Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2016 i Good Food

March is when winter meets spring, with its reputation for coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb. It also provides a good opportunity for hunkering down with comfort food in the early, chilly days - and we’ve got plenty of brand-new recipes to inspire you (and keep you warm). One dish that never fails, whatever the weather, is roast chicken - a default weekend dinner in my house, and one of my desert island recipes. I’m always looking for new ways to cook it, so I’m definitely going to try Rosie Birkett’s version (p26), cooked with preserved lemon, crunchy radishes and handfuls of herbs. This is just one of her fresh and exciting recipes for Good Food , where she focuses on chicken and eggs -…

We want our recipes to work first time for you at home, so we create and triple-test them in our own kitchen. We also rigorously test recipes from other food writers, chefs and cookbooks before including them in the magazine. • We keep ingredients to a minimum and avoid lengthy preparation. • We help you avoid waste by using full packs, cans and jars where possible, or giving suggestions for using up leftovers. • Where possible, we use humanely reared meats, free-range chickens and eggs, and sustainably sourced fish. • We use unrefined sugars (such as golden caster sugar), unless we want white icing. • Where egg size is important, you’ll find it stated in the recipe. • Always use standard measuring spoons, and never mix metric and imperial measures.…

This month I’ve been hard at work investigating (i.e. eating) the most interesting sweet food available in Manhattan. Harsh brief, I know. There’s so much good pudding work going on here that it’s hard to know where to start… Goat’s milk ice cream, matcha-flavoured pastries, fusion bakes like last year’s cronut (doughnut/croissant) or this year’s brookie (cookie/brownie/cupcake). But I discovered the ones that really hit home tend to involve flavours that remind you of your childhood in the UK: birthday cakes from the time when birthdays were magical, butterscotch Angel Delight, Ambrosia creamed rice, uncooked brownie mix you licked from the bowl. Those food triggers are joyful, but it turns out that to hit them as an adult, the ingredients need to be seriously better than their originals. I visited…

It’s amazing to me that I hated fresh rhubarb as a child. Maybe it’s because we grew our own, and it wasn’t the slender pink rhubarb I love today - it was the thicker, tougher, green sort. Mum would cook it with just a little sugar until it broke down, yet it was never sweet enough for me. Beyond our Bradford back garden, however, was some of the best rhubarb in the world, produced in the Rhubarb Triangle of West Yorkshire. This local delicacy is technically a vegetable but used mainly in sweet recipes. It is grown in the dark with just a little candlelight to encourage it to flourish early and give it that gorgeous pink-blush colour. More aromatic and sweeter than its hardier cousin, forced rhubarb needs a…

Lemon & marzipan hot cross buns MAKES 12 PREP 45 mins plus 3 hrs proving COOK 30 mins 250ml/9fl oz full-fat milkzest 2 lemons50g/2oz butter, cubed500g/1lb 2oz strong white flour, plus140g/5oz for the crosses and extrafor dusting 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon85g/3oz golden caster sugar7g sachet fast-action dried yeast1 large egg, beaten, plus 1 egg to glazevegetable or sunflower oil, forgreasing200g/7oz marzipan, chilled100g/4oz mixed dried fruit50g/2oz candied lemon peel (or usemixed peel)1 tbsp lemon curd, to glaze, plus extrato servesalted butter, to serve 1 Warm the milk and lemon zest in a small saucepan until steaming. Remove from the heat and add the butter, swirling the pan until it has melted and the milk has cooled slightly. 2 Mix the flour, cinnamon, sugar, yeast and 1 tsp salt in a large…

Square Root London The winners of the awards’ Best Drinks Producer category, Ed Taylor and Robyn Simms, launched Square Root four years ago, selling their ginger beer at a farmers’ market in Harringay. They branched out into more seasonal flavours and, as demand grew, they started bottling their sodas, including the best- selling rhubarb soda using Yorkshire rhubarb (squarerootsoda.co.uk). Dunkertons Organic Cider, Herefordshire Susie and Ivor Dunkerton escaped London to buy a smallholding in Herefordshire in 1980 and start producing organic cider and perry. They choose traditional varieties of cider apple or perry pear, press them and leave them to ferment for at least six months before blending (dunkertonscider.co.uk). Warner Edwards Gin, Northamptonshire Lifelong friends Tom Warner and Sion Edwards, both farmers’ sons, decided to start a gin distillery on…

