Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Good Food

The first long holiday weekend of the year is in sight and, chances are, it’ll involve chocolate. For many of us, Easter wouldn’t be Easter without an item that is egg-, bunny- or unicorn-shaped (yes, unicorns exist and you can buy them – see page 14). But chocolate is also a great cook’s ingredient, and our cover recipe takes it to new heights – it’s easy to make, and a knockout dessert for your Easter lunch. You’ll find the recipe on page 38. We’re also investigating the growing popularity of posh chocolate, which is taking the high street by storm (p19). With the help of award-winning chocolatier William Curley (see below), we had the tough task of testing some of these luxury chocolates to choose our star bars. Go on,…

Purple food From cauliflower to potatoes, asparagus to carrots, if it’s purple, it’s probably higher in healing antioxidants. Ethical caviar British company KC Caviar (kccaviar.co.uk) has become the first in the world to remove fish eggs for caviar without killing the fish – as is normal practice. Marbling Marble was last year’s hot homeware trend. Now it’s in vogue in the world of baking, particularly marble-effect icing – watch our video guide to creating it at bbcgoodfood.com.…

Simnel cake sour 1 First, make the spiced syrup. Put all the ingredients in a saucepan with 100ml water, gently bring to the boil, then turn off the heat and allow to cool completely. Once cold, sieve into a jug and chill until needed. Will keep in the fridge for one week. 2 Heat grill to high. Roll the marzipan into four balls, put on a baking sheet and grill for 2-3 mins or until the top of the marzipan is just toasted, then leave to cool. When cold enough to handle, thread the ‘eggs’ on the cocktail sticks. 3 Fill four tumblers with ice. Pour the kirsch or brandy, amaretto, madeira, lemon juice, orange juice and 50ml of the syrup into a cocktail shaker with a large handful of…

FOOD PROGRAMME Potatoes are on the menu for Sheila Dillon on 2 April as she looks at how the humble spud has shaped our diet. Tim Hayward explores the taboos of cooking with blood on 9 April; and Dan Saladino focuses on chocolate for the Easter Sunday programme on the 16th, meeting Venezuelan chef Maria Fernanda Di Giacobbe, who is helping women become chocolate entrepreneurs. Sundays on BBC Radio 4 at 12.30pm. THE KITCHEN CABINET To mark the 100th show, Jay Rayner and his Kitchen Cabinet are celebrating in Paris, where panellists Tim Anderson, Andi Oliver (below) and Dr Annie Gray will get their teeth into some classic French cuisine. They’ll also take questions from an English-speaking audience at The British School of Paris. Saturday 22 April on BBC…

Jane Devonshire, last year’s MasterChef winner, shares her recipe for gluten-free savoury mu›ins Jane has had a busy year appearing at food festivals and events across the country and developing recipes for her forthcoming Family Gluten-free Cookbook. She will be one of the winners at the finalists tasting table in the current series which continues on weeknights on BBC Two. Find out more about Jane at janecdevonshire.com. Garlic mushroom & mozzarella muffins My youngest child, Ben, is coeliac, so for the past 12 years I’ve been cooking gluten-free for the whole family. I love when you hit on a recipe that no one can tell is gluten- free. These are a family favourite – Ben often has them for lunch. MAKES 6 PREP 20 mins COOK…

Five years ago, we might have been content with a bag of 40p Maltesers for elevenses and half a Dairy Milk on the commute home. But now you could fork out £6.50 for a bar of Amedei 75% at Harvey Nichols. People do. Just like the vintage Bordeaux we keep for special occasions, and the aged Comté we travelled halfway across town to pick up for our next dinner party, we’re starting to invest, financially and emotionally, in really good chocolate. ‘There is more knowledge and understanding about fine chocolate these days,’ agrees award-winning chocolatier William Curley. ‘The high- end industry is all about dark chocolate, and people have acquired more of a taste for it. Chocolate companies have also improved their knowledge massively in terms of procuring and processing…

My new book, The Wine Dine Dictionary, is all about which foods taste good with which wines. I had huge fun researching it. I ate a lot, tasted a lot, and had a lot of chats with winemakers about the foods they loved to eat with their own wines. These conversations made me more hungry than I can say. And in them, one dish came up so often that, for the sake of variety, I had to ban winemakers from mentioning it. What was the food that so many producers wanted to put on their plates beside a glass of their wine? The answer is a roast leg of lamb, infused with garlic and rosemary, bloodily pink at the centre, and gently blackened on the outside. It’s one of the…

