodness – and
a secret pickle
pick-me-up

A filling you’ve
chopped yourself
makes a sausage
roll head and
shoulders above
anything you can
buy at the station

fingertips until roughly
incorporated – you want some
large chunks of butter to give
you good flaky pastry. Add a
pinch of salt, then the ice-cold
water, little by little, bringing the
dough together into a ragged
clump (you might not need to
use all the water).
3 On a floured work surface,
roll the dough into a rough 12cm
x 20cm rectangle. With the
short side facing you, fold the
bottom third up into the centre,
then the top third back over
that. Wrap and leave to rest in
the fridge for 1 hour.
4 While the pastry rests, make
the sausagemeat. Roughly chop
the pork belly and fillet, then
transfer to the bowl of a food
processor. Toast the whole
spices in a hot, dry pan for a few
minutes, then coarsely grind
with a pestle and mortar. Tip
into the processor with the rest
of the ingredients, then pulse to
a coarse texture – like a slightly
chunkier sausagemeat. Drain
and weigh out 50g of the pickled
shallots, finely chop them
(discarding the roots), then
stir into the mixture. Keep in
the fridge until needed.
5 After an hour, remove the
pastry from the fridge and roll
out on a floured surface to a
neat rectangle about 20cm x
50cm. The same as before, fold
up the bottom third, then the
top third back over. Turn the
square 90 degrees to the right,
roll it back out into a rectangle,
then repeat the folding process.
Cover and return to the fridge
for 30 minutes. Repeat the
rolling and turning process
before refrigerating again for
at least 30 minutes.
6 Now it’s time to make the
sausage rolls. Roll out the pastry
into a neat rectangle measuring
50cm x 30cm (around 4mm
thick). With a long edge facing
you, cut into thirds so you have

54 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

3 rectangles roughly 17cm x
30cm. Divide the sausagemeat
into thirds, then shape into logs
the same length as the pastry
and place one in the centre of
each rectangle. Brush along
one long side of the pastry with
the beaten egg, then fold the
pastry over the sausagemeat,
flattening it a little as you do
so and sealing the edges
together with the side of your
hand. Transfer to a tray lined
with baking paper, then freeze
for 10 minutes to firm up.
7 Cut each log in half (or into
quarters if you want small
sausage rolls), crimp the edges
with a fork, slash the tops with
several diagonal cuts (these will
let the steam out) and trim the
open ends so the finish is neat
and the rolls cook evenly. Brush
the tops liberally with egg wash,
then put in the freezer for 10
minutes more. Meanwhile, heat
the oven to 200ºC fan/gas 7.
8 Brush the sausage rolls again
with egg wash, then sprinkle
with the poppy seeds –
sprinkling from a height will give
you an even distribution. Bake in
the oven for 35-40 minutes until
gorgeous and golden.
Per roll (for 12) 412kcals, 27g
fat (14g saturated), 21g protein,
21g carbs (0.5g sugars), 1.2g
→
salt, 1.2g fibre

YOUR BAKED
ALASKA SKILLS

1

No-churn ice cream can often be a little
disappointing – ending up a block of
rock hard custard full of ice crystals.
The secret? Condensed milk. Its higher
sugar and lower water content (up to
60% of its water has been removed)
means it doesn’t set solid and, when
combined with whipped cream, creates
a light, airy texture without the need
for fancy gadgets.

2

Freezer jam sits somewhere between
true jam and a compote. It needs no
heat and gives a much fresher fruit
flavour as a result. Crushed berries are
macerated in jam sugar to create a
chunky, juicy concoction that sits in the
freezer until you need it. And there’s no
need for sterilised jars.

3

A fluffy sponge is a must, and a
prerequisite for all sorts of cakes and
puddings. Here are my top tips:
Make sure butter is properly softened
and eggs are at room temperature.
Heat the oven before starting – you’ve
taken all that time to beat air into the
batter, so don’t let it deflate while you
wait for the oven to heat up.
Thin sponges like this one take a
surprisingly short time to bake.
Lightly touch the top; if it isn’t liquid
and springs back, it’s ready. Leave to
cool and wait until the last moment
to cut it; it turns stale quickly.

4

Swiss meringue cooks while
you whisk it, so it doesn’t need
a separate bake (unlike french
meringue) and it’s easier than
italian meringue (which involves
pouring boiling syrup into a
running stand mixer). For a
strong swiss meringue with the
best peaks, make sure you
use a spotlessly clean bowl,
whisk at a high speed and
use it as soon as it’s ready.

be a better cook.

Baked alaska is one of those desserts famously
reserved for the brave-hearted, but it needn’t
be – it just takes a bit of time and patience

There’s no call for
a super-hot oven
– and with it the
danger of molten
ice cream – with
this cunning
meringue coating

A no-churn
chocolate ice
cream that’s rich,
lusciously smooth
and won’t take
an age to make?
Lean on in…

Freezer jam, where
have you been
all our lives?
This zero-fuss
confection is what
we’ve all been
waiting for

Timing and prep
are key if you want
to make a light and
airy sponge that’s
robust enough to
support some
generous toppings

Reach the snowy
summit of meringue
proficiency

Mini baked alaskas
Makes 6
Hands-on time 2 hours, plus
freezing
Oven time 8 min
Specialist kit 20cm x 30cm
baking tray; 7cm round cutter;
thermometer; blowtorch
The ice cream and jam
can be made 2 months
in advance and kept in
the freezer, but the sponge and
meringue are best made as close
to assembling the alaskas as
possible. You can also freeze the
completed alaskas for up to a
month, then serve from frozen
– just give them a blowtorch and
wait a few minutes for the
meringue and sponge to soften.
MAKE
AHEAD

56 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

For the jam
• 75g jam sugar
• 75g frozen raspberries,
defrosted
• Squeeze lemon juice
For the ice cream
• 150g dark chocolate (at least
70% cocoa)
• 500ml double cream
• 397g tin condensed milk
• 30g cocoa powder
• 1½ tbsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp fine salt
For the sponge
• 115g unsalted butter, softened
• 115g caster sugar
• 2 large free-range eggs
• 85g self-raising flour
• 25g cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp whole milk

For the meringue
• 4 large free-range egg whites
• 200g caster sugar
• ¼ tsp cream of tartar
1 To make the jam, whizz the
jam sugar in a food processor
or blender for a minute or so to
make it finer (this stops your jam
having a gritty texture). Put the
raspberries in a container and
crush with a fork or potato
masher. Stir in the whizzed
sugar, add a squeeze of lemon
juice, then leave for 30 minutes
to macerate, stirring it every
now and then. Transfer to the
freezer for at least 24 hours.
Defrost before using.
2 To make the ice cream, break
up the chocolate and melt
either in a bowl set over a pan
of simmering water (don’t let
the water touch the bowl) or in
the microwave in short bursts,
then leave to cool slightly. Pour
the cream into a mixing bowl
and whip until it just reaches the
soft peak stage – when you lift
the beaters out, the peaks flop
over. Stir in the slightly cooled
chocolate. The difference in
temperature will produce small
lumps rather than a smooth
mixture but this is a good thing,
as it creates little melt-in-themouth chocolate pieces when
the ice cream freezes.
3 Stir in the condensed milk,
then sift in the cocoa powder
and add the ground cinnamon
and salt. Stir to combine, pour
into a container and freeze for
at least 4 hours.
4 To make the sponge, first
make sure your freezer jam is
defrosted (you’ll need 6 tbsp
jam). Heat the oven to 160°C
fan/gas 4 and line a 20cm x
30cm baking tray with baking
paper. Beat the softened butter
and sugar together until pale
and fluffy – around 4 minutes in
a stand mixer or 8 minutes by
hand. Crack in the eggs and
beat again, then gently mix in

be a better cook.

This is our failsafe recipe, which combines a spiced
chocolate no-churn ice cream with a sturdy sponge base,
no-cook freezer jam and silky torched swiss meringue
the flour, cocoa powder and
milk (it should be quite a thick
sponge batter). Tip into the lined
tray, smooth out, then bake for
8 minutes. Leave to cool.
5 Use a 7cm round cutter to
stamp out 6 discs from your
sponge, then put them on a tray
or your serving plates. Spread
the top of each sponge with
1 tbsp freezer jam. Dip an ice
cream scoop in hot water,
then scoop out 6 balls from
the chocolate ice cream, placing
one on top of each of the jammy
sponges. Transfer all of them
to the freezer.
6 To make the meringue, put the
egg whites, sugar and cream of
tartar in a clean bowl set over a
pan of gently simmering water
(make sure the bowl doesn’t

touch the water). Whisk until
the sugar has completely
dissolved and the temperature
reaches 80°C on a thermometer.
It’s important it reaches this
temperature because it gives
the meringue stability, so do
be patient as it takes around
8-10 minutes. Transfer to a
stand mixer and whisk at the
highest speed for about 7
minutes until it cools to just
above room temperature. Keep
an eye on it as over-whipped
meringue can split.
7 Take one ice cream-topped
sponge out of the freezer
and use a small palette knife
or butter knife to apply the
meringue all over the ice cream.
Start from the sponge base
and gently drag the meringue

upwards. Once the ice cream
is completely covered, you
can make decorations in
the meringue by dragging a
clean knife against it, up then
outwards to create little spikes.
These spikes not only look
good but catch the blowtorch,
giving you deliciously chewy,
caramelised bits of meringue.
Work one by one, as quickly as
you can, putting each alaska
back in the freezer as soon as
it’s finished. Blowtorch the
meringue at the table for a bit
of culinary theatre.
Per serving 573kcals, 24g fat
(14g saturated), 9.6g protein,
79g carbs (67g sugars), 0.4g
salt, 2.6g fibre

NEXT MONTH
Take a deep
dive into
mayonnaise

3 TOOLS TO MAKE THESE RECIPES EASIER
You can learn all
the skills, but if
you don’t have the
right equipment
for the job, you’ll
struggle. Here are
three ProCook
tools we used to
create these
recipes. Buy them
at procook.co.uk

NIHON X50 16CM
NAKIRI KNIFE, £55

ENAMEL BAKING
TRAY SET, £34

HAND MIXER,
£39

A stainless-steel knife
that keeps its edge in a
busy kitchen is a must-have
for any serious cook. This
one stays super sharp, feels
comfortable in the hand
and is guaranteed for
25 years – cutting herbs
without bruising them
is a breeze.

Three durable carbon steel
trays of assorted sizes with
a tough non-stick enamel
coating (dishwasher and
oven-safe up to 260°C).
These will fulfil all your
baking needs and are also
guaranteed for 25 years.
Perfect for cooking sausage
rolls and so much more.

With five speed settings,
this nifty workhorse will
whip the lightest meringues,
cream or whatever you
need, while letting you stay
in close control. It’s light
and easy to handle and has
a self-stand design to
minimise mess and allow for
easy storage.
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 57

V E N T UR E
BEYOND
A wine to trea s u re fo r d e c a d es

Yvonne Poon’s guide
to the Chinese pantry

PART #2

Wood ear
mushrooms

Chef Yvonne is back with
another beloved Chinese
ingredient to show us why
some things are as much about
texture as flavour. Learn how
to use them in a steamed
chicken dish and in dumplings,
both of which were passed
down by her “magic mama”
RECIPES YVONNE POON
PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON
FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND

TURN THE PAGE FOR TWO GREAT RECIPES USING THIS MAGICAL INGREDIENT

A BIT ABOUT YVONNE
Born in London with a Hong Kong
heritage, Yvonne trained at Leiths
School of Food & Wine. She then
worked as a development chef,
recipe writer and food stylist.
Recently she’s been a chef at
popular pop-up restaurant Poon’s
Wontoneria in Fitzrovia, London.

Steamed chicken with
shiitake and wood ear
mushrooms
Serves 4
Hands-on time 10 min, plus
rehydrating
Steaming time 40 min
Specialist kit Large steamer
You can buy wood
ear mushrooms from
online suppliers such as
Sous Chef or Asian supermarkets.
If you happen to have a steam
oven, this dish is perfect for it.
KNOWHOW

Dried wood ear mushrooms (also known, not quite as poetically, as black
fungus) are large edible fungi widely used in Chinese cooking. While they
might look alien in their dried form, as soon as they’re rehydrated they
unravel into their distinctive delicate ‘ear’ shape. They’re prized for their
crunchy, slippery texture and ability to absorb flavours (which is good
since they don’t really taste of much!). The little nooks and crannies
in these mushrooms are ideal for catching any sauce they’re mixed with.
This is a classic ingredient often found in healing broths, stir-fries
and salads. Mum liked to use them in steamed dishes. At other times they
were tucked in dumplings to add texture. She has a huge pantry of dried
ingredients and often sprinkled bits and bobs here and there because
medicinally ‘they treat your body well’. I used to nod obediently, not
knowing exactly how it benefitted me, but I devoured them nonetheless.
My siblings and I were often tasked to start a production line for the
dumpings, helping Mum fold hundreds to be stored away in the freezer.
To this day, I go to my mum’s house and pick up a bag of her homemade
dumplings, as they always have that secret ‘magic mama’s touch’.

• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 10g dried wood ear mushrooms
(also known as cloud ear
mushrooms or black fungus –
see Know-how)
• 500g skinless free-range
chicken thigh fillets, chopped
into bite-size pieces
• 3 slices peeled ginger, cut
into matchsticks
• 6 fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• Pinch sugar
• 1 tsp cornflour
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• Cooked long-grain rice to serve
1 Put the dried shiitake and
wood ear mushrooms in a large →

60 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

be a better cook: ingredients.

The mushrooms
shine in this Poon
family classic

be a better cook: ingredients.

“Steaming is an underrated
cooking technique in the UK
– but across huge swathes of
China it’s the go-to method.
This recipe proves why it’s so
good: chicken that’s beautifully
plump and flavourful with
mushrooms to soak up all
the wonderful marinade”
heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling
water, then cover the bowl with
a plate and set aside to rehydrate
for 20 minutes.
2 Put the chicken in a bowl and
add the rest of the ingredients
(apart from the spring onions
and cooked rice). Mix well and
leave to marinate while the
mushrooms finish rehydrating.
3 Squeeze the mushrooms to
remove excess water, then add
4 tbsp of the soaking liquid to
the chicken mixture. Slice the
mushrooms into bite-size pieces
and mix into the chicken.
4 Set a large steamer over a pan
of simmering water. Transfer the
chicken mixture to a wide shallow
bowl that fits inside the steamer,
then steam for 35 minutes.
Sprinkle over the chopped spring
onions, then steam for a further
5 minutes. Serve with rice.
Per serving 289kcals, 12g fat
(3.7g saturated), 34g protein,
8.8g carbs (5.9g sugars), 2g salt,
1.6g fibre

62 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Mushroom jiaozi
dumplings
Makes 20-24 (enough to
serve 4 as a starter)
Hands-on time 1 hour
Buy round dumpling/
gyoza wrappers frozen
from online suppliers
such as orientalmart.co.uk or
from Asian supermarkets.
Chilli vinegar dipping sauce
is a popular Chinese condiment
– you can make your own using
equal amounts of soy sauce
and chinkiang rice vinegar, plus
a little garlic chilli oil and sugar,
or you can buy it ready-made:
Poon’s Chilli Vinegar Dressing
is available at poons-pantry.com.
KNOWHOW

• 1 dried shiitake mushroom
• 15g dried wood ear mushrooms
(also known as black fungus)
• 500ml freshly boiled water
• 4 chinese cabbage leaves,
finely shredded
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra
to fry
• 1 large portobello mushroom,
finely chopped
• 150g fresh shiitake mushrooms,
finely chopped
• 1 tsp light soy sauce
• 2 tsp shaoxing wine
• Thumb-size piece ginger, finely
grated
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 2 tsp mushroom vegetarian
stir-fry sauce (from Chinese
stores or online – we used
Lee Kum Kee)
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper
• ½ tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp finely chopped chives
• 5 pieces water chestnut,
drained and finely chopped
• 1 pack round dumpling
wrappers, defrosted if frozen
(gyoza wrappers work well;
see Know-how)
• Chilli vinegar dipping sauce to
serve (optional, see Know-how)

1 Put the dried shiitake and
wood ear mushrooms in a large
heatproof bowl and cover with
the freshly boiled water. Cover
and leave for 15 minutes. Put
the cabbage leaves in another
bowl and massage in the salt.
Set aside for 15 minutes.
2 Meanwhile, heat the vegetable
oil in a large frying pan over
a medium heat. Add the
portobello mushroom and fry
for 3-4 minutes, then add the
fresh shiitake and fry for
another 3-4 minutes until most
of the moisture has evaporated.
Stir in the light soy sauce and
half the shaoxing wine, cook for
1 minute, then tip into a bowl.
3 Drain the dried mushrooms, give
them a squeeze to remove excess
water, then finely chop and mix
into the fried mushrooms. Drain
the cabbage, then squeeze it and
also add it to the bowl.
4 Add the remaining shaoxing
to the mixture, then add the rest
of the ingredients (apart from the
dumpling wrappers and dipping
sauce) and stir well. Take a
wrapper, spoon 1 tsp filling into
the centre, then run a wet finger
dipped in water around the edge
and fold in half, sealing the
edges. Pleat the dumpling – only
if you want to – then put on a
plate. Repeat until all the filling is
used up (about 20-24 dumplings).
5 Heat a drizzle of oil in a large
frying pan (one with a lid) over a
medium heat. Put the dumplings
in the pan, working in batches if
you need to and leaving around
1cm between them. Fry for 2
minutes, then add 50ml water
and cover. Leave to steam for 4
minutes, then remove the lid and
cook for another 2 minutes – the
bottom of each dumpling should
turn crisp and golden. Serve with
a dipping sauce (see Know-how).
Per serving (for 6 dumplings)
237kcals, 7.6g fat (0.8g
saturated), 6.2g protein, 33g
carbs (6.3g sugars), 3.2g salt,
4.3g fibre

NEXT MONTH
Yvonne cooks
with Chinese
sausage

“Jiaozi are China’s
versatile dumpling
– steamed, boiled or
fried, filled with meat
or veg and generally
served with a black
vinegar dipping sauce
or in a soup. These
mushroom jiaozi
are vegan and are
packed with three
kinds of mushroom,
including wood ear”

How to

PLATE
LIKE
A PRO
A meal at a Michelin-starred
restaurant is a feast for the
eyes as much as the taste
buds – but how do top chefs
work out how to display their
creations? We delve into the
mind of two-starred restaurant
chef James Knappett to find
out, before tasking our own
Pollyanna Coupland with
re-creating one of his desserts
for some at-home wow-factor
RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND
PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

K
PRO PLATING
James’s dish: chocolate,
orange and coffee; a
tower of contrasting
tastes and textures

itchen Table – a restaurant in London’s
Fitzrovia with two Michelin stars – is about
as far removed from home cooking as you
can get. Up to 20 courses make up a meal there,
created and served in a flurry of action from the
open kitchen in front of you. Each dish is a tour de
force in its own right, but the way they flow from
one to the next, creating an overall experience
greater than the sum of its parts, is where the real
magic lies. Let’s just say it’s a bit of a step up from
last night’s cobbled-together fridge-raid pasta.

be a better cook: skills.

