WHAT TO KEEP IN YOUR CUPBOARD
| EGGS | Free-range hen’s eggs (also duck eggs are tasty and available at a lot of big supermarkets). |
| CONDIMENTS | Stock jelly or cubes save dishes which need that extra oomph; soy sauce, oyster sauce, Sriracha (the only hot sauce worth its salt) and hoisin are all essential for Asian dishes; peanut butter – dollop into sauces and dips, fry with chicken and add to noodles and broth for an extra kick; Marmite – treat it like stock in stews and ragu, it adds a different element to a hearty dish; wholegrain and Dijon mustard work their way into almost every vegetable side dish of mine as well as salad dressings. |
| DRIED & GRAINS | Pasta: Love it all, but lasagne sheets are my cupboard essential. White and brown rice, Arborio risotto rice and pearl barley – different but my absolute favourite and pleasingly chewy. |
| TINNED | I always have jars of passata and tins of tomatoes – cherry, chopped or whole. They go into every Italian pasta dish and stew – I buy them by the truck-load. Coconut cream is much better than coconut milk, it has ten times more flavour. Chickpeas – a single tin of chickpeas can make a tub of homemade hummus; I also like to roast them and drench with hot sauce to make a tasty snack. |
WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR FREEZER
| PASTA & PASTRY | Fresh ravioli, tagliatelle and spaghetti, wanton wrappers; puff, filo and shortcrust pastry all live in my freezer. Cook the pasta from frozen and thaw pastry for a couple of hours before needed. |
| MEAT & FISH | Everything is fine in the freezer, but do double-check how long you can keep your meat and fish in there before using it. Look out for freezer bags of prawns – I love these. Take as many out as you want and it’s much cheaper than buying fresh every time. |
| READY-TO-GO | We all have nights when taking a meal from the freezer and heating it through, then snuggling down in front of the TV, is the only viable option. For those days, my go-to ready-made meals are prepared dim sum (which survive the trip from freezer to plate much better than you would expect), gnocchi, soup and pre-prepared gravy in zipper bags, cooked Bolognese and portioned lasagne, stew and ragu ready to heat up. Every time I make a dish, I make double. |
| ICE CREAM | PLENTY OF IT. |
A NOTE ON MEAT, FISH, EGGS AND DAIRY
If I can be pushy on any point, it is here. Please, please buy British farm-assured free-range and organic meat, eggs and dairy and responsibly sourced fish. Although our country has a high standard of animal welfare, sometimes things fall through the cracks of system. It can cost more, but it doesn’t have to be a lot more – especially if you plan your meals and use cheaper cuts of meat, such as chicken thighs or wings, beef chuck and oxtail.
Undoubtedly, my favourite meal of the day. Even saying it fills me with happiness. Creamy eggs Benedict, smoked salmon, Shakshuka (a Middle Eastern dish of eggs in a spicy tomato sauce), endless cups of coffee, Bloody Marys and smoothies – at home or out with friends. No one is happier than I am that brunch has become part of our culture, with British restaurants and cafés putting it centre stage, and priding themselves on their carefully considered brunch-centric menus.
Admittedly, it’s not just the food aspect of brunch that I love – it’s what it represents. For me, it means the weekend hustle and bustle of friends, families and loved ones in the village-like part of town where I live, clumps of people sitting in the sunshine nursing a hangover, or tucking into a large bacon sandwich washed down with two cappuccinos.
I am even eating brunch as I write this chapter. Darcey is curled up next to me, and I couldn’t be happier.
In this chapter I’ve included the dishes I like to make for myself throughout the week, for friends on Saturdays, and for Mike and me on a lazy Sunday morning. From pancakes to popsicles, frittatas to fritters, there’s something for everyone.
SERVES
2
There’s something seriously refreshing and satisfying about juices and smoothies. If I’m feeling a little over-indulged, a juice first thing sorts me out and makes me feel a bit better. It’s also a brilliant snack or a super breakfast on the run if you’re in a hurry. These are, however, not designed to be regular meal-replacers but rather an extra element to your breakfast. Have one alongside your pancakes or frittata!
INGREDIENTS:
2 green apples
1 pear
2 celery sticks
½ lime, peeled
½ cucumber
a large handful of spinach
100ml coconut water or tap water
METHOD:
Pop everything through a juicer and serve over ice. If you don’t have a juicer, blend in a food processor or smoothie maker and pass through a sieve over a bowl.
APPLE, ORANGE, CARROT AND GINGER JUICE
INGREDIENTS:
6 carrots
3 apples
1 orange, peeled
½ lemon, peeled
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled
METHOD:
Put all your ingredients through a juicer and serve over ice. If you don’t have a juicer, blend in a processor or smoothie maker and pass through a sieve over a bowl.