WHERE Gittisham Honiton Devon 01404 540400 thepighotel.com COST Lunch or dinner for two, around £70; wine from £20 a bottle BEST DISHES Combe confit pheasant terrine (£7) and Buckhouse Farm ‘Welsh Black’ lamb (£20) VERDICT Confident, thoughtful cooking in a heavenly setting – and lovely staff ‘The crackling is an insanely good double-decker of featherlight crunch and pork brittle’ Ever since Rick Stein put Padstow on the map, Devon has had an envious eye on the carloads of food lovers hurtling down to Cornwall. The Pig at Combe, which opened recently, is strategically placed in east Devon, 20 minutes from the M5 and Exeter – far from the tailbacks and caravans. Arriving is a thrill. Twisting lanes and lush greenery afford tantalising glimpses of what lies ahead. Suddenly you’re there:…

Beautiful bundt cakes This premium ProCook bundt tin makes stunning, evenly cooked cakes every time. Dishwasher safe and oven safe to 260C, it comes with a 10-year guarantee. Exclusive offer for BBC Good Food readers: just £8.95 (rrp £12.95), including p&p. To order, use the code PCBUNDT17 online at procook.co.uk/gfoffer, quote the code when calling 0330 100 1010, or bring this page to any ProCook store. Offer ends 4 May 2017 at midnight. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. While stocks last.…

Barney, our Food editor- at-large, has worked as a chef internationally and is a pro at adapting restaurant recipes to make at home. @barney_desmazery Chicken, morel mushroom & asparagus one-pan pie Even though they’re in season, fresh morels can only be bought from specialist greengrocers and suppliers. However, the easier option of dried morels works just as well, with the added bonus of giving you a stock from the soaking liquid. The pan you use for this recipe is important: a skillet is ideal – deeper than a frying pan but shallower than a saucepan – and it can go on the hob and in the oven. If you don’t have one, make the filling mixture in one pan, then tip it into a classic pie dish before topping with…

Sharing menu Negroni El Pastor Tuna tostadas Salsa verde Choripapas Quesadillas with cheese EP coconut bar Nestled into a railway arch in London’s Borough Market, El Pastor is a twinkly, buzzy, modern slice of Mexican eating. The ceiling is garlanded with hanging strips of light bulbs, bright-blue tables add a ping of colour and a back-lit mezcaleria beckons from behind the bar. For this venture, Sam and Eddie Hart of Barrafina and Quo Vadis, have teamed up with brother James (left) and friend Crispin Somerville, who lived in Mexico, where they ran a club. The team are hot on detail and it shows, from the cups made from hollowed-out nuts for the mescal, and locally sourced Mexican cheese from Gringa Dairy in Peckham, to the grinding of their own masa…

Crispy cod fingers with wedges & dill slaw SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins COOK 40 mins EASY 3 large sweet potatoes (700g), scrubbed and cut into wedges ½ tbsp sunflower oil, plus a little extra ¼ large red cabbage ½ medium red onion, finely sliced 6 large cornichons, quartered 3 tbsp Greek yogurt or mayonnaise 25g dill, finely chopped 4 skinned cod fillets (160g per fillet) 2 large eggs 100g fresh breadcrumbs 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a bowl, toss the wedges with the oil, 1 tsp salt and1/4 tsp pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 mins, turning halfway through. The wedges should be crisp and golden brown. 2 Meanwhile, make the slaw. Remove the cabbage’s white core and discard. Slice the leaves…

Spicy pies with sweet potato mash This mince recipe is loosely based on the classic American sloppy joe, which is often served in a bun. We’ve topped it with mash instead to make a great alternative to cottage pie. MAKES 6 PREP 20 mins COOK 40 mins EASY * For the mash 1 kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks 2 tbsp milk 50g mature cheddar, finely grated For the mince 1 tbsp rapeseed oil 2 onions, halved and sliced 500g lean beef mince (5% fat) 1 tbsp smoked paprika, plus extra for sprinkling 1 tbsp ground cumin 1 tbsp ground coriander 1 tbsp mild chilli powder 1 tbsp vegetable bouillon powder 400g can black-eyed beans 400g can chopped tomatoes 1 large green pepper, diced 326g can sweetcorn…

Fodder, the award-winning food hall and café in Harrogate, flies the flag for Yorkshire produce in impressive style. It supports over 350 of the county’s farms and small producers – 85% of its stock comes from Yorkshire. ‘It all started during the foot-and-mouth crisis,’ says general manager Jane Thornber. ‘We knew there was loads of wonderful food in Yorkshire, and we wanted to help farmers and producers reach a market. We chose our suppliers one by one and opened in 2009. We still deal directly with each supplier, which is very different from many other shops who buy through wholesalers.’ Profits are ploughed back into charitable work carried out by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. Fodder has an in-house butcher, a cheese counter selling nearly 70 Yorkshire cheeses, and a bakery…