FLAVOUR COMES FIRST…
At the helm of Kitchen Table is chef James Knappett.
He controls the crew of chefs, who cook and plate
up the dishes in full view of the diners each night.
His food is always flavour-led, but at this level of fine
dining, it needs to look as good as it tastes.
“All chefs are different, but any good chef will
always put flavour above all else,” he explains.
“Saying that, you do need to think about what a dish
looks like. Desserts are where I tend to be more
adventurous with presentation because I like to keep
things like meat and fish simple – I’d never turn fish
into a mousse or even marinate meat, because I think
the best way to enjoy those things is in their natural
state, both visually and flavour-wise.
Something like a cake, however, can be cut into
shapes and still be a cake. I wouldn’t take a fluted
pastry cutter to a duck breast, but with sweet dishes
there are more opportunities to play around.”
…BUT PRESENTATION MATTERS
We’re at Kitchen Table to see how James plates one of
their desserts. ‘Chocolate, orange and coffee’ is a tower
of ice creams, sorbet, infused oils and tuiles, all
showcasing how the three ingredients go perfectly
together. The inspiration for the dish came from, of
all things, eating a Terry’s Chocolate Orange. “Even
though it’s not the finest-quality chocolate, I love the
nostalgia of eating a chocolate orange, so I thought
why not play around with that?” he says.
“We added coffee because it pairs so well with the
other two flavours and makes the dish feel a bit more
mature. When it came to how we’d serve it, we could
have had the ice creams next to each other, each
topped with a tuile, but the reason it’s stacked up like
that is so you can crack your spoon on the top and cut
through all the layers. That way, you get a little bit of
everything with each mouthful.
It’s a bit like a trifle. You wouldn’t ever just serve
yourself the top layer; you want a cross section of the
cream, jelly and sponge. Individually they are OK,
but it’s when you experience them all at once that
the dish really stands out.”
IT’S ALL ABOUT BALANCE
This is a perfect example of how texture can inform
the presentation, and this in turn has an important
bearing on the taste. The three ingredients are served
in different formats (frozen, infused into oil and in
crisp shards), each offering a different strength of →

HOME-STYLE
Pollyanna’s dish: chocolate,
orange and coffee; inspired
and effective but easily
achieved by anyone
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 65

James Knappett:
“When you
experience all
the layers at
once, the dish
stands out”

flavour. Stacking them on top of each other is visually striking, but also
helps the diner experience each element at the same time. It’s about
balance – sometimes literally.
HOW JAMES MAKES HIS DISH
“We start with a base of 72% Madagascan Pump Street Chocolate ice
cream, topped with a frozen shard made from melted chocolate and
sugar. On top of that you have the coffee ice cream, which we dress with
an oil infused with raw coffee beans. Then there’s a tuile made from
espresso, followed by an orange sorbet. Over that is an oil made from
orange peel, and we add dehydrated orange segments. On top of that
is a crisp made from dehydrated orange juice, then we finish it off with
finely grated orange zest and chocolate.”
PRINCIPLES TO TAKE AWAY
James’s dish takes a lot of skill and time to prepare. Most of us aren’t
going to be dehydrating orange juice or infusing raw coffee beans into oil
anytime soon, but you can take some key principles from the plating.
Contrasts As well as flavour and colour, contrast is also about texture.
If everything has the same texture, your taste buds fall asleep – that’s
why you add croutons to soup, asparagus tips or peas to risotto – and why
crunchy crisps go so well with a soft sandwich.
Stacking vertically Building towers of food instead of putting them
next to each other adds drama, and instantly looks bolder and more
striking. Think of the tall, multi-layer beef burgers you see in adverts

James in the restaurant...

be a better cook: skills.

Based on James’s chocolate, coffee and
orange dessert, I’ve come up with a much
more achievable alternative showcasing
the same flavours for anyone who wants to
inject a bit of Michelin-starred presentation
the next time friends come round to eat
versus the flatter reality. Even just ruffling up smoked salmon or leaning
one sandwich half on another to lift it off the plate instantly looks better.
POLLYANNA’S VERSION
“To recreate James’s dish I’ve kept the flavour combo the same,” says
Pollyanna. “Good quality shop-bought chocolate ice cream forms the base,
followed by shards made from melted chocolate. Segments of fresh orange
replace the sorbet while retaining that citrussy zing, and some instant
coffee powder mixed into whipped cream provides the toasty coffee hit.
The final tuile on top is a neat (and simple) trick that creates a lacy crisp
using just flour, water and olive oil. And like the original, I’ve finished with
a pretty dusting of orange zest and grated chocolate. It doesn’t quite match
the depth of flavour and skills in James’s dish, but it’s an impressive (and
doable) tower of textural contrast to serve at your next dinner party.” →

JAMES’S TIPS FOR PLATING
• Use the right temperature plates I don’t
like eating hot food off a cold or room
temperature plate, even at home. As
a cook, a warmed plate gives you more
time to check you’re happy with how
everything looks. Chilled or frozen
crockery is a must for frozen desserts too.
• Let people add sauce themselves at the
table Take fish and chips – if you squeeze
lemon all over the fish at the start, by
the time you get halfway through it, the
batter has turned soggy. It’s much better
to serve a lemon wedge on the side, then
season each forkful with a little squeeze
of it as you go.
• Think about the integrity of ingredients
Salad leaves will need to be tossed in a
vinaigrette, but toss the herbs with it too
and the acidity of the vinegar will destroy
them. Add them on top at the very end so
they keep their colour, texture and flavour.

Pollyanna in the test kitchen...

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 67

be a better cook: skills.

‘Home-style’ chocolate,
coffee and orange
Serves 6
Hands-on time 30 min, plus
chilling time
The towers melt pretty
quickly and can slide
around, so work as
speedily as possible and be
careful when taking them to the
table. Either work in batches or
get yourself a ‘sous chef’ helper.
Chilling the serving bowls makes
a huge difference.
Keep everything in the
POLLY’S fridge (or freezer) until
TIPS
the very last minute –
or even work in 2 batches.
For perfect, shapely balls
of ice cream, have a jug of hot
water to dip the scoop into
before making each new ball.
For scoops of the cream, use
a jug of cold water instead.
Snap the chocolate bark
against a ruler to get evenly
sized pieces.
KNOWHOW

• 60g dark chocolate, plus extra
to grate
• 60g milk chocolate
• 6 scoops good-quality
chocolate ice cream
• 30g olive oil
• 10g plain flour
• 80ml water
• 1 tsp icing sugar, plus a pinch
• 150g double cream
• 2 tsp instant coffee powder
• 3 oranges
1 Melt the dark and milk
chocolates in separate bowls,
either over pans of simmering
water (don’t let the water touch
the bowls) or in short blasts in
the microwave. Line a large tray
(that will fit in your fridge) with
baking paper, then pour out each
chocolate on opposite sides. Use
a silicone spatula to spread them
out until they’re 1-2mm thin, then
sprinkle over a tiny pinch of salt
flakes, crushing them between
your thumb and finger. The
68 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

chocolate needs to be very thin,
as it’s important that you can
easily break it with a spoon once
set. Put the tray in the fridge.
2 To get the ice cream firm
enough to balance everything
on top of it, scoop out 6 balls,
as neat and round as you can
manage, using an ice cream
scoop (see tips), put them on
a small tray or a large plate, then
return them to the freezer to
firm up again. Put your serving
bowls in the freezer too (or the
fridge if you don’t have room).
3 To make the lace tuiles, whisk
the olive oil, flour, water and a
pinch of icing sugar in a bowl.
Put a non-stick frying pan over
a medium heat, then pour in a
small amount of the batter and
swirl the pan to cover the base
(like making a very thin crepe).
The oil and water will split from
the mixture, creating the lovely
lacy pattern, then the water will
evaporate, leaving you with a
delicate tuile. Carefully tip the
oil into a little bowl, then slide
the tuile onto a piece of kitchen
paper to drain, using an offset
or cranked spatula to help. It’s
okay if the tuile breaks a little,
as you’ll snap it into the right
size later in any case. Return the
oil to the pan, then repeat the
process. The mixture makes
more than you need, so you’ll
get plenty of practice.
4 Whip the 1 tsp icing sugar,
cream and coffee powder
together until stiff – take care
not to over-whip – then return
to the fridge. I always stop
whipping cream just before I
think it’s ready, as it continues
to thicken as it chills.
5 Segment 2 of the oranges by
topping and tailing with a small
sharp knife, then put a flat end
on a chopping board and
carefully carve down in strips
to remove the skin all the way
around. Use a small knife to
carefully cut the segments from
their pithy skins (you can usually

cut down one side of the
segment, then flip it out gently).
Put the segments on a tray
lined with kitchen paper to soak
up the juices – you need 3 per
person (18 in total), so you might
not need both of the oranges.
6 When you’re ready to serve:
start with a ball of chocolate ice
cream in the centre of the bowl.
Break off a piece of the dark
chocolate bark and push it
gently on top of the ice cream to
flatten it slightly and provide a
level base. Top with 3 evenly
sized orange segments, trimming
if needed so that together they
create a flat, even top. Break off
a milk chocolate shard to place
on top, then dip an ice cream
scoop in hot water and use it
to scoop a ball of the coffee
cream. Finish with a shard of
the lace tuile, then grate over
some more dark chocolate and
a bit of zest from the remaining
orange. Serve immediately and
tell your guests to eat with a
spoon, cracking through all the
layers so they try all the tastes
and textures in one go.
Per serving 462kcals, 33g fat
(18g saturated), 5.1g protein,
33g carbs (30g sugars), 0.2g
salt, 2.8g fibre

The delicious. food
team’s styling secrets

EMILY
• Give the food some space: instead
of piling a salad into a deep bowl,
spread it out on a platter so all the
ingredients are on show.
• Don’t cover the dish in sauce. Serve
it on the side or spread it out on
the plate and sit the food on top.

POLLYANNA
• Think about shapes: keep them
similar or different. If you have
round mushrooms in a dish, do you
want to slice your carrots into
rounds (to complement) or batons
(to contrast)?
• Finish with a garnish: they can
add colour and variety. Many of
the best-tasting dishes are various
shades of brown, so let simple
garnishes add pops of vibrancy.

TOM
• Putting a dollop of soured cream
or mayo on the plate? Dip a clean
teaspoon in hot water, then make
an indent with it in the dollop. Fill
with olive oil (or, better, a flavoured
oil) and get an instant cheffy finish.
• Slice chicken breasts, steaks and
pork chops before they go on the
plate, then arrange them in their
original whole shape. Much more
refined than a big lump of meat.

Technical bake.

The hottest new
sweet bake in town
You may not have heard of crullers but, trust us, you’re going
to love them. More substantial than a choux bun, lighter (and much
quicker) than a doughnut, these elegant pastries have grooves
that are ideal for holding a flavourful glaze or topping. Expert
pastry chef and food writer Nicola Lamb explains the tricks
and techniques needed to achieve cruller perfection
PHOTOGRAPHS SAM A HARRIS

Crullers
Makes 8
Hands-on time 1 hour, plus
setting
Specialist kit Probe
thermometer; piping bag
with 1.5-2cm fluted nozzle;
heatproof tongs
•
•
•
•
•

40g whole milk
55g unsalted butter
4g caster sugar
75g strong white bread flour
110-130g free-range egg
(about 2-3 medium eggs)
• Scant ½ tsp salt
• Vegetable oil to deep-fry

A BIT ABOUT NICOLA
After training in top bakeries in London and New
York, including Dominique Ansel, Ottolenghi and
Little Bread Pedlar, Nicola built up a large following
with her pastry newsletter Kitchen Projects on
Substack. She also runs pop-up bakery Lark, and
hosts pastry parties. This recipe is from her first
book, Sift. See Mark Diacono’s review on p18.

70 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

1 Pour the milk into a saucepan
and add the butter, sugar and
65g water, then bring to a rolling
boil. Stir to make sure the sugar
is dissolved. Sift the flour
several times to prevent lumps,
then add into your boiling liquid.
2 Turn the heat down and stir
rapidly until the mixture turns
into a smooth paste and a dry

film forms on top. Check it
has reached 85°C on the
thermometer. Put the paste
in a bowl and either spread
it out to cool down or beat at
a slow speed in a stand mixer
with a paddle attachment.
3 Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and
salt together – this makes them
easier to combine as the salt will
break down the eggs slightly.
When you can touch the paste
comfortably for 10 seconds,
start to mix in the eggs. I do this
in 3-4 additions, mixing well
between each one. The choux
paste should be smooth and
shiny when it’s ready (see my tips
overleaf). Transfer to a piping
bag with a fluted tip or nozzle.
4 Pour the vegetable oil into
a large deep saucepan – the
oil should be at least 5cm deep
and there should be at least
5cm between the oil and the rim
of the pan. Set it over a mediumhigh heat and bring to 180°C.
5 Meanwhile, cut out →

be a better cook: skills.

“Airy and slightly
gooey inside,
crullers are the
cool sisters of the
doughnut family.
Try tossing in
different flavoured
sugars or switching
the glaze. You can
also use different
nozzles to mix up
the final look of the
cruller – the wider
the tip, the more
dramatic the result.
How about piping
different shapes and
squiggles – alphabet
crullers, anyone?”

be a better cook: skills.

8 x 10cm squares of baking
paper. Pipe a 7-8cm ring (about
40g each) of choux paste onto
each square (see my tips, right).
6 When the oil is hot, slide the
piped choux rings gently into the
oil with the paper on, cruller-side
down – a maximum of three or
so at a time, or as many as you
feel confident to do. There’s no
rush. Use heatproof tongs to
remove the paper as it naturally
releases from the crullers.
Monitor the oil temperature
to ensure it stays at 180°C
for the best results. Cook for
3-4 minutes, then flip and
cook for another 3-4 minutes.
7 Remove the crullers from the
oil using a slotted spoon and
leave to drain on a cooling rack.
While still warm, dip in your
chosen glaze or toss in sugar,
then leave to set on the rack.
Enjoy immediately, or store for up
to a day in an airtight container.
Per cruller (unglazed) 124kcals,
9g fat (4.2g saturated), 3.1g
protein, 7.5g carbs (0.8g sugars),
0.3g salt, 0.5g fibre

NICOLA’S TIPS
• Using strong white bread flour will
give you a more defined choux with
a slightly crisper crust. This is good
for crullers, éclairs and anything that
needs to have a defined shape. For
choux buns, plain flour will work well.
• You may need a little more/less egg
than the recipe states to get to the
consistency required. The paste needs
to be smooth, shiny, thick and pipeable
– if you lift up a dollop on a spatula
and turn it sideways, it should slowly
drop off. If it’s too stiff, add a little
more egg (10g at a time) until it’s right.
• When you put the choux into the
piping bag, do your best to squish
and squash it to remove as many air
bubbles as possible. Air bubbles and

gaps may come back later to bite
you when piping, plus these gaps
will be imprinted into the choux.
And if the choux is piped unevenly,
remember this will bake into the
final shape, so it’s important to try
to be as even as possible. Choux
can be re-piped as many times as
you like, so feel free to practise.
• When it comes to choux, the
freezer is your friend. You can either
bake your choux, then freeze the
baked shells and refresh at 170°C
fan/gas 5 oven for 5 minutes when
you want to fill, or you can pipe
your choux, freeze, then bake from
frozen. Choux paste can also be
frozen, then defrosted overnight. It
can discolour slightly but that’s fine.

PIPING LIKE A PRO
• I’m afraid piping is a skill that has no shortcuts: it’s something that can
only be learned with time. If you’re keen to improve, practising with a readily
available and cost-effective ingredient like vegetable shortening is a worthwhile
task. Whether you’re piping decorations on a tart or choux paste for éclairs,
the most important factor is even pressure and avoiding air bubbles.
• Although I don’t use them all the time, having various piping tips/nozzles
is useful. These are a good thing to put on gift lists! I like to have wide star
tips for piping biscuits, narrow/many-toothed star tips for éclairs, a St Honoré
tip for fancy piping (you can fake this by cutting your piping bag at an angle)
– and, of course, a Bismarck tip for filling doughnuts and, in fact, everything.

GLAZING AND DUSTING INSPO
You can dust your crullers in sugar, but try one of these easy finishes
for something really special (see picture on previous page).

FOR THE BLACK ’N’ BLUE GLAZE
Smoosh 30g blackberries, 30g blueberries and ¼ tsp salt together in
a bowl, then stir in 200g icing sugar. Add 10-20g lemon juice until the
consistency is thick but pourable. Once set on the cruller, decorate
with extra blueberries and blackberries.

FOR THE HIBISCUS SUGAR
Whizz together 15g dried hibiscus flowers and 1 tsp chilli flakes, then
stir into 150g caster sugar.

delicious.

FOR THE VANILLA CINNAMON GLAZE

NEXT MONTH

Whisk together 200g icing sugar, 50g whole milk, ½ tsp ground
cinnamon, ¼ tsp sea salt flakes and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Check the
seasoning and make sure the consistency is pourable but still thick.
72 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Recipe taken
from Sift by
Nicola Lamb
(Ebury Press
£30) and
tested by

Nicola bakes
irresistibly flaky
cheese-andpickle scones

The art of preserving.

Put it on
everything!
Preserving queen Cherie Denham offers an aromatic chilli-spiked jelly
that’s as good with a hunk of mature cheddar as it is with a slice of good
ham, charred halloumi or alongside a homemade Thai curry
RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING CHERIE DENHAM PHOTOGRAPH INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

Lemongrass, apple, lime
leaf and chilli jelly
Makes enough for 5 x 340g jars
Hands-on time 30 min, plus
overnight straining
Simmering time 1 hour
Specialist kit Jelly bag; sterilised
jars with lids (search ‘sterilise’
at deliciousmagazine.co.uk);
jam funnel; wax discs
Good to have Jam thermometer
• 2kg apples (eating or cooking),
roughly chopped
• 5 lemongrass stalks
• 10 lime leaves (ideally fresh,
from Waitrose and Sainsbury’s)

ABOUT CHERIE
She’s the resident
preserving expert
at delicious.
Cherie grew up
on a farm in
Northern Ireland,
eating seasonally
and being inspired
by her family’s
preserving and baking. After a spell at Leiths
in London, she started her own catering firm
and has now published her first book, The
Irish Bakery (Montgomery Press £27).

