ENGLISH MUM

Lemon curd My Mum’s been on holiday to Sorrento.  While she’s been away I’ve been popping in occasionally to look after the cats and water plants, etc.  I’m always worried that people will think I’m a burglar, so I always talk really loudly to the cats: ‘hello Harreeeee!  Are you missing your mummmeeeeee?’.  It’s now dawned on me that rather than being labelled...

So when the hubby is home, one of our naughty pleasures is sending him off on a McDonald’s run (I know, but everything in moderation, etc).  There aren’t many things nicer than a sausage and egg McMuffin, especially if you’ve had a *cough* heavy night – plus there’s the benefit of no washing up afterwards.  I do differ with the boys about one thing, though, the dreaded hash browns....

Perfect rib eye steak This morning the postie knocked on the door and handed me a weird, squishy parcel.  Intrigued, I ferreted around, removing several layers of packaging until – finally – arriving at the rather pleasing contents: four beautiful looking (and perfectly packaged) 21 day aged rib eye steaks, courtesy of the lovely chaps at Farmers Choice. I find that steak is a bit ‘Marmitey’....

You know me, I love a glass of wine.  Or two.  So when Asda offered to send me a selection of their favourite wines for the summer, well, I jumped at the chance. As a fledgling wine-taster I’ve done my best to describe them for you (none of that ‘burnt rubber and cut grass’ stuff I promise) mostly without referring to any tasting notes, but this stuff’s all a bit subjective so you might...

Our meeting room at the Covent Garden Hotel So last Friday I headed up to Covent Garden for a meeting with Kellogg’s to hear all about their new campaign. We met at the incredibly gorgeous Covent Garden Hotel – it’s like a fabulous underground rabbit warren – all dark, cosy and warm – our meeting room had ornate flock wallpaper, comfy sofas and faux window/mirrors.  I’m now...

Here’s a thing: that Jay Rayner, yes, him off the telly, the scary one who can close a restaurant with a swish of his pen? He’s actually really nice. I’ve chatted a bit with him recently about his new book, and he actually cares what I think.  He cares about food: not just posh restaurant food, but the everyday stuff that goes in our trolley.  He doesn’t eat foie gras for breakfast. Who knew? This...

Chocolate Bundt cake As you might remember, I’ve got a bit of a ‘thing’ for Nordic Ware.  My love affair started with my heart shaped tin and has since progressed to individual present-shaped tins, and of course the ‘holiday tree’ pan used in Nigella’s wonderful ‘spruced up vanilla cake‘ from her Nigella Christmas book. I should really save this recipe until Christmas...

Barbecue chicken skewers So summer is finally creeping up on us (I definitely saw the sun at least twice last week), and, with some fabulous fresh veg popping up in our local farm shop (I can’t resist a glossy aubergine), I felt it was time to dust off one of my favourite summer essentials: the barbecue skewer.  It’s handy to have meat in the freezer (I often bulk buy meat online from Farmer’s...

I’ve noticed that I’ve been a bit remiss with the cocktails of late.  And well, you know me, it’s not because I’ve not been DRINKING them, oh no, it’s just because I usually drink too many and then forget to take a photo! The perfect Bloody Mary This particular Bloody Mary (left) was served to my friend Laura and I at the Cassis American Brassierie in St Pete’s, Florida. It...

I’ve done a few of these Lean on Turkey challenges now, supporting our fabulous British turkey farmers and showing you just how versatile turkey is.   The first challenge for 2013 is ‘pizza and pasta’ and I just had to go with pizza as, with a houseful of teenagers, it’s a bit of a staple. This pizza went down so well it’s been requested again already and has affectionately become...

Salmon en croute Asda’s Fishmonger, Darren Wrend has created some recipes to give you a bit of inspiration for how to cook a whole salmon.  They asked me if I’d like to have a go and have kindly allowed me to publish their recipes (and turned a blind eye while I fiddled with them too, bless ‘em): Salmon en croute filled with parsley, lemon and lemon and pepper butter Our verdict: delicious,...

Well, it was a mental weekend, what with the boy’s 18th birthday party, then dinner out with friends on Saturday followed by waiting up until 1am to pick Sam up from doing the bar at a local event.  Knackered doesn’t even cover it.  Sunday dinner, then, was a chilled affair – luckily I’d remembered to defrost the racks of lamb that I took home from the Asda meat masterclass so we had...

