Hand on heart, I’ve never seen so many hams in my life, even at a rugby international. Wall to wall and floor to ceiling, the curing rooms at Salumificio Viani were ham-packed. (Sorry.) Continue reading
Cod, Prosciutto, Asparagus
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Sarah’s Sorrel Soup
This is one of my Top Three soups, rich and velvety but tangy, perfect as a starter or a hot canape shot. You do need a large amount of sorrel though, so it’s best attempted if you grow your own (or know someone who does) or can buy it in a really big bunch from your local farmers’ market. Continue reading
Asparagus and Pecorino Tart
It’s a sad fact that returning from a trip abroad is always a bit of a downer – the mundanity of unpacking, washing your smalls and returning to the daily grind, not to mention the unpredictable English weather. But when your suitcase is full of enticing things to eat, it certainly makes easing back into real life a lot more pleasant. Continue reading
Wookie Cookies
I’m more of a Trekkie than a Star Wars fan, but who doesn’t have a soft spot for Chewbacca? I’ve been meaning to make these Wookie Cookies for years, so here they are, finally, in time for Star Wars Day, May The Fourth (be with you). Feel free to improve on my artwork, I barely scraped through my A-level. Continue reading
Old Cow
If you are what you eat, then on one memorable occasion recently, I was an old cow. Stop heckling at the back of the room, I’ve heard it all before, often from my own family. Continue reading
Banana and Pecan Loaf Cake
I’m a bit gob-smacked (and only ever so slightly miffed) to find that that cookery websites this week are awash with banana bread. It’s like we’re all tied into some hive mind. There is a good reason for this synchronised recipe writing though. Continue reading
Easter Recipe Round-up
We’ve got the family coming for Easter and although they’re far too polite to demand a particular menu, their eyes tend to light up when they’re presented with roast lamb. Over the years I’ve cooked it in umpteen different ways. These are some of my favourites … and I’ve thrown in a few extra Easter recipes for good measure. Now’s the time to make your shopping list … Continue reading
Sweet and Sour Pork with Rhubarb
Pies and tarts and crumbles are wonderful, but rhubarb works brilliantly in savoury recipes too, so I sprang to attention with quivering whiskers when a friend told me she’d used it in a sweet and sour stir-fry. Continue reading
Mrs Portly Is Unwell
Actually, she’s fine, but I’ve always rather liked the Jeffrey Bernard reference. Bernard, for those who don’t know of him, was a famously louche journalist who wrote a column called Low Life for The Spectator and who habitually hung around Soho drinking dens with the likes of Dylan Thomas and Francis Bacon. Continue reading
Let’s Talk About Rhubarb
The spring equinox has whizzed by already and we’re officially in the Everything’s Burgeoning In The Garden phase of growing – and yet we’re still in the period known as the hunger gap, when there are few fresh fruits or veg ready to harvest locally.
One exception is rhubarb, either bright pink and forced in the growing sheds of the famous Rhubarb Triangle of west Yorkshire or like ours, already poking up in the veg patch. Continue reading
