Little green courgette
The wateriness of courgettes puts many people off. But that’s only if you cook them like a 1950s battle-axe of a boarding-house landlady. The key…
A saucy dip
I had started with the intention of making a dip. It turned into a pasta sauce. And that is not a bad thing when that pasta…
Respect your elders
It’s now late May, nearly everything is fully laden with flowers and the leaves hang heavily from the trees and bushes looking like a 1950’s film…
Kashmiri pink noon tea
Gunpowder tea’s in the pot. A miserable bag, a teaspoon of sweepings from the floor and a whole nation relaxes as the National grid switches to…
Rhubarbade – ying and tang
We found ourselves in the garden centre again the other day. A weekday and all. We passed through aisles of green and shelves trailing leaves and…
Don’t throw those bloody spears at me
White asparagus with salsa verde. toasted chilli almonds, Parmesan and lemon zest I blame the Ancient Egyptians. What did they ever do for us? Cat worship lead…
Tom Kha and Harry
I bought a bird feeder from the hardware superstore the other day. Along with a new huge barbecue and quite a few other things you’re allowed…
Pizzoccheri, broccoli, garlicky, buttery
The past is a strange mirror to look into. And sitting here, in the attic surrounded by boxes and old sketchbooks from art college I feel…
Two carrot gold
How are bricks made? How do they make glass? How do they build a roof? Frieda Kahlo was a famous painter. Is turmeric food colouring? Have…
How empires crumble
It’s very hilly where we live in Crystal Palace. And the park has wonderful sweeping tree-lined slopes, some Aspen pines among them. If you close your…
The Modern Husband 