WHAT. A. DAY. We started early, constructing an epic chocolate layer cake. It was loosely based on Charlie’s birthday cake, but we dispensed with the top layer and added a layer of whipped cream and a thick layer of crumbled Flakes. Oh, and of course those Curly Wurlys – painstakingly cut to size and applied by the birthday boy himself. Here’s how to make it: Triple Layer Curly Wurly Chocolate...

Proscuitto wrapped monkfish at Zaza Italian So the newlyweds are back from their honeymoon, and very kindly offered to take me out to dinner to say thanks for my contribution to the wedding (which was basically getting so stressed over making two cupcake towers that I nearly cried and turned up at the service with buttercream still in my hair, but hey ho).  Zaza is a small chain and the Berkhamsted one is...

Triple layer chocolate mousse cake I know I’m always complaining about being old but blimey, my youngest was 15 yesterday. The Dude is mahoosive and has turned into a handsome, kind and funny teenager who is American Football mad and a bit of a gym obsessive. We’re all immensely proud of him. As is the tradition at English Towers, he’s been allowed to choose the birthday cakeage. Usually this...

Beef, pancetta and shallot pie So if you’re a regular reader (or you’ve just stopped by in search of pie recipes – in which case welcome!), you’ll know that I’ve already published a step by step ‘how to make a pie‘ recipe.  Do have a look at that one as it will give you invaluable tips on how to make pastry.  This recipe kind of skips the basics, just because I don’t...

I think the King’s Head in Ivinghoe is a bit of a hidden gem.  If I ever mention it, people don’t seem to have heard of it, yet my Disreputable Dad adores the place (we clubbed together to buy him dinner there for his birthday), and I often drive past (it’s a stunning ivy-clad 16th century building) and think ‘one day’, despite the fact that the Jags and Bentleys parked outside...

Spiced chocolate hot cross buns We love a hot cross bun.  Well, some of us do.  The Death Wish Dude thinks all things dried fruit are a bit bleurgh.  So if you’ve got a dried fruit hater in your family, or if you just fancy something a bit different this Easter, here’s a recipe for some lovely chocolatey hot cross buns. You’ll need: 150ml milk 150ml water Zest of 1 orange 50g butter 425g...

Firstly, can I just point out that GOD, I’M REALLY OLD.  My firstborn baby boy – my blue eyed, blonde haired, chatty little charmer – is 18 next month. I won’t gush on too much, but I’m immensely proud of him.  He’s grown into a bloody lovely, slightly enormous and very gangly fella – funny, kind and still capable of squeezing the life out of his Mum with a single...

So this week I was lucky enough to be invited up to Asda House in Leeds for a meat masterclass just in time for Easter, with the amazing (and rather Sean Bean-like) Jim Viggars, 30 year Asda veteran and the supermarket’s Head of Meat Quality. We started with drinks and nibbles (well, Laura and I actually started by trying to check in to the wrong hotel – turns out there are two Hiltons in Leeds city...

I love cooking.  If I have a spare half hour you’ll usually find me in the kitchen, baking a cake or preparing something for dinner.  BUT I do find choosing something to cook a bit of a chore.  Aside from the usual family gripes of who doesn’t like what, there’s the temptation to stick to the few dishes that suit everyone.  It’s the recipe for a massive food rut, something I think...

My lovely friend, Sarah, who has a blog called My Mummy Sings, not only has the voice of an angel, but impressive emergency baking skillz too.  I loved her post about making her hubby some last-minute heart shaped custard creams for Valentine’s Day. I’d forgotten how long it had been since I’d baked and spent a happy hour in the kitchen, radio on, with a big mug of tea.  Anyhoo, this recipe...

So when I was in Jamaica on our Royal Caribbean cruise (I’m never going to tire of saying that), we spent a fabulous day riding horses around old plantation land and – amazingly – into the sea.  After we’d dismounted (walking, it must be said, a bit like we’d soiled ourselves), we were served amazing spicy Jamaican jerk chicken, with rice and beans.  Delicious. The real thing:...

Orange juice really is a thing of beauty.  From a zingy glass of fresh orange juice first thing in the morning to a punchy tropical cocktail, it has so many uses in the kitchen. It’s great as a substitute for alcohol (if you don’t like it – can’t think why you wouldn’t but there you go) in things like Christmas mincemeat and – a sneaky tip here – if your Chinese recipe...

I love a bit of fizz.  I also love a nerdy fact.  I realised recently that I’d nearly got enough for a top ten, so I ferreted around for a couple more and came up with this lot: a big top ten of useless, but diverting, facts about Champagne. No need to thank me… My lovely friend, Helen McGinn, wino extraordinaire, reckons that champers is the perfect accompaniment to fish and chips.  A fact...