This is one of the easiest, quickest and most delicious soups I know and it’s as painless to make for one as it is for a crowd. You need leeks, potatoes, water, salt and pepper and a knob of butter. If there’s some thyme around, it lifts the soup slightly but is not essential to…

     Simon Hopkinson came up with saff-mash in his early days at Bibendum. It is rich, bright yellow, soft and fluffy and makes a stunning topping for fish pie but suits this supper of roast hake with tiny tapas chorizo (sold in sets of twelve) and juicy, cabbagey chard. A lovely plateful (thank you Simon)….

I sometimes buy ingredients out of curiosity and that was the case with the artichoke puree I bought at www.bayley-sage.co.uk . I had no particular end in sight for it but one night when I’d defrosted chicken thighs for supper and was looking around for something to go with them, the puree popped back into…

This soup is a variation on a theme, something I often make when I see bunches of attractive scabbard leaf spinach on special offer at my favourite high road fruit and veg stall. It’s quick and simple, starts, as so many soups do, with a softened onion, a hint of garlic with potato to thicken…

I love skirt steak and often get up early to be one of the first at my Farmer’s Sunday Market (close to Edensor Road, off the 316 to Richmond www.dukesmeadowstrust.org) to buy it. www.marchhousefarm.co.uk generally have several pieces, usually about 500g apiece, bagged up sous vide style ready for the freezer. Skirt needs to be…

For best results start the preparations for this stew 24 hours in advance. There is nothing difficult about it but there is quite a lot to do and some parts of the preparations are time consuming. The most demanding job is jointing the birds so there is no wastage. I did it myself, halving the…

There is no grinding of spices or careful measuring of ingredients in this curry recipe. Flavour and heat come from two little bottles that most kitchens seem to collect along the way: curry powder and chilli powder. The curry is finished with spinach and Greek yoghurt which give it a freshness and richness that belies…

I’m not a huge fan of truffle oil but own a small bottle that gets occasional outings. On a whim, I used it to decorate this creamy, golden soup and its bosky taste and smell worked wonders with subtle sweet squash perked into life with a squeeze of lemon and splash of Tabasco.   Serves…

This luscious stew is distantly related to caponata but instead of red peppers it’s made with canned chopped tomatoes. Gently softened red onion, garlic and a decent seasoning of dried chilli flakes and cumin tune up the flavours but the last minute addition of capers, pine kernels and chopped green olives ensure every mouthful sets…

One of the things I love about my local fruit and veg stall on Chiswick High Road (just ajacent to Henry Harris’s The Crown), is their £1 table. It’s been a bit cramped since The Crown put tables with big parasols in front of its pavement railings, but it’s still flourishing. I often buy tomatoes…