Posts by Jess

Mango & Chilli Noodles with Prawns

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Mango & Chilli Noodles with Prawns

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eat wave London! We love and hate you. Love for the warmth, pleasure and vitamin D; hate for the fact that it reminds me so painfully that I don’t have a garden, a field surrounded house or a paddling pool. Alas, I treated us to a prawn dinner on a Tuesday night to kick start the week. We geared up the braai and threw half a kilo of juicy prawns onto the griddle. I simply marinated the prawns in some lemon zest, garlic and olive oil before cooking for about 5 minutes until vibrant orange but feel free to cook without a marinade.

I also had a deliciously big skate wing waiting patiently in the freezer. It was my first attempt at cooking skate so I decided to keep it simple to accompany our feast! Roasted at 180 for 15 minutes with some S&P and lemon slices.

Noodle Salad

Serves 2-4

  • 100g vermicelli noodles
  • 3 spring onions, sliced finely
  • 1 carrot, sliced into julienne (I’ve linked this before, but this is what you need OR just slice thinly)
  • 1 mango, chopped thinly
  • 1 handful salted peanuts
  • 1 handful coriander, chopped
  • 1 handful mint leaves, chopped
  • 4 tbsp desiccated coconut (toasted lightly in a pan)
  • 2 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp runny honey
  • 3-4 tbsp lime juice (1-2 limes)
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 2 birds eye chillis – chopped
  1. To make the salad, get yourself a big serving dish and add the chopped spring onions, carrot, mango, mint, coriander and toss to combine.
  2. Pour boiling water over the noodles and leave to soak for 5-10 minutes. Drain and refresh under some cool water. Drain well and add 1 tsp of sesame oil to prevent them sticking.
  3. Toss the noodles and salad ingredients well – the noodles won’t mix well with the veggies so do your best. Equally, you can cut the noodles in half with some scissors to make them easier to toss/eat.
  4. In an old jam jar, combine the soy, honey, lime, sesame oil, fish sauce and chilli and shake well (lid on obviously!). Taste and add more of what you feel it needs. I totally made this up but it tasted good!
  5. Pour about 3/4 of the dressing over the noodles and toss well. Add the rest if you feel it needs it. Don’t drown your noodles! Scatter over the peanuts and sesame seeds and serve! with your BBQ prawns or some nicely grilled salmon or sea bass!

Skate wing is a delicious meaty white fish! It doesn’t have any bones but instead cartilage that lines the wing. The meat flakes away from the cartilage so nicely you won’t fear getting a stray bone! One of the nicest fish cuts I’ve had in a long time and a dream to serve.

Home-made Burgers

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Home-made Burgers

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ate night burgers on a Friday after what has been the busiest work week since lockdown! Its a blessing not to have to waste time commuting home after a busy day so I could move from desk to kitchen to beer in hand within minutes of shutting down the emails! I’m not your classic burger fan but I’m not sure why. I like to eat slowly and find that burgers are often a food that you inhale?! I’ve always preferred to eat mine without the top bun like an open sandwich with a knife and fork!

You can pimp your burger fillings as you like, I’ve listed a few suggestions below. I always try to add a gherkin for the flavour, some lettuce for crunch and some avocado for indulgence and extra healthy fats! Add cheese if you like. When it comes to sauces I’m usually a faithful T sauce user but I recently discovered an amazing burger sauce from M&S (below) that ticked off my craving for both sauce and gherkin!

A few burger tips – don’t go low on the mince fat content. Use minimum 12% which I did here but 20% works well. If you can, get your mince from the butcher where you can be a bit picker on the fat choice. Don’t season the burgers mix too much, rather season the outside well before cooking. Don’t be tempted to overcook, keep checking as you go. Also don’t undercook – call me boring but ideally you should be fully cooking any mince for safety but you also won’t get the same benefit from a ‘pink centre’ as you will a steak so its pointless in my eyes..

