Soups
Green Minestrone Soup au pistou
Green Minestrone Soup au pistou Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Pistou is the French version of pesto
February 10, 2026
Breads
Khobz – Moroccan Flat Bread
Khobz – Moroccan Flat Bread Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes This is one of the easiest breads
February 10, 2026
Preserves
Hedgerow Jelly
Hedgerow Jelly Prep Time: 10 Minutes Total Time: 1 Hour Cook Time: 30 Minutes To make a purple coloured one, use a
February 9, 2026
Poultry
Poulet au Pot
Poulet au Pot Prep Time: 20 Minutes Total Time: 3 Hours Cook Time: 2 Hours Meeting “My Learned friend” Neil at Gatwick
February 9, 2026
Desserts
Panna Cotta
Panna Cotta Prep Time: 1 Minute Total Time: 3 Hours Cook Time: 10 Minutes This is a quick and easy, classic
February 9, 2026
Pork
Cassoulet
Cassoulet Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 2 Hours It is said that this dish comes from Languedoc, taking its
February 9, 2026
Vegetables
Green Beans
Green Beans Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes I got this recipe whilst working in Hammersmith as ‘Acting Head Chef’,
February 9, 2026
Salads
Tzatziki
Tzatziki Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cooking Time: N/A Nothing beats the home-made version. I strain Greek yogurt in a cheese
February 9, 2026
Pork
Pork Souvlaki
Pork Souvlaki Prep Time: 10 Minutes (Overnight for more flavour) Cooking Time: 12/16 Minutes In my late teens / early
February 9, 2026
Vegetarian & Vegan
Aubergine Trofie
Aubergine Trofie Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes This works well with either fresh or dried pasta. If
February 9, 2026
Grains
Perfect Jasmine Rice
Perfect Jasmine Rice Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: 45 Minutes The answer to making fluffy rice is to reduce
February 9, 2026
Soups
Pistou is the French version of pesto normally made with basil. It doesn’t contain parmesan in the ingredients unlike the Italian version.
If you can’t find fresh peas or broad beans, then use frozen. The cannellini beans can be substituted with new potatoes, precooked. I made this in the winter, so I have used broccoli and kale instead of spring greens and green beans.
Breads
This is one of the easiest breads to bake, only requiring one rise. This baked when required in Morocco, for breakfast, lunch and dinner served warm. You may need to adjust the water or add a little flour, depending on the humidity.
Dairy
Whilst living in Dubai, I became good friends with a lady called Orit, a coffee supplier from Ethiopia. She and her family were incredibly kind-hearted and invited me, along with one of my employees, to Addis for a long weekend. We stayed in the Hilton Hotel, with all its striking architecture, including influences from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.
We went trekking in the mountains—simply amazing. My employee got into the local khat, an African amphetamine in its raw form. I didn’t partake, as I was a Dubai resident at the time.
These three yogurts came from the red, gold, and green colours representing both the Rastafarian movement and the Ethiopian flag. Either make your own yogurt or buy a Greek-style one. I use raw milk from Proper Cornish Milk.
Preserves
To make a purple coloured one, use a combination of: Damsons, bullace’s
(a smaller version of a damson), blackberries and sloe’s – or use individually. To make a pink coloured one, it’s hawthorn berries and or rose hips. You don’t need to peel the apples, just remove the stalks. Use crab apples or cooking apples as they are high in pectin.
Poultry
Meeting “My Learned friend” Neil at Gatwick airport to fly to Lyon, on a “Sideways” wine tour of Burgundy and the southern Rhône. We went during ‘Semaine du Gout’ the yearly, weeklong festival focusing on educating and promoting culinary appreciation.
The dish that year commemorate Henry IV dish to feed every French person on a Sunday in the 17th century. We drove to Bresse, the home of black feathered chicken and purchased probably the most expensive chicken I have ever bought.
You can enrich this dish with cooked mushrooms; a tablespoon of flour stirred into a small tub of crème fraiche and whisked into the cooking liquor.
Desserts
This is a quick and easy, classic Italian, light dessert. Great for all to eat. Serve with seasonal fruit. In the Summer, I use local strawberries.
Pork
It is said that this dish comes from Languedoc, taking its name from a glazed earthenware pot “cassole”, narrow at the bottom and widemouthed at the top, from the town of Issel. This dish became special to me when I walked from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic, across the Pyrenees. As the trekking was hard, finding a refuge with a cassoulet combined with a glass of wine was the perfect end to the day. This is my version of this dish.
Vegetables
I got this recipe whilst working in Hammersmith as ‘Acting Head Chef’, with a very moody ‘Sous Chef’ at Chez Kristof. When I was in Dubai, the local meat suppliers used to bring us grade 4/5 Wagyu whole beef Sirloin, free of charge as samples. I used to make gratin dauphinois and these green beans, and my business partner Paul Gidley wanted the recipe. Here you go “The Paul”, if you buy the book that will follow.
Salads
In my late teens / early twenties I went interrailing around Europe. Then taking ferries and sleeping on roof tops and camping on the beach. I survived on little money a two mile walk into town was rewarded with a pork souvlaki in pitta, washed down with a cold beer from the local shop. This is served with Tzatziki, chilli sauce, parsley salad and pitta bread. If you want to cut down on the prep time, you can buy pitta bread and the Tzatziki. See my other recipes for accompaniment’s that complement this simple dish.
Vegetarian & Vegan
This works well with either fresh or dried pasta. If you can’t find cooked aubergines, roast them whole in a hot oven, pricked with a fork, rubbed with olive oil and cooked for about 45/50 minutes at 200c. I found ours in the market in Catana, Sicily, roasted in a wood burning oven giving it a smoky flavour. You can cook them on the BBQ as well. Named after the opera ‘Norma’ in honour of composer Bellini, a native of Catania. Normally with tubular style pasta.
Grains
The answer to making fluffy rice is to reduce the amount of water, and once cooked let the rice stand for 10 minutes covered with a heavy tea towel. This is because Jasmine rice is a lot softer, and more water will make it ‘gummy’ rather than fluffy.