A slow cooker is an easy way to make stocks and stews ahead, or to cook food in batches for the freezer. It’s ideal for making bone broth, and very economical, as you can turn cheaper cuts of meat into melt-in-the-mouth dishes. Flaky sea salt or freshly ground Himalayan rock salt, for the texture, but also for the flavour and beneficial minerals. Organic virgin coconut oil for baking, roasting and smoothies. It also makes a very good moisturiser and a gentle eye make-up remover. A decent-sized tub is cheaper than any other organic, all-natural, chemical-free cleanser or moisturiser you’ll buy in the shops. Fresh lemon, ginger and turmeric are essential ingredients in our day-to-day cooking, but also excellent brewed together as a tea to soothe a cold or to pep…

Smoked haddock & cheat’s chips SERVES 2 PREP 5 mins COOK 25 mins 2 tbsp vegetable oil 300g/11oz Maris Piper potatoes 2 boneless, skinless undyed smoked haddock fillets (approx 300g/11oz) 140g/5oz Tenderstem broccoli 100ml/3 1 /2fl oz double cream 1 Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/ gas 6 and heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the potatoes and fry for 10 mins until they begin to crisp. Transfer to a baking tray and bake in the oven while you cook the haddock. 2 Put the haddock, broccoli and cream in the frying pan you used for the potatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 8-10 mins, basting the haddock every now and again until it is cooked and the broccoli…

Quick and imaginative new suppers for one are among the most frequent requests we receive at BBC Good Food , so this month we’re giving you fresh inspiration. Cooking for yourself doesn’t have to be boring and, as my boyfriend often works late, I’ve learned to enjoy preparing meals for myself. However, I never want to spend hours slaving away over a meal that only I will appreciate. Whether it’s a quick yet sumptuous toastie after a busy day at work, or a roast that requires minimal effort, we all appreciate a proper dinner without having to make enough to feed a family. Many supermarkets are making this easier, selling smaller packs of veg, or a single piece of meat or fish in a pack, to ensure we waste less.…

Tear & share pasty SERVES 10 PREP 1 hr 30 mins COOK 55 mins FOR THE PASTRY 500g/1lb 2oz strong white bread flour100g/4oz lard, chilled and chopped140g/5oz butter, chilled and chopped1 egg, beaten FOR THE FILLING 350g/12oz beef skirt, cut into smallcubes300g/11oz waxy potatoes such asCharlottes, chopped into smallpieces175g/6oz swede, chopped into smallpieces1 onion, chopped TO SERVE seasonal leaves, such as spinach,baby kale and radicchio, and amustardy dressing (optional) 1 First, make the pastry. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the lard and butter. Rub the ingredients together, then mix in 1 tsp salt. Make a well in the centre and stir in 175ml cold water. Knead just enough to bring the pastry together into a smooth ball, then wrap in cling film and let it…

A delicious and hearty homemade one-pot is perfect to share when you have friends and family joining you around the table. That’s what makes Bisto Made Simple Chicken & Wild Mushroom Hob Top such a winner. It tastes great, it’s fast and simple to make, and once cooked, you can just put the dish in the middle of the table and let everyone help themselves. Made Simple Chicken & Wild Mushroom Hob Top is a concentrated paste made with herbs, seasonings and real meat juices for those everyday meals that bring people together. It’s the taste of homemade made easy. Chicken & Wild Mushroom Hob Top SERVES 4 • PREP 10 mins • COOK 35 mins • EASY 500g chicken breast, diced1 medium onion, chopped1 tbsp olive oil400g chestnut mushrooms,…

