Wet Kedgeree

Kedgeree is an Anglo-Indian dish, consisting of curried rice and fish, usually smoked haddock. The Prawn Cocktail Years contains two recipes for kedgeree: Wet Kedgeree and Dry Kedgeree. I’ve made the dry version many times over the years, and it is very nice, but I’m not sure I’ve ever made the wet one. Well, now […]

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Gammon and Pineapple

Gammon and Pineapple is one of those great classic combinations that I almost never eat. Why? Well, it all comes down to the fact that I’m not really a big fan of hot fruit. Fruit should be sweet, juicy and delicious. As soon as you heat it up, it brings out all those tart, astringent […]

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Fish Pie

So, we start this post with another confession. Here it is: I’m not really a fish sort of person. It’s not that I don’t like fish so much, more that it’s often disappointing. For some fish, it’s just a flavour thing – bland and tasteless; for other fish, it’s the bones. Boy do I hate […]

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Zucchini Fritters

There were two courgettes in the Riverford veg box this week, and I remembered that The Prawn Cocktail Years had a recipe for Zucchini Fritters. It seemed like the perfect excuse to use them. This has to be one of the simplest recipes in the book. Thinly slice the courgettes, sprinkle with salt and leave […]

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Salmon Mousse with Cucumber Salad

I was looking for something relatively easy to make over the Easter break, and the Salmon Mousse with Cucumber Salad recipe looked pretty straightforward. To start, I took a fillet of salmon, wrapped it in foil and cooked it in the oven. Once it had cooled, I broke it up into small flakes with a […]

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Meat Pie

Let’s start with a confession. I hate making pastry. I always have. It’s not that I don’t like pastry – when it’s done well, pastry is delicious. The trouble is that whenever I make it, it’s not done well. It’s OK, I guess – it’s always edible. It never actual tastes bad, it’s just never […]

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Osso Bucco

Sue’s been in a play for the past couple of weeks, so I’ve not been cooking evening meals for her much just lately. (For the curious, the play was Abigail’s Party at the Loft Theatre. I do some photography there, and you can see my photos for this production over on Flickr.) So, Saturday was the […]

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Coq au Vin

Everybody knows about Coq au Vin, but I’m not sure it’s something anyone really makes any more. Well, almost nobody. A couple of months ago, my next-door nighbour emailed me asking if The Prawn Cocktail Years recipe for Coq au Vin was any good, as they were thinking of serving it to some friends for dinner. […]

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Sirloin Steak With Red Wine Sauce

I’m getting behind, I need to cook more Prawn Cocktail Years meals. But which one will get me started again? Well, who doesn’t like a good steak? I know I certainly do, and there’s a delicious sounding steak recipe sat there, just waiting to be made. I have to come clean here. I’ve now made this […]

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Trifle

When I was young, trifle was a regular staple party food. First, you would place some tinned fruit in the bottom of a bowl. If this was a fancy trifle, you might also add some dry, cardboardy sponge fingers and drown them in sherry. Next, you’d take a block of concentrated fruit jelly, dissolve it in warm […]

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