The approach to Tucson from Phoenix looks oddly familiar. And then it clicks: with its mountainous backdrop, desert trails and soaring, weirdly humanoid saguaro cacti – it’s Roadrunner . I’m in a Roadrunner cartoon, and it’s wonderful. Arizona’s second city is quite gloriously different, oozing Americana in a low-slung, sprawling way entirely foreign to us Europeans. In my admittedly limited experience, good food isn’t always a priority in these off-radar towns with their strip malls and Pizza Huts. So why is it here? Because not only does the city have a rich, occasionally eccentric, cultural life, but now Unesco has designated it one of its Cities of Gastronomy. It’s recognition of a culinary heritage going back more than 4,000 years, to the husbandry of the indigenous Tohono O’odham people, who…

Lyon has it all – culture, beautiful architecture and, above all, incredible food. It’s smaller than Paris, but France’s second city is home to no less than 15 Michelin-starred restaurants. The rolling hills, renowned vineyards and wines of Beaujolais are just a 40-minute drive away, so you can combine city break and rural retreat in one trip. The region is a hub for fine dining, however for authentic local fare at a fraction of the price, eat at a bouchon, where they still serve the sort of peasant food that fuelled the city’s silk workers in the 1800s. Bouchons take nose-to-tail eating seriously – in one meal you can eat pig’s brain, calf’s head and calves trotters. But it’s not all offal; there’s pan-fried fish, delicious lentil salads and never-ending…

• Always read the recipe thoroughly before starting, and use standard measuring spoons for accuracy. • Where possible, we use humanely reared British meats, free-range chicken and eggs, and sustainably sourced fish. • We help you to avoid waste by using full packs, or suggesting how to use leftovers. • If egg size is important, we’ll state it in the recipe. Helping you to eat well Our nutritional therapist analyses our recipes on a per-serving basis, not including optional serving suggestions. You can compare these amounts with the Reference Intake (RI), the official amount an adult should consume daily: Energy 2,000 cals, Protein 50g, Carbohydrates 260g, Fat 70g, Saturates 20g, Sugar 90g, Salt 6g (please note, RIs for saturates, sugar and salt are maximum daily amounts). How we label our…

Welcome to your new favourite Italian recipe collection. At Good Food we believe that Italian cuisine is delicious, achievable and right for just about any occasion, and we include Italian recipes in every issue of the magazine, as well as online at bbcgoodfood.com. Italians cook with the best ingredients that they can find, and allow them to shine without too much fuss – a philosophy we admire. While there are plenty of familiar classic recipes in this collection – such as ragu, focaccia and tiramisu – we have also kept up with trends in modern Italian cuisine, using different ingredients to make pestos, and adding a British twist to panna cotta. If you don’t have the time or inclination to make your own pizza, you might change your mind if…

Seafood spaghetti SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins COOK 15 mins EASY 175g spaghetti (or pasta of your choice) 1 tbsp olive oil 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped 150ml white wine 2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes 140g clams, washed 140g mussels, washed and beards removed (you can ask your fishmonger to do this) 100g cooked lobster meat chilli oil or olive oil, to serve ½ small pack parsley, roughly chopped, to serve 1 Boil a large pan of salted water and cook the spaghetti following pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep pan, add the garlic and chilli, and fry for 1-2 mins over a medium heat. Pour in the wine and simmer for 3-5 mins until it reduces by…

Easy Margherita pizza Created in Naples and named after Queen Margherita, the classic toppings – tomatoes, mozzarella and basil – represent the colours of the Italian flag. SERVES 4 PREP 25 mins COOK 10 mins EASY V For the base 300g strong bread flour 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling For the tomato sauce 100ml passata handful fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried \ 1 garlic clove, crushed For the topping 125g ball mozzarella, sliced handful grated or shaved parmesan (or vegetarian alternative) handful cherry tomatoes, halved To finish handful basil leaves (optional) 1 First, make the base. Mix the flour, yeast and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Make a well and pour in 200ml warm water and the olive oil.…

Elderflower panna cotta Piedmontese panna cotta is traditionally flavoured with vanilla – here it’s given a British twist. SERVES 6 PREP 45 mins plus at least 4 hrs chilling COOK 40 mins MORE EFFORT 500ml double cream 450ml whole milk 10 large elderflower heads, flowers picked, or 2-3 tbsp elderflower cordial 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out 5 gelatine leaves 85g golden caster sugar For the crumble 75g butter, plus extra for the moulds 75g plain flour 50g golden caster sugar 25g ground almonds To serve 250g strawberries, tops trimmed 1 tbsp golden caster sugar picked elderflowers, to decorate 1 Put the cream, milk, flowers (or cordial), vanilla pod and vanilla seeds in a pan over a gentle heat. When it starts to simmer, take off the heat and cool…

Ready-made sauces Following news that many top-brand pasta sauces contain unhealthy amounts of salt, sales have dropped by £30 million in a year. We vote homemade! Cheddar cheese Right now, we’re feeling blue. Research has shown that sales of blue cheese are up by 8%, while cheddar sales are going down. Avocado roses They might look pretty, but have you ever tried to make a rose out of an incredibly soft and not very malleable fruit? It’s not easy!…