The Pubs That Built Britain Two pub food classics from the Hairy Bikers, Si King and Dave Myers. In their latest 15-part series, they explore British pub history, as well as meeting landlords and locals determined to keep alive the pubs, inns and taverns at the heart of our communities Beef & oyster pie Once upon a time, oysters were cheap, not the posh food they are today. They were used to eke out the filling in meat pies like this one – the original surf and turf! Ideally you will need a 25cm pie dish that is about 5cm deep. SERVES 4–6 PREP 1 hr COOK about 3 hrs FOR THE FILLING 900g stewing beef, trimmed and cut into 3cm cubes 2–3 tbsp vegetable oil 3 banana shallots, quartered…

• Asparagus, new potatoes, wild garlic, watercress and more • Cook with new-season shellfish • A taste of Sicily • Our ultimate avocado recipes PLUS • Amazing homemade doughnuts – so good! • Rick Stein’s Indonesian curry FREE & EXCLUSIVE Hemsley & Hemsley cookbook Free for every reader: 44-page book featuring 20 recipes, including dishes from their new book, Good + Simple WE’RE GOING GREEN! • VEGGIE DISHES • BE INSPIRED BY THE NEW ECO CHEFS Don’t miss our April issue, on sale 31 March…

Chicken katsu curry This katsu is coated in finely chopped flaked almonds and baked in the oven (rather than fried) until crisp and golden. SERVES 2 PREP 20 mins COOK 35 mins 25g/1oz flaked almonds 1 tsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 300g/11oz total) lime wedges, for squeezing over FOR THE SAUCE 2 tsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil 1 medium onion, roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped 2 tsp medium curry powder 1 star anise 1/4 tsp ground turmeric 1 tbsp plain wholemeal flour FOR THE RICE 100g/4oz long-grain brown rice 2 spring onions, finely sliced (include the green part) FOR THE SALAD 1 medium carrot, peeled into long strips with a vegetable peeler 1/3 cucumber, peeled into…

One of the delights of slicing into a deep-fried chicken Kiev are the buttery, garlicky juices that ooze out as your knife goes in. So to make this comforting classic healthier, my challenge was to create a juicy filling with a crisp coating, but a lot less butter and oil. For the filling, I came up with an unconventional mix of equal amounts of butter and light soft cheese, along with a little rapeseed oil and the conventional flavourings. This reduced the levels of fat and saturated fat by a long way, but it was still full of flavour. To create a lower-fat coating, I used a combination of crisp panko crumbs and some buttermilk to help the crumbs stick. I fried the Kievs using a minimum of rapeseed oil…

THIS MONTH • Make your own nut butter • Chocolate patisserie masterclass • Our guide to salt & pepper POACH EGGS LIKE A PRO The fresher the better The whites will be less wispy and it’s easier to get that elegant teardrop shape. Use less fresh eggs for scrambling or boiling. Add vinegar A splash of white vinegar (1-2 tsp) in the water will help to bring the egg white together. But don’t add too much or your eggs will taste sour. Don’t boil Vigorous bubbles will break up the egg white and make it rubbery, so ensure that your water is simmering (the ideal temperature is 80C if you are using a thermometer). Use a cup Cracking your egg into a small cup first will make it easier to…

‘This is a gorgeous centrepiece for any special occasion,’ says Benoit. ‘It has a flourless chocolate sponge base, which is topped with a layer of rich chocolate mousse and chocolate croustillant - chocolate crisps. ‘At Le Manoir, we make it all year round, and at Easter we add an extra flourish with a spun sugar nest, chocolate feathers and a blown sugar egg. You don’t need to add these, but they will give your cake a professional finish. ‘When you’re making this at home, accuracy is everything. Precise measuring makes all the difference; a few grams here or there will change the finished cake. Make sure that your temperatures and timings are accurate too. The correct equipment, such as a cake or pastry ring, will also help you get the…

As a busy junior doctor preparing for exams, I need fast, delicious meals to make my revision easier to bear. My hubby and I were cheered up by the Prawn katsu burgers and the Quick roast chicken & homemade oven chips with Kiev butter (Jan). They were quick to prepare and very tasty, leaving me time to study. I was impressed by the technique for the chicken – it was so juicy and tender. Jodie Montgomery-Cranny, Sheffield I kept the recipe for this Cookies & cream party cake (July 2015) to make for my son’s 25th birthday – he loved it! It came out perfectly, the sponge was amazing and I will definitely make it again. Gina Harrison, Kent As a recent convert to organic veg boxes, I couldn’t resist…