• 5 red bird’s eye chillies (or a
milder red chilli if you prefer)
• 1.5kg granulated sugar (you
may need less or a little more)
1 Put 2 small plates in the
fridge for testing the jelly. Put
the apples in a preserving pan
or large saucepan, then pour in
2 litres water. Bash 3 lemongrass
stalks to bruise them, finely chop
5 of the lime leaves and 3 of the
chillies, then add them to the pan.
2 Bring to a simmer over a
medium heat, then cook until
the apples are soft and pulpy
(about 40 minutes). Hang a jelly
bag over a large bowl, pour the
contents of the pan into it, then
leave to drip through overnight.
3 The next day, measure the
strained liquid as you return it
to a large pan. For every 590ml
liquid, stir in 450g sugar (divide
the total amount of liquid in
millilitres by 590, then multiply
by 450 to get the amount of
sugar in grams). Bring to a simmer
over a medium heat, stirring,
until the sugar has dissolved.
4 Turn up the heat and bring
to a rolling boil. Skim any scum
from the surface and continue
to boil for about 20 minutes or
until the liquid reaches 105°C.

Use your chilled plates to do
the wrinkle test to see if the
jelly has reached setting point:
put a spoonful on a chilled plate,
set aside for a moment, then
push your finger through it;
if it wrinkles nicely, it’s ready;
if your finger pushes straight
through it, boil it for another
5 minutes, then test again.
5 Meanwhile, remove the tough
outer layers from the remaining
lemongrass stalks, the tough
central stems from the rest of
the lime leaves and the stalks
and seeds from the remaining
chillies. Very finely chop them all.
6 When the jelly reaches
setting point, add the chopped
lemongrass, chilli and lime
leaves, then boil for a further
2 minutes. Using a jam funnel,
immediately ladle the liquid into
warmed sterilised jars. Cover
with a wax disc, seal and leave
to cool. The jelly will solidify
as it cools. Store in a cool place
for up to 6 months. Once open,
chill and eat within 1 month.
Per tbsp 30kcals, no fat, no
protein, 7.3g carbs (7.2g sugars),
no salt, no fibre

be a better cook: skills.

“This zingy jelly
is naturally set with
the pectin present in
the apples, resulting
in a beautifully clear
finish, speckled
and flavoured with
red chilli, lime leaf
and lemongrass.
It’s brilliant with
a good cheddar”

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 75

The showstopper.

Early summer
pavlova
Okay, it’s not quite summer yet, but this showpiece dessert from
cook Angela Clutton anticipates its arrival, combining floral
elderflowers and early-season gooseberries. There are plenty of skills
involved – not least making soft-crunchy meringue and a silky curd

PHOTOGRAPHS PATRICIA NIVEN FOOD STYLING VALERIE BARRY STYLING JENNIFER KAY

be a better cook: skills.

“Tart gooseberries spare the pavlova’s oversweet blushes by bringing
a little edge to the flavour party. It’s a beauty of a seasonal dessert”
Gooseberry and toasted
coconut pavlova
Serves 6-8
Hands-on time 45 min, plus
cooling
Oven time 1 hour
The curd can be made
up to 3 days in advance
and kept in the fridge.
The meringue can be baked in
advance and kept in an airtight
container for up to 24 hours.
MAKE
AHEAD

• 350g gooseberries
• 50ml elderflower cordial
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 large free-range eggs, plus
2 large egg yolks
• 75g unsalted butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 50g coconut chips or flakes
• 500ml double cream
• 30g icing sugar
• Fresh elderflowers or other
edible flowers to serve
(optional)
For the meringue
• 5 large free-range egg whites
• 350g caster sugar
• 1½ tsp white wine vinegar
1 Top and tail the gooseberries,
then put them in a medium pan

with half the cordial, 50ml water
and the bay. Gently simmer for
5 minutes until the gooseberries
are just starting to collapse. Use
a slotted spoon to lift out and
set aside around 50g of the
gooseberries, then cook the rest
for another 5 minutes until fully
collapsed. Discard the bay leaf,
set aside the mixture to cool,
then push through a fine sieve
into a heatproof bowl.
2 Beat the whole eggs and yolks
together, then add them to the
gooseberry purée with the butter
and sugar. Sit the bowl over a
pan of gently simmering water,
making sure the base of the bowl
isn’t touching the water. Stir for
about 10-12 minutes until it
thickens, then immediately push
the curd through a fine sieve
into another bowl. Leave to cool,
then put in the fridge to chill and
firm up for at least an hour.
3 Heat the oven to 170°C fan/
gas 5. Draw a circle roughly
23cm in diameter on a sheet of
baking paper, then turn it over
and line a baking tray with it. To
make the meringue, put the egg
whites in a scrupulously clean
mixing bowl, add a pinch of salt
and whisk to stiff peaks (see
Angela’s tips). Whisk in about a

third of the meringue sugar, then
add the rest a spoonful at a time,
whisking after each addition.
Keep whisking until the meringue
is thick and glossy. Fold in
the vinegar, then spoon the
meringue into the circle on the
paper, banking it up the sides a
little to create a sort of nest.
4 Put the meringue in the oven
and immediately turn down to
135°C fan/gas 2½. Cook for
1 hour, then turn off – don’t open
the door. Leave the meringue in
the oven to cool completely (this
helps stop it cracking).
5 To build the pavlova, toast the
coconut chips or flakes in a dry
pan until lightly browned. Whip
the double cream, icing sugar
and remaining 25ml cordial
together until thick but not stiff.
Sit the meringue base on a
serving plate, then spoon over
enough curd for a layer of a few
millimetres thick. Spoon over the
whipped cream, then add the
reserved poached gooseberries,
the coconut, more curd and, if
using, the elderflowers or edible
flowers to decorate.
Per serving (for 8) 573kcals,
46g fat (28.7g saturated), 6.5g
protein, 75g carbs (75g sugars),
0.2g salt, 2.5g fibre

Angela’s a food
writer, cook
and presenter
who also
co-directs the
British Library’s
Food Season
events. This
recipe is taken
from her third
cookbook,
Seasoning
(Murdoch
Books £30),
and tested
by delicious.

ANGELA’S TIPS AND KNOW-HOW
• This recipe makes more curd than you’ll need for the pavlova. That’s intentional
and a very good thing – it’s fantastic on toast.
• When cooking the eggs over simmering water for the curd, keep the heat low
and go slowly for the smoothest, most luscious texture.
• Use room temperature egg whites to make the meringue, as they whip faster
and give greater volume than cold ones.
• Fresh elderflowers are best picked on a dry morning, early in their season
(late May to June) for the best flavour. Don’t wash them, just gently shake to
dislodge insects and use them as soon as possible.
• Use leftover egg yolks within a few days to make mayonnaise, custard or ice
cream or add to scrambled eggs, omelette or quiche.

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 77

be a better cook: skills.

My cooking year: May

Spreading the love
Let me share my secret
for appearing busy while
doing very little. My whole
life, cooking has been my
best Lazy Girl alibi. It goes
something like this: of
course I’d love to wash the
car/help you with your
presentation/take out the
bins/go on that five-mile
hike (who cares if it’s raining – character building and
all that)/sand the skirting/dig out that tree stump...
I can think of nothing more delightful, but you see
I’m waiting for this bread to rise/simmering this stew/
baking these meringues. I’m afraid I can’t leave the
kitchen for a single minute. So sorry. Maybe next time.
Meanwhile, as the food tends to itself with little
intervention from me, I can listen to something on
Audible, catch up with my favourite podcasts
(nothing says cosy domesticity like the forensic
examination of a crime scene), scroll through
social media or WhatsApp my friends, my hand
never more than a few centimetres from a cup
of coffee or a glass of wine.
And here’s the best part: when they come in from
digging out the tree stump, or return soaking wet
from that hike, I am the hero, as
I pull my slow-cooked casserole
from the oven or smother that
still-warm bread with salted
butter. No, honestly, it was no
trouble. It really wasn’t.
And one of my favourite
weapons in the Lazy Girl arsenal
is… drum roll… pâté. It might seem
like a slightly old fashioned thing
to make, in these days when you
can buy perfectly good ones at
most delis and supermarkets, and

of course there’s no shame in buying them in, but if
you want to give yourself a few hours off from real
life while still emerging the domestic hero, it’s an
enjoyable process to make a pâté yourself. The slow
cooking, shredding, mixing and clarifying is almost
meditative and, unlike yoga, it doesn’t mean wearing
special clothes and holding off on the coffee and wine.
Pâté is one of the first things I remember making.
This was my mini Margo Leadbetter phase, when I
was about eight and used to cater my parents’ drinks
parties. I found a recipe for tuna (we used to call it
tuna fish in those days) pâté, probably in one of my
grandmother’s old copies of Woman’s Weekly. You
just drained the tuna (there was probably too much
terrifying flavour in that oil, for a start), then beat it
together with half its weight in softened butter, a
squeeze of lemon juice (no doubt from a plastic Jif
lemon) or a splash of vinegar and some black pepper.
I served it on Ritz crackers or with melba toast,
which always had the added excitement of trying
not to set the kitchen on fire when you put the very
thin slices under the grill. I still make a version of
tuna pâté now but – because I’m fancy – I often
add capers and finely chopped shallots, along with
the zest and juice of an actual real-life lemon, which
I might even have picked from my own tree.
My basic tuna pâté was a big
hit in County Durham, circa
1974. In many ways, it was my
gateway drug, the recipe that
showed me the kind of approval
you could get from making people
something good to eat, and that
the ensuing praise is often
disproportionate to the effort it
takes to make it. It’s not that I’m
saying I’m needy, but I’m needy.
Anyway, I was hooked and now
here we are. →

“My tuna pâté was
a big hit in County
Durham, circa 1974…
It showed me the
kind of approval you
could get from
making something
good to eat”

78 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHS: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON, ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES. FOOD STYLING: EMILY GUSSIN

Everyone should know the joy of pâté making, says columnist
Debora Robertson. As well as giving you a new skill and leading
to a great nibble, it gets you out of more onerous things

Learn the soft skill
of meat potting with
Debora’s rillettes

be a better cook: skills.

Today, when I have people over for lunch or dinner
or for drinks, there will often be pâté, and I’ll often
have made it myself. I live in an old house – what
they call, cheerfully, perkily, annoyingly, a fixerupper – so I’m frequently looking for diversions
that don’t require a hard hat or protective goggles.
In our French village, there are two excellent
butcher’s shops, a deli, a Tuesday market and a
branch of Carrefour. We’re seldom more than a few
metres away from decent pâté, which requires no
more intervention from me than unwrapping it
and choosing a plate. And this is what most of
my neighbours do. I’m sure they think I’m a bit
quaint, that funny English woman with all her
efforts, but they are kind.
A few of our friends make their own pâté,
but interestingly it seems to be mostly the men,
especially during hunting season. There are only
so many casseroles you can make with all that
wild boar, and they’re big beasts. And who knows,
perhaps they too have discovered that a few hours
pottering in the kitchen will get them out of the
misery of painting it?

WHAT TO SERVE WITH
YOUR PÂTÉ

NEXT MONTH
Debora sings
the praises
of the chickpea
80 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

• Good bread. I like a
crusty baguette, but
then I would
• Cornichons, caperberries
or any other crisp, tart
pickles
• Some perky radishes
• Fig or other fruit chutney
• A crisp green salad with
a sharp, mustardy
vinaigrette
• For that retro 1970s hit,
Ritz crackers or melba
toast. Kaftans optional

Rillettes de porc
Serves 12
Hands-on time 30 min, plus
cooling and chilling
Simmering time 3-4 hours
This makes a lot of
rillettes, but if you’re
decanting the mixture
into smaller containers, it can
be frozen for up to 3 months.
DON’T
WASTE
IT

• 200g goose or duck fat
• 100ml dry white wine
• 600g pork belly strips,
skin removed and cut into
3cm cubes
• 600g pork shoulder, cut
into 3cm cubes
• 3 thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black
pepper
• Freshly grated nutmeg
1 Put a large, heavy casserole
over a very low heat, then add
the fat, wine and 100ml water.
Once the fat has melted, add the
rest of the ingredients (except
the nutmeg) and give everything
a good stir. Cook, uncovered, for
3-4 hours, stirring from time to
time and adding a splash more
water if it looks like it’s going
to stick. (You can also cook it
in a 100°C fan/gas ½ oven,
uncovered, for the same amount
of time, stirring well every hour.)
2 When the meat is completely
tender – you should be able to
pull it apart with two forks –

remove the casserole from the
heat or oven and let it cool to
just above room temperature.
Put a colander over a large
bowl and tip the meat into it.
Remove and set aside the thyme
and bay leaves, then shred the
meat into strands and put them
in a clean mixing bowl.
3 Skim off a couple of ladles of
the fat that’s sitting on top of
the cooking juices in the first
bowl (you’ll use this for sealing
the terrines/ramekins/jars later),
then pour the juices and any
remaining fat over the shredded
meat. Beat the mixture
mercilessly with a wooden spoon
until it forms a coarse paste.
(You can, alternatively, pulse it
in a food processor, but I think
it spoils the texture.) Season
the mixture to taste with more
salt and pepper, if needed, and
some grated nutmeg.
4 Spoon the mixture into clean
earthenware terrines, ramekins
or jars. Pour the reserved fat
over the top to seal – you want
it to be at least 0.5cm thick.
You can decorate the top with
the reserved bay and thyme
sprigs at this point, if you like.
Cover the tops with cling film or
seal the jars. Refrigerate for at
least 6 hours before serving to
allow the flavours to develop,
then remove from the fridge
30 minutes before serving.
Per serving 395kcals, 35g fat
(11g saturated), 19g protein,
no carbs (no sugars), 0.6g salt,
no fibre

“Rillettes isn’t a pâté in the classic sense (as
I found to my shame when I called it that in
front of a French friend), but it cheerfully
does a pâté’s job so I’m not quibbling. Spoon
into earthenware terrines, ramekins or jars
and it will keep for a week in the fridge.
Once you’ve broken the fat, eat within a day”

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The project.

PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN

be a better cook: skills.

Far more complex in flavour
than its vinegar-based
cousins, James Read’s
fermented hot sauce is one
of the easiest ways to
venture down the rabbit hole
of home fermentation. All
you need to get started is
a clean jar, chillies, salt and some patience –
before you know it you’ll be filling your shelves
with gently fizzing jars of fiery goodness
The recipe
Makes About 300ml, depending
on how much you dilute it
Hands-on time 10 min, plus
at least 3 weeks fermenting
Specialist kit 1 sterilised 300ml
jar; 1 (optional) sterilised 300ml
bottle
• 150g chillies
• 9g salt
1 Wearing gloves, remove the
stems and chop the chillies into
wide slices, then pack as tightly
as possible into a sterilised jar.
2 Mix the salt with 250ml
lukewarm water and stir until
dissolved. Pour over the chillies
until just covered (you probably
won’t need all the brine). Push
down any chillies that try to
float – a small (sterilised) weight
to put on top to keep the chillies
submerged is helpful here.
3 Seal the jar and leave it on
a work surface out of the sun,

checking once a day for fizz.
When it begins, open the jar
once a day to let any gas escape.
Once the mixture starts fizzing,
the brine will cloud over, then
a few days later the fizzing will
stop, but it’s still fermenting.
The longer you leave it, the
better the sauce will be, but aim
for a minimum of 3 weeks and
12 or more if you really want to
age it. Taste (gingerly!) to check
if it’s ready – you’re looking for
a sour, vinegary flavour.
4 Pour off and reserve the brine,
then whizz the chillies to a paste
in a blender, returning as much
brine as you like for your desired
consistency (strain through a
fine sieve if you want it smooth).
Return to the jar or transfer to a
sterilised bottle and chill – it will
keep for several months.
Per tbsp 2kcals, no fat (no
saturated), no protein, 0.5g
carbs (0.5g sugars), 0.5g salt,
→
no fibre

Please wear gloves. When working with
lots of chillies, it’s almost impossible
to avoid getting capsaicin particles in
unwanted places. If you’re without gloves,
rub your hands with oil before soaping them
(oil-soluble capsaicin dissolves more easily
this way, then you can wash it all off)

TROUBLESHOOTING:
IF YOUR HOT SAUCE IS…
• Not fermenting
Chillies can be slow to get going,
especially in a high-salt environment. If
they take more than a couple of weeks,
you may have to start again – although
if there’s no sign of mould, you may as
well leave your problem-batch running.
Make sure the amount of salt is correct
and try fermenting somewhere warmer.
• Forming a white film while fermenting
This is probably kahm yeast, which can
be a problem with longer ferments,
especially if there’s a lot of sugar (for
instance if you’ve added peach or
mango – see following page). It’s unlikely
to be harmful, but can affect flavour
slightly. Remove the film and continue
fermenting. In hot weather, you may
need to increase the brine to 5% (12.5g
salt to 250ml water) to counteract this.
• Forming a white film once bottled
This is rarer, but it’s still likely to be
kahm yeast. Add some vinegar (1 tbsp
per 150ml should do).
• Too spicy
There’s not a lot you can do, except
make it again with milder chillies. Mixing
it with mayonnaise will subdue the heat.
Or give it away – I’m always happy to
receive a bottle of hot sauce.

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 83

be a better cook: skills.

A BIT ABOUT
JAMES
As well as running
his Kim Kong
Kimchi brand,
James Read is
a London-based
journalist. This
recipe was taken
from his muchpraised book,
Of Cabbages
& Kimchi: A
Practical Guide
To The World Of
Fermented Food
(Particular Books
£22), and tested
by delicious.

A few of my favourite blends
“The range of chillies, fruit and spices you can use while following the same basic steps
of making hot sauce means you absolutely ought to experiment with different ingredients.
I’ve adjusted the salt in each of these versions to account for extra ingredients.”
• BIRD’S EYE AND PEACH
Follow the base recipe,
substituting the chillies
with 150g bird’s eye
chillies (roughly chopped)
and 1 peach, peeled and
roughly chopped. Add the
peach to the jar, wedging
in the pieces to stop them
floating, followed by the
chillies and brine, upping
the salt to 12g.

