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Masala spiced roast chicken and gunpowder potatoes

Masala spiced roast chicken and gunpowder potatoes

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This masala spiced roast chicken and gunpowder potatoes is a mishmash of three or four different recipes that we’ve seen recently and wanted to try. Jamie Oliver does a chicken roasted over a pan of veg (he puts it on the oven shelf though and just the thought of cleaning it freaks me out), I do this yoghurt marinated chicken a lot but usually with chicken breasts, and the gunpowder potatoes are my favourite side to order whenever I go to Dishoom. They’re like spicy roast potatoes in a lovely dry, green dressing - zingy with lime and packed with coriander and green chilli. YUM. We served it with a bit of roasted broccoli but honestly you don’t really even need that - the veg cooks down into the most delicious accompaniment/sauce.

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Turkey tips and timings for Christmas dinner

Turkey tips and timings for Christmas dinner

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I always love writing this Christmas Eve round-up post every year– I’m sure I say pretty much the same thing every year, which is don’t panic! It’s just a big roast dinner, but it’s worth reminding you that it’s your Christmas too, so enlist everyone to help, and do as much as you can before the big day. Here, then, without further waffle, are all my top turkey tips and timings for Christmas dinner. If you’re catering for a couple of vegetarians or vegans, I suggest doubling up on the stuffing (it’s delicious on its own, but you could even squish up some veggie sausages and add them into the mix).

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Christmas leftover pie

It’s Boxing Day, which means it’s time for Christmas leftover pie!

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Well hello there! I hope you had a cracking Christmas. Ours was slightly delayed as we were all horribly jet-lagged and didn’t wake up until nearly 10.30 (a first in this house, I can tell you). We had a pared back Christmas after our big Orlando holiday and do you know what? It was probably one of my favourites. Presents were kept to a minimum, dinner was simply roast turkey and sides - no fancy stuff - and we spent the evening watching films, stuffing chocolates and eating a block of cheese. Heaven. But now of course, it’s Boxing Day, which means it’s time for Christmas leftover pie, one of our favourite meals of the whole year, and the best way to use up all those delicious leftovers. My Dad loved Christmas leftover pie (known as Boxing Day pie in our house), so we’ll be raising a glass to him when we tuck in (can you believe it’s a year?).

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Turkey tips and timings: everything you need to know about cooking Christmas dinner

Turkey tips and timings: everything you need to know about cooking Christmas dinner

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As I write this, I’m aware that when you read it, we’ll be in Orlando enjoying Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando Resort, and as much as I’m very excited, I’m also remembering that we’ll probably be spending our Christmas Day feeling a bit jetlagged and maybe on a bit of a holiday comedown (I know, it’s hard to feel sorry for me). We decided to do something completely different in the run up to Christmas this year, mainly because my Dad died this time last year, and although we’ll be thinking about him, we didn’t want to be sitting around feeling sad at Christmas. I love writing this final round-up post every year– I’m sure I say pretty much the same thing every year, which is don’t panic! It’s just a big roast dinner, but it’s worth reminding you that it’s your Christmas too, so enlist everyone to help, and do as much as you can before the big day. Click here to see my post on the best stuffing recipe and everything else you need to accompany your Christmas dinner, and read on for turkey tips and timings.

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The only recipe for chicken fajitas you'll ever need

The only recipe for chicken fajitas you’ll ever need

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Chicken fajitas are one of our all time favourite dinners. They’re brilliant for a quick family supper, but they’re also great if you’re feeding a crowd - you can posh them up a bit with some delicious fresh tomato salsa and some homemade guacamole, plus a dollop of sour cream too if you like (we like the sour cream and chive dip you get in the supermarket). Charlie makes them a lot at uni as you can make a little bit of chicken go quite a long way, but of course you can use steak, or even some firm white fish. I keep the seasoning really simple, but as usual, feel free to experiment. Here’s my favourite recipe for chicken fajitas!