Serves 2-4 (makes 2 large, and 2 small burgers)

  • 500g good quality beef mince (minimum 12% fat)
  • Bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped finely
  • 1 shallot, chopped finely
  • 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
  • Burger buns – whatever your preference.
  1. Combine the ingredients in a large bowl with some pepper and only a little pinch salt.
  2. Do not pound the meat together just gently mix handling lightly or you’ll have dry solid burgers!
  3. Gently bring the meat together into 4 burgers – I make 2 larger ones (2.5cm high) and 2 x smaller ones. Place on a plate and chill for about 20 minutes.
  4. Before cooking (on the grill/BBQ) season the burgers well on the outside with salt. Cook, ensuring a good amount of colouring on the outside as this is where the flavour is. (About 4 minutes each side depending on the size but keep an eye on them.)
  5. I like to lightly grill the burger bun and then dip (inside surface down) in the cooking juices of the burgers before serving.

Side suggestions

  • Sliced avocado
  • Litte gem lettuce
  • Grated mature cheddar cheese
  • Pickled red onion – chop 1 x red onion thinly. Put in a shallow bowl and spoon over 4 tbsp white white vinegar and 1 tsp sugar. Let sit for 30 minutes.
  • Homemade chips – chop 2 large potatoes into chips. Season, scatter over 1 tsp of dried rosemary and drizzle with a little oil. Roast at 190 for about 30 minutes until golden and crunchy.
  • Chopped gherkins. I actually bought the below sauce from M&S which was incredible. I think it made the burgers!

Bean Chilli

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Bean Chilli

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ometimes you just need chilli and cornbread in your day. I love a comforting chilli, slow cooked and more often than not these days, made with chunks of braising beef that can be shredded rather than the traditional mince. However, sometimes time isn’t always in the equation for the privileges of slow cooking! On my meat free days or for vegetarian (or vegan) guests, I often make this version and its the smoked paprika that is the winner here for that ‘meaty’ replacement. That said, don’t you dare think about skimping on that. If you don’t have paprika, sorry you’ll need another trip to the shops!

It offers the same comfort and depth of flavour. I know I sound like a broken record but this really can be knocked up in 20-30 minutes max. It really is just a task of opening a lot of cans and stirring. But the take home is that it is wholesome. Its leans away from processed foods and its really cheap. 

9 times out of 10 I will make a cornbread loaf to accompany this (recipe here) but if time does not permit you can enjoy this in SO many ways. Serve on rice for the extra grains or just devour in a bowl like soup. I like to pimp the toppings here with guacamole, soured cream, grated cheddar and coriander. Dip crunchy tortilla chips into it or heck…make a nachos and get that grill on! It also makes an excellent vegetarian burrito filling with eggs and rice. Ok…stop it now I’ve given you quick, cheap and versatile.

Serves 4 (I have never made less than this and would advise you make a batch. It serves 2 with extra and is great reheated/frozen for an even quicker ready meal!)

  • 1 x can mixed beans (I always use Napolina for the quality but any mixed beans will do. Avoid anything in a sauce already)
  • 1 x can black beans
  • 2 x cans chopped tomatoes
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tsp each ground cumin, coriander, smoked paprika,
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes (use as much as you like. I like to use chilli flakes rather than fresh to control the spice here)
  • 1 lime

Toppings & Sides

  • Soured cream OR plain yoghurt with a squeeze of lime
  • Grated cheddar cheese
  • Chopped fresh coriander
  • Guacamole (Or mash 1 avocado with juice from 1/2 a lime and some salt and pepper)
  • Cornbread (see here)
  1. Get yourself a heavy based casserole dish or saucepan.
  2. Heat a splash of sunflower oil and add the onion. Sweat for 8-10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and cook for a further few minutes.
  3. Add the spices and chilli and cook for 1 minute.
  4. Drain the beans and wash them briefly. Add the beans to the pan and stir. Season.
  5. Add the tinned tomatoes and stir. Wash out the tomato cans with a little water and add that too until its a thick/thin as you desire.
  6. Simmer for 5-10 minutes to let everything warm through. 
  7. Add the juice of 1/2 lime and serve with your toppings and sides!

