No time to baste

Dear reader, I have a confession to make. I have never roasted a chicken. Quite how I’ve managed to avoid such a classic dish my entire adult life is a feat that surprises me, but roasting a bird has always seemed like a culinary step too far. I have, thus far, felt ill equipped to

Practice makes parfait

Having been given a shiny new set of knives for my birthday last week, I was eager to put them to good use. My collection thus far has come together almost by accident, acquiring the odd one here and there with each new flat share. I can’t remember how most of them ended up in

Holy crêpe

Is there anything more French than a pile of paper-thin crêpes ready to be slathered in Nutella, squeezed with lemon, or stuffed with cheese then rolled up tightly like a Turkish rug? While the humble crêpe is easy to make from three store cupboard staples – flour, eggs and milk – a sweet version of

Fish for breakfast?

One of the plus sides of being a journalist during the lockdown is that high profile people have suddenly found themselves with a surplus of time on their hands and nowhere to go, making it far easier than usual to access these celestial beings. Among the more surreal moments of lockdown so far is having

Gougères baby!

My first memorable encounter with gougères – joyous, light as air golden globes enrobed in cheese, was during dinner at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester. I was invited to review the new truffle tasting menu at the restaurant, and, before the truffle fest, the meal began in a suitably decadent fashion with a pyramid of