Green Kitchen at Home by David Frenkiel and Luise Vindahl (£25, Hardie Grant) In their bestselling 2013 cookbook, Green Kitchen Travels, this vegetarian couple travelled the world with their toddler. Now a family of five, their latest book is packed with quick veggie recipes for all ages. Colourful and exciting, they’re a great way to get kids (and adults) to eat more veg. Must-try recipe Middle Eastern sweet potato wraps Nathan Outlaw’s Home Kitchen by Nathan Outlaw (£20, Quadrille) Known for his sublime seafood, this book shows that Michelin-starred chef Nathan’s talents go way beyond fish. There are everyday family favourites, including chicken & leek pie and rhubarb crumble & ginger custard, a chapter on Sunday lunch, plus dinners for special occasions like crab cakes with…

Lakeland White Compact 1lb Daily Loaf Bread Maker, £64.99, lakeland.co.uk This easy-to-use machine is ideal for small kitchens. With 11 different settings, there are plenty of loaf options, as well as a knead-only option for pizza bases and rolls. The loaf size is great for one or two people, and the viewing window lets you check on your bread throughout the process. Minted Panasonic Stainless Steel Bread Maker, £199.99, panasonic.com/uk This practical and stylish machine has 33 programmes. You can easily make everything from sourdough to brioche. The inbuilt yeast and fruit & nut dispensers ensure that everything is distributed evenly, plus you can also use it to make jam.…

‘Chef covers the table in foil and creates an edible work of art… sometimes standing on the table’ The first time I heard of ‘immersive dining’, I thought it had something to do with swimming pools. In fact, it’s a new trend of eating – the logical step on from ‘a meal followed by a show’, it’s ‘a meal that IS a show’. On your behalf, I dived into the subject, suspecting there might be a few dotted around the quirkier corners of the country. But it turns out they are everywhere and come in a rainbow of different forms. At the sweetest end of the spectrum is the ‘chef’s’ pudding at Parlour, a friendly west London restaurant (parlourkensal.com). It involves your whole table putting on headphones through which an…

Golden egg baked chocolate tart SERVES 12 PREP 20 mins COOK 30 mins EASY For the base 80g butter, softened 40g golden caster sugar 120g self-raising flour For the filling 75g butter 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) 75g golden caster sugar 50g plain flour 4 large eggs, beaten 2 x 80g bags of Galaxy Golden Eggs crème fraîche, to serve 1 For the shortbread base, beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy, then mix in the flour. Press the dough into the base of a 20-21cm tart tin and put in the fridge for 20 mins to harden. 2 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Prick the base all over with a fork and bake in the centre of the oven for 15 mins until lightly…

Good Food contributing editor Rosie Birkett is a food writer and stylist. Each month she creates modern recipes for us. Her book, A Lot on Her Plate (£25, Hardie Grant), is out now. @rosiefoodie Spelt pizza bianco with Jersey Royals I make this pizza using a biga (or starter in Italian), which makes the final dough airier and creates an open-textured crust. Spelt has a wonderful nutty flavour that works particularly well for pizza. SERVES 2-4 PREP 30 mins plus overnight fermenting and at least 2 hrs rising COOK 15-20 mins MORE EFFORT V For the biga 75g spelt flour 75g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1/2 tsp fast-action dried yeast 1/2 tsp caster sugar For the final dough 150g spelt flour 125g wholemeal flour 1 tsp fast-action dried…

Fruit & veg • Asparagus • Cauliflower • Herbs: rosemary, sage & thyme • Morels • Nettles • New potatoes • Pea shoots • Purple sprouting broccoli • Radishes • Rhubarb • Salad onions & spring onions • Samphire • Sorrel • Spring greens • Watercress • Wild garlic Fish & seafood • Atlantic prawns • Clams • Cockles • Crab • Mackerel • Mussels • Rainbow, river & sea trout • Wild salmon Meat & game • Rabbit • Spring lamb • Wood pigeon…

Good Food contributing editor Diana Henry is an award-winning food writer. Every month she creates exclusive recipes using seasonal ingredients. Her tenth book, Simple (£25, Mitchell Beazley), is out now. @DianaHenryFood It’s possible to get excited about ingredients you’ve been cooking for years because you find a new treatment for them. I may be late to the party, but roasted purple sprouting broccoli is my new ‘thing’ (the lazy cook loves to find a recipe where they just bung food in the oven). You do need to keep an eye on the slender stalks as they can go from slightly too firm to frazzled in the blink of an eye, but that’s hardly taxing. Every spring I look forward to purple sprouting broccoli. It’s known as ‘poor man’s asparagus’, but…