Don”t feel bound by the beans I suggest here – 2 cans of your favourites will work well. I suggest a mixed can as a base and then go wild with your second – chickpeas or extra kidney beans work well here.

Tiffin

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Tiffin

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iffin sits with a lot of childhood memories for me. I think its been overtaken by its more indulgent, American cousin rocky road in recent times but a traditional brandy punching tiffin is a winner. I do wonder if my childhood tiffin was quite as alcoholic.

Its a rich treat so be warned! You can make all sorts of substitutions to this recipe and its completely open to personalising. For example, its traditionally made using Digestive biscuits but I rather like the spice of a ginger nut and the contrast to the brandy.  I’ve made some suggestions below on how to adapt but feel free to go wild.

  • 50g dried cranberries (or try raisins)
  • 75g dates, chopped
  • 4 tbsp brandy (or try Amaretto)
  • 350g dark cooking chocolate
  • 150g unsalted butter
  • 3 tbsp golden syrup
  • 250g biscuits – traditionally digestives but I use ginger nuts. You need a plain biscuit though so no oreos or custard creams.
  • Zest of 1/2 orange
  1. Grease and line a brownie tin or round 20.5cm tin with parchment
  2. Put the cranberries, dates and brandy in a bowl and let them soak for 20-30 minutes
  3. Melt 125g of the butter, 200g of the chocolate and the syrup in a bowl over simmering water stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat.
  4. Crush the biscuits – I like to put them in a sandwich bag and bash them with a rolling pin. You get some large and small chunks and a bit of biscuit dust.
  5. Add the biscuits, orange zest, a pinch of salt and the cranberry/date mix (including the brandy) to the chocolate and stir well.
  6. Tip into the tin and level the mixture pushing it into the corners. Leave to cool before chilling for 1 hour.
  7. To make the topping, melt the remaining 25g butter and 150g chocolate in a bowl over simmering water until smooth.
  8. Pour over the chilled tiffin and smooth it out. Chill for 2-3 hours until the topping is set.
  9. Remove from the fridge and cut into generous chunks and enjoy with a cup of tea on a blue Monday – it’ll help!

 

Beer-in-the-butt Chicken

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Beer-in-the-butt Chicken


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orry to my readers but particularly those vegans among us who might find this offensive but its by far my favourite way to cook a whole chicken. Firstly for its ease and secondly for the moisture it maintains. The beer not only creates a steam around and inside the chicken during roasting but it also makes for an excellent gravy.

Some recipes call for this method on the BBQ but I’ve never had a good experience cooking a whole chicken on the BBQ in anyway unless spatchcocked. It takes too long and by the time the heat has penetrated to the core bone meat, the outer breast meat is dry and overcooked. If you’re going to cook a whole chicken on the BBQ either spatchcock it first or at least pre-cook it for 70% of the way in the oven before finishing on the BBQ to get that lovely charred flavour. It’ll also help you to preserve any sticky marinade you don’t want burnt off and destroyed in the first 10 minutes!


This recipe will serve as many as the chicken is big!

  • 1 chicken
  • 1 red onion, quartered roughly
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 x 330ml can lager. Choose a milld lager so it doesn’t overpower your gravy.
  • 25g butter (soft, not fridge cold)
  • Few springs thyme
  1. Preheat the oven to 180.
  2. Take deep baking tray and throw in your red onion and garlic.
  3. Mix the butter with the thyme and some salt and pepper and use it either stuff under the breast and thigh skin of the chicken or on top. Either is fine.
  4. Tip out about 3/4 of your can of lager into the baking tray and then sit the can in the middle.
  5. Place the chicken on top and push down so its sitting snuggly. Roast in the oven for about 1 hour but this will depend not he size of your chicken. Make sure to keep topping put the tray with a bit more beer/white/water depending on what you have around. You don’t want it to dry out.
  6. Once cooked and looking golden, remove from the oven. Carefully (this is the hard bit as the can will be HOT) remove the chicken from the can. I like to use my oven gloves and then just wash them afterwards. Place the chicken, cover and leave to rest.
  7. Tip any remaining beer into the tray and either pop the tray directly onto the hob or tips the contents into a saucepan.
  8. Whisk well adding a splash of water and a tsp or two of Bisto to make a lovely gravy. Taste and season. I like to keep my gravy chunky with the onions pieces but you can blend if you like.
  9. Carve you chicken when ready and serve with your gravy.