• RED HABANERO, PEPPER
AND ONION
Follow the base recipe,
swapping the chillies for
60g (4-6) red habaneros,
½ red pepper, deseeded,
and ½ onion, all roughly
chopped. Add the chillies,

NEXT MONTH
Get to grips with
the magic of
Japanese pickles

pepper, onion and brine
(with 11g salt) to the jar.

• MANGO, ORANGE
SCOTCH BONNET
AND GINGER
Follow the base recipe,
swapping the chillies for
60g (4-6) orange scotch
bonnets, the flesh of
½ mango, a 1cm piece of
peeled ginger and ½ onion,
all roughly chopped. Add
the ginger to the jar, then
the mango, onion, chillies
and brine, with 11g salt.

• SCOTCH BONNET,
MUSTARD AND
TURMERIC (BAJAN)
Follow the base recipe,
swapping the chillies for

60g (4-6) orange scotch
bonnets, 50g fresh peeled
turmeric and ½ onion, all
roughly chopped. Add
1 tsp yellow mustard
seeds to the jar, then
the turmeric, onion, chillies
and brine, with 11g salt.
The turmeric amplifies
the scotch bonnet flavour,
making it even fruitier.

• PINEAPPLE AND GARLIC
Follow the base recipe,
substituting the chillies
with 300g ripe pineapple,
20g garlic and 75g red
habaneros, deseeded, all
roughly chopped. Add the
brine, increasing the salt
to 15g. Use a 500ml jar.

Before blending, the
chillies and fruit are
left to ferment

be a better cook: sustainability.

DON’T
BIN IT!

HOW MANY
TIMES CAN
I REUSE OIL?
There’s no specific
answer to this question,
as it depends on how
well you look after it. If
you’re deep-frying in a
pan, you should be able
to reuse the oil 3-6 times
(more if using a deep fat
fryer). Trust your senses:
if it smells and looks like
oil, you’re good to go
again. If it smells acrid or
rancid, or looks really
dark or foamy, it’s time
to recycle it (see below).

Cooking oil

That pricey oil you’ve
used for deep-frying can
be put into action again
and again. Emily Gussin
has the lowdown

KEEP IT CLEAN
To reuse oil, it needs to be clean
of debris. As you cook, use a
slotted spoon to remove scraps
that are burning or they’ll taint
the rest of the oil. After cooking,
remove the pan from the heat
and put the lid on while it cools
to stop any dust falling in. Once
cool, pass the oil through a fine
sieve or muslin cloth, then
decant back into the bottle. If
there’s sediment in the final
drops, leave it behind. The
cleaner the oil, the longer it lasts.

PAN VS
DEEP FRYER

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

The oil in a deep fat fryer
is easier to keep clean as the
heating element sits just above
the base, meaning any bits
of food sink below the heating
element and won’t be burnt
as much. If you’re not a regular
deep fryer though, it’s easy
to use a deep saucepan. To use
less oil, choose a smaller (but
still tall) pan and fry in batches.

LAYERS OF FLAVOUR
What you fry in the oil will impact your reusing
options. Spicy or pungent things like fish will impart
their flavour to the oil, which isn’t always a bad
thing. If you’ve fried chicken, using the oil for chips
will add flavour (but maybe avoid frying doughnuts
in it!). Vegetables and battered foods lose fewer bits
to the oil than breadcrumbed or floured ingredients,
so you can reuse the oil more times.

RECYCLE IT
Spent oil can be emptied into a special tank
at most local council recycling centres.
NEXT MONTH
What to do with leftover cooked pasta
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 85

A SWEET
BUT
STICKY
BUSINESS
It’s revered as the ultimate natural food, but
the business of selling honey has become
ever more complicated – and a scandal is
happening on shop shelves. Phoebe Stone
explores the difference between a squeezy
supermarket bottle and a jar from your local
beekeeper, while Emily Gussin shares three
recipes showcasing honey’s glorious versatility
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

be a better cook: sustainability.

Honey is a dynamic
product interwoven
with our environment
– and has bags
of character

f honey is a staple of your supermarket shop, you might be
surprised by the lack of information about it on the jars or bottles
on the shelves. Your packets of asparagus have the name of the
farmer on it but a basic bottle of ‘runny honey’ might have: ‘A blend
of non-EU honeys, packed in the UK’. The shopper is none the wiser.
Retailers want reliably runny, low-priced and standardised products.
This is achieved by blending honey sourced from around the globe.
“Wine is blended – it’s not something to be snobby about as a
concept,” says micro-beekeeper Amy Newsome, author of cookbook
Honey, “but you lose the specificity of flavour – and finding out where
that honey came from is difficult.” Only around 14 per cent of the
honey consumed in the UK is British. We import most from China and
there’s no requirement to declare countries of origin for blends from
more than one. The EU plans to reform this, and pressure from some
beekeepers is urging the UK to follow suit.

Anonymised honey
degrades flavour,
erodes consumer
transparency
and undermines
(and undercuts)
smaller producers

IS WHAT YOU’RE BUYING EVEN HONEY?

The ugly consequence? Honey is one of the most
common targets of food fraud. In 2023 the European
Commission reported that nearly half the samples
tested from 20 countries were suspected of being
adulterated with sugar syrup, including all 10
UK-packed samples. That’s why it’s worth spending
a little more for the real deal. “We have to rethink
how we use honey and see it as a treat ingredient,
like extra-virgin olive oil,” says Amy.
“The more you push people to drop prices, the more they’re going
to compromise the health of their stock,” says Sarah Wyndham Lewis,
honey sommelier and co-founder of sustainable beekeeping practice
Bermondsey Street Bees. She has a smart suggestion: for verified
honey to be sold alongside an affordable honey-flavoured alternative,
which is the norm for maple syrup. “We’re being denied the
opportunity to make a fair choice.”

WHY IS HONEY REMARKABLE?
Honeybee colonies are one of nature’s few superorganisms, working as
one to create a miraculous substance. Forager bees collect nectar and
begin converting it into fructose and glucose in their honey stomach.
Back at the hive, house bees continue the job by ‘chewing’ the haul,
before it’s stored in the comb and fanned by wing to concentrate it.
Honey’s taste and texture are determined by what the bees gather
– and when. “Terroir is more complex in honey than any other product,”
says Sarah. “Our Lambeth Palace honey has 150 floral sources.” Even

monofloral honey will have an
“evolution of flavours”, she
explains – location and season
make a difference: “Lime tree
nectar in the Altai Mountains in
Siberia tastes nothing like lime
nectar from lowland France.” As
bees venture only a few miles,
honey is an edible record. “It
tastes not only of a place, but of
that place in time,” says Amy. “A
spring honey may taste different
to an autumn honey harvested
from the same hive because
different plants are in bloom.”

WHERE CAN I FIND GOOD
QUALITY HONEY?
Good news: the UK has a
healthy cottage beekeeping
industry. Upstanding larger
players exist, but small and
local is a simple route to quality
assurance. It’s easy to forget
that honeybees are livestock and
require responsible husbandry
for their welfare and the wider
environment they scour.
Location and density of hives
are key. “Each hive needs 250kg
nectar and 50kg pollen a year
just to survive – not to make any
honey,” explains Sarah. “We have
15 locations and the most hives
in any one location is 12, because
the land can’t support more.”
Honeybees have the potential
to steal resources from wild
pollinators, too. When urban beekeeping exploded in the 2010s,
Bermondsey Street Bees led the
way by using data-informed siting
of hives and planting forage for
pollinators; they reduced their
London hives and moved to
Essex. “You’ve got to be fleet
of foot to ensure you’re →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 87

BLENDED
‘A blend of EU and/or non-EU
honeys’ is a common label due to
current rules. Choose ones that
specify country or better, region.

PURE AND NATURAL
This should indicate that the honey
hasn’t been adulterated, but it’s still
a possibility if the provenance is
unclear – and it may have been
blended, heated and finely filtered.

UNPASTEURISED
Heat can control granulation but
degrade honey’s unique composition.
UK rules discourage extensive
heating but look for unpasteurised
honey or raw.

RAW
Used variably to distinguish minimal
processing, such as not heating above
hive temperature (35°C) and coarser
straining. The term is controversial
and not formally enshrined.

ORGANIC
No UK honeys are certified organic.
Choose local British producers that
follow organic principles, siting hives
away from monocultures.

RUNNY
Commercial runny honey has probably
been heated and finely filtered to
stay liquid for longer. Floral varieties
high in fructose are naturally runnier.

SET OR CREAMED
Created via churning and/or adding
finely crystallised honey to a batch to
produce a velvety texture.

SINGLE APIARY OR ORIGIN
The produce of one set of hives
from one location.

MONOFLORAL
Honey predominantly from one nectar
source. Common varieties include
acacia and, in the UK, heather.
88 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

continuing to do the right thing.”
Honey sustains colonies; ethical
beekeepers only take surplus, which
should be plentiful but isn’t guaranteed.
Look for purpose-over-profit outfits
and/or ones that have diverse income
sources. “We’re not just hammering all
hell out of a set of unfortunate bees
to make a living,” says Sarah.

quite amateur at pollinating.”
The health of all pollinators is
threatened by disease, climate change,
habitat loss and heavy agricultural use
of chemicals. Despite being banned in
the EU, bee-toxic neonicotinoids
(insecticides) continue to be approved
for emergency use here. Honeybee
numbers aren’t waning – so getting
a hive isn’t the answer – but wild
HOW TO REALLY SAVE THE BEES
pollinators have declined. That’s why
Honeybees play another role,
it’s good to buy organic and from
too. “About three quarters of the
farms investing in the environment.
main food crops
“I think, in the long term,
grown globally
Local honey from small sustainable farming will
need animal
for itself as it’s more
producers is accessible pay
pollination, and
resilient,” says Simon.
in the UK – it not only
honeybees are
We can help support
the champions,”
promises a better product all pollinators at home
says Simon Potts,
through thoughtful
but provenance, with the too,
Professor of
gardening. “Grow as
opportunity to ask about many flowers as
Biodiversity
and Ecosystem
possible for different
beekeeping practices
Services at
insects, and at different
Reading University. He estimates that
times of the year see if you have any
honeybees service 25-30 per cent of
bloom gaps,” says Amy. Sarah’s
British crops. But Simon stresses that
bee-friendly tips include growing from
a joint effort between honeybees and
seed to avoid chemicals in nursery
wild pollinators is the way forward.
plants and following the ‘no-dig’
“Honeybees can do things wild bees
method so soil can better support
can’t do, like plugging gaps, but there
biodiversity: “The little things we
are some crops that honeybees are
can do join up.”

HONEY FAQs
Where do I buy the good stuff?
Find nearby events and beekeepers to buy from
via The British Beekeepers Association (bbka.org.uk).
Whys is some honey runnier than others?
The balance of fructose and glucose governs how runny
the honey is. Glucose-heavy honey (such as rapeseed)
crystallises quickly, but all honeys do eventually. Cooler
temperatures encourage the process, but there’s nothing
wrong with a grainy jar – put it in a bowl of warm water
to help restore its fluidity.
What’s the deal with manuka?
It’s produced in Australia and New Zealand from manuka
tree blossom (right) and is popular for its purported
health benefits. Manuka contains the antimicrobial
compound methylglyoxal (MGO), leading to jars
advertising Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) and other claims.
There’s no conclusive evidence that eating manuka is
particularly beneficial and, because of the high price it
commands, it’s also been a target of fraud.

NB: THE NHS ADVISES HONEY ISN’T SUITABLE FOR INFANTS UNDER 12 MONTHS OLD

What the
label means

be a better cook: sustainability.

A simple flapjack is the perfect vehicle for showcasing
the complex floral flavours of a good honey, highlighting
the notes of whatever the bees decided to forage on

TURN THE PAGE FOR THREE WONDERFUL HONEY RECIPES

be a better cook: sustainability.

Salted honey tart
Serves 8
Hands-on time 30 min, plus
chilling and cooling
Oven time 1 hour 10-15 min
Specialist kit 23cm fluted tart tin
Top any scraps of pastry
with grated cheese and
bake alongside (when
you’re blind baking the tart case)
for some bonus cheese straws.
DON’T
WASTE
IT

Honey flapjacks
Makes 16 (depending on how
you cut them)
Hands-on time 15 min, plus
cooling
Oven time 22-25 min
Specialist kit 20cm square tin
For extra flavour, add
60g chopped nuts,
chocolate or dried fruit
when you stir in the oats.
NEXT
TIME

• 250g unsalted butter, plus
extra to grease
• 100g light brown soft sugar
• 200g good quality honey
• 450g rolled oats
1 Heat the oven to 160ºC fan/
gas 4. Grease and line the tin
with butter and baking paper.
2 Melt the butter in a large
pan over a low-medium heat,
then add the sugar and honey.
Once fully melted, remove the
pan from the heat and stir in
the oats. Pour the mixture into
the tin, then smooth the surface
with the back of your spoon.
3 Bake for 22-25 minutes until
set at the edges but still a little
soft in the middle. Leave to
cool completely in the tin. Cut
into squares or bars, then store
in an airtight container for up
to 1 week.
Per serving (for 16) 287kcals,
15g fat (8.6g saturated), 3.3g
protein, 33g carbs (16g sugars),
0.1g salt, 2.6g fibre

90 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

• 80g unsalted butter, at room
temperature
• 120g full-fat cream cheese,
at room temperature
• 50ml double cream, at room
temperature
• 250g plain flour, plus extra
to dust
• ½ tsp salt
• Crème fraîche to serve
For the filling
• 100g unsalted butter
• 2 tsp cornflour
• 120g golden caster sugar
• 220g good-quality set honey
• 3 medium free-range eggs,
lightly beaten
• 150ml double cream
• 2 tsp sea salt flakes
1 Put the butter, cream cheese
and cream in a food processor,
then whizz until smooth. Pulse
in the flour and salt until the
pastry begins to come together.
Tip onto a lightly floured surface
and knead for 30 seconds to
bring it together, then form into
a disc. (If you don’t have a food
processor, beat the butter,
cream cheese and cream in
a mixing bowl, then stir in the
flour and salt.) Wrap the pastry
and put in the fridge for 1 hour.
2 Heat the oven to 200°C fan/
gas 7. Roll out the pastry to 5mm
thick and use it to line the tart
tin. Trim the excess (see Don’t
Waste It), then prick the base
all over with a fork. Line with
scrunched baking paper and fill
with baking beans or uncooked

rice/lentils. Blind bake on a
baking tray for 20 minutes, then
lift out the paper and beans/
rice/lentils and cook for another
5 minutes until the pastry
looks sandy.
3 Meanwhile, make the filling.
Melt the butter, then pour into
a large bowl and leave to cool
for a few minutes. Use a balloon
whisk to whisk in the cornflour
and sugar, beating to a smooth
paste. Add all the remaining
ingredients and whisk until silky.
4 Reduce the oven temperature
to 160°C fan/gas 4. Give the
filling a final stir, then pour
into the pastry case. Bake for
45-50 minutes until the top
is deep golden brown and the
edges are set but there’s still
a slight wobble in the centre
of the tart. Slide the tin onto
a wire rack, then leave the tart
to cool completely and set
(this will take a few hours).
It will have puffed up in the
oven but it will sink down and
the top will wrinkle as it cools.
Serve at room temperature with
crème fraîche on the side.
Per serving 617kcals, 38g fat
(23g saturated), 6.9g protein,
61g carbs (37g sugars), 1.8g
→
salt, 1.3g fibre

Creamy set honey gives this tart
a pleasingly dense but smooth
texture. It’s infused with flaky salt
to open your palate and balance the
sweetness. Think treacle tart but far
more floral and flavoursome

be a better cook: sustainability.

It’s important to use
raw honey here as it
contains the wild yeasts
necessary for fermentation.
KNOWHOW

• 1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled
and finely sliced
• 2 rosemary sprigs, leaves
picked
• 200g raw honey (see
Know-how)
• 2 x 225g halloumi blocks
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp pine nuts
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Adding garlic and herbs to
raw honey introduces just
enough moisture to activate
fermentation, which leaves you
with a slightly tangy, flavourpacked drizzly honey. It’s
wonderful with lightly charred
halloumi, as the sweetness
balances the salty cheese

92 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Halloumi with garlic
and rosemary
fermented honey
Serves 4-6 as part of a mezze
spread
Hands-on time 30 min, plus
2 weeks fermenting
Specialist kit Sterilised 300g
jar (search ‘sterilise’ at
deliciousmagazine.co.uk)
Any leftover honey
can be kept in the
fridge and eaten
within a month. It’s great
in salad dressings, or drizzled
over roast veg or yogurt.
DON’T
WASTE
IT

1 Put the garlic and rosemary
in the sterilised jar, then pour
over the raw honey and stir to
combine. Make sure the honey
covers the garlic and rosemary
completely and that there’s
some space at the top of the jar.
2 Cover the jar with a lid but
don’t tighten it (or use a clip
top jar without locking it shut).
Sit the jar on a plate in a cool,
dark place at room temperature
for 2 weeks to ferment. Every
few days, seal the lid, turn the
jar upside-down, leave it for
a few minutes, then turn back
upright and loosen the lid again.
3 After 2 weeks the honey will
be runnier and the garlic will be
soft. Heat the grill to medium.
Score a crosshatch into each
halloumi block, being careful to
cut only halfway through so the
blocks stay whole. Put in an oven
dish and season. Scatter with the
lemon zest and pine nuts, pushing
some into the cuts. Drizzle with
the oil and 2 tbsp of the honey.
4 Grill for 7-8 minutes, basting
every few minutes with the
juices. Serve with more of the
fermented honey spooned over.
Per serving (for 6) 334kcals,
26g fat (14g saturated), 17g
protein, 8.8g carbs (8.8g sugars),
2.1g salt, 0.6g fibre

NEXT MONTH
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of alternative proteins

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Make
your
freezer a
culinary
hero

You know how it is: you put something in the freezer,
then forget about it for months. But freezers aren’t
just for long-term storage, says food editor Tom Shingler
– they can help with everything from slicing to altering
texture. Prepare to see those icy drawers in a new light!

be a better cook: equipment.