Chocolate is made by fermenting, drying, roasting, crushing and processing cocoa beans into powder (strong, bitter) and butter (bland, fudgy). Dark chocolate contains over 65% solids (powder); white chocolate contains none. The Belgian Post Office issued a set of commemorative stamps in 2013 that both smelled and tasted of chocolate. Cocoa butter is one of the only fats that is solid at room temperature and liquid at body temperature. Drinking chocolate was a church-approved weapon against the evil of alcohol. Joseph Fry, Joseph Rowntree and John Cadbury were all philanthropic Quakers. When Cadbury’s son George (right, builder of Bournville) died in 1922, 25,000 people were said to have lined the streets. Scientific evidence for chocolate as a superfood is sketchy. Cocoa solids contain beneficial trace elements and antioxidants, but usually…

NEW IN THE SHOPS ONE-POT COOKING Don’t miss One Pots, the new title in our BBC Home Cooking Series. From family meals to generous dishes for easy entertaining, there are more than 100 recipes here – all big on flavour and minimal washing up! Look out for it in store from 4 March. EXCLUSIVE VIDEO RECIPES ON THE GO Keep BBC Good Food at your fingertips with our interactive app. Download from the Apple App store today to access app-only features and exclusive videos. HOW TO COOK… Spaghetti bolognese GREAT MOTHER’S DAY GIFT BOOK FOR OUR SHOWS A trip to one of our shows makes a day to remember. Next month, we head to the beautiful spa town of Harrogate for the BBC Good Food Show Spring. This show features…

Early inspiration My father worked at Southampton’s fruit and veg markets. When I was 11, I’d go after school, sit on the pallets and watch the forklift. I loved the smells and atmosphere. My dad brought home lots of stuff, which gave me an interest in ingredients and led me to cooking family meals – basic stuff like Bolognese, curry and roasts. This prompted me to choose cooking as an option at school. Favourite cookbook Essential Cuisine by Michel Bras is my number one book of all time. I love the colours, the vibrancy and the design. It was way ahead of its time. Bras is very rooted in his native village of Aubrac in southern France. It connects with what I’m trying to do with L’Enclume in Cartmel. Most…

Look out for • Anchovies• Herring• Mackerel• Salmon• Sardines (pilchards are large sardines)• Sprats• Trout• Tuna Flashing silver and full of flavour, oily fish like mackerel, salmon and sardines are regulars in my kitchen. A healthy option, they are also better value for money than the most popular (and often over-fished) chunky white fish. So, what makes oily fish different to white? White fish contain their oils within the liver, whereas oily fish store their oils in the muscle. Oily fish pretty much self-bastes in the pan and the flesh is less prone to drying out. The healthy benefits are down to the high concentration of a type of fat, essential to our health, called omega-3. Eating one or two portions of oily fish a week may help to protect your heart, ease creaky joints and even boost…

Hot cross buns signal the end of the fast Easter begins with a fast and finishes with feasting. Even if we don’t observe Lent strictly, we still mark its onset with pancakes on Shrove Tuesday - the day before Lent. These use up the richer, animal-derived ingredients that were traditionally banned during Lent, except on Sundays. Foods that were considered fish, or from fish, could be eaten. These included sea birds, waterfowl and, bizarrely, beavers’ tails. Hot cross buns have medieval origins, and their cross associates them with Good Friday. Rich, fruity, spicy and eggy, they signal the end of the fast, as well as indicating hospitality and Christian symbolism. In Cornwall, saffron cakes were popular at Easter - the crocus was still farmed there until the beginning of the…