I served mine with some polenta chips and some lightly boiled and buttered kale and peas.

Polenta Chips

  • 150g instant cook polenta, please extra for dusting
  • 400ml vegetable stock (1 x cube crumbled into water)
  • 1 large sprig thyme, leaves picked
  • 30g parmesan cheese, finely grated.
  1. Start by getting your container ready. Once cooked you put the polenta into a mould (i.e. container) to let it cool before cutting into pieces so best to chose a tupperware or something that is rectangle shape and not too large. Oil it lightly inside.
  2. Bring the stock to the simmer in a saucepan.
  3. Season your polenta well with salt and pepper.
  4. Once it is simmering, whisk in the polenta stirring quickly. It will start to thicken instantly. Keep whisking and then take off the heat – I find this takes about 1 minute so don’t be alarmed if it happens fast.
  5. Once off the heat, add in the cheese and thyme and mix well.
  6. Press the mixture lightly into your container so its about 1 inch thick. You may need multiple containers.
  7. Chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
  8. Once chilled, remove from the moulds and cut into chip sizes and dust in extra polenta on a plate. Once you’ve done them all you should have  a plate of chips!
  9. Heat some sunflowers oil in a frying pan until hot. Fry them on all sides until golden and crispy. They can take some time to colour so be patient.

Cheese Scones

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Cheese Scones

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f you’ve read my previous blog post you’ll know that I was the greedy and welcome receiver of a box of cheese from Paxton & Whitfield for my Birthday and what a treat! A fantastic comte and a cave aged cheddar (cave aged!!) were nibbled on in the park under the sun with a bottle of celebratory bubbles.

Given I’ve so much cheese still, I thought a warm cheese scone would be the perfect treat for a chillier weekend in the drizzle and a pick me up after a long cycle. A good strong cheddar is a must here – buy the best you can afford or at least a mature/extra mature option. Call me a food snob but I guarantee you won’t feel the full effect with the likes of Cathedral city.  I used half cheddar, half comte but you can use all cheddar if you like.

Adapted from ‘Delicious magazine‘

Makes 6-7 scones

  • 225g self raising flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp mustard powder
  • 55g chilled butter, cubed
  • 50g mature cheddar, finely grated (Best you can afford – I used this one from Paxton & Whitfield)
  • 50g Comte, finely grated (I used this one from P&W)
  • 60ml of warm water and milk (half and half)
  1. Preheat the oven to 220 and put your baking tray inside to warm up.
  2. In a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, salt, mustard and chilled butter. Pulse until you have a fine breadcrumb mixture (you can also do this in a bowl and rub the butter in with your finger tips).
  3. Tip the mixture into a large mixing bowl and mix in the cheese. Make sure you use a fine grater and not a large one or the pieces will be too big.
  4. Add the milk/water mix and, using a knife and a cutting motion, mix thoroughly. Bring everything together with your hands in the bowl or tipped out onto the work surface but don’t overwork or be tempted to knead it like bread, it needs careful handling.
  5. Once you’ve formed a ball, gently press the dough to a 2.5cm thickness. Use a 6cm cutter to cut 4 scones. Combine the dough into a new ball and cut out 2-3 more scones.
  6. Remove the baking tray from the oven and add your scones on your warmed baking tray and brush the tops with some milk. Finally, finely grate over some extra cheese.
  7. Bake for about 12 minutes until golden, smelling delicious and cooked through.

Serve warm with butter and anything else you please! These will without doubt make your house smell devine for the day.

Potato & Goats Cheese Salad

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Potato & Goats Cheese Salad

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oiled new potatoes coated in melted butter and mint smell like summer in with my parents in Wiltshire and takes me straight back! Delicious served alone with salt and pepper but this recipe all started as I wanted to showcase an amazing ash rolled goats cheese I got in a cheese hamper for my Birthday! It may well be the best I’ve ever had. If you’re interested to try, I used this cheese ‘Dorsten’ from Paxton & Whitfield.

