How to make the perfect Christmas pudding

How to make the perfect Christmas pudding

Christmas pudding traditions date back over one hundred years at the medieval hotel, The Spread Eagle in Midhurst, West Sussex. I recently spent a fabulous day there learning how to make the perfect Christmas pudding.

Easy octopus salad recipe from the island of Rodrigues

Easy octopus salad recipe from the island of Rodrigues

In a remote corner of the Indian Ocean, the little island of Rodrigues lies in a shallow lagoon created by the coral reef that completely surrounds it. Seafood is plentiful, including Octopus cyanea, which hides in the nooks of the reef and rocks in the turquoise...

Spicy chicken ‘pepe’ soup recipe from West Africa

Spicy chicken ‘pepe’ soup recipe from West Africa

This traditional spicy chicken soup from The Gambia, is known as a cure-all and, amongst other things, is said to cure the common cold. The Gambians like their food spicy so be warned, pepe soup packs quite a punch!

Autumn Pumpkin Risotto Recipe from Gennaro Contaldo

Autumn Pumpkin Risotto Recipe from Gennaro Contaldo

One of my favourite cuisines to both cook and eat has to be Italian and I'll take any chance I can get to learn from the experts. I recently picked up some great tips for cooking the perfect risotto from celebrity chef Gennaro Contaldo. Both his tips and his recipe...

A taste of Japan – an easy miso soup recipe

A taste of Japan – an easy miso soup recipe

I love getting parcels through the post, whether it is something I've ordered, a product I've been asked to review or in this case a box of ingredients from Japan with the challenge to do some cooking. Inside I found all these goodies... Dashi stock - a widely used...

Baobab smoothie recipe

Baobab smoothie recipe

While on my travels in The Gambia and Senegal I've often heard from the locals of the many uses and benefits of the fruit of the baobab tree, a vitamin, fibre, and antioxidant-rich superfood. Here's my recipe for a delicious and nutritious baobab smoothie. The Baobab...

Spicy coleslaw from Mauritius

Spicy coleslaw from Mauritius

Sunshine on a plate cookbook review plus a deliciously simple spicy coleslaw recipe from Mauritius by former masterChef winner, Shelina Permallo.

Authentic tiramisu recipe from Tuscany, Italy

Authentic tiramisu recipe from Tuscany, Italy

Throughout the long weekend I recently spent with Flavours Holidays in Italy, we made one after another of some of the most wonderful dishes I've ever tasted. One of my favourites, that was also one of the easiest to make, was the delectable tiramisu. I've never been...

Burmese rice cooked in coconut milk

Burmese rice cooked in coconut milk

Be honest, how many cookbooks have you on your shelves that you have barely opened, let alone made more than one or two recipes from? Having recently spent some time renovating my kitchen including putting up some new shelves to hold all my cookbooks - and there's a...

Artisan balsamic vinegar, grape juice, time and passion

Artisan balsamic vinegar, grape juice, time and passion

"Grape juice, time and passion and nothing else" explains Roberto "There is no sugar in genuine balsamic vinegar." I'm at Casa del Balsamico Modenese di Giuseppe Cattani, producers of the first organic traditional balsamic vinegar of Modena D.O.P. where the knowledge...

How to make fresh pasta

How to make fresh pasta

I love pasta! Spaghetti, lasagna, tagliatelle... I love it all and although the dried pasta you can buy in any supermarket across Britain is very nice, there is nothing quite like fresh pasta. I recently spent a fun afternoon at the culinary school of Casa Artusi in...

Tzatziki recipe from the island of Crete

Tzatziki recipe from the island of Crete

I love tzatziki so when Becci from Girls' Travel Club offered to share this recipe I was delighted! And for anyone who hasn't entered their giveaway yet, there are still a couple of days left to enter the draw. The deadline is 30th June at 12 noon BST. You'll find all...

Cooking Palestine (squash humus and couscous salad recipes)

Cooking Palestine (squash humus and couscous salad recipes)

Last month in a small village hall in West Sussex I met some inspiring people - Rachel Nassif, from the Help Palestine Community Co-operative, Rosemary Moon, a wonderful cookery writer and Fair Trade advocate, Manal Abdallah from Canaan Fair Trade and Abu Rafat Odeh...

Red Wine Braised Chorizo, a tasty tapas that’s a breeze to cook!

Red Wine Braised Chorizo, a tasty tapas that’s a breeze to cook!

When I visited Zest for Taste in Chichester the other week I had a lovely chat with the owner, Katharine, about her wonderful shop which you can read about in a previous post here. When I asked her what her favourite product was she didn't hesitate. "My favourite...