Grande Réserve de Gassac Rouge 2015 Mas de Daumas Gassac in the Languedoc makes one of the most revered French wines, a cabernet-based red that sells for about £25 a bottle. This Grande Réserve is made from a similar blend of grapes and has much of the elegance of its renowned big brother, but in a more accessible, easy-drinking style. A good match It’s a great all-round wine but will work particularly well with duck – so why not try it with Tom Kerridge’s roast Easter duck with raisin salad on p52. Santa Julia Malbec 2015 Malbec is a grape that comes originally from south-west France, where it is used to make some sturdy reds around the town of Cahors. These tend to need years in bottle to soften and…

Lamb with warm potato & olive salad This is a great dish to learn, because it shows off a range of different techniques but is still fairly simple. Cooking the lamb this way stops it drying out and gives it a subtle flavour. SERVES 2 PREP 20 mins plus chilling COOK 35 mins EASY 100g Greek yogurt 2 tbsp olive oil 400g lamb loin 2 tsp rapeseed oil For the potato & olive salad 350g baby new potatoes 2 tbsp olive oil 40g pitted Kalamata olives, halved 50g Greek yogurt 2 tsp cider vinegar peppery salad leaves, such as watercress and rocket, to serve 1 Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling, lightly salted water for 10-12 mins, then drain and transfer to a baking sheet to cool. 2…

I do like to pop down to the café and tuck into a fry-up – but it’s not always cooked in the healthiest way. So here’s my version, which will tick all the boxes – get stuck in and enjoy. I love my eggs poached, but you could always have them fried or scrambled. Joe’s full English SERVES 1 PREP 5 mins COOK 20 min S EASY 15ml olive oil 130g tomatoes, halved 4 rashers turkey bacon 180g sirloin steak, trimmed of visible fat 150g mushrooms, sliced 160g spinach 1 egg 1 Heat grill to high. Drizzle a little of the oil on your tomatoes and season well. Lay the tomatoes on a baking tray lined with foil and place under the grill. Cook for 4-5 mins, then add the…

Halloumi & beetroot open sandwich SERVES 1 PREP 15 mins COOK 7 mins EASY V 25g fresh or frozen broad beans 25g halloumi 1 slice rye bread or sourdough 2 beetroots, cooked and quartered 1 tbsp houmous ½ lemon, juiced 1 Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add the broad beans and cook for 1-2 mins. Drain and run under cold water, then peel off the outer skins. Put the beans to one side. 2 Heat grill to its highest setting. Put the halloumi on a baking tray and grill for 3 mins turning halfway through to brown on both sides. Toast the bread and transfer to a serving plate. 3 Spread the houmous on the bread, then top with the beetroot and grilled halloumi. Scatter over the…

‘I’ve been cooking and creating recipes ever since my passion for food was ignited at the age of 10,’ says Kenyan-born Jaswinder. Her recipe for this traditional Indian snack has been passed down her family, but she has adapted it: ‘I add a little more chilli, and a little more love!’ Pakoras SERVES 6 PREP 25 mins COOK 25 mins MORE EFFORT V 1 green chilli, chopped thumb-sized piece ginger, roughly chopped 1 tomato, roughly chopped 200g gram flour 1 ½ tsp each red chilli powder, garam masala and ground coriander 2 medium potatoes, peeled, halved and thinly sliced, then halved into quarter moons ½ aubergine, thinly sliced, then halved into quarter moons ½ cauliflower, cut into florets 1 large onion, finely sliced ½ lemon, juiced vegetable oil, for frying…

House of Tides It may seem obvious to flag up the city’s sole Michelin-star restaurant as the best – but, great as many of Newcastle’s other restaurants are, Kenny Atkinson’s Quayside gastrodome is operating at an altogether higher level of technical sophistication. From the opening strikingly saline Lindisfarne oyster onwards, Atkinson’s tasting menus rarely falter. Peerless ingredients are transformed with exceptional skill across dishes which, while far from experimental, harbour interesting ideas. For instance, you might find sea bass paired with fried chicken wing, hazelnuts & an artichoke cream. Other components, such as a sausage-roll-style parcel of shredded duck meat served with its dry-aged breast, are irresistible crowd-pleasers. Tasting menus from £55; houseoftides.co.uk SO Barrio Comida An incongruous shipping container shack on the city’s architecturally eye-catching Quayside, Barrio serves some of…

Brasserie Georges, Lyon Opened primarily as a brewery in 1836 by a family from Alsace, Brasserie Georges is an institution. The oldest brasserie in the city, it still has four of its own beers on tap. Set in a beautiful Art Deco room that seats 650, the atmosphere is jolly and the food is hearty. Alongside Alsatian sauerkraut there are local sausages studded with pistachios, and the city’s vivid pink pralines are served in no less than four desserts. Three-course Menu Lyonnais, £21. brasseriegeorges.com Turn to page 134 for a recipe from head chef Gérald Straga. Le Bouchon de Filles, Lyon It may look traditional, with red-and-white check tablecloths and a chalkboard wine list, but Le Bouchon de Filles is a modern affair. Taken over by three young women who…

