An Edible Voyage

August 2021 Agrodolce. That addictive, lip-smacking Italian goodness, the epitome of Mediterranean cuisine. It's so good in fact, even challenging fennel submits to the most delicate and delicious of dinners. Heat the oil from the anchovies, fry finely chopped garlic, pine nuts and slivered fennel, before stirring in honey, raisins, red wine vinegar and the anchovies.  Simmer until the liquid evaporates and, at the last moment, toss through fresh dill.  Serve on flatbread - if you want to go homemade, see below for the softest, fluffiest, moorish, yet super simple flatbread around. Quick Flatbread Melt 50g butter in 3/4 cup warm milk.   Add 2 cups plain flour.  Knead for 2 mins.  Rest for 30 mins.  Divide in to 4.  Roll in to rounds approx 0.3cm thick.  Cook one at a time in an oiled pan over medium heat for around 90 secs on each side, or until it bubbles up and turns golden

July 2021 Looking for a casual restaurant for a laid back lunch with guaranteed flavour, with my mother during a London day trip, I came across Brawn and it seemed to tick all the boxes.  With the smallest of signs, it's unassumingly perched on Bethnal Green's quirky Columbia Road amongst the rows of Victorian shops, and has the high vibe, low pretentiousness of a local hang out. The focus is on seasonal produce sourced through suppliers within the local community, and every dish is vibrant and bursting with flavour.  The dessert really stood out for me - honey parfait with Grappa roasted apricot and pistachios, it was everything I want from a dessert - a little sweet creaminess, lively fruit, a bit of crunch, and a little grappa kick. This is the place for a leisurely catch-up with some good mates. Find Brawn on Columbia Road, opposite Ravenscroft Park. 

June 2021 I often wonder if I would have found any of the great foodie havens I write about if it wasn't for Instagram.  And this is definitely one of them. When I asked a friend if he'd like to join me At What Chloe Cooked Next, his first question was "who's Chloe?".  A logical question! Chloe was trained at Leith's and is the woman behind Oxfork - a cafe on Magdalen Road in Oxford which I actually remember visiting for brunch when I lived in the city back in 2014.  Chloe now lives in Charlbury and hosts a semi-regular Friday night pop-up and Sunday brunch, as well as collaborations with other chefs. I arrived on a grey and drizzly evening, a little early (I'd cycled faster than expected!) to find there was already a queue through the garden and out on to the street.  From their own kitchen, Chloe and her husband were serving up an Indian inspired feast featuring tofu yellow curry, braised black beans, seaweed and wild garlic korokke, and cucumber and rhu...

June 2021 When a friend told me that her latest favourite dish involved mashed up fish fingers, I was unconvinced to say the least!  Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of fish fingers.  But broken and scattered through a warm, Asian inspired salad didn't sound quite right to me! Bhorta is a Bangladeshi dish of mashed fish or vegetables and herbs, with mustard, chilli, onion and garlic, and this is Nigella's take on it.  It's fabulous. Quick, light and comforting, offering a myriad of flavours.  I switched the pickled onions for pickled carrot which worked equally well and added a delightful crunch. Find the original recipe here   Fish Finger Bhorta | Nigella's Recipes | Nigella Lawson

May 2021 Not just your standard village cafe, this Cotswolds hub is owned by a cooperative of more than 650 villagers, and sits alongside a well stocked shop, the result of a successful fundraising campaign. By day, there's an array of baked goods far more elaborate than I was expecting from this tiny cafe - ruby chocolate cruffins, pistachio and rosewater buns and deliciously gooey Black Forest friands, all courtesy of Cheltenham's Baker and Graze.  Breakfast is served with Mark's Cotswold Bakery sourdough; for lunch, colourful salads and fat sandwiches feature alongside more hearty offerings such as Cotswold goat tagine with Israeli couscous, pomegranate, pistachios and harissa yogurt.  New Ground, Oxford's specialist roasters who provide training and employment to ex-offenders, provide the coffee beans, and for dinner, this quaint cafe transforms in to a chic dining venue, creating impressive dishes from seasonal, locally sourced produce. The village itself is rather...

 August 2019 For a relaxed evening with a buzzy vibe, look no further than Ta Gente.   Delicious sharing plates, expertly crafted cocktails and a mind-boggling gin selection awaits at this cosy but cool bar restaurant, with it’s industrial, arty feel.   Sink in to the sofas in a dimly lit corner for a pre-dinner tipple, or nab yourself a table and get sharing! Find it on Rua Manual Ignacio Correia in Ponta Delgada.

April 2020 Homemade gnocchi is great, and a far cry from the stodgy shop bought stuff.  I'm always slightly put off from making it because I don't seem to be able to stop my whole kitchen being stuck together but gnocchi dough...  I recently came across a recipe where it is all contained within a food processor  - this sounded right up my street!  It also used 60% swede, 30% potato which sounded like an intriguing twist.   Served with punchy, zingy wild garlic pesto, asparagus fresh from the farm, sweet and nutty parmesan, and juicy pops of charred cherry tomatoes, this is a dinner I'm looking forward to recreating!

April 2020 Chicory, also known as endive, is one of my favourite ingredients.  Crisp and bitter in salads; mellow, sweet and nutty when cooked.  For this risotto, I cooked the chicory for only a few minutes so that it still had some bite to stand up against the softness of the arborio rice, and to allow the earthy, nutty flavours to shine through.  Stringy, molten chunks of parmesan cheese added sweetness and moorish umaminess, and I enjoyed the satisfying crunch of chopped almonds.  This was a wholesome, hearty dish which managed to maintain a freshness at the same time. 

April 2020 Mackerel is one of my favourite fish - I love the rich flavour and the moist, oily texture, and it makes so many other ingredients really shine.  And when you're a little bit salty from a day on a fishing boat in Devon, what could be better than cooking up the fruits of your labour!   Simply grilled, oily, melt in the mouth fish, is balanced by an acidic, punchy dressing of cider vinegar and mustard.  Crunchy, aniseedy fennel, soft potatoes, zesty lemon, and the slight crunch of peppery leaves fresh from the farm combine to make this a truly delicious light and fresh healthy dinner, perfect for a warm evening.

April 2020 This is a really satisfying dinner that showcases many seasonal flavours.  Whole courgettes baked in a foil parcel with fennel, vine tomatoes, chilli, lemon juice and whole cloves of garlic, served with lemon zest infused breadcrumbs, pine nuts and orzo.  The juicy courgette is lovely with the crunch of breadcrumbs, soft, aniseedy fennel, and the sweet burst of vine tomatoes.  Just enough heat from the chilli allows the fresh flavours to shine, the lemon keeps it refreshing, and the pops of rich nuttiness from the pine nuts bring it all together.  Personally I didn't feel it needs the orzo as it's substantial enough with the breadcrumbs. 

April 2020 Another quick, light and delicious dinner.  Crunchy cabbage salad with a light dressing of cider vinegar, honey and mustard cuts through the oilyness of lightly pan fried mackerel, which pairs perfectly with the softness and caramelisation of the roasted rhubarb.  Personally, I feel the capers don't add anything, and next time I might beef it up a bit with some finely sliced potatoes added to the pan with the mackerel.