Recipe collections

Baked pears with blue cheese, a great starter, dessert or a side dish. These roasted pears are spiced with cinnamon and topped with Gorgonzola.

Spiced roasted cauliflower with togarashi seasoning and cinnamon. Melted butter, a grating of Parmesan and it's a vert tasty side or lunch dish.

Spicy, cheesy lentils bake, a superior vegetarian dish put together in 15 minutes. Baked cheesy lentils inspired by NY Times Cooking.

Hot and spicy fried aubergine, a simple side or starter. Aubergine slices are dusted with flour to stop it guzzling oil so much and make the dish healthier.

Spicy stir fried asparagus, cooked in a wok with chillies, ginger and garlic, is a great starter or a side dish bursting with Asian flavours.

Spring cabbage salad is easy and incredibly healthy, with herbs and a touch of garlic. A welcome change from lettuce or mixed greens, it's perfect for BBQ.

Spring potato salad with radish, gherkins and very light mayo dressing – it’s the taste and flavour of a summer barbecue even in midwinter.

Stir fry cabbage - super quick, super tasty, with herbs, garlic and honey. First off – buy the right stuff. The new season, loosely packed cabbage is the best, in fact the less on the head, the better. What the supermarkets call spring cabbage will do too.

Stir-fried cucumbers Asian style, with ginger, garlic and a pinch of chilli. Spicy but also refreshing which is logical as cukes are 96% water.

Mixed vegetable stir-fry seasoned with ginger, oyster sauce and sesame oil. I like to stir fry veg as a side to not-necessarily-oriental mains like fish or steaks but this recipe works as a good veggie stir-fry too, to be served over plain rice or noodles.

Homemade Christmas dinner meal kit, the best Christmas food gift for someone on their own or an unexperienced cook. The perfect roast and trimmings made ahead and ready to slip into oven, complete with simple instructions.

Triple cooked chips, exactly by Heston Blumenthal's recipe. And they are the best chips - fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside chunky English-style wonders. Cooked religiously by the book, ‘In Search of Perfection’ part one.

Vegetable egg fried rice, the best homemade takeaway. Fried rice is a freewheeling recipe: anything you fancy goes. Those tiny dried shrimp - gorgeous. Just scallions and beansprouts - why not?

White asparagus, simply cooked with butter and lemon. The white ones are quite tasty too and so I decided to give them a go – the only difference in handling them is that they need to be peeled. And let me tell you a secret – the special effect they have on you after eating them is the same as with the green ones…

Whole roasted cauliflower with butter, Parmesan and herbs. Let’s face it: cauliflower does not have a lot going for it.

Vibrant winter rainbow salad with red and green cabbage, red and white onions, herbs and vinaigrette dressing.

Yu xiang aubergine, Sichuan stir fry in fiery sauce. With added crunch of almonds and tartness of cranberries, it’s the best aubergine dish ever.

Zingy carrot salad with raw grated carrots, chilli, ginger and soured cream. Raw carrots have to be exceptionally good for me to crunch one for a snack.