Café culture The Irish might be known as tea drinkers, but Dublin’s coffee scene is booming. Champion barista Colin Harmon’s 3FE (3fe.com) on Grand Canal Street Lower is the jewel in the crown. The city has been inspired by the cool ‘Fika’ cafés of Scandinavia (where taking a proper break for coffee and treats is a cultural phenomenon). Grab a breakfast pie or a chocolate & bee pollen croissant at Love Supreme (lovesupreme.ie), try the pulled pork sandwich (voted Dublin’s best) or Turkish eggs at Brother Hubbard (brotherhubbard.ie), or lounge on the mismatched seating at Fumbally (thefumbally.ie), near St Patrick’s Cathedral, with Gubbeen ham & eggs on brioche. For clean, fresh flavours, Eathos (eathosdublin.com) serves beautifully presented salads, such as Roast sweet potato & rooster potato with Ardsallagh goat’s cheese.…

Harissa chicken traybake SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 1 hr 4 chicken legs 4 tbsp harissa paste (rose harissa is nice) 1 garlic bulb, broken into cloves 1 lemon, cut into wedges 400g/14oz cherry tomatoes on the vine 350g/12oz new potatoes, halved if large 50g/2oz Kalamata olives, chopped 2 tbsp olive oil green salad, to serve (optional) 1 Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Score deep lines all over the chicken legs, then rub in the harissa. Season well and place in a roasting tin. Scatter the garlic over and around the chicken. Squeeze the lemon wedges over, then place them in the tin with the cherry tomatoes, potatoes and olives. Season, drizzle over the oil and toss briefly to mix everything together. 2 Cook in the oven for…

When it comes to family meals, it’s easy to slip into the habit of making the same quick and simple dishes on rotation – they’re tried and trusted, after all. Shaking things up doesn’t have to mean taking on a whole new selection of recipes though. With OXO Herbs & More you can simply add a flavoursome twist to old favourites, transforming them into taste sensations with ease. The range features perfect pairings of herbs and flavour reductions, sealed into little pots for freshness. All you have to do is stir or melt them into meals – from pies and pasta sauces to veg – to bring them to life. Explore the delicious Herbs & More range. It’s available in a host of flavours including Roast Garlic and Parsley and…

Sugared flower shortbreads These delicate shortbread biscuits look so pretty wrapped in a decorative box. You can flavour them with any edible floral scent – I’ve used rosewater, but orange blossom extract or dried lavender would work well. Cassie Best MAKES 15-20 PREP 1 hr plus 3 hrs drying, 1 hr setting and chlling COOK 12 mins FOR THE SHORTBREAD 250g/9oz plain flour, plus extra fordusting140g/5oz cold slightly salted butter,cut into small cubes85g/3oz white caster sugar1 tsp vanilla extract1/2 tsp rosewater (optional)2 egg yolks FOR THE SUGARED FLOWERS ANDTO DECORATE assortment of 15-20 edible, unsprayedflowers (we used pansies, violas,primroses and rose petals, see belowright)50g/2oz caster sugar1 egg white, beaten300g/11oz royal icing sugarfood colouring pastes (we used yellow,purple and pink)edible shimmer dust (optional) YOU WILL NEED tweezers1 small paintbrush8cm biscuit cutter1…

Spinach, sweet potato & lentil dhal SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 35 mins 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 red onion, finely chopped 1 garlic clove, crushed thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped 1 red chilli, finely chopped 1 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric 1 1 /2 tsp ground cumin 2 sweet potatoes (about 400g/ 14oz), cut into even chunks 250g/9oz red split lentils 600ml/1pt vegetable stock 80g bag of spinach 4 spring onions, sliced on the diagonal, to serve 1/2 small pack of Thai basil, leaves torn, to serve 1 Heat the oil in a wide-based pan with a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion and cook over a low heat for 10 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and chilli, cook…

Sue Quinn’s feature on the risks of eating too much meat (Jan) was refreshing and informative. My wife and I Photographs ALAMY, JOHN FRO T NEWSPAPERS For more decided, some and months ago, to eat far less meat and, as a result, we feel healthier. One of the benefits is helping us to keep slim, a key issue as we get older. As Sue suggested, we regularly beef up meals with vegetables like mushrooms and aubergines, as well as beans and lentils. It’s encouraging that BBC Good Food highlights the importance of the World Health Organisation report. Well done! Keith Collins, Swindon Keith wins 12 bottles of Zalze Shiraz Mourvèdre Viognier 2014 (£8.29, Waitrose), a South African wine with flavours of red fruits, plum and blackberry, and a velvety finish.…

