Saffron Strands

Cucumber Salad 'Cool as a cucumber' (idiom) - calm, self-possessed, imperturbable, unruffled.  This most definitely does no...

Raw Asparagus, pea-shoots and mint salad Spare a thought for the asparagus farmer subject to the vagaries of our climate.  Yes, the...

Tortilla It's waiting time on the allotment.  Almost everything is planted - save for courgettes, squash and pumpkins - and te...

Leeks baked in cream and stock Recently I posted on pairing Leeks with Gruyere which, for me is a great combination.  I suggested ser...

Wild Mushroom Tart at 40 Maltby Street The dish pictured above wouldn't be out of place in a top restaurant. However, I ate it in ...

Cabbage January King January is a dispiriting time on the allotment in the best of years.  When the calendar flicks over to Febr...

The annual Calҫotada festivals are a feature of winter in Spain's Catalunya region.  Somewhere between a spring onion and a leek, cal...

The Art of  Cooking with Vegetables Alain Passard Some time in the 1990's I was lucky enough to eat at L'Arpege in Paris.  Dis...

Lardo Courgette, goats' curd & anchovy pizza Any place where nobody raises an eyebrow at someone knocking back a gin cocktail ...

Gooseberries 'Invicta' If you love rhubarb, chances are you also appreciate gooseberries which share an acidity that people s...

Tender II Raspberries It's hard to believe we've reached the longest day of the year as I sit here looking out at thick grey ...

Wood roasted pork at Moro Yes, this is a terrible photograph, but quite honestly I was far too interested in eating the food on the p...

Purple Artichokes As the spring broad beans and peas begin to appear at market you might expect me to be regaling you with stories of...

Borlotti beans It's been a strange year for growing fruit and veg in England.  As in the flower garden, my vegetable plot has ...