Oranges were the only fruit during a stay with my son in the Black Mountains where we cooked the books of Francis Mallmann, a chef worth discovering, particularly if you barbecue. He raves about briefly cooking oranges in end-of-bbq cinders. They emerge grey and dusty but once peeled and sliced, the flavour is amazing. I…

It was a lucky co-incidence that two highly piled metal bowls of big, dark plums were en route for the £1 table at my local fruit and veg stall when I called by. I bought them both, some oranges and lemons and rushed home to check I had enough sugar to make jam. An hour…

I love my fishmonger (www.coventgardenfishmongers.co.uk). Yesterday I was tempted by clams, fresh crab meat from Newlyn (www.seafoodandeatit.co.uk), a pack of his excellent smoked salmon (www.goldstein.com) and a big handful of particularly fresh and vibrant samphire. Clams and samphire combine wonderfully well in this simple recipe redolent of the sea. Serve with spoon and fork with…

There’s a mini basil field flourishing in an old wooden wine box planted up in the sun-trap that is my front garden. I’ve just picked enough to make a decent quantity of pesto without making a dent on its profusion and it’s a good treat to have in the fridge. Last night we had a…

Traditionally, lettuce soup is the preserve of gardeners; a lovely summer soup made with bolted lettuce leaves. It’s usually thickened and improved by peas, sometimes potatoes too and young onions. This particular version was prompted by bad shopping, too many packs of lettuce stacking up in the fridge and petits pois a-plenty in the freezer….

My courgette glut has started. It’s not mega by any standards, one or two a day, and this year there is a proliferation of male flowers and rarely a sufficiency to stuff. Anyway, female flowers, ideally with little courgettes attached, are best. Last night, after a really hot day, the biggest of this morning’s clutch…

I’m not a huge fan of chicken breast fillets but one favourite way of cooking them is beaten thin into escalopes, giving them the f.e.b treatment – dipping in flour, egg and bread crumb – then quickly frying to a crisp to just cook the chicken. I sometimes smear the chicken with Dijon mustard first…

One of my favourite standbys for quick, flexible, healthy snack lunches is Itsu miso-easy soup sachets. They come in sets of five and one is enough, diluted with a mug of boiling water with almost anything you care to add to it. I’ve tried tofu, leftover chicken, leftover peas and carrots, chopped green beans, diced…

Who’d have thought that a fridge tidy cook up of a single corn on the cob, few fine green beans and peas from the freezer with chopped coriander mixed through it, could result in such a good muddle of crunch and soft textures and gentle flavours. Delicious hot, the leftovers – I always make too…

Here’s a good example of how handy it is to have some pickled cucumber stashed in the fridge. It doesn’t take long to make from scratch (see Almost Greek Salad with Pickled Cucumber) but how handy to have it done. This salad on toast became a favourite lockdown lunch; all it requires is tuna, pickled…