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Belvoir beef pie with blueberry and blackbcurrant

Beef pie with blueberry and blackcurrant cordial

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So if you’ve been around these parts before, you’ll know that I’ve been working with Belvoir to create some deliciously warming autumnal recipes. It’s been such fun testing, tasting and cooking, and I really think that this beef pie using Belvoir’s Blueberry & Blackcurrant Cordial is my favourite. Of course, now is the perfect time for pies, and we took inspiration from Scandinavian cuisine, which has long embraced the concept of pairing the sweet, flavour-packed berry with savoury meat dishes. The cordial gives a delicious depth of flavour and a background sweetness to this perfect, autumn pie. Serve with piles of creamy mash, and my current obsession: carrots roasted with a little chilli, maple and lime.

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The best spaghetti and meatballs with tomato balsamic sauce

How to make the best spaghetti and meatballs with tomato balsamic sauce

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Spaghetti and meatballs is one of our favourite family dinners (‘spagerder!’). You just can’t beat tender, savoury meatballs in a silky tomato sauce with mounds of freshly cooked pasta. Of course, there are a hundred different variations out there: some meatballs use pork and beef, some add Parmigiano to the mixture, some bake, some cook in the sauce… the possibilities are endless. My take on it uses a pretty standard beef meatball, baked in the oven first, then cooked in a rich tomato sauce with a hint of sweetness from the balsamic vinegar and a hint of chilli spice too. Of course you can use a jar of tomato sauce, which I often do too, and linguine instead of spaghetti if you don’t have it. Here, then, especially for you, is my own, well-loved recipe for spaghetti and meatballs with tomato balsamic sauce.

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Easy spiced lamb kofta meatballs

Easy spiced lamb kofta meatballs

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I love to travel, but it’s also really lovely to get home and do a bit of nesting. I miss being in our kitchen, cooking for everyone while we all chat, catch up and have a giggle - there’s nothing quite like a house full of people (and quite a bit of mess at the moment - I need to do some decluttering). Charlie is home from uni and Sam has finished uni (I’m so old!) so doing a bit of part time stuff until he can get something more permanent, so often there’ll be all of us - plus girlfriends and often the odd friend too. I love it. The more the merrier, and these easy spiced lamb kofta meatballs are perfect for feeding a crowd. I guess you wouldn’t really look at meatballs as sunny day food, but, if you’re anything like me, there’s only so many salads you can eat when the weather is warm.
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Coconut chilli prawn noodles

Coconut chilli prawn noodles

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I think finding something delicious to cook for dinner midweek is one of my biggest challenges. I love these coconut chilli prawn noodles because the basic recipe can be adapted to suit so many different tastes. If you’re a meat eater, you can swap the prawns for chicken, and if you’re a veggie you can leave them out and add things like mushrooms, sliced peppers and sliced green beans (of course, you can still do that anyway). That’s the beauty of this dish. It’s also fab for using up leftovers as you can basically bung any old thing in and it will still taste delicious. It’s also one of those recipes where most of the ingredients can be kept in the cupboard and/or freezer for when you’ve got nothing in. When I buy red chillis, I’ll often freeze any that I think I won’t use and you can basically grate them straight into the dish. The same goes for ginger too. Here’s the basic recipe:

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Deliciously simple empanadas

Deliciously simple empanadas

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We tend to go through different little food fads in our house. A while ago it was home made pizzas, then it was a gazillion iterations of coconut based curries, and now we’re addicted to empanadas. Think of empanadas as delicious little spiced Cornish pasties. You’ll find them all over Latin America and Spain, stuffed with all sorts of delicious fillings. I tend to fill mine with a dry-ish version of my normal chilli mixture. If you want to go all technical and make proper Chilean empanadas de pino, you’ll need to add raisins, chopped boiled eggs and olives, which, as you can imagine is a stretch too far for the fussier ones in my family, so I stick to a spicy minced beef filling. The dough for these deliciously simple empanadas is fab: really easy to work with and really forgiving - no resting necessary.

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Slow cooked chicken leg soup

Slow cooked chicken leg soup

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As the parents of two young lads, one of the charities very close to our hearts is Centre Point, the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity. Centre Point has recently launched a new fundraising initiative, The Big Broth. It’s a competition to find a new and exciting soup recipe. The winning recipe will be put into production by Yorkshire Provender this autumn with 20p from every pot sold going straight back into funding Centre Point’s work with the young homeless in London and other major UK cities. The competition closes very soon (end of this month) and they’re keen to get as many entries in as possible, so if you have a favourite soup recipe, please please take five minutes to enter the competition. It’s such a worthy cause. I’ve entered our new favourite, a slow cooked chicken leg soup which is deliciously warm and tasty, perfect for chilly days or to perk up anyone feeling under the weather.