F

reeze something properly and it’ll last indefinitely. Sure, it will start to degrade in
terms of flavour and texture eventually, but it’ll still be edible. Generally, foods tend
to last a few months before this kicks in (provided the dreaded freezer burn doesn’t
take hold), which is why freezers are such an integral part of the kitchen (and vital for
complex food supply chains all over the world). But freezers can offer you more than
cryostasis-style storage: they can actually help you to cook in some pretty neat ways, too.
Most of the techniques described below work thanks to molecular-level changes brought
about by freezing fresh ingredients. Freezing solidifies the water inside an ingredient
rather than the ingredient itself (most foods are mainly water, so they turn solid once
frozen). When water turns to ice it expands slightly, which can break the cell walls
around it. So when you defrost these foods, the texture is often softer. This is bad in
some cases (defrosted lettuce), but can be used to your advantage in others.
The cell-breaking thing, combined with how cold foods firm up and react when
exposed to heat, means the freezer has the potential to be a handy tool as well as a
storage system. Take a look at these examples and start viewing your freezer differently.

SLICING
Carpaccio, sashimi, stir-fries
– there are lots of dishes out there
that call for super-thin slices.
While a mandoline can make quick
work of fruit and veg, it’s useless
against the softer texture of meat
and fish. A 30-45 minute blast in
the freezer firms them up without
freezing them solid, making
delicate slices a far easier job.
If you’re defrosting fully frozen
meat or fish, remember you can
slice it half- thawed (and speed up
the thaw time while you’re at it).
FREEZE-THAW SOFTENING
Some ingredients benefit from
an initial freeze and thaw, thanks
to that swelling of ice crystals
mentioned earlier. Making a jam
or coulis that requires berries to
collapse? Freezing them first will
kickstart the process. You can add

them straight from frozen and
they’ll break down faster than
fresh, with all the added benefits
of freezing peak-season produce.
Making a strawberry jam in the
middle of winter isn’t just possible;
the jam can be better than the one
you made using fresh berries in
summer (see our freezer jam, p56).
GRATING
Freezing garlic, ginger and chillies
doesn’t just preserve them (who
uses a whole ginger root in one go?)
– it turns them into something
you can easily grate directly into
your cooking. Something like a
simple stir-fry sauce is elevated
by finely grating frozen ginger
into it (no need to peel first). The
tiny shards defrost and instantly
melt into the liquid, saving you
from chopping, as well as
overpowering hits of raw ginger.

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

THE FOOD TEAM’S FAVOURITE FREEZER TIPS AND HACKS
Keep your favourite beer, wine or cocktail glass in the freezer, ready to lend
an extra chill to your drink as soon as it’s poured.
Avoid freezer burn by wrapping or covering things properly and, crucially, expelling
as much trapped air as possible. A vacuum sealer is the gold standard, but using
plastic bags and squeezing out the air will usually do the job.
Keep a mixing bowl in the freezer (if you have space). Whipping cream in a frozen
bowl takes much less time than using a room temperature one.
Freezing liquids? Put leftover soups and stews in roomy bags, seal, then lay them
flat in layers. They defrost more quickly and make better use of freezer space.

COOKING FROM FROZEN
Some freshly prepared foods are
better when cooked from frozen
– especially if you’re after crunch.
Roasties (and pre-boiled chips)
are a good example. By boiling a
potato, you’re cooking it through,
but the second step (deep-frying
or roasting) is there only to create
a crisp exterior. When boiled and
frozen potatoes come into contact
with hot oil, the reaction is more
violent and results in a crisper
shell. The fluffy insides will have
defrosted and cooked by the time
the exterior is golden brown.
TOFU FIRMING
If you’re a fan of tofu but prefer a
meatier texture, drain a pack of
extra-firm tofu, tear it into pieces
and freeze it. Defrost the chunks
quickly in heavily salted boiling
water for a few minutes, then
drain, pat dry and cook as normal.
The freezing process dramatically
changes the texture of tofu to
something far firmer and more
absorbent. It’s a northeastern
Chinese technique from centuries
ago – and it’s the perfect example
of how tranformative messing
about with your freezer can be.

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 95

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SC

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A

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T
N
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I
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R
O

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How much does what we eat at school shape our view of food
as adults? Quite a lot, it turns out – and done well, school
dinners can help us develop a lifelong healthy relationship with
food. Clare Finney looks at the charities trying to help, against
a backdrop of government cuts and rising childhood obesity
96 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

food for thought.

e’ve all had formative
experiences with school food
that, for better or worse, have
shaped our preferences, while
a growing body of evidence
suggests school can play a
defining role in our eating habits and physical health.
“There is nothing hardwired about our
preferences, apart from a taste for sweet,” says
psychologist Dr Gillian Harris, an expert in child
feeding behaviour at the University Of Birmingham.
“Wherever you are in the world, you like the food
everyone around you is eating.” Growing up on the
Essex coast, she ate whelks from a young age; around
the world, little children will happily have slimy, sharp
or bitter foods because “that’s what’s available”. Yet
however kids arrive at school – snacking on olives or
eschewing everything but soft white bread – there is,
she says, potential for every child to learn.
At school, you can learn how to eat, socialise over
mealtimes and share food, all vital skills we draw
on throughout adulthood. Without the emotional
baggage of family, and with the freedom to decide
what and how much they eat, kids can learn to regulate
their appetite and try foods
they might not get at home.
“When people around you
are doing it and you want to be
like your peers, it behoves you
to eat it,” says Harris – with the
caveat that the child must feel
in control. “No child should
be forced to finish; they will
normally naturally regulate
calorie intake to meet their
needs – and nobody should be
sat down and made to eat,” she
continues, citing a series of papers that asked adults
to discuss foods they detested. “Almost all were foods
they’d been made to sit in front of as a child.”

However kids arrive
at school – snacking
on olives or eschewing
everything but soft
white bread – there
is potential for every
child to learn

THE EDWARDIAN PIONEERS
Even those of us who aren’t in child psychology can
relate to these theories – and indeed, they’re nothing
new, even if they’ve only recently been substantiated.
When journalist Bee Wilson was researching her
book, First Bite, she found “an incredible school food
movement, which started in Bradford in the 1900s
and was spreading to the rest of the UK”. Its
abiding concern was how to convince those
children who would “only have bread and
treacle at home and were disgusted at
the prospect of new foods” to try

them. “It was about sitting with the child, being
patient, having older monitors to help younger
children – and how food is vitally important, and
something schools should invest in,” Wilson recalls.
That they’d known, over 100 years ago, what to do
to help children eat left Wilson despondent at how far
we’ve strayed from that path, with far fewer domestic
science lessons and the shift away from school cooks
preparing fresh hot meals. But she was also inspired.
Further research led Wilson to Sapere, a new food
education programme in Finland and Sweden, where
children use all their senses to explore ingredients
with no obligation to taste. The project found young
attitudes could be hugely improved, with children
more likely to try new foods and be less drawn to sugar.
A few years on, Wilson brought Sapere to the UK in
the form of TastEd, which she founded with
head teacher Jason O’Rourke and
Abby Scott, a former teacher and
administrator at the Centre For Family
Research. They offer a range of simple
taste lessons, tailored to the English
National Curriculum, which teachers
can deliver without a kitchen.
“You can see children learning in
front of your eyes, and from the
teacher’s point of view that’s rewarding.
Teachers are busy people; schools are busy
environments. This makes it as accessible – and
enjoyable – as possible for educators, without going
on the warpath,” O’Rourke explains.
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE TURKEY TWIZZLER
TastEd is one of many charitable initiatives to
have cropped up in the past two decades to address
ongoing issues with school food provision; Food
For Life and Chefs In Schools are two others. They
weren’t prompted by soggy veg and semolina puds
(which, for all their failings, were at least cooked from
scratch). It was the introduction of the Education
Act in 1980, which abolished the requirement for all
children to be given access to school meals unless
their family received benefits or income support.
Some schools abolished school lunches; others
gave catering to private contractors, which – via
a rapid slipping of standards and the rise of ultraprocessed foods – is how we wound up with the
infamous Turkey Twizzler. “The contracting was
cheap and price driven,” says Jeanette Orrey, a former
school cook and co-founder of Food For Life – and
fast foods inevitably proved popular.
“That was when I decided we would opt
out and go back to making proper food,”

of schools, including O’Rourke’s
Washingborough Academy near
Lincoln. Their daily bread is focaccia,
made with rosemary from the school
garden and tomatoes from polytunnels
where they grow heirloom veg.
Says O’Rourke: “Children grow salads
and microherbs in the corridors, make
snacks to sell on Tuesday afternoons, and
are involved in the planning of meals,”
he says. The food isn’t fancy because
“ultimately you want the kids to eat it. But
if they want hot dogs, the sausages are
from the local organic pig farm. If they
want pizza, the dough is homemade
and the tomato sauce homegrown”.

says Orrey: the shepherd’s pies,
casseroles and spotted dicks she’d
been used to. “It was from scratch,
locally sourced, and some of it was
organic.” All on a tight budget too.
Food For Life began in 2003 as a report
Orrey made with the Soil Association,
which exposed the poor standard of
food in UK schools. Its release sparked
media interest – most memorably
from Jamie Oliver, who came to see the
work Orrey was doing at her school in
East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire. “That
was when the revolution started,” she says.
THE JAMIE OLIVER EFFECT
Just four weeks of the 2005 TV show Jamie’s School
Dinners achieved what Orrey had been trying to do
for six years: awaken national concern for school
food and get the attention of the government. Food
For Life, the charity and nationwide programme,
grew alongside campaigning by Orrey and the Soil

Until food education is embedded into
the curriculum… progress will remain slow
Association for a more comprehensive approach.
“It’s a whole-school approach to food,” says Oona
Buttafoco, senior policy officer at Food For Life. A
school aspiring to Food For Life accreditation will
work with them to improve not just the food in the
canteen, but the food culture throughout the school.
“It’s about ensuring that what ends up on plates is
nutritious, and sourced as locally and seasonally as
can be – but it’s also about cooking, sharing, sensory
food education, growing food and visiting farms.”
This aims to engage parents, teachers and leaders, as
well as pupils, to foster a sense of community in food.
It’s a beautiful vision – being realised in hundreds

WHY DIET IS CRUCIAL
When promoting improvements in school food, the
temptation is to focus on the academic advantages,
but to O’Rourke, this obscures the bigger picture.
“There’s no easy direct link between a healthy diet
and better grades; why not see it as the means and
purpose by which children can live better lives?”
Indeed, when it comes to teaching children about
the environment, different cultures, religions and
wellbeing, food can be a Trojan horse. “It shouldn’t
be siloed into diet and nutrition; we need to look at
its wider social aspects,” says O’Rourke. Besides, if
we’re to go down the results route, surely the fact
that one in three children are overweight or obese by
the time they leave primary school should be a factor.
“If my ‘results’ were that poor for maths and
English, I’d be out of a job,” says O’Rourke; and yet
those are the ‘results’ in the more deprived areas of
the UK. Prospects are improving, thanks to the efforts
of people like Buttafoco, O’Rourke and Wilson; but
until food education is embedded into the curriculum
and school dinners are affordable (ideally free) in
primary and secondary, progress will remain slow.

TIMELINE: HALF A CENTURY OF SCHOOL MEAL CONTROVERSIES
1971
The press dub
the education
secretary
‘Thatcher
Thatcher, milk
snatcher’ when
she ends free
school milk.

98 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

1980
The Education
Act removes the
requirement for
all schoolchildren
to receive school
meals, leading
some counties to
abandon them
altogether.

1986
The Social
Security Act
results in half
a million children
from low-income
families losing
free school
meal access.

1998
A shift towards
healthier
standards comes
with The School
Meals Act,
mandating
nutritional
standards for
school lunches.

1999
A report
comparing the
diet of UK
four-year-olds in
1950 to the
1990s concludes
that it was
healthier in the
days of postwar
austerity.

food for thought.

“If food standards were in Ofsted’s inspection
framework, it would happen overnight,” says
O’Rourke; but at the time of writing, only a quarter
of schools are Food For Life accredited. Compliance
with School Food Standards, introduced in 2015 to
moderate the salt, sugar and additives in school food,
is inconsistent, and there are no official means of
verifying them – although Food For Life and Chefs
In Schools do, when schools work with them.
THE CHALLENGES AHEAD
“School Food Standards are in theory compulsory,
but there’s a lack of compliance for many reasons,”
says Buttafoco – cost, time and the priorities of an
already overworked and underpaid senior leadership
being the main ones. Then there are packed lunches
– the default for many kids who don’t fancy or can’t
afford school dinners, and which are often ridden
with ultra-processed foods.
“The nutritional quality of packed lunches is low.
We’ve talked about ultra-processed foods and the
role schools can play, and there’s a massive difference
between packed lunches and school meals.” One of
the reasons Food For Life, TastEd and Chefs In
Schools advocate for universal free school
meals (currently in place in London primary
schools) is that studies show it removes the
stigma and encourages uptake. Buttafoco
says: “Kids’ nutrition will be better than if
they’re getting stuff from the corner shop.”
One of the main challenges facing those
trying to improve school food is that food
education has skipped several generations
in this country, so it’s harder to find parents and
staff with the necessary interest and skills. That
said, O’Rourke is more optimistic than ever –
because “food and its benefits are more at the
fore of the public mind than they were”.
Chefs In Schools founder Nicole Pisani
agrees. The chef made headlines in 2015 when

2005
Campaigning on
Jamie Oliver’s
School Dinners
TV show exposes
poor quality
meals. “When we
started, there
were standards
for dog food but
not for school
food,” says Jamie.

2006
The government’s
School Food
Plan sets stricter
nutritional
guidelines and
boosts funding.
In 2013, more
standards are
drawn up but, as
Jamie says, “still
no enforcement”.

she swapped the kitchen of
Ottolenghi’s Nopi for the canteen
of a school in London’s Hackney,
and now her charity reaches tens
of thousands of pupils in London,
Bournemouth and Sheffield.
Pisani says: “What we are serving
in schools has got much better,
and most of the schools we work
with have huge salad bars. Seeing
teenagers go up and pile salad
onto their plates! Ten years ago,
when we started, I wouldn’t have
thought it possible.” And when we
think about just how much school
shaped our own habits and palate,
that feels like cause for hope.

THE FOOD
CHARITIES
HELPING
UK SCHOOLS
TastEd
Over 1,200 UK schools and
nurseries have signed up
to this free charity. Using
techniques pioneered in
Scandinavia, it helps
teachers change young
children’s attitude to fruit
and vegetables.
tasteeducation.com
Food For Life
Formed by Jeanette Orrey
and the Soil Association,
for two decades it’s been
driving innovation in school
food with its accreditation
programme and other
schemes.
foodforlife.org.uk
Chefs In Schools
Provides online and onsite
training to help schools
serve up better food and
better food education.
chefsinschools.org.uk

“Seeing teenagers go up and pile salad onto
their plates! Ten years ago, when we started,
I wouldn’t have thought it possible”

2014
The coalition
government
announces free
school lunches
for all children in
the first three
years of school.

2020
During Covid,
footballer Marcus
Rashford, backed
by FareShare,
persuades
the government
to provide
free meals for
vulnerable
children during
school holidays.

2021
With the
government,
Henry Dimbleby
launches the
National Food
Strategy, a plan
that proposes
further policy
changes for
healthy eating
in schools.

2023
London Mayor
Sadiq Khan
announces free
lunches in
primary schools.
Some praise the
scheme, others
say it could
negatively affect
those most
deprived.

Food’s
best friend
Bursting with natural flavour, Stella Artois
Unfiltered complements a wide variety of dishes,
making it well worth adding to your basket

W

hether it’s a showstopping main course
you’ve whipped up for
a special family meal, a beautifully
curated cheese board or a simple
selection of nibbles, every dish
deserves its moment to shine.
So, if you’re looking to take your
kitchen creations to the next
level, why not try switching
things up by pairing them with
a beer – and not just any beer,
but the wonderfully crisp Stella
Artois Unfiltered?
This refreshing premium
lager is made with all natural
ingredients and left unfiltered
for a more complex flavour and
aroma. Sounds good, doesn’t it?

Read on to find out why Stella
Artois Unfiltered is a cut above
the rest, and how to best enjoy
it with food.
THE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
When it comes to the ideal lager,
it’s best kept simple. That’s why
you’ll only find five ingredients
in Stella Artois Unfiltered and
nothing else: malt, both saaz and
mandarina Bavaria hop varieties,
maize, water and yeast.
And because these all-natural
ingredients are unfiltered, the
result is a fresh and vibrant taste.
You’ll pick up the malty notes,
which are delicately balanced
by the fruity hop aroma, and you

may even notice hints of ripe
pineapple in the background.
These pleasant flavours all
combine for a smooth finish
that all the adults at your table
will love.

“Stella Artois
Unfiltered
has a much
more vibrant,
natural flavour.
It’s delicious!”
JULIUS ROBERTS

advertisement promotion.

THE PERFECT MEAL PARTNER
Because of its clean, lively
flavour, Stella Artois Unfiltered
pairs beautifully with a wide
range of recipes. It’s the ideal
accompaniment to spicy,
aromatic dishes, so how about
pairing it with a chicken Thai
green curry? And if you’re looking
for the ultimate Sunday slow
cook, a piquant, umami-rich
chilli con carne will be just the
ticket. The smoky sweetness of
harissa prawns with baked orzo
is a match made in heaven, too.
If you’re doing a laid-back
dinner for friends, try typical
tapas such as tortilla, padrón
peppers, chorizo or homemade
croquetas. For a snack, it works
well with sausage rolls with
a chutney or pickle, and if you’re
still hungry for a filling main,
it will go nicely with a halloumi
and Mediterranean veg traybake.
Although Stella Artois
Unfiltered goes with pretty much
everything, if it has a perfect
partner, it’s cheese. From a simple
quiche lorraine to a satisfying
chorizo, mozzarella and gnocchi
bake – or even an artfully curated
cheeseboard – a nice cold glass of
lager alongside will balance out
the rich creaminess a treat.

THE DREAM TEAM
Julius Roberts is a trained chef and farmer who is passionate about self-sufficiency and
living off the land. He spends his time at his family farm on the Dorset coast, cultivating
natural ingredients and cooking exceptional food. And now he’s teamed up with Stella
Artois Unfiltered to create three irresistible food and beer pairings using locally sourced,
seasonal produce. If you visit the link below, you can watch Julius forage wild garlic from
the farm to use in a simple yet delicious chicken pasty recipe, perfectly accompanied by
Stella Artois Unfiltered.