I served the salad with a Friday night steak and a glass of red.

Serves 2

  • About 8-10 new potatoes
  • 1/2 small red onion, diced finely
  • 10g (or a large handful) each of coriander, flat leaf parsley and mint (leave picked)
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 bag rocket leaves
  • 200g sugar snap peas
  • 100g green beans
  • 80-100g goats cheese of choice (Link to the one we used above).
  • 1 knob butter
  1. Boil the new potatoes for about 10-12 minutes until just cooked and soft when pierced with a knife. Drain and add the knob of butter and a good pinch of flaky salt and fresh cracked pepper.
  2. Boil the green beans and sugar snaps for 1-2 minutes before draining and keeping warm in a pan.
  3. Get yourself a large serving dish and add the finely chopped red onion and the zest of the lemon.
  4. Finely chop all the soft herbs and add to the serving bowl with the rocket leaves. Toss together.
  5. Add the warm beans and potatoes (with their buttery juices) and toss to combine.
  6. Squeeze over the juice of half the lemon and a little drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil and toss to combine.
  7. Finely, dice or crumble your chosen goats cheese over the salad and mix lightly through.

Serve! I served mine simply with a grilled steak but this simple side would be perfect for some grilled salmon, cod, chicken or anything you fancy!

Date Night Tasting Menu

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Date Night Tasting Menu

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‘m really missing hosting dinner parties and generally feeding people! We’re also missing those rare but spontaneous dinners out when we feel like we’re on a real date night. One of our favourite places to frequent is (well now was) in Pop Brixton (about 100m away from our flat!) Smoke & Salt. Excitingly they are relocating to a permeant hide out in Tooting! Its a real gem and a place saved for special occasions. They have a sharing menu concept that changes frequently so it inspired me this evening for our weekly date night.

The first time we went to Smoke & Salt we had this potato and beef dish which was just amazing. We never got the chance to sample it again so I’ve had to create my own version! A creamy, garlic, mustard, cheesy sauce for some salty cooked potatoes and rare beef. 

The salad adds a nice fresh clean contrast to the beef and potatoes on the side. We enjoyed some of the focaccia chopped and dipped into some rosemary flavoured extra virgin oil with G&Ts before the feast.

Dessert ice cream can be found here. Simply add a shot of Amaretto and one of hot coffee and serve !

Serves 2 (…hungry people as a sharing meal)

Seabass & Roasted Red Pepper sauce

  • 2 seabass fillets
  • 2 garlic gloves, finely chopped
  • 2 shallots (or 1 small onion), finely chopped
  • 1 tsp cumin, coriander, chilli flakes
  • 350g flame roasted peppers – I actually used this jar from Odysea. You can make your own but I had these to hand in the pantry.
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • Handful basil
  1. Heat a tbsp of sunflower oil in a saucepan on a medium-low heat. Add the shallots and gently cook for about 10 minutes until soft.
  2. Add the garlic and cook for a 2 minutes.
  3. Add the spices and some generous seasoning and cook out for 1 minute, stirring well.
  4. Drain the peppers from the jar, chop roughly and add to the saucepan. 
  5. Add about 100ml of stock and bring to a simmer for about 5 minutes before stirring in the basil.
  6. Using a food processor (or hand blender) pulse the sauce until smooth – add more stock as needed. I did this by eye. It needs to be like a thick soup. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Keep warm while you make the fish.
  7. Season the seabass fillets and score the skin side a few times to stop it curling up in cooking. Heat a tsp of sunflower oil in a hot frying pan over a high heat. Add the seabass, skin side down and press into the pan with a spatula quickly to avoid it curling. Cook skin side down for about 3 minutes. Turn onto the flesh side for 30 seconds and then remove from the heat.
  8. Spoon some sauce onto a plate and gently lay the fish onto. Squeeze over some lemon juice and enjoy!

