Summer is almost here. In fact, in Cornwall, I think summer is already here as the sky is blue and the sun has been coming out to play. I absolutely love summer. Summer time is my favorite time of year as the warmth of the sun embraces my body as I say goodbye to pasty skin, frumpy winter clothing, and greet a big hello to sandals and sun dresses! Summer also means party time: barbeque by the pool, picnics by the sea, road trips up and down the Brighton coast, and eating (and drinking) with friends. Summer is pure bliss and ...

Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb with Anchovies Yesterday I went out into the Saturday market and bought a large leg of lamb. I had no idea what to do with it, but after searching through several recipes, I did a combination of three recipes to create tonight’s dinner-Slow Cooked Leg of Lamb with Anchovies. As strange as it may seem, I love anchovy, and with lamb, it is a wonderful combination. The salty intense flavour of anchovies is LOVELY with the hearty flavour of the lamb. Ingredients: 2kg/4lb leg of lamb, trimmed of most of its outer layer of fat 6 anchovy fillets 6 cloves ...

Hot cross buns, Hot cross buns, one ha’ penny, two ha’ penny, hot cross buns. If you have no daughters, give them to your sons, one ha’ penny, two ha’ penny, Hot Cross Buns We all now the song as we all know Easter. But what is Easter without the traditional  hot cross buns…..well its like Christmas with no presents, like a Birthday without the cake. Inspired? OK than lets get started. Ingredients: Bread Flour- 3 cups Sugar- ¼ cup Milk powder- 1 cup Yeast- 1 tbps Salt- 1 tsp Milk- ¼ cup Cinnamon/ Nutmeg/ Dry Ginger/ Cloves powder- ½ tsp each Raisins- ½ cup Mixed candy peels – ½ cup Egg- 1 ½ + ½ for egg wash Butter- 45 grams Water ...

I have been wanting to know how to make Scotch Eggs for a while and actually only discovered quite recently (to my horror) that they are deep fried!! OK, so a Scotch Egg is never going to be healthy, but these are a helluva lot healthier and actually they look a lot more appetizing than the bright orange balls you get when you’ve deep fried (or bought) normal Scotch Eggs… Technically I can take some credit for making this old  this recipe a bit healthy. So, you will need (hang on – confession – I didn’t make the pastry, the British Spring  is ...

Eggplant is probably not for everyone, but if you like eggplant, or want to try introducing them to your family and don’t know how, this is a good place to start.This is a very cheesy and easy to make baked eggplant dish with an Italian flair. I’m just going to come out and say it. This is my favorite veggie burger. Ingredients: 1 large eggplant (aubergine), sliced in 1/2 inch slices 1 egg + 1 egg white 2 tbsp flour (whole wheat or all purpose) 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (Italian style) 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 3/4 cup jarred marinara (tomato) sauce 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves 1 cup ...

Risotto is an amazingly delicious rice dish. It is very labor-intensive, but since learning how to make it a few years back, I’ve never made traditional rice again. It is so versatile. Simply add your favorite vegetables to a batch of arborio rice for a fantastic risotto primavera. Add chorizo and create a wonderful Italian-Mexican fusion. The possibilities are endless. I have one secret when making risotto… turmeric! I add a dash of turmeric (1/4 tsp. or so for 1 cup of rice) to the rice to give it a bright yellow color. This yellow coloration on the rice really ...

Burritos are such a quick and easy dinner that i thought i should share them with you! I always used to make mine with chicken until i had them at a friends and she used mince – they were spicy and delicious! So now i use mince too. Perfect for those lazy weeknights… Ingredients: 6 flour tortillas 1 tbsp olive oil 250g beef mince 1 small onion, diced 1 sachet taco seasoning 1 tsp Piri Piri seasoning (or chilli powder) 1.5 cups shredded iceberg lettuce 1 cup grated tasty cheese 1/2 avocado, diced 1/2 tomato, diced 8 slices cucumber, diced Tomato salsa, to serve Sour cream, to serve Method: Preheat the oven to 160 degrees. Start by ...

Today I’m back with yet another Chinese-American dish – Orange Chicken. It seems as though you can find orange chicken almost anywhere you want to eat these days. It is most commonly found at fast food restaurants, but don’t worry, this is so much better than anything you will find there. What really makes this recipe stand out is the combination of both orange and lemon juice. Once again we are also using the deep dryer for cooking the battered chicken. Now I get a lot of questions from people wondering if they can use a wok instead. The answer is ...

The best summer days begin with blue-sky mornings, carry on with sunny afternoons at the pool or the beach, and end with lazy, comfortable chit-chat among friends as the sun dips below the horizon.  Of course, summer afternoons and evenings are made inevitably better if you are relaxing with a cool, sweet drink in your hand.  So when one of my friends and readers asked on my facebook page for a sangria recipe, I was surprised to realize I had not shared one with you yet.  Naturally I could not let her question go unanswered so I  got straight to ...

I believe that certain foods have the power to make one happy, to change one’s mood. Just the thought of making this salad excited me, not only because it was healthy, but because it reminded me that mind-blowing flavor often comes from simple ingredients combined just the right way. This easy-to-make salad packs so much flavor, it has become my new favorite weeknight meal. Ingredients: Smoked sockeye salmon or other smoked salmon (about 2 ounces per person broken it into chunks) 3 cups rocket salad (roquette, rucola or arugula) 3 cups baby spinach 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced in half OR a 3 tablespoons ...