Lazy duck in apricot sauce recipe
I often turn my collar up and haunt the condemned food section of Tesco. Sometimes I bag a real bargain. Often I find duck legs. The first time I swanked home with this gem Danny was forthright. “it’s all very well bringing home cut price stuff but do you know how to cook duck legs?” I had no idea. “Of course I do.” My mind whirled madly. “I’m going to cook them slowly with apricots.” His head remained cocked to one side. “And wine.” We were both stunned that I could so easily pluck...
read morePerfect Seville orange marmalade recipe
As the topping for the best slice of toast of the day, good marmalade is a joy. We like it dark, chunky, hand cut and never in moderation. Marmalade was the first preserve that we made. We were so proud of it that we could hardly bear to move it from the worktop to the larder, let alone eat it. Eventually we opened the first jar and lavished it on slice after slice of hot buttered toast. We immediately christened it Intellectual Marmalade as so much ground work, research and care had gone into its manufacture. Visitors who spotted the label...
read morePerfect quick paella recipe
All too often I’m doing the big shop with only seconds to spare before the doors close. This is only possible if you know exactly where every item on your list is located within the store. I have been known to complete the weekly shop in ten minutes. Every month or so I arrive early and dawdle in the supermarket. Examining the shelves carefully, looking for new lines. Last month I spotted a pack of Gallo Bomba Paella Rice. I had just bought some seafood from the fish counter and a paella would be a perfect supper. I turned the pack over...
read moreBottled Fruit: Belgian Pears recipe
I breezed onto the internet just now to see entries for Belgian Pears. I thought that they could be a traditional dessert. Well, in Belgium, they are not. Which is a shame, as anyone, from the Belgians to the Bengalese would love this dessert. Forget any memory of dull bottled fruit. This wonderful concoction just happens to be preserved in a jar. We tend to include this for dinner parties when we’re feeling under pressure. Many jars of this superb non-alcoholic scrumptiousness are patiently sitting in our barn, waiting to be opened and...
read moreNo-Cook Apple, Date and Onion Chutney Recipe
Our old friend, Kate Auty, makes this excellent chutney every year. It does not have to be cooked at all. In fact all you do is mince, mix and leave to mature. If you can leave the chutney longer than three months it will continue to improve. We let a jar mature for a year, it is treasured and strictly for family consumption. It’s great for children to make, under supervision. By the time it has matured for three months the daily bleat of, “Is it ready yet?” has died down completely and they have forgotten that it is lurking...
read moreThe best crispy baked potatoes that I’ve ever tasted
These poatoes in their jackets are superb. This simple recipe must be the fastest, easiest and tastiest base for any busy midweek meal. Pop them in the oven and forget about them for an hour. I’ve cooked baked potatoes for years and they’re definitely comfort food for me. It took me ages to twig that the secret of great baked potatoes is in the skin. The timing in this recipe is as important as the spicy rub. To eat them at their crispiest they mustn’t hang about in the oven past their cooking time as this softens their...
read moreRaspberry gin recipe
This recipe can also be used for blackberry gin and vodka Our autumn fruiting raspberries are late, but they’re finally here. Just a few of them. Succulent and tempting and the promise of more to follow. If you grow autumn fruiting raspberries you might like to have a go at making this delicious raspberry gin. The liqueur is delicate yet has a fresh raspberry bite that makes a change from the raunchiness of sloe gin. (This is a fresh review. I nipped out to the barn this evening to try some of our July 2006 vintage and it was superb....
read moreRecipe for Bullace Vodka
A friend from Kent gave us a small bag of bullaces (a small type of plum that grows wild in English hedgerows) last October. We bunged them into a small Le Parfait jar, topping it up with sugar and vodka. We found the forgotten jar last weekend, hidden behind some pickled plums. It was excellent. Unfortunately, as you can see from the photo, it didn’t last very long. As with all fruit liqueurs, you can use gin or vodka as the base. We have a preference for gin in fruit liqueurs but this bullace vodka was superb. We will certainly make...
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