Crispy roast new potatoes, mustard garlic cream sauce, rare beef rump

  • 1 rump steak (or whatever cut you prefer)
  • 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
  • New potatoes – about 300g but enough for two depending on hunger.
  • 100ml creme fraiche
  • 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • 50g roule cheese
  • 1 small handful fresh chives
  • Splash milk
  1. Half the new potatoes and boil for about 5-8 minutes and then drain. Return to their saucepan and put the lid on. Shake the pot to bash the potatoes up a little and get the edges fluffy.
  2. Tip onto a baking tray, season and drizzle with sunflower oil. Toss so they are all coated in oil. Roast in a 220 over for about 20 minutes until golden and crispy. 
  3. Using a pestle and mortar, crush the peppercorns really finely. Season the steak generouslly on both sides with as much pepper as you like – I like a nice crust! Add salt.
  4. BBQ or grill the steak for as long as you like. Let rest for 5 minutes minimum.
  5. Combine the creme fraiche, roule and wholegrain mustard in a saucepan. Gently heat stirring well to combine (Add splash of milk to thin the sauce when needed). Add half the chopped chives. Taste and season.
  6. To serve, put the potatoes in a serving dish and season. Carve the steak really thinly and lay over the potatoes. Drizzle / dollop the sauce over the top and garnish with the remaining chopped chives. Serve extra sauce on the side.

Asparagus, broad bean, pea, lemon & parmesan salad

  • 1 bunch asparagus
  • Large handful broad beans (I used frozen)
  • Large handful garden peas (I used frozen)
  • 1 lemon, zest only
  • 1 small bunch mint
  • Parmesan cheese for serving
  1. Boil the broad beans for about 1 minutes and drain. You will need to tediously pick the beans from their pods into a serving dish. Use your nail to piece the skin and then just pop the bean out.
  2. Boil the peas for 1 minutes, drain and add to the broad beans.
  3. Drizzle the asparagus in a little oil and griddle on the BBQ or in a pan for just a few minutes making sure they are still al dente! Add to the bean/pea bowl.
  4. Chop the mint finely and add to the bowl. Grate the zest of 1/2 the lemon into the bowl and season all well. Toss to combine. 
  5. Finally, using a peeler, peel some thin strips of parmesan cheese over the salad.

Chocolate Orange Ice Cream

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Chocolate Orange Ice Cream

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ank holiday weekend is upon us again and the sun is taking part! Another slap in the face bank holiday given we’re still sitting solo in lockdown. Had this been the weekend I’d originally planned, I’d be celebrating the return home of my sister from her escapades in Australia and devouring the beauty that is my family home and garden in Wiltshire with a giant G&T courtesy of Mrs Wardlaw.

Alas! Ice cream was required. It seemed like the only fix here. A sweet, chocolatey refreshing plaster on my painful cancelled plans and the perfect antidote for the weekend.

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usually always make a crazy or adventurous ice cream (see my current repertoire) but a few years ago (sadly its taken me years!) my fiancee asked if we could just have plain chocolate? Plain chocolate? Was he turning in my Dad! Like my Dad, he is a simple man with his ice cream flavours. Unlike my sister and I however who would opt for walnut, pistachio, toasted coconut or anything other.

That said, as you can see, I have attempted this request. Albeit, I couldn’t keep on the straight and narrow and ‘accidentally’ added some orange zest. Truth be told, chocolate orange holds a very nostalgic place in my childhood heart having eaten chocolate orange angel delight for weekly desserts as a child with my best friend topped with cornflakes and 100s & 1000s. I’m not even sure you can buy that flavour anymore which makes me sad…however, this beats it hands down!

NOTE: If you don’t have an ice cream maker, freeze it in a tupper ware and try to whisk the ice cream every hour or so if you can. Its not the end of the world it just won’t be as smooth and may have some crystals of ice in.

