I met my new neighbour two doors down just before he moved in.  It transpired this is his second home.  He and his wife have a house in Leicestershire too.  In the course of conversation he mentioned they had an acre of land covered in wild garlic.  I remember reading about wild garlic making a delicious pesto … Continue reading Wild Garlic, Priceless Neighbours & TM5

The 'tring' of a bicycle bell always reminds me of the Bread Man of my Singapore childhood. A wrinkly but ageless Chinese man with a wide, gentle smile that reflected a very kind soul. The tea chest attached to the back of his bicycle was a treasure trove of baked delights. Crusty baguettes we called … Continue reading RED BEAN BUN TALE

I created this salad whilst practising the process of blanching vegetables taught to me by fishmonger Nic Rascle  during a photoshoot at his shop La Petite Poissonnerie in Primrose Hill.  He had a huge pot of water boiling and another full of ice and water to stop asparagus cooking beyond 45 seconds.  Precision is everything … Continue reading BLANCHING SIMPLIFIED

Sunday morning.  8 am.  Still in bed. I start to focus properly on the lunch I am to cook for friends arriving at 1 pm.  I had got very organised the night before and made chocolate cake for one guest whose birthday it was. That was going to be dessert with the addition of fresh berries and … Continue reading Clarification on Ghee

I've been to a 90th birthday celebration in Bristol today. It was a surprise birthday party. When my friend invited me to his mother's celebration and mentioned that they were picking up a chocolate cake from Waitrose my immediate reaction was,"No! Not a supermarket cake!" With TM5 confidence I volunteered to bake it. I summoned … Continue reading Have Your Cake

You may be wondering why my old rice cooker features here. This is an obituary of it. All responsible Singaporean parents sent their children off to university with a rice cooker and mine were no exception in 1979. My little rice cooker saw me through my law degree, Bar School, pupilage, marriage, divorce, legal career, … Continue reading Perfect Rice

Cooking healthily and happily  is easier said than done. If one was just catering for one's self the balance would be simple to achieve. For a family where one child has a severe nut allergy, another baulks at soft fruit, a husband who is becoming dairy intolerant and is not sure that seeds agree with … Continue reading Goldilocks Would Approve