Lockdown marches on and takes us along with it. I hope you are doing ok and it is not proving too difficult and that Covid has not impacted your life directly. If it has, I hope you are doing ok. I have been fairly silent here, which was not my intention. But, I am back now and I have lots to share with you. Lots of this will be recipes too. 

It won’t surprise you to hear that the publication of my book, Bacon, has been impacted by Covid. The latest in a litany of hurdles but the last one. My printer was affected by the Italian lockdown but things are moving again and I will keep you updated as to when Bacon will be on sale. I am also planning on publishing an updated version of Comfort & Spice after that with a fresh design and a light rethink. But Bacon first, and I can’t wait to share it. Continue reading

Mash hash has become a regular feature of my week. In order to make weekday meals speedier, I bulk cook some things in advance when I have time, like potatoes.

I cook up a batch, I usually boil them, sometimes roast, and then I use them throughout the week. I peel them and cut them in slices before frying them for a speedy hash with eggs. I fry the skins to make crispy potato skins which may become the centre of a dish or a lovely crisp garnish. I make potato cakes, gnocchi, croquettes. All of these things are speedy once your potatoes are already cooked. Recently, I have become a little obsessed with Mash Hash.
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DO Cava and Cava Discovery Week sponsored this post.

I know you don’t need to have an excuse to have a Bubbly Brunch but when you have crisp fluffy smoked salmon waffles beside your gorgeous glass of aged cava, I don’t see how you can resist.

Cava: not just any sparkling wine 

Cava is an excellent wine choice. As with champagne, it is made in the traditional method and it is fermented and aged in bottle leading to some excellent wines.

Cava has a DO (denomination of origin) which means that it can only be made in specific areas, although 95% of cava is made in Penedès in Catalonia. Cava is made primarily with indigenous Spanish grapes, Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel·lo. Other grapes like chardonnay are also added at times.

Cava can be white or rosé and as part of the traditional method cava has two fermentations, the second being in bottle where it can also be aged. Reserva, Gran Reserva and Cava de Paraje wines are all aged high quality cava wines which you can enjoy in some terrific Spanish tapas bars and restaurants across the UK this week. 

Cava Discovery Week: 18-24 November

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Today is Pancake Tuesday / Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras. What a happy eating day! Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, the day to clear your cupboards before 40 days of Lenten fast. Every day can be pancake day but Pancake Tuesday is the one. I have gathered my favourite pancake recipes for you. Get stuck in.

A Brunch Classic: American Style Pancakes with Bacon & Maple Syrup

Let’s start with the classic fluffy pancake stack done American style. Always with bacon and maple syrup for me.

A Brunch Classic: American Style Pancakes with Bacon & Maple Syrup

Dal Pancakes with Curry Leaves, Coconut Milk and Chilli Oil

These dal pancakes were originally made with leftover dal but you should absolutely cook up a batch to make them. They are a cracker and enlivened with the gorgeous aromas from the crisped curry leaves and the punch of bright chilli oil.

Dal Pancakes with Curry Leaves, Coconut Milk and Chilli Oil

Socca (Chickpea Pancake) with Tomato & Aubergine

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Jump straight to the recipe – Beef and Chorizo Meatballs, Egg, Basil – Your Perfect Brunch for One

Cooking for one should not be sad or viewed as such. It is the ultimate in self care. Quiet time as the day begins, and something gorgeous to eat at the end. You are looking after yourself and making yourself something good to eat, how can anyone view that as sad? Food is not just social, it is nourishing, and that is what we should focus on. Nourishing ourselves, mind, body and soul.

Cooking for One is a Joy and the Ultimate in Self Care 

Of course, I love to cook for others too but I live in a small London flat with a small kitchen and no communal dining table. Typical (I think!) for many of us urban dwellers. When I see my friends we eat elsewhere. (I look forward to a time in my life when I can gather them around my kitchen table and serve big platters of food designed for sharing). For now, I cook often for one, and sometimes when my flatmate is around, for two. Mostly for one though.

I cook for myself mostly it in an efficient way. I will prepare something that will work in different ways in different meals. This beef and chorizo meatball mix was also a patty, it could be a kebab. It can be a dumpling in soup (by adding more breadcrumbs), it can be filling in a dumpling (leave the breadcrumbs out, add loads of shredded cabbage). Versatility is key, I don’t want to eat the same thing every day. 

Brunch for One – Beef and Chorizo Meatballs in Tomato Sauce with a Gorgeous Egg

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