Recipe (adapted from Jamie Oliver)

  • 300ml whole milk
  • 300ml single cream
  • 100g dark chocolate (at least 70%)
  • 85g caster sugar
  • 1 orange
  • 3 egg yolks
  1. Pour the milk into a saucepan. Break the chocolate into pieces and add to the milk. Place over a medium-low heat and gently warm through until the chocolate has melted well, stirring often. Do not let it boil. Once melted, remove the chocolate milk from the hob and leave to cool slightly. Taste for fun.
  2. Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Add the zest of the whole orange.
  3. Place to bowl on a tea towel to keep it from moving as you add the warm milk. Stirring continuously with a whisk in one hand, stir the eggs whilst slowly pouring in the warm chocolate milk with the other hand. Stir well, whisking quickly until well combined. Return the whole mixture to the saucepan.
  4. Place over a low heat (do NOT let it simmer or boil) and stir with a wooden spoon consistently until it begins to thicken a bit and coats the back of the spoon.
  5. Remove from the heat and leave to cool until cold. (You should really sieve the custard here to remove any lumps but then you miss out on the orange pith. I was conscious of this so made sure I whisked really well but if you fear any lumps, sieve your custard and add some more orange zest afterwards).
  6. Once cold, stir in the cream.
  7. Churn in an ice cream machine according to your manual instructions. Failing that, put the mixture in a low tupper ware and freeze. Whisk to break up the ice crystals every hour or so. It will freeze eventually but may not be as smooth as with an ice cream maker.
  8. Serve however you please….spoon and bowl in our house as we didn’t have cones.

Katsu Chicken Curry

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Katsu Chicken Curry

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hat is it with boys and Katsu curry? I’ve only eaten this dish twice. I’ll admit that and both of these have been my own recipes and at the request of a man! Forgive me for never trying the real deal in Wagamama but I’ve never seen the hype. That said, this went down a treat! After an early morning work out, busy day at the desk and gorgeous cycle round London to end the evening, I greedily settled into the kitchen with a beer and some curry powder. This for me is like a spiced roast dinner comfort. A hug in a bowl. The sauce was easier than I ever imagined and probably a reason why I never will try that famous takeaway version.

Ladies…if your other half is a fan, this will make the perfect date night treat.

Serves 2

  • 2 free range chicken breasts
  • Breadcrumbs (3-4 slices, blitzed to breadcrumbs)
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • Plain flour
  • Sunflower oil

Curry Sauce

  • 1 white onion, chopped finely
  • 2 garlic gloves, grated
  • 1 knob ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp tumeric
  • 2 tbsp flour
  • 500ml chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tsp runny honey

Serving – I served mine with some boiled rice mixed with lime juice and freely chopped coriander at the end and some steamed veggies!

  1. Start by prepping the chicken. Put the chicken breasts between two sheets of cling film and bash with a rolling pin until flattened slightly or at least so they are a similar thickness all over – a bit like a schnitzel but don’t go as flat!
  2. Prepare 3 bowls, one with some flour, one with the egg, and the other with the breadcrumbs. Dip each chicken breast, one at a time, first into the flour (shaking off any excess) and then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Press the breadcrumbs lightly onto the eggy chicken until covered well! Place both chicken breasts once done on a plate and refrigerate.
  3. Preheat the oven to 200 while you make the sauce.
  4. Gently heat some sunflower oil in a pan and add the onion. Gently sweat and soften the onion for about 15 minutes – keep the heat low or it’ll burn. After this, using a fine grater, grate in the garlic and ginger and fry for a few more minutes.
  5. After this time, add the curry power, flour and the turmeric and stir well for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock a bit at a time, stirring well to avoid clumps! Once all added and smooth stir in the soy and honey.
  6. Bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes then blend with a hand blender. Keep on a low heat while you cook the chicken. Taste and adjust with seasoning if needed.
  7. At this stage, cook the rice while you prepare the chicken.
  8. Heat a frying pan on a medium high heat and add a generous few tbsp’s of sunflower oil and a knob of butter. Once hot, add the chicken and fry until golden for a few minutes. Turn onto the other side and cook until golden again. Remove from the pan, add to a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
  9. When ready to serve, slice the chicken into thick but manageable slices. Serve on top of the rice and spoon over as much ‘curry gravy’ as you like.