Discover more recipes, videos
and pairing tips from Julius at
bit.ly/gfo-unfiltered

Featuring...
Adam
Frost
Garden designer
and author

Joe
Swift
Small-space garden
design expert

Glorious
gardening
getaways

Frances
Tophill
Sustainable
gardening specialist

Nick
Bailey
Designer and
garden-colour expert

)RUWKHUVWWLPHHYHU:DUQHU+RWHOVKDVWHDPHGXSZLWK%%&*DUGHQHUVȇ:RUOG0DJD]LQHWRRHU\RXDQH[FLWLQJFKRLFH
RILQVSLULQJZHHNHQGEUHDNVHDFKIHDWXULQJDQLWLQHUDU\RIOLYH4 $VGHPRVDQGH[FOXVLYHWDONVOHGE\\RXUIDYRXULWH
JDUGHQLQJSUHVHQWHUVLQFOXGLQJ)UDQFHV7RSKLOO$GDP)URVW-RH6ZLIWDQG1LFN%DLOH\
• Bodelwyddan Castle, 10-13 May • Cricket St Thomas, 31 May-3 June • Nidd Hall, 28 June-1 July

7R¿QGRXWPRUHDQGERRN\RXUEUHDNZLWK:DUQHU+RWHOV
YLVLW warnerhotels.co.uk/gardeners
BBC (word mark and logo) is a trade mark of the British Broadcasting Corporation and is used under licence. BBC logo © BBC 1996. Photography: Holly Cook Headshots

RECIPE: TOM SHINGLER. PHOTOGRAPH: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON. FOOD STYLING: EMILY GUSSIN. ALWAYS DRINK RESPONSIBLY

Alt wines, sustainable
beers, an award-winning
mead and a fruity number

Cocktail of the month
Light and seriously drinkable, this tipple
points the way from spring towards summer

Strawberry daiquiri
Serves 1
Hands-on time 10 min

NEXT
TIME

EASY
SWAPS

If you like you could make this into a frozen
daiquiri by whizzing the ingredients with
crushed ice in a blender.
You can use all sorts of soft fruit instead
of strawberries – other berries or stone
fruit work best.

Chill a martini glass in the freezer while you make
the cocktail. Hull and roughly chop 5 strawberries,
then add to a cocktail shaker with 60ml white rum
and muddle with a muddler (or wooden spoon). Add
15ml lime juice and 15ml sugar syrup (buy it or make
your own by heating equal weights of water and
caster sugar in a small pan until dissolved, then cool).
Top up with ice, then shake for 30 seconds. Strain
into the chilled glass and garnish with a strawberry.
Per serving 182kcals, no fat, no protein, 10g carbs
(10g sugars), no salt, 0.6g fibre

››
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 103

Susy’s

best buys
Are you stuck in a wine rut?
Expert Susy Atkins suggests
canny swaps to lure you away
from the tried and tested to a
brave new world of adventure
and rewarding experimentation

A SPRING REFRESH
Instead of shiraz, try...

Instead of pink prosecco, try...

Cape Quarter Boekenhoutskloof
2021, Stellenbosch, South
Africa 14%
Scented like raspberry jam,
with lively blackcurrant joining
in, this is a well built, firm-bodied
blend of cabernet sauvignon and
merlot for full-flavoured cheeses
and rich meat grills.
£12, Marks & Spencer

Mirabeau La Folie Sparkling
Rosé NV, France 11.5%
Subtle, delicate pink fizz,
produced by Provence-based
masters of rosé wine Mirabeau.
Just like prosecco it’s made in
tanks but the result is a drier
sparkler with elegant wisps of
red berry fruit.
From £10.99, Waitrose,
Tesco and Sainsbury’s

Instead of pinot grigio, try...
Unearthed Custoza Bianco
2023, Italy 12%
It’s a bit pricier than a cheap PG,
admittedly, but there’s a lot more
flavour in this new wine – think
zesty tangerines and grapefruit
with a whistle-clean finish. From
northern Italy, around Verona, it’s
a blend of three Italian grapes.
£9.99, Aldi

Instead of malbec, try...
Cidade Branca 2022,
Alentejo, Portugal 14%
Portugal is a great source of ripe,
plummy reds that can take on
steak; this one has rich layers
of red plum and cherry fruitcake
with a twist of black pepper.
£8.75, Morrisons

Instead of chardonnay, try...
Instead of sauvignon blanc, try...
Loved & Found Treixadura
2022, Galicia, Spain 12%
From relatively cool-climate
northwest Spain, this snappy,
refreshing dry white from the
treixadura grape is shot through
with lemon, lime and a tangy hint
of kiwi fruit. Mouthwatering on
its own – or pair with white fish
and/or asparagus.
£8.99, Waitrose

Taste the Difference
Chilean Viognier 2022,
Bio Bio Valley 13%
With its apricot scent and
peachy flavour, this viognier,
while not oaked, should please
those who love the generous
fruitiness and soft texture
of chardonnay. One for roast
chicken or creamy curries.
£9.50 (down to £8 until
14 May), Sainsbury’s

drinks.

SNIFFING OUT
WINE KNOWLEDGE
Since this issue is all about
skill-building, let me tell you
about the The Wine & Spirit
Education Trust (WSET). It’s the
go-to educator nationally and
internationally for learning more
about wine, from beginners who
can ease in at Level 1 to keen
enthusiasts at Levels 2 and 3,
and even budding wine pros who
can tackle the Level 4 Diploma.
HQ is the WSET School in
London SE1, but their classes
are available from hundreds of
‘approved programme providers’
(teachers to you and me) all over
the UK. Give it a go and mug up
on what’s in your glass.
wsetglobal.com

SPIRIT OF THE
MONTH
Pod Pea vodka, Manchester,
England 40%
This original take on vodka really
works, the British garden peas
giving fresh, sappy/grassy and
lightly sweet notes. Pour it on the
rocks and do try it in a martini.
£35.95 for 70cl, houseofmalt.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

SOFT DRINK OF
THE MONTH
Betty Buzz ginger beer
The natural canned softies from
Hollywood actor Blake Lively
are rather good – this has just the
right balance of peppery gingery
warmth and soft sweetness.
£10.80 for 6 x 330ml, Majestic
MATCH OF THE MONTH
Kooliburra Coonawarra
Cabernet Sauvignon 2022,
Australia 14.5%
Great-value new Aussie
cabernet sauvignon packed
with ripe cassis, fresh
and balanced. Open it this
month for the braised
sausages with lentils and
fennel on p31; thereafter
for summer barbecues.
£7.99, Aldi

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 105

Champion producers.

A singularly
good vintage
Like wine, each year Hive Mind’s Traditional Mead is different. Its
flavours depend not on the weather but on what the local bees
foraged that year, as the principle ingredient is, of course, honey

T

he Hive Mind team aren’t ashamed
to admit that no market research or
margin calculations were carried out
before developing their Traditional Mead.
“Budget always seems to be a limiting factor
with meads, so we decided to take a no-holdsbarred approach,” says Kit Newell who, with his
brother, Matt, runs Hive Mind Mead & Brew Co on
the Welsh side of the Wye Valley. “We’d make the
best product we possibly could, then worry about the
target market and price afterwards.”
While that might not always be the safest product
development strategy, in this case it worked. Despite

the hefty price tag of £30 for 70cl, the 14.5%
Traditional Mead is the micromeadery’s star
performer – and the winner of the coveted
Great Taste Golden Fork Award for Wales.
Besides the elegant bottle and bespoke
label, the main reason for the price is the sheer
volume of honey that goes into the mead. “Rather
than brewing on a white wine or sugar base, then
adding honey, as some brands do, we make our
mead entirely from local honey,” explains Kit.
“We mix honey and water in equal proportions
with yeast, as if we’re making wine but with honey
rather than grape juice. We let that ferment – which

drinks.

WHAT THE GREAT TASTE
JUDGES SAID…

“A full-on floral
blossom honey aroma.
Lovely complexity…
well balanced
throughout with
woody and toasted
notes, and a soft
sweetness rolling
into a lemony acidity
with a long finish.
Beautifully crafted”

WORDS: LYNDA SEARBY (GUILD OF FINE FOOD). PHOTOGRAPHS: RICHARD FAULKS (GUILD OF FINE FOOD)

“The combination
of flowers brings a
characterful honeyed
richness. Silken on the
palate with lingering
floral notes”
can take anywhere between six and 12 months –
then add more honey at the bottling stage,” he says.
One of the challenges of making a product from
just three ingredients is that any slight change
immediately alters the taste profile. To achieve
a degree of uniformity, the meadery uses a white
wine yeast that delivers a clean fermentation,
together with a combination of seasonal honeys from
local producers, alongside Matt’s own.
Rather than try to hide it, the meadery celebrates
the inherent variability of its product. “It’s almost
impossible to make the same mead twice, as the taste
of the honey depends on what’s flowering and what
the bees have foraged on,” says Kit. “Initially
we were concerned about this but, actually, people
like that connection with nature and seeing what the
next iteration will taste like.”
The vintage that tickled the Great Taste judges’
palates was made from 2022 honey. Matt looks after
the 180 or so hives that provide the honey for the
mead (it’s also used to flavour beer and sold online).
“2022 was a superb year. The heather honey in Wales

LEFT Hive Mind
founders Kit
(left) and
Matt Newell
ABOVE Mead
– made
differently

was good and the warm summer gave an abundance
of lime tree and bramble flowers,” says Matt.
Beyond the tasting table, the mead is finding
favour with all kinds of customers – from historical
re-enactors to cocktail drinkers and even coeliacs.
“There’s definitely a market that’s familiar with
mead – and it’s bigger than we appreciated,” says Kit.
With Selfridges now stocking the drink, as well as
top online suppliers such as Master Of Malt, that
market looks set to get even bigger.
Hive Mind Mead & Brew Co Traditional Mead,
£30 for 70cl, hivemindmead.com

HOW TO USE

delicious.
is delighted
to support
the Great
Taste Awards

Serve as an after-dinner drink with a hunk of
blue cheese – Matt recommends blue wenallt,
from Brooke’s Dairy in the Wye Valley – or
search at deliciousmagazine.co.uk for our sage
and blue cheese shortbreads.

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 107

drinks.

Beer school.

Here’s to
the future!
As sustainability begins to play a
more important role in drinkers’
choices, expert Mark Dredge picks
breweries that care about the planet

S

ustainability is a complex and broad subject in beer, which is
a drink involving industries notorious for high emissions, such
as farming, packaging and distribution. This topic could be
book-length and I have only a couple of paragraphs, so the very
short version is that we should look to breweries that prioritise using
ingredients grown using regenerative farming techniques, that use
packaging from responsible sources, are dedicated to sustainable
practices in energy and waste management, and look after their
staff. You might wonder how you’re expected to find all that out.
One way is by looking for B-corp certification – firms are rigorously
assessed on their entire social and environmental performances.
As drinkers we can demand and choose products made in ways that
consider the environment as well as wider social concerns and causes,
and that means drinking beer can be something that has a positive impact
– if you choose the right ones. markdredge.com

Long Man Brewery
Pale Ale, England
4.2%
Brewed on an East
Sussex farm that
grows barley using
regenerative farming,
this pale ale is juicy,
zesty and tropical.
Try with the filo
feta (p30).
£36 for 12 x 440ml,
longmanbrewery.com

Brewgooder Lager,
Scotland 4.5%
Brewgooder has a
foundation that uses
beer to support and
empower global
communities. Its crisp,
lemony lager is great
with the chicken
wings on p28.
£22 for 12 x 330ml,
brewgooder.com and
Co-op stores

Next month Mark picks great German beers
108 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

The Hop Shed Frizzle
IPA, England 5%
The brewery is on
a Worcestershire
hop farm, which uses
regenerative growing
methods. Frizzle is a
crisp, grapefruity,
floral-and-bitter
English IPA. Sip with
a sausage roll (p52).
£28 for 12 x 500ml,
thehopshed.co.uk

Toast Brewing
Grassroots Pale Ale,
England 4.1%
Surplus bread goes
into the firm’s beer
and its profits go
to environmental
charities. Grassroots
has a stone fruit
hoppiness, ideal with
lamb chops (p38).
£2.15 for 330ml,
Waitrose

Utopian Unfiltered
British Lager,
England 4.7%
This toasty, crisp
Devon lager uses all
British ingredients in
a brewery dedicated
to sustainability. Try
with the jersey royal
and crab salad (p44).
£15 for 6 x 440ml,
utopian
brewing.com

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

REGENERATIVE BEERS
Farming is one of the biggest contributors to carbon
emissions in the beer supply chain, so aim to
choose beer that uses ingredients produced via
regenerative farming, which aims to naturally
support the soil and lock in carbon.

PHOTOGRAPH: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON. FOOD STYLING: POLLYANNA COUPLAND

Get dinner on the table in as little as 15 minutes with
holiday-inspired recipes, plus a new pasta favourite

››

Pasta winner.

Tuna puttanesca ragù
Serves 4
Hands-on time 25 min
Simmering time 45 min
• 290g jar pitted black olives
(ideally kalamata)
• 100g jar capers
• 50g tin anchovy fillets in oil
• Large pinch (or two) chilli flakes
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 180ml red wine
• 400g tin plum tomatoes
• 300g tortiglioni, or similar
tube-shape pasta
• 160g tin tuna in olive oil
• Small bunch parsley, chopped

SCAN HERE...
for heaps more
pasta recipes,
from speedy
weeknight
favourites to
labours of love

1 Drain the olives and capers,
rinse well, then put in a large
bowl of water and set aside
(this helps remove excess salt).
2 Put a medium saucepan
over a medium heat. Add the
anchovies – oil and all – along
with the chilli flakes. Cook,
stirring, for a few minutes
until the anchovies dissolve
into the oil, then add the
sliced garlic and fry for

110 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

a minute or two until fragrant.
3 Add the red wine, turn up
the heat and simmer vigorously
for 4 minutes, then tip in the
tomatoes, breaking them up
as you do so. Half-fill the tin
with water, swirl it around, then
pour it in. Give everything a stir
and bring to a gentle simmer.
4 Drain the olives and capers,
then put in a food processor
and pulse a few times to create
a mince-like texture. Stir them
into the sauce, then leave
to simmer very gently for
45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You want it to be dark, jammy
and thick, as the pasta water
will loosen it when added later.
5 Once the sauce is nearly
ready, bring a large pan of water
to the boil (there’s no need for
salt as the sauce is salty enough
already). Add the tortiglioni and
cook for 8 minutes (or a couple
of minutes less than stated on
the packet), stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, drain the tuna and
stir it into the sauce, breaking it
into flakes as you do so. Season

with plenty of black pepper.
6 Drain the pasta, reserving
a cup of pasta water, then tip
the pasta into the sauce along
with most of the parsley and mix
well, adding just enough pasta
water to loosen the sauce. Mix
vigorously to emulsify the sauce
so it coats the pasta, then take
off the heat and leave to rest
for 3 minutes before serving.
Top with the remaining parsley.
Per serving 597kcals, 23g fat
(3.3g saturated), 24g protein,
61g carbs (6.5g sugars),
4.8g salt, 6.3g fibre

RECIPE: TOM SHINGLER. FOOD STYLING: POLLYANNA COUPLAND. PHOTOGRAPH: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

A punchy favourite packed with hefty flavours – and
almost everything comes out of your storecupboard

make it every day.

Puttanesca is usually a light and zingy dish, but
whizzing up the olives and capers to form a mince
and gently simmering them like a ragù creates
something far richer. Tuna adds to the meatiness,
while the anchovy and chilli bring depth

Artichoke and crisp
frittata with a caper
and shallot salad

Taste of the Med
Add some Mediterranean magic to your midweek cooking with olives, capers,
artichokes and more. We also have a surprise ingredient for a fast frittata: crisps!
If it’s good enough for culinary wizard Ferran Adrià, it’s good enough for us
RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING POLLYANNA COUPLAND PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

112 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

make it every day.

Lamb chops with
chermoula and
giant couscous

Treat yourself to a springtime lamb chop dinner
with this spiced giant couscous salad packed full of
sun-dried tomatoes, olives and tenderstem broccoli

Smoked mackerel
toasties
Makes 2
Hands-on time 15 min

Meaty smoked mackerel can
stand up to bold flavours,
making it the perfect
sandwich filler – especially
when it meets melty cheese,
zingy capers and crunchy
pepper and cucumber.
You can make up a
bigger batch of the
mackerel mixture – it
will sit happily in the fridge for
a day or two. It also makes a
great filling for a jacket potato.
MAKE
AHEAD

• 2 smoked mackerel fillets
• 1 tomato
• ¼ red pepper, diced

114 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

• 70g cucumber, seeds scooped
out and discarded, flesh diced
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp capers, roughly
chopped
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• Squeeze lemon juice
• 2 bread rolls (we used ciabatta)
• 60g cheddar, coarsely grated
1 Heat the grill to high. Flake the
smoked mackerel into a large
bowl (discard any skin and bones).
Quarter the tomato, scoop out
and discard the watery seeds,
then finely chop and add to the
bowl. Add the pepper, cucumber,
spring onions, capers and mayo
and gently stir to bind the mixture
– try to keep the mackerel in
chunks for a good texture.
Season to taste with salt, pepper
and a squeeze of lemon juice.

2 Slice open the rolls, put the
lids cut-side up on a tray and
cover with the cheddar. Grill for
3-5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Spoon the mackerel mixture over
the bottom halves of the rolls,
then top with the cheesy lids.
If the mixture is fridge-cold
you might want to heat the
sandwich through a little in
the oven, otherwise tuck in.
Per sandwich 678kcals, 42g fat
(13g saturated), 30g protein,
41g carbs (7.5g sugars), 2.6g
salt, 4.6g fibre →

make it every day.

This is a minimal-effort dish, but the marinating is key for
maximum flavour. Using the brine the olives come in is a
no-waste way to impart flavour and ensure juicy chicken

Olive-brined
chicken with
dried apricots
and garlic

Honey is having a
moment – and we’re
here for it. This
simple fiery ’nduja
risotto is brought
to life with a
bittersweet charred
lemon honey.
Interesting, unusual
and addictive!

’Nduja risotto
with burnt
lemon honey

make it every day.

