Easy gravadlax/gravlax recipe for Christmas or any special occaision
Skimming past the condemned food counter at Tesco, Danny spotted 600g of fresh salmon fillet reduced to £1.86. “I know that you don’t like poached salmon but if this went into a fish pie, you’d hardly notice it.” I examined the carrier bag. He’d also picked up a pack of fresh dill for just a few pence. “Why don’t we try to make gravadlax? I’ve heard that it’s really easy if you have dill.” [gravadlax or gravlax for short (thank you Martyn and Happy Christmas!)] So we studied a handful of cookbooks. All recipes add salt,...
read moreSurprise present
Until I opened the slim package I wasn’t aware that the one thing that I’d always wanted was a perfectly made mauve apron. It arrived in the mail and was beautifully presented with a Christmas bow. Danny tried it on first. “It fits! How do I look?” It’s so well designed that it fits both, although we don’t plan to wear it together just yet. This wonderful present was sent to me by Pamela. She often comments on this blog and is clearly a talented seamstress. The apron is artfully constructed from a bistro table cloth. The...
read moreDanny’s best juicy Tuna steak recipe
Danny is addicted to the “condemned food counter” at our local Tesco. This is our name for the reduced price section. A fun avatar for the place that has become a regular routine in our lives and something that adds zest to our cooking regime. We have to adapt at a moment’s notice to whatever bounty D drags home. Some goes into the freezer and some into the fridge to be relished within a day but most is cooked immediately. This is one way that we have slashed our food bills and are eating far better than we have done before. These cut...
read moreHow to choose the right paint colour for your room
Brringg, Brrringg. “Hello, we’d like our kitchen decorated. There’s just one problem we don’t know what colour to choose. We’ve already spent over 20 pounds on matchpots.” My initial visit to make a quote is free. And all advice on colour is free too. I work in loads of different houses each year, from the basic housing estate box to the ones with mile long drives. Gradually I’ve developed a feel for colour and which ones work best with the light in a room. Most people start by choosing a colour whereas the true key is assessing...
read moreToast
It would be hard to give up garlic, thyme and red wine. I’d find it impossible to give up toast, that great old standby. Fresh bread toast is best, crisp yet melting in the middle. But a stale curling crust can be reborn into palatable munchiness with the aid of a toaster or grill. We are a ‘toast in the morning’ household. Toast topped with thinly shaved cheese, Black Knight marmalade, Marmite, Honey or often just buttered and eaten quickly. Nibbled voraciously in between morning duties. Have a shower, then a chomp. Feed the chickens,...
read moreOh Mistletoe where do you grow? By Steve Kirk editor of The Bushcraft Magazine
This article was published in a past edition of The Bushcraft Magazine. We are friends of this superb bimonthly. A subscription to this periodical could be the perfect Christmas present for anyone who likes some contact with the Great Outdoors, even if they live in a high rise in Walthamstow. Each issue is packed with really interesting articles, photographs and great ideas. It’s subscription only like most smaller magazines and arrives in the mail. You cannot buy it on the news stands or WH Smith. And that’s what makes it so special....
read moreBest homemade taramasalata recipe
Danny lips always go pleaty when I suggest taramasalata on pitta bread for a lunchtime snack. Some might call this a benefit as I could eat a whole tub on my own. But even the smaller tubs are too much for a single sitting. It’s the sort of thing that I long for and then feel replete after a slice of laden pitta bread. The tub is pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten after my fix. Several weeks later it’s discovered by D on a fridge clearing binge. The thin lips as it is tossed into the bin say it all. Last night I discovered...
read moreBaked sausages recipe with Bramley apples, honey and star anise
Sometimes it’s really good to get home, pour a large glass of wine and rustle up a dish that takes just ten minutes to prepare and is cooked in under an hour. This dish also keeps warm well and is a delight when you eventually tuck in. It’s one of those easy dishes. Filling the kitchen with great aromas as you get on with the more enjoyable sides of life than standing by a hot stove. I made a very similar dish a few weeks ago and we loved it. This evening I discovered that the recipe had been swept away on a kitchen clearing binge....
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