• We’ll bring you the best recipes you’ll find anywhere to cook at home. • You can trust us – every recipe in the magazine, including those from top chefs or cookery books, is tested and retested until we’re confident it will work first time for you at home. Find out more on page 8. • We know that many of you want to cook healthy meals for yourself and your family, so we offer new ways to eat well, plus vital nutritional information. • We’ll show you how to cook with seasonal produce, plus you’ll discover new ingredients and flavours. • We’re realistic about budgets – you’ll find costs per serving on many dishes. • Above all, whatever kind of cook you are, we promise you’ll find plenty to…

TOP HOT CROSS BUNS EXTRA FRUITY Tesco Finest extra fruity hot cross buns, 4-pack, £1.50 NEW TWIST Hot cross panettone, £8, Waitrose – a buttery treat, perfect for sharing FLAVOURED St Clements hot cross buns, 4-pack, £1.50, Marks & Spencer INDULGENT Specially Selected Belgian chocolate & toffee fudge hot cross buns, 4-pack, 99p, Aldi CELEBRATION CAKES TRADITIONAL Simnel cake, £12, Marks & Spencer EXTRA SPECIAL Chocolate Easter nest cake, £25, Bettys CROWD-PLEASER Burrowing bunnies piñata cake, £6, Waitrose CLASSIC Specially Selected luxury hot cross buns, 4-pack, 99p, Aldi GOOD EGGS Caramel egg sandwich, £10, Hotel Chocolat Hazelnut chocolate truffle in a real eggshell (50g), £4.25, prestat.co.uk Truly Irresistible Fairtrade milk chocolate honey bee egg & truffles (320g), £7, Co-op Taste the Difference Belgian white chocolate Easter egg…

Devilled eggs with chicken liver pâté MAKES 12 PREP 25 mins COOK 30 mins 6 organic free-range eggs1/2 tbsp unsalted butter1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme1 small garlic clove, chopped1 shallot, finely chopped250g/9oz chicken liver, trimmed1 tbsp Fino Sherry3 spring onions, 1 chopped, 2 thinlysliced to garnishgood grating of nutmegpinch of cayenne pepper1/2 tbsp lemon juiceChicken crackling (see recipe below) 1 Put the eggs in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 8 mins. Drain and cool under a cold tap. Peel the eggs, cut in half and remove the yolks, reserving for later. 2 In a non-stick frying pan, melt the butter with the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the thyme, garlic, shallot and a good…

Sweet, juicy and perfectly ripe - it’s hard to beat the taste (and the feel-good satisfaction) of eating blueberries freshly picked from your own garden. I began gardening as a child, helping my dad on his allotment in the late Seventies. Thirty years later, we’re both still going strong, he on that same allotment and me in my back garden with my own children - proof, surely, that once you start growing your own food, it’s hard to stop. However, you don’t need an allotment, or even a garden, to grow your own food. Most fruit, veg and herbs will grow easily and happily in pots. So everyone, no matter where they live, can have a go. There are so many benefits to homegrown food - it’s fresh, free from…

VEG BOX CHALLENGE – SWEDE Despite its tough exterior, swede has a fine texture and a distinctly sweet flesh. They are sometimes confused with turnips, however swedes are larger and longer, with yellowy-orange flesh rather than white. Use a sharp knife to peel and chop before cooking. Swede can be boiled, mashed or roasted. Swede & carrot mash Peel and cut 1 swede and 4 carrots into even-sized chunks. Cook in 1 litre chicken stock until tender. Drain well, reserving a ladleful of stock. Mash the veg with the stock, a large knob of butter and seasoning to taste. Finish with a generous grating of nutmeg. Roasted swede Heat oven to 200C/ 180C fan/gas 6. Peel and cut 1 swede into even-sized chunks. Toss with 1 tsp sumac, 1 tsp…

