Sweetcorn Pancake Fritters

This recipe evolved from some experimentation when I wanted to make some corn fritters to serve with Chicken Gumbo, although it was not difficult to work out a satisfactory recipe.  I wanted a fritter that involved shallow frying using a minimum of oil, rather than a calorie laden deep fried version.  (I do not own a deep fat fryer.)  After [...]

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Hyacinth’s Salt Fish Cakes

I have eaten lots of Caribbean Salt Fish Cakes but my friend Hyacinth, originally from Jamaica, definitely makes the very best Salt Fish Cakes in E17!  They always ‘go like hot (fish) cakes’ when she brings them to church shared lunches.  One thing that makes them particularly good are that they are crispy outside, soft inside and most importantly, unlike [...]

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Yorkshire Oatmeal Parkin

Parkin is a sticky ginger flavoured traditional regional cake from Yorkshire.   It makes an ideal sweet course to follow the mug of warming soup and sausage and onion filled rolls usually eaten round the bonfire whilst watching fireworks on November 5th.  It is ideal for packed lunches as well. 
The original recipe comes from Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course. The quantities [...]

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Lemon Curd

I wanted to make Lemon Meringue Ice Cream and the recipe called for good luxury shop bought or home made Lemon Curd.  Shop bought?! (Even if it is luxury.)  Lemon curd is so easy to make and I had the ingredients in the fridge so it was no contest.  I’m surprised I don’t make it more often: it never lasts [...]

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Basic Recipe: Tortilla Omelette – with Bacon, Mushroom & Spinach

Last year on holiday in the French Basque country the Spanish influence was clearly visible on the menus and in the supermarkets.  One of these was the Tortilla, sometimes called a Spanish Omelette – a Spanish word being used just over the border.  In Italy the word used for this type of dish is Frittata.  The French word is, [...]

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Rosy Potato Salad

This salad is both pretty and simple.  I used to serve potato salad and beetroot separately, but having discovered how tasty they were when mixed together on a plate I often now mix and place them in a bowl together.  For a bit of fun, this salad could be served as part of a pink themed meal!   To [...]

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Special Coleslaw

There are so many different recipes for Coleslaw, but this is the one I always use. It comes from a shared lunch I attended a very long time ago and was so delicious I made sure I did not leave without finding out the ingredients. I was not given any quantities at the time and think this is a [...]

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Tuna & Bean Salad

This speedy Italian style salad can be put together in minutes using tinned tuna and, for speed, tinned beans. I used black-eye beans but haricot or cannellini beans could be substituted.  A good mayonnaise, home made if available, could be used as an alternative to the olive oil and lemon juice dressing but the beans should be [...]

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Sweet Pepper Salad

I found this recipe, a previously pulled out page from a magazine, when hunting down some recipes for salads with a difference.  It is good to have some simple ideas to hand as an alternative or addition to the usual green leaves and cucumber salad mixture.  I love cold ratatouille almost more than hot ratatouille so I knew [...]

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Double Salmon & Avocado Pizza

This pizza topping uses both smoked and fresh salmon, which combines beautifully with the creaminess of the avocado augmented by a few spoonfuls of creme fraiche.  It is very simple to put together, especially if you have some ready made tomato topping in the freezer and, if you are short of time, use the quick to make scone [...]

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