’Nduja risotto with burnt
lemon honey
Serves 4
Hands-on time 45 min
If you fancy a vegetarian
version of the risotto
with the same fiery heat,
switch the ’nduja with a couple
of tablespoons of harissa paste.
After caramelising, the
KNOWhoney will thicken if
HOW
allowed to cool – just
give it a quick blast on the hob
until it melts again.
EASY
SWAPS

• 100g ’nduja paste (see Easy
Swaps)
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 300g risotto rice
• 200ml white wine
• 1 litre chicken stock, warmed
• 1 lemon
• 60g honey
• 80g unsalted butter, chopped
• 30g parmesan (or veggie
alternative), finely grated
• 4 tbsp mascarpone
1 Set a large saucepan over a
medium heat and add the ’nduja.
Once it’s sizzling and the fat has
rendered out, add the onion and
garlic and cook for 5 minutes
until softened and translucent.
Add the rice, stir for a minute
until coated in the ’nduja and
starting to toast, then pour in
the white wine and stir until it
has been absorbed by the rice.
2 Add ladlefuls of warm stock,
one at a time, letting the rice
absorb each addition before
adding the next. Stir constantly
to release the starch from the
rice – this is how to achieve a
creamy texture. Start tasting the
rice when there are only a few
ladlefuls of stock left – you may
not need it all to cook the rice.
3 To make the dressing, cut the
lemon into 4 thick slices. Cook,
cut-side down, in a dry frying
pan over a high heat until
caramelised but not completely

blackened – keep an eye on the
slices as it won’t take long.
Remove from the pan and leave
to cool. Add the honey to the
pan and heat until bubbling and
caramelised to amber, then
squeeze in the juice from the
charred lemon slices. Set the
squeezed lemon pieces aside.
4 When the rice is cooked, beat
in the butter and parmesan, then
cover with a lid and leave to rest
for 5 minutes before serving.
Divide the risotto among bowls,
then top each with a spoonful of
mascarpone and a drizzle of the
caramelised lemon honey. Garnish
with a piece of charred lemon.
Per serving 807kcals, 41g fat
(21g saturated), 19g protein,
78g carbs (19g sugars), 2.5g salt,
4.8g fibre

Artichoke and crisp
frittata with a caper
and shallot salad
Serves 4
Hands-on time 20 min
Want to know the
difference between a
tortilla and a frittata?
A frittata is Italian and finished
in the oven, whereas a tortilla
is Spanish, classically made
with sliced potatoes and wholly
cooked on the hob.
KNOWHOW

• 12 large free-range eggs
• 80g thick-cut ready salted
crisps (we used Kettle Chips)
• 400g tin artichoke hearts
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil,
plus extra to drizzle
• 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 40g rocket

• ¼ bunch parsley, leaves picked
• 1 banana shallot, finely sliced
• Balsamic vinegar to drizzle
• 1 tbsp capers, roughly chopped
1 Heat the oven to 180ºC fan/
gas 6. Whisk the eggs in a large
bowl with plenty of pepper, then
gently stir in the crisps (which
should add enough salt).
2 Drain the artichokes and
squeeze out any excess water,
then roughly chop the petals,
leaving the circular bases whole.
Put the oil in a medium (24cm)
ovenproof frying pan and, once
hot, fry the artichokes for
3 minutes, stirring until they start
to crisp up a little. Add the garlic,
fry for a minute or two until
fragrant, then pour in the egg
and crisp mixture. Immediately
transfer the pan to the oven
and cook for 10-12 minutes
until cooked all the way through
and a knife pushed into the
centre comes out clean.
3 Turn out the frittata onto a
board and leave to cool a little.
Meanwhile, mix the rocket,
parsley and finely sliced shallot
in a bowl. Dress with a drizzle
of olive oil and a dash of
balsamic vinegar, then top with
the capers. Serve the frittata
warm or at room temperature
with the salad alongside.
Per serving 441kcals, 29g fat
(6g saturated), 27g protein,
15g carbs (1.2g sugars), 1g salt,
→
4.7g fibre

Crisps in a frittata? It really
works. If you don’t believe
us, believe legendary El Bulli
chef Ferran Adrià, who was
the first to popularise it. Here
we’ve added creamy artichokes
and a zingy side salad to
cut through the richness
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 117

make it every day.

Olive-brined chicken with
dried apricots and garlic
Serves 4
Hands-on time 10 min, plus at
least 1 hour marinating
Oven time 45 min

3 If you’re serving with brown
rice, put this on now as it takes
the same amount of time to cook.
Rinse the rice, then add to a pan
with 500ml water and simmer
for 30 minutes. Drain, cover with
a lid and leave to sit off the heat
for the remaining 10 minutes to
finish cooking. Fluff the rice with
a fork, then divide among plates.
Top with pieces of chicken, then
spoon over the sauce.
Per serving (with rice) 659kcals,
28g fat (6.9g saturated), 34g
protein, 64g carbs (16g sugars),
1.4g salt, 5.1g fibre

The earthy nuttiness of
brown rice balances well
with the sweet and salty
flavours of the chicken, but a big
green side salad is equally good
(especially in summer).
NEXT
TIME

• 100g anchovy-stuffed olives,
plus 150g of their liquid
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 100g dried apricots
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
and bashed
• 50g dry sherry or dry
white wine
• 3 rosemary sprigs, halved
• 1kg chicken thighs, skin
on, bone in
• 250g brown rice (optional;
see Next Time)
1 Pour the olives and brine into
a large Pyrex or enamel baking
dish (it should be non-reactive),
then stir in the brown sugar.
Add the dried apricots, garlic,
sherry and rosemary, season
with a big pinch of salt and
pepper, then add the chicken,
massaging the marinade into
the thighs. Arrange the chicken
in a single layer, skin-side up,
then leave to marinate for at
least an hour (or up to 24 hours,
covered in the fridge).
2 Heat the oven to 170ºC fan/
gas 5. Cook the chicken for
40-45 minutes, basting with the
juices every 15 minutes.
118 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Lamb chops with
chermoula and giant
couscous
Serves 2-4
Hands-on time 30 min
Chermoula is a North
African sauce spiced with
coriander, cumin and
paprika. You can buy it readymade if you’re short of time.
Chermoula is traditionally
EASY
SWAPS served with fish, so if
you’re not in the mood
for lamb, bake some sustainable
sea bass or white fish fillets.
KNOWHOW

• 200g giant couscous
• 500g chicken stock, hot
• 4 lamb chops
• 120g tenderstem broccoli
• ¼ red onion, very finely sliced
• 50g sun-dried tomatoes,
chopped
• 50g pitted black olives,
roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
in a dry pan until golden

For the chermoula
• ¼ bunch coriander
• ¼ bunch parsley
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ green chilli, deseeded
• ½ preserved lemon, pips
discarded
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra
if needed
• Pinch hot paprika
• Pinch ground cumin
• Squeeze lemon juice
1 Toast the giant couscous in
a hot dry pan for a minute until
just golden, then pour in the hot
stock and simmer for 10 minutes
until tender. Drain and leave to
cool. Meanwhile, make the
chermoula by whizzing all the
ingredients together in a small
food processor – add more oil if
needed to create a thick dressing.
Season to taste with salt.
2 Season the chops (see Easy
Swaps) with salt and pepper and
set a frying pan over a high heat.
Once smoking hot, use a pair of
tongs to hold the lamb chops on
their fatty edge in the pan for
a few minutes to render out the
fat and get a crisp, golden edge.
Lay them flat and cook for 2-3
minutes on each side (depending
on thickness) for medium.
Remove from the pan and leave
to rest while you finish the salad.
3 Char the broccoli in the same
hot pan for 2-4 minutes, turning
with tongs to coat the stems in
the rendered fat, until they’re
tender and the tops are starting
to blacken and char.
4 Stir the onion, sun-dried
tomatoes, olives and two thirds
of the chermoula into the
couscous. Transfer to a serving
platter, then top with the charred
broccoli and lamb chops. Drizzle
with the remaining chermoula
dressing and finish with a
sprinkling of toasted pine nuts.
Per serving (for 4) 338kcals,
23g fat (6.9g saturated), 14g
protein, 16g carbs (1.7g sugars),
1.2g salt, 3g fibre

health matters.

TURN OVER A
NEW LEAF
We all love lettuce for its cooling crunch
in salads and sandwiches, but its health
properties are often overlooked, which is
a pity. The crisp green leaves deliver
vitamin K for bone health and vitamin A to
support good vision. Romaine is a good
source of vitamin C and beta carotene,
while red leaf lettuces (eg radicchio and
lollo rosso) are rich in antioxidants, plant
compounds that protect cells from damage.

Health

NEWS
News, nuggets
of knowledge and
advice you can trust.
By Sue Quinn

EAT YOUR PLANTS
In need of inspiration to boost your plant
intake? How To Eat 30 Plants A Week by
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall makes it
easy. Thirty is the magic
number of plant foods
many scientists now
agree give your body and
gut what they need for
optimum health. The book
includes 100 recipes and
strategies for reaching
this dietary sweet spot.
(Bloomsbury £25).

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

CONCENTRATE
ON PROTEIN
A new study exploring
the links between diet
and brain function has
discovered that a
protein-rich breakfast
can boost concentration
during the day. Danish
scientists found that
those who started the
morning with oats and
skyr (a type of highprotein yogurt) had
better concentration
than those who ate a
carbohydrate-rich
breakfast of toast and
jam. They also found
that the protein meal
was more filling for
longer than the
carbohydrate breakfast.

COMPUTER
SAYS “NO”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on the
march in nutrition, including image
recognition apps that can tell you
calories and nutrient content from
an image you take on your phone.
MyFitnessPal, RxFood, Foodadviser
and SnapCalorie are among those
offering the technology. But how
accurate are they? A recent study
published in US journal Annals of
Medicine found the technology is
as accurate as – and could exceed
– human estimates. But researchers
said more work is needed before
the apps can be relied on without
human involvement.

deliciousmagazine.co.uk 119

ARE
CARBS REALLY
THE ENEMY?

health matters.

Many people follow a low carb diet to lose weight, improve their
metabolic health or simply because they think it’s a healthier
option. As a result, carbs have earned a reputation for being bad
for us. But is it possible we’ve got them wrong? Sue Quinn finds
the debate isn’t black and white (or even brown and white)

PHOTOGRAPHS: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

f the mere mention of the word ‘carbs’
makes you think of foods best avoided,
you’re in good company. Surveys show
as many as 13 per cent of us follow a low or
no carb diet, limiting our intake of foods
such as bread, pasta and rice.
But medical experts and nutritionists say
carbohydrates are widely misunderstood, and
the benefits of including some carb types in our
diet are largely being overlooked. What’s more,
carbohydrates are often dumped in the same basket
when not all are the same.
WHAT ARE CARBOHYDRATES?
“They’re a varied group of foods, chemically
composed of complexes of sugars,” says
Roy Taylor, professor of medicine and
metabolism at Newcastle University.
“They provide energy, and some are
needed for optimal health.”
There are two broad types: sugar
and starch. When digested, both are
broken down into glucose, which
enters our bloodstream and provides
some of the energy we need to function.
(Fibre is also technically a carb, but it’s
one we can’t digest.)
Sugar carbohydrates include those
found in fruit, veg, milk and dairy
products; because they’re contained
inside plant cells (with fibre) or, in the
case of dairy, accompanied by protein,
they take longer to digest than so-called
free sugars. These are the kind added
to manufactured food and drink, and
found in fruit juice and fruit purées.
Starchy carbs include rice, pasta,
bread and potatoes; wholegrain
varieties contain fibre and nutrients,
and therefore have more health

benefits than refined versions like white bread.
According to official UK health advice, starchy foods
should make up around one third of the food we eat.
ARE SOME CARBS BETTER FOR OUR
HEALTH THAN OTHERS?
When carbohydrates are turned into glucose, our
blood sugar levels rise, then fall. “Ideally, we want to
avoid high blood sugar spikes and subsequent dips,
which can cause hunger and cravings,” says Yvonne
Richards, a registered nutritionist and coach at
weight-loss service Voy.
Minimally processed or unprocessed starchy
carbs, especially fibre-rich vegetables and
wholegrains, are the healthiest. “They cause less
of a blood sugar spike, as they’re digested
more slowly,” Richards says.
Refined starchy carbs – white bread,
cakes, biscuits, crisps and the like
– cause bigger spikes because they’re
rapidly digested. But there’s no need
to ditch these foods completely. “You
can reduce the spike by eating them
as a dessert at the end of a meal, or
with a source of protein,” Richards
says, “such as chocolate with nuts.”

“The nutritional
differences
between
wholegrain over
white bread,
or brown over
white rice, are
trivial for
most people”

SUGAR: THE LEAST HEALTHY
CARBOHYDRATE
Prof Taylor places less importance
on opting for wholegrain over white
bread, or brown over white rice. “The
nutritional differences are trivial for
most people,” he says. The key carbs
to limit are sugars, he says. “Low carb
diets are fashionable and much
discussed, but the vital thing for
health is to avoid a high sugar intake.”
Many sugary foods are easily
identified, but savoury products →
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 121

health matters.

“Ways to boost the resistant starch in your
diet include toasting bread from frozen,
making overnight oats instead of porridge,
and adding lentils and pulses to your meals”

like ready-meals and condiments can also contain
significant amounts, and Prof Taylor urges everyone
to check labels. Look for the “Carbohydrates of which
sugars” figure: more than 22.5g of total sugars per
100g means it’s high in sugar, while 5g or less is low.
WHAT ARE RESISTANT CARBS?
These include oats, underripe bananas, beans
and legumes. Resistant carbs contain a type of fibre
that ferments in the intestine, delivering health
benefits. “They help to feed the good bacteria in your
gut, as well as having a lesser effect on blood glucose
levels,” Young says.
Cooking sometimes destroys this type of fibre,
but it can be restored by allowing the food to cool.
“Cook and cool potato or pasta, which make a
delicious addition to salads,” Young says. “Or they
can be reheated again with the same impact.”
Other ways to boost the resistant starch in your
diet include toasting bread from frozen, making
overnight oats instead of porridge, and adding lentils
and pulses to your meals, Young says.
CAN LOW-CARBOHYDRATE DIETS HELP
WITH WEIGHT LOSS?
“Low carb diets can produce some weight loss in
the short term,” says Prof Taylor, who was awarded
an MBE last year for his work that showed weight
loss could put Type 2 diabetes into remission.
However, he stresses that simply reducing your carb
intake is not enough to reverse Type 2 diabetes.
To lose a “moderate” amount of weight, he advises
cutting out free sugars and halving starchy
carbs. That’s not because starchy
carbs are bad for you – it’s just the
best way to reduce calories: the
proteins on your plate will help
keep you full – so you won’t
binge later – and vegetables
are relatively low in calories
anyway, he says.
NEXT MONTH
Is full-fat dairy
really better
for you?

THE DANGER OF
LOW-CARB DIETS
Extremely low-carb diets,
involving less than 20g of

122 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

carbohydrate per day, simply aren’t good for you.
“It can be extremely dangerous,” Prof Taylor says.
“Some people are likely to develop profound
weakness, which could even be fatal.”
In fact, slashing your carb intake can result in
the opposite of what was intended. “For most people
it just leads to cravings and the potential to overeat
sugary foods,” Young says.
What’s more, the benefits of eating high-quality
carbs – wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and pulses –
are clear. A recent scientific review of carbohydrates
by the World Health Organisation found a link
between these foods and better overall health.
THE BOTTOM LINE
Not all carbohydrates are the same. Quality carbs
provide energy, fibre and nutrients and should be
included in a healthy balanced diet. Reducing starchy
carbs can help with weight loss but they shouldn’t be
excluded from your diet completely. Sugary carbs are
the least beneficial for health, but there are ways to
enjoy them to limit their negative impact.

HEALTHY WAYS TO
ENJOY CARBS
• To limit blood sugar spikes and sugar
cravings, opt for unprocessed or minimally
processed carbs like wholegrains,
vegetables, fruit and beans.
• Save highly processed refined sweet carbs
to have as part of a meal (dessert) or enjoy
with a source of protein.
• Enjoy other highly processed
carbs with protein, too. For
example, toast with avocado,
eggs or peanut butter;
crackers with houmous
or cheese.
• When trying to lose a
moderate amount of
weight, halve the amount
of starchy carbs you’d
normally eat with a meal.

View across
Crail harbour

Bite-size break.

A cosy Neuk
A quiet fishing haven, the East Neuk of Fife on the east coast of
Scotland produces some of the nation’s finest ingredients from both
land and sea. Norman Miller explores its pretty coastal villages, enjoying
quality fare wherever he goes, from crab shacks to fancy restaurants
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 123

QUAY STROKES
From April to September, shack up with Reilly
Shellfish (reillyshellfishcrail.com), serving justlanded – and prepped – crab and lobster from a little
hut on Crail’s exquisite 16th century walled harbour.
Down the coast, East Pier Smokehouse (eastpier.
co.uk) in St Monans is a different quayside beacon,
serving the likes of house-smoked sea bass with apple,
onion and pink peppercorn chutney, roast scallops
in smoked garlic herb butter, plus top-notch cullen
skink (chunky smoked haddock and potato soup).
Take your pick of batterers vying for the fish and
chips crown by Anstruther harbour. Anstruther
Fish Bar (anstrutherfishbar.co.uk) has twice bagged
Scottish takeaway of the year accolades with servings
including crumbed Pittenweem prawns, and smoked
haddock and mozzarella fish cakes. But its neighbour,
The Wee Chippy (theweechippyanstruther.co.uk),
won the Best Fish and Chip gong at the 2023 Scottish
Restaurant Awards – so (ahem) plaice your bets…

POSH NOSH

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP

Creels at Crail harbour – and a
fresh catch at Reilly Shellfish;
herring being smoked on Crail
quay; superb Scottish
mussels; colourful starter at
Craig Millar in St Monans; apt
decor at the Cocoa Tree Cafe,
Pittenweem; perfect spot for
a cuppa at Crail Harbour
Gallery & Tea Room
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP, OPPOSITE

Seafood and fishy crafts at
Crail Harbour Gallery & Tea
Room; local tipple Crail Gin;
seawater pool at St Monans;
earthenware from Crail
Pottery; sandy beach at Elie,
near Kilconquhar; see the
past come alive at Crail
Museum; courtyard at food
co-operative Bowhouse

The Good Food Guide’s Best Local Restaurant in
Scotland 2023 is the Kinneuchar Inn (kinneucharinn.
com). This 17th century pub in the handsome inland
hamlet of Kilconquhar balances a relaxed ambience
with a bold field-to-fork menu using produce from
the surrounding Balcaskie Estate, as well as novel
pairings like mussels with east coast-cured guanciale.
Carved from a fisherman’s cottage by St Monans
harbour, Craig Millar @ 16 West End (16westend.
com) has sea views from inside and out on the terrace.
The simple menu descriptions (‘smoked salmon,
mustard and dill’) belie the panache of its cooking.
Just one street – but a world – away from
Anstruther’s harbourside chippies, Michelin-starred
The Cellar (thecellaranstruther.co.uk) occupies a
former smokehouse, where local lad Billy Boyter
brings high-end tasting menu reverence to Scottish
ingredients with offerings like kelp and lovage broth.
For dessert, how about apple and marigold sorbet with
black olive isomalt (it’s a fancy sugar substitute)?

