Recipes

This recipe was inspired by my neighbour Rachael Beech who raided our pond margins for ramsoms to make this delicious dish . . . For the pesto I large handful wild garlic leaves 100g Organic farmhouse Caerphilly (peccorino, sardo or parmeggiano will do) 50g Hazelnuts (pieces are fine) 2 Peeled and roughly chopped tomatoes 75g […]

I’ve been baking bread for ages and have a pretty good standard loaf – and I make a mean sourdough too (see website for recipe), but until last week I’d never ‘cracked’ ciabatta. Then newsletter reader Babette Bluett-duncan supplied the vital missing element . . . 500 ml Water 650g Strong white flour 10g Salt […]

This simple recipe is a wonderful way to harness the rather delicate, chive-like qualities of ramsoms (wild garlic) . . . 500 g boiled floury potatoes 2 large eggs 1 large handful of shredded ramsom leaves Plain flour Salt and pepper Mash the potatoes and then mix all the ingredients together to make a firm, […]

There is surely nothing better on a snowy winter day than a bracing walk followed by a bowl of piping hot soup? This creamy dish uses velvetshanks, one of the few mushrooms that are totally frost-resistant. They grow on tree stumps and trunks, particularly elm, and are quite capable of poking up through the snow. They are not the tastiest mushroom, however, so this recipe bumps up the flavour with porcini.

This recipe is based on a Heston Blumenthal idea in Dine at Home with Heston which was reprinted by The Telegraph on 8 February. As usual, the genius behind The Fat Duck gets ridiculously over-complicated and there is no attention paid to cost and time. So instead of his fiddly mix of wild mushroom ragu, […]

One of the best ways to enjoy wild mushrooms is in a risotto. I am indebted to Denise Baker-McClearn from www.moelfabansuppers.com for this delicious recipe which mixes leek, thyme and dried wild and cultivated shitake in wonderfully warming winter dish. She stresses there are three basic rules for a good risotto. Firstly the rice should […]

Once again I am endented to Babette Bluett-duncan for this delicious recipe for a warming winter starter (although I have elaborated slightly on her original by adding thyme and juniper) 2kg Belly pork (preferably bones in) 200g goose fat (but lard or dripping fat will do) 1 large glass cognac 10 Star anise 10 Juniper […]

I have tried making bacon many times, but always made the mistake of trying to make a whole ‘flitch’ (side) at a time. As a result I would get scared by the potential loss of meat and salt it for too long, ending up with an impossibly salty slab of rock-hard board. I am indebted […]

This simple dish is a wonderfully tasty, quick, and surprisingly cheap way of rustling up a delicious meal using top-quality ingredients . . . 1 tbspn olive oil 180g Oak smoked streaky bacon (or pancetta) 200g Wild mushrooms 2 Cloves garlic 4 Egg yolks 1 Egg 100g Grated Parmigiano 350g Good quality pasta Handful of […]