This is an all-time favourite, perfect for so many occasions; as a starter, as part of a buffet or with cold cuts and jacket potatoes. Ideally, you want slim leeks, about the thickness of your thumb but thicker trimmed leeks are what most supermarkets sell. The combination of silky, tender leeks, creamy, Dijon-mustardy vinaigrette with…

This lovely stew suits long, slow cooking and will be even better made one day and heated up the next. Goat loin chops are perfect for it but neck or shoulder lamb or mutton chops would be just as good. I’ve also made it with goat cutlets but these tend to be very fatty, so…

This is a usefully make ahead dinner party dish but is one I’ve made regularly for mid-week meals when I’ve run out of ideas for minced lamb. All the ingredients, except ras al hanout, the Moroccan spice mix that gives the dish its hint of the Kasbah flavours, are store cupboard. The meatballs are smaller…

It’s not so far fetched that a shepherd might have leftover roast duck. I always assume that a ‘real’ shepherd’s pie is made with leftover roast lamb, so why not duck. I found myself facing leftover roast Aylesbury duck recently and tinkered my lamb shepherd’s pie recipe by adding a finely grated orange (always good…

This soup is a fridge raid: half a crinkly Savoy cabbage, a few rashers of bacon, a handful of peas from the freezer and an onion and garlic clove from the stores. I used pheasant stock, also from the freezer and although it gave the soup a noticeable gamey flavour, a chicken or veg stock…

In My Week In Food 5 Jan 2020, I write about making fish cakes with leftover roast cod tail. The mix is approximately equal amounts of fish and leftover mashed potato with chopped flat leaf parsley, an egg yolk, salt and pepper. The mix made 5 plump fishcakes. I floured them, dipped them in leftover…

This mushroom soup ends up almost black with a thick, creamy, fluffy texture. It makes a heartening bowlful with a dollop of something creamy or a crumble of grilled bacon  but becomes more of a meal served over a trencher of toast topped with a soft-poached egg. It could, if you prefer, be thinned with…