Barney, our Food editor- at-large, has worked as a chef internationally and is a pro at adapting restaurant recipes to make at home. @barney_desmazery CHEF SWAPS Wild garlic The new darling bud of spring, wild garlic covers menus as abundantly as it does forest floors during its short season. Raw, the stalks and flowers can substitute for chives. The leaves, chopped or blitzed, can replace any soft green herb, adding a mild garlic, oniony flavour to salsas and sauces. Or scatter through a risotto or on an omelette. Wild garlic loses its pungency when cooked, and becomes more like spinach. Also, as the leaves are broader and more robust than spinach, they are ideal for wrapping and stuffing. Tom Kerridge uses wild garlic two ways in his recipe on p54.…

star letter We really enjoy Victoria Moore’s articles on wine, and particularly liked her feature on how the type of glass used can affect the taste of the wine (March). We have found the shape of the short-stemmed glasses that she recommends de initely enables you to enjoy the full lavour and bouquet of the wine. Our experience also shows you are much less likely to knock it over compared to a longer-stemmed glass! Jan and John Pulford, Kent I made the funfetti cake (Feb) for my dad for his 72nd birthday. It looked fabulous, even if I do say so myself. Karen Haywood, Sta ordshire My six-year-old daughter Erin and I made the butterscotch banana pie (Feb). My family loved it. Becky Wyatt, Lincoln My husband can’t eat gluten,…

1 Bread is used like a utensil with pasta dishes rather than eaten before you get to the starter. So use it to scoop (or, in Italian, ‘fare la scarpetta’, which roughly translates as ‘do the little shoe’), mop and swipe up all those leftover bits. 2 Pasta is eaten without side dishes, and vegetables go with meat or fish. 3 Parmesan is added in moderation – it’s primarily meant to enhance rather than change the flavour of a dish. 4 Pasta sauce is intended as a subtle dressing – in Italy you won’t get more than a couple of spoonfuls. Another reason to buy good-quality pasta. 5 Wine and water and, at a pinch, beer are drunk with meals. Fizzy drinks are for pizza only.…

Truffle mushroom MAKES around 200g PREP 5 mins COOK 10 mins EASY Toast 25g walnuts and put in a mini food processor. Fry 200g sliced mushrooms in 1 tsp sunflower oil for 5 mins, then add to the nuts with 1 garlic clove. Blitz until finely chopped. Add 75ml olive oil and 11/2 tsp white truffle oil, blitz again, stir in 1 tbsp double cream and 25g grated parmesan and season. Will keep in the fridge for two days. Squash & pumpkin seeds MAKES around 200g PREP 10 mins COOK 10 mins EASY Toast 25g pumpkin seeds until starting to pop, then tip into a mini food processor. Fry 200g grated butternut squash for 4-5 mins until softened, then add to the seeds with 3 sage leaves and 1 garlic…

Rabbit cacciatore Cacciatore, which means hunter in Italian, is traditionally made with chicken or rabbit. SERVES 4 PREP 30 mins COOK 1 hr 30 mins EASY 900g rabbit pieces 2 tbsp plain flour, seasoned 3 tbsp olive oil 2 onions, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped large pack parsley, chopped 300ml white wine 2 x 400g cans cherry tomatoes about 20 large green olives 1 tbsp golden caster sugar polenta, to serve 1 Toss the rabbit in the flour. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large pan and brown the rabbit in three batches, adding another 1 tbsp oil for each batch. Transfer the rabbit to a plate and set aside. Add the onions and garlic to the pan, gently cook for 15 mins until softened, then add most…

Most goat farmers make their milk into cheese or butter. However, Shann and Rich Jones, who are based in west Wales, put their milk to a more unusual use – making kefir, a probiotic drink. Kefir is becoming popular thanks to its ability to keep the gut’s good bacteria in balance. Texas-born Shann turned to it when her husband contracted the MRSA superbug. Rich recovered, and in 2011 the couple founded Chuckling Goat. Since then, sales have grown and they now have more than 70 pedigree goats. Kefir originated in the Caucasus Mountains and is made with goat’s milk and a culture of yeast and bacteria ‘grains’. It’s slightly fizzy and tastes tart, like yogurt. Shann suggests a glass before breakfast. chucklinggoat.co.uk Clare Hargreaves Chuckling Goat featured on BBC Two’s Back…