When you visit healthy home-cooking superstars Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley, you expect the glossy hair, flawless skin and clear, sparkling eyes. What you don’t expect, sitting in younger sister Melissa’s sunny flat in south London, is to have quite so much fun. We’re sipping rooibos tea and nibbling freshly cooked wheat-free blueberry muffins. Around us, handsome boyfriends come and go, and the girls’ dogs, Nellie and Julie, tumble around the flat, leaving toys strewn across the glossy white-painted floorboards. The sisters and their mum tease each other gently about who ate what, and when. ‘My first memory is mum peeling prawns, dipping them in vinegar and putting them in my mouth while I was sitting on the floor watching telly,’ says Melissa. ‘And I remember being a bit older -…

I started baking when I was in my teens. It’s not an easy job to do when you’re young, but once you start, you can’t stop. It becomes part of your life. I began cheffing when I moved to England because I couldn’t get a job as a baker. I went back to baking full-time in London in the Nineties. I bake the European way, using a much wetter dough that you aerate by dropping and folding – not by kneading. It is all about getting air and water into the dough to get more volume. Dough gets so tight after too much kneading, which is what people can find hard to digest. When I started teaching, what I was talking about felt so normal to me, but it was…

Rich ragu This recipe uses minced beef however you could use pork, or half of each, if you like. If you’d rather not add red wine, replace it with extra beef stock. Smoked bacon would make a tasty addition. SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins plus chilling COOK 1 hr 45 mins 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, halved and finely chopped 1 celery stick, finely diced 1 large carrot, finely diced 600g pack minced beef steak 3 tbsp tomato purée 2 garlic cloves, finely grated 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves 150ml/ 1/4pt red wine (or use extra beef stock) 500ml/18fl oz beef stock 400g/14oz spaghetti 50g/2oz grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve (optional) side salad, to serve 1 Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion, celery…

Asian-style fish & chips SERVES 2 PREP 20 mins plus pickling and 1 hr chilling COOK 35 mins 100g/4oz white miso paste3 tbsp rice wine vinegar2 tsp golden caster sugar2-3 cod fillets (about 350g/12oz),bones and skin removed100g/4oz rainbow radishes, verythinly sliced (I used a mandolin)1 tbsp black sesame seeds2 large sweet potatoes, skin on,cut into chunky chipsoil, for deep-frying1/2 lime, cut into wedges, to serve FOR THE TEMPURA BATTER 140g/5oz plain flour, plus 100g/4ozextra for coating100g/4oz cornflour200ml/7fl oz soda water FOR THE WASABI TARTARE SAUCE 140g/5oz mayonnaise1 tsp wasabi1 small shallot, finely chopped 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped1/4 small pack coriander, chopped 1 In a large bowl, combine the miso paste with 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar and 1 tsp sugar. Put the cod fillets in the marinade and turn…

‘This chocolate cake is a more child-friendly version of a traditional simnel cake, made with chocolate and truffles instead of marzipan’ Easter chocolate truffle cake Older children will love getting stuck into the various stages of this cake, while younger kids will enjoy making the truffles. SERVES 10-12 PREP 45 mins plus cooling COOK 40 mins FOR THE CAKE 150ml/ 1/4pt sunflower or groundnutoil, plus extra for greasing175g/6oz self-raising flour, plus extrafor dusting4 tbsp cocoa powder1 tsp baking powder1 tsp bicarbonate of soda140g/5oz golden caster sugar2 tbsp golden syrup2 eggs150ml/ 1/4pt full-fat milk FOR THE ICING AND FILLING 125ml/4fl oz double cream1 tbsp soft butter140g/5oz dark chocolate (about 70%cocoa solids)4 tbsp raspberry or apricot jam FOR THE TRUFFLES 100g/4oz milk chocolate, brokeninto chunks1 tsp soft butter50g/2oz digestive biscuits2-3 tbsp coloured…