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New Cook Well from Waitrose

New Cook Well from Waitrose, and a 50% discount off your first order

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I never know how I feel about recipe boxes. I’ve had some good, and I’ve had some very, very bad (think teeny portions and an absolute ton of unnecessary packaging to get rid of). Recently Waitrose have joined the (dinner) party by launching their own recipe box delivery service. Cook Well from Waitrose delivers fresh, portioned ingredients straight to the door. All the meals are approved by a Waitrose nutritionist and most have at least two of your five fruit and veg a day. There’s quite a decent range of dishes, including a range of vegetarian and pescatarian recipes as well as meat options. Waitrose very kindly asked me if I’d like to give Cook Well a go, so I chose three dishes to try out. Here’s how I got on.

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Sainsbury's new Supper Club range

Staying INin with The Supper Club range, new from Sainsbury’s

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Picture the scene: it’s Friday night, we’ve both had a hectic week and we’re slumped, finally, in front of the TV, bra off (me), joggers on (him), and both boys out with friends. It’s the perfect opportunity for us to head out to dinner together, just the two of us. We discuss options and various restaurants we quite fancy, but it would mean getting dressed and putting make up on and driving/taxis and whatever and there’s a good film we both fancy on the telly, and delicious wine in the rack. What to do? We don’t have the luxury of many takeaways that deliver here, plus that option can be expensive (and frankly not always great), and although I love to cook, sometimes the thought of getting creative in the kitchen when I just want to chat and sip wine with Jim while we catch up after a busy week means I’d love an easier, but still delicious alternative. This week we’ve been trying The Supper Club range, a collection of premium luxury ready meals new to Sainsbury’s, so we popped the Red Thai Chicken Curry in the oven instead.

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New M&S food to order Feb 2018

Weekend wishlist: New M&S food to order

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With Valentine’s Day coming up, I know many people will be thinking about booking a restaurant table for a romantic dinner for two. I do know, though, that going out on Valentine’s Day isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Restaurants are extra busy and there’s too much pressure to be ‘romantic’ while everyone’s looking, too! Plus, Mr E and I have been together for about a gazillion years, so I think the need to impress me has long gone. Still, I want to cook a gorgeous dinner for him, and I’ve been looking at the new M&S food to order products, where you can find some interesting cuts of meat that you’d normally have to order from your butcher, plus some great ideas for reluctant cooks, plus of course, delicious desserts.

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My top tips and recipes for Christmas dinner and beyond

My top tips and recipes for Christmas dinner and beyond

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I really enjoy writing this round-up post - traditionally my last one before Christmas. I probably say more or less the same thing every year (don’t panic! It’s just a big roast dinner), but as usual, remember that it’s your Christmas too. Grab a few willing helpers to make some Christmas cookies, or whip up some of my perfect frozen whipped cream hot chocolate and have a little prep-party on Christmas Eve (it’s amazing how much you can get done the night before). Need a little inspiration? Read on for my top tips and recipes for Christmas dinner and beyond: fresh ideas, old favourites and more!

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Entertaining over Christmas: my festive pie

Entertaining over Christmas: my festive pie

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One of my favourite things about Christmas is entertaining. I’m never happier than when there are guests at our table, and the house is filled with the sounds of chinking glasses and chatter. I was delighted, then, when Waitrose asked me to share one of my favourite recipes for easy Christmas entertaining. In our house, we traditionally invite friends and family over for dinner on Boxing Day. It’s a great way to relax and unwind after the big day, and I tend to make a huge ‘Boxing Day pie’ using leftover turkey and ham, then just serve it simply with mashed potato and steamed veg. Of course, you don’t have to wait until Boxing Day - this pie is just as delicious using chicken instead of turkey, and it can be made well in advance and kept in the fridge ready to pop into the oven. Here’s how to make my festive pie:

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