Tommy, head chef at The Black Swan in Oldstead, North Yorkshire, was just 24 when he became the youngest person in Britain to hold a Michelin star four years ago. He also won the North East heat in last year’s Great British Menu , and cooked the fish course at the final banquet ( blackswanoldstead.co.uk ). Tommy will be cooking live on BBC One’s Saturday Kitchen on 1 April. Right now, you must eat Yorkshire rhubarb. We get ours from Tomlinson’s farm in Pudsey, just outside Leeds; it’s an awesome bright pink and the flavour is something else. You can buy it in greengrocers all over Yorkshire and beyond (tomlinsonfarmshop.co.uk). We make our own bread using flour…

1›2 APRIL Springfest, Loch Lomond lochlomondfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk • 6›9 APRIL London Coffee Festival londoncoffee festival.com • 8›9 APRIL Budleigh Salterton Food & Drink Festival budleighfoodanddrink.org.uk • 14›17 APRIL Chocolate Festival, York yorkfoodfestival.com • 15›17 APRIL Liverpool Food, Drink & Lifestyle Spring Festival liverpoolfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk • 21›23 APRIL Great British Food Festival, Clitheroe greatbritishfoodfestival.com • 21›23 APRIL Porthleven Food Festival porthleven foodfestival.com • 22 APRIL Surrey Food Festival surreyfoodfestival.com • 29›30 APRIL Artisan Cheese Fair, Leicestershire artisancheesefair.co.uk…

With help from award-winning chocolatier William Curley (left) and Ravneet Gill, former head pastry chef for St John restaurant, in London, we blind-tasted 36 bars of 68-72% dark chocolate to find our favourites. We were looking for a bar with character, good ‘length’ (flavour that lasts on the tongue) and a smooth texture. We only included plain bars, without additions such as salt, cocoa nibs or other flavourings. Our top 10 bars BEST SUPERMARKET BUYS Tesco Finest Peruvian 70% Dark Chocolate (100g), £1.50 William Curley’s standout supermarket bar, this is smooth and fruity, with good length. Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Swiss 72% Dark Chocolate (100g), £1.45 This has a nutty edge, with coffee notes. JD Gross Premium Ecuador Dark Chocolate 70% (125g), £1.29, Lidl Creamy with slight acidity and a…

‘Friends of the Earth reported that one billion recyclable black plastic trays end up in landfills in the UK every year’ I’m not surprised that my niece can’t open her early Easter egg. To prise this shiny golden object from its plastic showcase, I have to peel off three strongly adhesive stickers and extract it from its cardboard base. The outer layer of plastic, invisibly pinioned by more stickers, conceals an internal moulded shell of flexible plastic. How was I to know that it would flip open into three springy sections, ejecting the egg onto the floor? While consoling the sobbing three-year-old, sweeping up the debris, and washing off the gold that’s stuck to my fingers, I’m reminded of just how ludicrous food packaging has become. Easter eggs, of course,…

1 Bake the golden egg tart in a 20cm straight-edged cake tin. 2 Buy 1 extra bag of Galaxy Golden Eggs, 200g dark chocolate, a small pot of double cream and some cocoa powder. 3 Heat 100ml cream until simmering, tip in 100g broken chocolate, stir until melted, then spoon into a piping bag with a star-shaped nozzle. Put the ganache (in the piping bag) in the fridge until firm enough to pipe. 4 Melt the remaining chocolate, then spread in a thin layer over a piece of baking parchment and leave to set. 5 Dust the tart with cocoa powder. Break the chocolate into shards. Pipe dots of ganache on one side of the tart, put the Golden Eggs on top and add shards of chocolate.…

Good Food contributing editor Tom Kerridge is chef-owner of The Hand & Flowers and The Coach – both in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. His latest book, Tom Kerridge’s Dopamine Diet (£20, Absolute Press), is out now. Each month Tom creates exclusive recipes for us. @ChefTomKerridge I reckon you’d be hard-pressed to find a family in the UK that doesn’t sit down to a roast at home or at their local pub several times a year. A roast is something particularly special to share – it’s part of what makes our Christmas and Easter celebrations so memorable. It’s also one of the easiest ways to cook, because you’re not doing much more than putting something in the oven until the dry heat creates a caramelised crust. The temperature you roast at will depend…

Every month, chef and Good Food contributing editor John Torode reinvents one of the most popular recipes on our website. John has been a judge on BBC One’s MasterChef for 12 years. The new series begins at the end of March. @JohnTorode1 This month, my makeover takes a fusion curry of tomatoes and ginger and turns it into something totally Thai. I’ve added classic Thai ingredients, like lime leaves and lemongrass, to make sure that it achieves the right balance of sweet, sour, salty and hot. Sometimes things have to be done from scratch and sometimes you are allowed to take a few shortcuts. I’m a man who believes in both – some days I have the time and other days, I just don’t. You can either make your own…