Whole roasted cauliflower with red wine, shallots & wheatberries For vegetarians, cauliflower is veg patch royalty. It’s possibly the meatiest head of veg around. Wheatberries are the whole, unprocessed wheat grain, and this dish encapsulates all that’s right about the marriage of grains and vegetables. SERVES 4 PREP 10 mins COOK 1 hr 15 mins 1 large head of cauliflower, outer leaves removed 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp mustard seeds 3 large banana shallots, quartered 4 Portobello mushrooms, sliced 2 tsp thyme leaves 1 garlic clove, crushed 150ml/ 1/4pt red wine 100g/4oz young leaf spinach 350g/12oz wheatberries 1 litre/1 3 /4 pints hot vegetable stock 50g/2oz hazelnuts (skin on), roughly chopped 1/2 tsp crushed pink peppercorns 50g/2oz Parmesan, finely grated 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.…

Exclusive offer for BBC good food readers Each order will receive a deluxe Donald Russell chef apron, worth £17 Donald Russell takes pride in producing deliciously tender meat. The online butcher, based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, holds a royal warrant and specialises in grass-fed, traditionally matured beef and lamb, reared by farmers who care about their animals’ welfare. At Donald Russell, traditional methods are used to mature beef and lamb for up to 35 days, allowing time for the rich flavours to develop and the meat to become incredibly tender. Traditional Steak Selection includes • 2 sirloin steaks, individually packed (pack weight 190g) • 2 ribeye steaks, individually packed (pack weight 190g) • 1 pavé rump steak (pack weight 150g) • 4 pavé rump medallions, in pack of 4 (pack weight 240g) • 6 mini steak…

Meat-free Monday Polenta pizza with purple sprouting broccoli & mozzarella SERVES 2 PREP 10 mins COOK 15 mins 400ml/14fl oz vegetable stock (I used Marigold bouillon powder) 100g/4oz polenta 4 tbsp grated Parmesan 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil 200g/7oz purple sprouting broccoli, ends trimmed 4 cherry tomatoes, halved 1 garlic clove, chopped 125g ball of low-fat mozzarella, cut into cubes 10 red peppers from a jar, halved (I used Peppadew) 1 Heat the grill to its highest setting. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a boil, then slowly pour in the polenta, whisking constantly. Add some salt and 2 tbsp of the Parmesan. Continue to whisk until thick, about 3 mins. 2 Grease a large baking tray with 1 tsp of the oil, pour over the polenta…

Chewy no-bake cereal bars Within 30 minutes of finishing exercise, you should eat carbohydrates to replenish energy, protein to repair muscles and a little salt to help retain fluids and stimulate thirst. Find more online at bbcgoodfood.com. MAKES 8 PREP 5 mins plus setting COOK 5 mins 75g/2 1 /2oz mixed seeds 50g/2oz nut butter or peanut butter 50g/2oz clear honey or agave syrup 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cocoa powder 50g/2oz prunes, chopped 50g/2oz dried figs, chopped 25g/1oz puffed brown rice (we used Rude Health) 1 Line the base of a 20 x 20cm baking tin with baking parchment. Put the seeds in a dry, non-stick pan over a medium heat and cook until they start to pop and turn golden. Transfer to a small bowl to…

Savour the flavours of summer this May as the brand new BBC Good Food Show Summer in the City comes to ExCeL London – it’s the perfect day out for food lovers, right in the heart of the city. Be inspired by a stellar line up of your favourite chefs and experts, gather delicious ideas for summer dining, and sample and shop from regional, seasonal and artisan producers. It’s the best place to stock up on everything you need for your summer entertaining! The tastiest day out Be inspired to create sizzling summer dishes at home with tips, tricks and recipe ideas from the experts, including Tom Kerridge, John Torode, Paul Hollywood and more. See them cooking their latest summer recipes in the Supertheatre, as well as answering your questions…

Orange & lavender bundt cake SERVES 10 PREP 20 mins COOK 40 mins 250g/9oz butter, softened, plus a little extra for greasing 250g/9oz golden caster sugar 4 medium eggs 300g/11oz plain flour 1 tsp baking powder zest 1 orange 200ml/7fl oz fresh orange juice 3/4-1 tsp dried lavender (I used Bart), plus extra to decorate (optional) FOR THE ORANGE ICING 30ml/1fl oz orange juice 175g/6oz icing sugar 1 Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and grease a 20cm bundt cake tin. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Gradually add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the flour, baking powder, orange zest and1/4 tsp salt, and fold in using a large metal spoon. 2…