The store cupboard is the heart of the kitchen. With sensibly stocked shelves the answer to the question ‘what shall we have for dinner?’ never requires too much thought or effort.
When time is short, energy levels are hovering around empty and the shops are closed or too far away, the store cupboard is the saviour. It is a humble and low maintenance part of the kitchen requiring little attention for maximum return. Read More…
I’m really pleased to announce that from October I will be teaching a series of classes at the Cambridge Cookery School which is moving into a brand new state of the art location next month (very close to the station so just 45 minutes from London…)
This is an exclusive chance to learn some great techniques and recipes including preparing wild food, going ‘beyond the fillet’ and ‘cheffing 101′. All classes will be hands on with very limited numbers so be sure to book early.
Exact dates are yet to be confirmed but you can register your interest on the Cambridge Cookery School’s website right here
I look forward to seeing you there.
Tomorrow the wonderful Observer Food Monthly publishes its list of the top 50 cookbooks of all time.
It has already made public numbers 50-11 which you can read right here, but is keeping tight-lipped on the top ten.
Chosen by a wide and varied panel of industry experts from food writers to chefs, the list thus far is gloriously diverse incorporating such recent delights as David Chang’s Momofuku Cookbook and Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty (both present in my own collection and certainly deserved of a place in the list) to more obscure tomes from as far back as the 16th century.
As an unrepentant food nerd and shameless cookbook collector it got my brain a-thinking as to what I would put in my own list. It took some careful consideration and judicious culling (sorry, Grant Achatz) but after much deliberation here’s what I came up with. Please do share your thoughts below – I’d love to know if there are any glaring omissions… Read More…
The beetroot is a real chef’s ingredient. It lends itself to creativity more than any other vegetable thanks, in part, to its immense versatility.
You can prepare it in any one of countless ways: soups, salads, pickles, gels, spheres, jellies, crisps, soufflés, sorbets and ice creams to name but a few. What’s more the cosy, earthy sweet flavour of beetroot lends itself to a multitude of flavour combinations – some classic, some unusual.
Last year’s Masterchef champ, Mat Follas, left this year’s crop of hopefuls with a tough act to follow.
His restaurant, The Wild Garlic in Beaminster, Dorset, has only been open a year but has already had the critics positively effusing with praise and is consistently fully booked – no mean feat for any eatery let alone in these stringent economic times.
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Since leaving the world of the office behind two and a half years ago and starting off on the long road to self-employment as a writer, Radio 4 has been something of a near constant soundtrack to my days. It is minimal effort companionship that never fails to inform, educate or entertain – sometimes all three at once. I am proud to say I adore it.
So when a call came through from one of R4′s producers asking if they could record a show right here at our own house, it didn’t take me long to decide. Myself, Charlotte and the team from On Your Farm spent a delightful day exploring the culinary treats we had grown or foraged from the local hedgerows before heading back to the cottage to cook up a tasty summer lunch.
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I'm Alex Rushmer: writer, chef and Masterchef 2010 finalist. Welcome to my little corner of the Web. Why not get a cup of tea, snuggle down and make yourself at home?