Soft-boiled eggs with black rice & aubergine SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins COOK 40 mins EASY V 1 small aubergine, cut into cubes 4 tbsp olive oil 1 lemon, juiced ½ tsp cardamom seeds (without pods) ¼ tsp each chilli flakes and cumin 90g kale or spring greens 250g pouch black rice (we used Gallo) 2 medium eggs, soft-boiled for 6 mins 30g Greek yogurt ½ small pack parsley, leaves picked 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Put the aubergine in a roasting tin, toss in1/2 the olive oil and1/2 the lemon juice. Cook for 35-40 mins until softened. 2 When the aubergines are cooked through, tip the cardamom seeds into a frying pan, toast a little, then add the remaining olive oil and toast the spices. Add…

One of the UK’s most accomplished and successful singer-songwriters, Gary and his wife, Dawn, recently celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary. They have three children, Daniel, 16, Emily, 14, and Daisy, eight. The recipe I grew up with – The best Cheshire potatoes I had a happy childhood in Cheshire: my parents were one of the few couples in history who never argued and we always had dinner together as a family. My older brother Ian and I were taught to sit at the table and eat with a knife and a fork. It was strict in a nice family way. We weren’t well off, but we weren’t poor. My dad had two jobs, so we had a colour telly before anyone else and a record player. My mum and dad…

Jesmond Food Market The city’s foremost artisan producer and street-food market on Armstrong Bridge (third Saturday, monthly). @JesFoodMkt Pink Lane Coffee Opposite Newcastle Central Station, but almost hidden from passers-by, this hip hangout uses its own PLC Roastery beans to create a consistently brilliant flat white. pinklanecoffee.co.uk The Cumberland Arms This historic Ouseburn craft beer hub has its own on-site brewery. Every Friday, local street-food traders pop up on the terrace. thecumberlandarms.co.uk Colman’s It is a 30-minute Metro ride out of central Newcastle to the coast at South Shields, but Colman’s is essential. Established in 1926, it is one of Britain’s best chip shops. colmansfishandchips.com Pink Lane Bakery This independent bakery dispenses impressive cakes and croissants, rustic loaves and profoundly porky pancetta sausage rolls. facebook.com/pinklbakery For 10 more places to…

Cervelle de canut A dip made from creamy white cheese, garlic and herbs, good with crusty bread. The name translates as ‘silk workers brain’, so-called because it’s soft – craftsmen were often looked down on by the affluent residents of Lyon. Quenelles de brochet Lyon’s signature dish of pike dumplings served with a creamy crayfish, lobster or mushroom sauce. You’ll find them at every bouchon in the city. Saucisson These hang from the ceilings of every bouchon and wine bar in Lyon. Rosette de Lyon is the most famous, and for good reason – a garlicky sausage air-dried for up to six months, it has a deep, rich flavour. Other local specialties include Jésus (tied in a pear shape, it’s said to resemble the shape of a swaddled baby Jesus),…

William Curley trained under the likes of Pierre Koffmann, Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc, before becoming the youngest-ever chef pâtissier at The Savoy Hotel. William, who has won the Academy of Chocolate’s ‘Britain’s Best Chocolatier’ Award four times, began his own chocolatier business more than 13 years ago ( williamcurley.co.uk ). @William_Curley This evokes memories of a tower of gold-wrapped chocolates, reserved only for special occasions. I can picture my mother presenting a plate of these on Christmas Day, only for them to be devoured within minutes – they really were a luxurious treat. I’ve used a few specialist ingredients in this recipe. Gianduja is a sweet, soft chocolate that is 30% hazelnut paste – basically it’s a better quality and palm-oil free…

MAKES 8 PREP 15 mins plus 1 hr rising and 1 hr proving COOK 25-30 mins EASY 500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast 50g golden caster sugar 11/2 tsp cinnamon 3 tbsp olive oil 1 orange, zested 150g mixed dried fruit milk, for brushing 50g plain flour 2 tbsp apricot jam 1 Mix the bread flour, yeast, sugar, cinnamon, oil, 2 tsp sea salt and 350ml warm water in a bowl with a spoon first, and then with your hands. Add the zest and dried fruit and continue to knead (or use a mixer fitted with a dough hook) for around 10 mins until it feels less sticky. Shape into a ball, return to the bowl and cover. Leave to rise for…

Spicy aperitivo A fiery cocktail to get your party started. You can buy grappa at most off-licences. SERVES 6 PREP 5 mins plus chilling NO COOK 500ml good-quality passata 3 limes, juiced ½ nutmeg, grated 2 pinches of chilli powder 6 tbsp grappa or vodka To serve golden caster sugar 6 lime slices 1 Stir the passata, lime juice, nutmeg, chilli powder and two pinches of salt in a bowl or jug, then add the grappa or vodka and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hr. Chill six cocktail glasses – small martini glasses are best – at the same time. 2 Pour a little water on a saucer and sprinkle a few tbsp of caster sugar on another. Dip the rim of each glass first into the…