CRACKING CAFFS
The Cocoa Tree Cafe (pittenweemchocolate.co.uk)
gets versatile with Pittenweem Chocolate Company’s
award-winning (reduced sugar) artisan products in a
space overlooked by a dramatic giant cocoa-themed
bronze relief. Try an intense dark choc mochaccino
or reshape your ideas of savoury with a thick mixed
bean stew enriched with cocoa.
The suntrap terrace at the Crail Harbour Gallery
and Tea Room (crailharbourgallery.co.uk) might

bite-size break.

just be the loveliest place in Scotland for a cuppa,
fronting a little stone-floor interior selling local
crafts alongside homemade cakes and simple,
zingingly fresh seafood lunches.
At Bowhouse (see Outlets, below), Baern
(@baern_cafe) showcases hyper-local produce via
seductive sandwich combos such as slow-cooked pork,
pickled cucumber and five-spiced aubergine, alongside
savoury plates melding spelt, acorn squash, Scottish
blue cheese and pickled cherries. Or just enjoy a cuppa
with a Fife cheddar, nigella and apple butter scone.
Further south, Lower Largo’s The Aurrie
(theaurrie.com) is a café in a former 1860s Baptist
church – a blessed backdrop for top-notch coffee,
fresh salads and sandwiches, plus iconic Scots vittles
such as square-and-spicy Lorne sausage.

OUT-THERE OUTLETS
Just behind St Monans, Bowhouse (bowhousefife.
com) food co-operative hosts forward-thinking
producers such as socially aware bakers Scotland
The Bread (scotlandthebread.org) and fervent
fermenters Angry Kulture (angrykulture.co.
uk). Grab a drink too in the taproom at Futtle
(futtle.com), where old farmhouse brews are
re-imagined using wild yeasts from its old
wood rafters, alongside an in-house record
shop selling rare vintage vinyl.
In Anstruther, Aeble (aeble.co.uk) is
Scotland’s first specialist cider shop, set up by
Jaye Hutchison to prove apples can create
tipples as complex and elegant as champagne.
Greens (@crail_greens) in Crail, meanwhile,
is a grocer stuffed with local food and drink,
such as Crail Gin made with botanicals
including blueberries, samphire and sea kelp.

PHOTOGRAPHS: NORMAN MILLER, ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

WHEN YOU’RE NOT
EATING...
Delve into Fife’s maritime heritage at Anstruther’s
Scottish Fisheries Museum (scotfishmuseum.org),
then study some broader social history at the little
Crail Museum (crailmuseum.uk) – before a crafty
browse at nearby Crail Pottery (crailpottery.com).
Get out on the water to spy seals and puffins on
cruises from Anstruther to the Isle of May, 5 miles
offshore, then head inland to Scotland’s Secret
Bunker (secretbunker.co.uk), a time capsule of Cold
War memories in a labyrinthine 1950s nuclear bunker.
A statue marks the Lower Largo birthplace of
Alexander Selkirk, whose 19th century stranding
inspired Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, while the Fife
Coastal Path takes you past the windmill at St
Monans, looming over a tempting tidal sea pool.

WHERE TO STAY
The Shoregate
With a pared-back modern
fine dining restaurant
overseen by chef Craig
McAllister, this restored
1740s Crail house offers four
roomy bedrooms with chic
Scandi-influenced styling.
Scrumptious breakfasts
too – try the omelette
Arnold Bennett.
Doubles from £230 B&B,
theshoregate.com
The Crusoe
In a 19th century granary by
Lower Largo’s sandy beach,
The Crusoe’s seven sea-view
rooms combine a soft New
England palette with the joy
of waves lulling you to sleep.
It retains the friendly vibe of
a village pub too – albeit one
serving dishes like salmon
with crab rösti, crispy kale
and shellfish broth.
Doubles from £200 B&B,
thecrusoe.com
For more information
about the East Neuk,
visit welcometofife.com
deliciousmagazine.co.uk 125

at a glance.

MAY

ESSENTIAL RECIPE INFO

Recipe index
Vegetarian & vegan
• Artichoke & crisp frittata
with a caper & shallot salad
117
• Celeriac, spinach & black
garlic ‘parmie’ tart
38

SWEET THINGS

5
STARTERS, SIDES,
SNACKS & BRUNCH
• Eggs florentine
50
• Filo-wrapped feta with
spiced honey
30
• Halloumi with garlic &
rosemary fermented honey
92
• Mushroom jiaozi dumplings
62
• Patates antinaxtes: pan-fried
new potatoes with red wine
& coriander
26
• Rillettes de porc
80
• Salt and vinegar jersey royal
focaccia
44
• Sausage rolls
52
• Spanokopita fritters
30

MAINS
Meat & poultry
• Braised sausages, lentils &
fennel
31

• Lamb chop platter with
cheesy potato skins,
crispy bits & asparagus 38
• Lamb chops with chermoula
& giant couscous
118
• Lemon & oregano
chicken wings with feta
dip
28
• ’Nduja risotto with burnt
lemon honey
117
• Olive-brined chicken with
dried apricots & garlic
118
• Steamed chicken with
shiitake & wood ear
mushrooms
60

• Baklava ricotta semifreddo
32
• Chocolate chip strawberry
shortcakes
5
• Crullers
70
• Galatopita: golden filo
custard pie
31
• Gooseberry & toasted
coconut pavlova
77
• ‘Home-style’ chocolate,
coffee & orange
68
• Honey flapjacks
90
• Jamaican ginger cake with
chocolate ganache & berry
coulis
40
• Mini baked alaskas
56
• Salted honey tart
90

DRINKS & OTHER
• Fermented hot sauce
83
• Lemongrass, apple,
lime leaf & chilli jelly
74
• Strawberry daiquiri
103

Recipes with these symbols are
suitable for special diets provided
you choose appropriate free-from
ingredients – always check the label.
Other recipes can be adapted for
special diets – see our Make It
Veggie and Easy Swaps tips.
Standard kit
Our recipes assume cooks will have
a food processor/blender/stick
blender; an electric stand mixer/
hand mixer; a selection of pans, tins
and casseroles; baking paper and
kitchen paper. We give alternative
methods for combining ingredients
if possible, and specify the size of
dish/tin if relevant. We also think a
digital probe thermometer is helpful
for cooking meat, making jam etc.
Prep and cooking times
All our timings include prep.
Hands-on time is when you’re
chopping, stirring, assembling,
frying or grilling.
Oven/simmering time is when you
can leave the dish unattended in
the oven or on the hob.
Nutritional information
Recipes are analysed for nutritional
content by an expert nutritionist.
Calculations may vary, depending on
your choice of ingredients, and
include listed ingredients only.
Our suppliers
Meat for our recipe testing and
photography is supplied by The
Ginger Pig (thegingerpig.co.uk)
unless otherwise specified.
Handmade crockery by Sofia
Ceramics (sofiaceramics.com).
With thanks to Magimix for
supplying our small appliances.
Prices
These are checked and correct
at the time of going to press.

Fish & seafood
• Jersey royal & brown crab
salad
44
• Smoked mackerel
toasties 114
• Tuna puttanesca ragù
110

Our symbols explained
You can freeze all or most
of the recipe. Unless stated
otherwise, freeze the finished dish
for up to 3 months. Defrost and
heat until piping hot throughout.
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten free
Dairy free

118

Oven temperatures
Our recipes give fan oven and
gas mark temperatures. For
conventional ovens without a fan,
add 20°C to the fan temperature.

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126 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

Look what’s in the June

ON SALE
4 June

Taco Tuesdays reinvented

The strawberry cake you’ve been waiting for

• Yum! Strawberries like they
used to taste – in tarts,
cakes and more
• Barbecue time… Slow-cooked
Mexican-style pork shoulder
• Make your own mayo – and
use it in early-summer dishes

Let’s hear it for lettuce

PLUS
• A food lover’s tour of
Henley-On-Thames
• Why we love chain
restaurants
• Best German beers for
watching the Euros

Be a Better Cook
ULTIMATE STEAK TARTARE • DIY KOREAN PICKLES
• SCONES GET THE EXPERT TREATMENT AND MORE…

DON’T
MISS OUT
Subscribe for a free
copy of Greekish –
see p34

take five.

PUZZLES PAGE
There’s a prize to be won and food knowledge to be tested with Hugh Thompson’s
crossword and food quiz. They’re what a cuppa and cake were made for
2

3

4

JUMBO CROSSWORD
Across

5

6

7

8

1 Nicolas Culpeper was one – uses 3 and 6 down (9)
8 Crunchy vegetable, good for soups and braises (6)
9 Jersey ______: kings of the seasonal spuds (6)
12 Long, thin grater (4)
13 Black tea, supposedly with a Dutch link (5)
14 Japanese pickled ginger, often served with sushi (4)
17 Salad that includes 8 across, apples and walnuts (7)
18 American name for a soda cracker (7)
19 Mediterranean seafood favourite (7)
22 Sweet and earthy winter root veg (7)
24 Antiquated name for fortified wines from Spain (4)
25 Famous sea captain said (wrongly) to have introduced
potatoes to Britain (5)
26 ____ Fruits: sweet from the 1960s, whose name was
changed to Starburst in 1998 (4)
29 This part of a recipe tells you what to do with the
ingredients (6)
30 Aromatic tree – you get 3 down from it (6)
31 Classic French meaty spread – find it in this month’s
magazine (9)

9

10

11

12

14

13
16

15
17

18

20

21

24

23

22

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

HOW TO WIN A PRIZE
Complete the crossword puzzle correctly, take a picture and email it to
info@deliciousmagazine.co.uk by the end of the month for a chance to win*

JUMBO CROSSWORD PRIZE
Win a Flapjackery Mega Box of 12 giant
gluten-free flapjacks plus a jute bag,
worth over £50. Made in Devon, the
array of flavours includes clotted cream
fudge and raspberry & white chocolate
– all crunchy, crumbly and laden with
golden syrup.** flapjackery.co.uk

CRYPTIC CLUE: WIN A £50 CO-OP GIFT CARD

£50

GIFT CARD

For your chance to win £50 to spend in
store, solve the cryptic clue on the magazine
spine, then email your answer with your name,
full UK address and phone number to
info@deliciousmagazine.co.uk by 31 May 2024.*
Solution to March’s clue: brioche

Down
MAY PRIZE CROSSWORD

19

2 Large jug with a wide mouth (4)
3 Essential for a bouquet garni – from 30 across (7)
4 Cubes or strips of fatty bacon (7)
5 Icelandic cultured dairy – a bit like yogurt (4)
6 Medicinal herb like a thistle, whose spiky heads are
used to nap cloth (6)
7 The opposite of an acid (6)
10 Place where beer is made (and often sold) (9)
11 Tropical fruit once used to show off one’s wealth (9)
15 A wide glass with a shallow bowl (5)
16 The noise you should make eating noodles (5)
20 Australian slang for food (6)
21 A filled pastry popular in Austria and Germany (7)
22 A cross between a crumpet and a drop scone (7)
23 Southern Italian city, supposedly the home of pizza (6)
27 Spiced milky tea popular in India (and worldwide) (4)
28 To preserve food using salt (4)

ANSWERS TO MARCH’S CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Honeycomb 8 Frozen 9 Render
12 Newt 13 Dolma 14 Sloe 17 Russian 18 Clotted
19 Saffron 22 Bircher 24 Eton 25 Stein
26 Hops 29 Neroli 30 Cognac 31 Cafeteria
DOWN 2 Orzo 3 Einkorn 4 Caramac 5 Mint
6 Prawns 7 Merlot 10 Undressed 11 Tenderise
15 Fibre 16 Copra 20 Floret 21 Nitrite
22 Brioche 23 Hookah 27 Soya 28 Ugli

CRYPTIC CLUE SET BY LES DUNN. FOOD QUIZ CO-COMPILED BY JAMES BANYARD. *FOR TS&CS, SEE P126.
**PLEASE SEE PRODUCT PAGE ON THE FLAPJACKERY WEBSITE FOR INGREDIENT & ALLERGEN INFORMATION.
CONTAINS MILK, SOYA, EGGS, NUTS, PEANUTS & SULPHUR

1

THE FOOD QUIZ
1

The culinary term à la
ficelle means you do
what to your ingredients?
a) Wrap in parchment
b) Tie with string
c) Flatten with a rolling pin
d) Arrange with tweezers

6

2

In Chinese restaurants
in the UK, ‘crispy
seaweed’ is usually...
a) Dried shredded tofu
b) Pak choi
c) Spring greens
d) Dried kelp

7

3

8

Nonnenfürzle are
German doughnut-like
pastries, but what does
the name mean?
a) Nun’s prayers
b) Nun’s kisses
c) Nun’s tears
d) Nun’s farts

4

Turophilia is the
love of...
a) Walnuts
b) Bull’s blood
c) Cheese
d) Shellfish

5

The first food eaten
in space was...
a) High nutrition gel
b) Beef and liver paste
c) Freeze-dried chicken
d) Tube of apple sauce

What are Pearls
of Aphrodite?
a) Crystals left behind
after distilling ouzo
b) Truffle spores
c) Snail caviar
d) Hummingbird eggs

Which of these
is not a popular type
of hop for brewing ale?
a) Fortius
b) Fuggle
c) Mosaic
d) Citra
Which one of these
is not a real dish?
a) Cheese tea (Taiwan)
b) Pig sweat (Spain)
c) Pine cone jam (Russia)
d) Camel drool (Portugal)

9

Which Greek deity
is used to signify
a wine is biodynamic?
a) Venus
b) Gaia
c) Demeter
d) Artemis

10

According to
Escoffier cuire
à l’anglaise means?
a) Roast in a hot oven
b) Cook without salt
c) Smother in gravy
d) Boil in salted water

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deliciousmagazine.co.uk 129

ANSWERS: 1) b (to make them easier to lift in and out of stocks, sauces...)
2) c (so-called crispy seaweed is deep-fried shredded spring greens or cabbage.
The first Chinese takeaways in the UK could not source seaweed and used
cabbage instead) 3) d (the story goes that a bishop secretly watched a nun
preparing them – the whistling noise that the dough made in the hot fat
reminded him of certain human digestive sounds…) 4) c (from the Greek: tyros
– cheese; philos – love) 5) a (Laika, the Soviet space dog, was trained to eat a
special nutritious gel developed for a zero-gravity environment) 6) c (it’s possible
to harvest and eat the eggs from snails – they’re reputed to have aphrodisiac
properties) 7) a (fuggle is a classic Kent hop; mosaic is popular in IPAs and pale
ales; citra is a fruity US hop) 8) b (cheese tea is iced tea with whipped cream/
cream cheese on top; pine cone jam is more of a thick sugar syrup flavoured
with young pine cones; camel drool is the name of a popular condensed milk
dessert) 9) c 10) d (it wasn’t meant as an insult)

talking point.

Gadgets be gone!
I’m in it for the work
T

he rise of the kitchen gadget is testament to
our craving for a faster way of doing things.
WHAT DO
Lined up in their stainless-steel glory like
YOU THINK?
shining beacons of hope, these plug-in warriors are
Are gadgets
designed to make life easy, while delivering foolproof
a harmless
results to the dinner table.
shortcut, or are
Helpful? Without question. Enjoyable? No. Well,
they destroying
not for me anyway. It’s precisely in the work gadgetry
the pleasure
has us avoid – the peeling, proofing, mixing, slicing
of cookery?
and kneading – that I find the real joy of cooking.
Let us know
Come 6pm I’m tools-down,
at info@
deliciousmagazine. apron tied, playlist on and ready for
action. Folding pasta sheets into
co.uk
fresh tortellini. Prepping dough
until it’s ripe for baking. A heady
spice mix emerging through the
crushing of pestle and mortar.
Those comforting sounds, smells
and rhythmic movements signal
something delicious is on the way…
It’s an instant pass to a culinary
playground where lessons are
learned, flavours emerge and old
techniques remain in play.
Granted, hand-shaved courgette
ribbons might not be as uniform as
those delivered by a plug-in spiralizer, but they
give way more bang for your buck when it comes to
satisfaction because you did it all yourself – the old
way. No cutting corners. And way less washing up.
Don’t get me wrong – I appreciate the convenience
of a processor, sitting all fancy with its high-speed
‘let me show you what I can do’ motor, the promise of
silky dough and expertly frothed cream a mere button
away. But it’s loud. And obnoxiously accurate. Another
tool in our go-faster armoury to help us multitask our
way through life. I’d rather chop the carrot.

In a world of quick fixes, I find myself craving
a slower, more meditative way of doing things.
Cooking gadget-free provides that. There’s a form
of therapy built into the soft cloth of an apron, the
shiny edges of a knife and the slashes of a chopping
board that could tell a hundred stories. These things
bear the brunt of my day and bring a sense of balance
back to the fore. I don’t know about you, but I just
don’t get that from a noisy spinning blade.
As more and increasingly elaborate kitchen
gadgets spill into the mainstream,
the desire to practise traditional
skills becomes stronger within
me. Like a stroppy kid with
a middle finger up to the
convenience movement,
I crave the opportunity
to put my hands to
work and lose myself
in the beautiful
grooves of a gnocchi
while Spotify does
its thing and the dog
drools in his basket.
It’s the process that
feeds a cook’s soul,
not the personal-best time you get the
meal on the table.
I don’t profess to be good at all of
it, but it’s giving it a red hot go that
matters most. Because in trying,
you learn. And in learning, you
improve. Until, eventually,
you nail it. It’s all part of the
journey to become a better
cook. What kind of gadget
can offer that?

“As more elaborate
kitchen gadgets spill
into the mainstream,
my desire to practise
traditional skills
becomes stronger…
like a stroppy kid
with a middle finger
up to the convenience
movement”

130 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

PHOTOGRAPH: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES

This issue has been big on
skills, and for writer Lara Green,
slowing right down and doing
the fiddly bits by hand is
exactly what cooking is about

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