Category: Food

I was out by the allotment this morning, just past the old stone wall I attempted to mend last Saturday, and I saw Mrs. Higgins lugging around a heavy-duty vacuum sealer she’d bought online for a small fortune. It struck me then how much nonsense there is out there regarding how to preserve runner beans; […]

You don’t need a fancy electric whisk or some complicated, temperature-controlled gadget to get a decent rise; in fact, most of that modern kitchen nonsense just gets in the way. I spent years watching people struggle with recipes that promised perfection through complexity, but after forty years of Sunday roasts in various kitchens across the […]

I was standing in the aisle of the Co-op in Andover last Thursday, watching a young man stare at a pre-packaged salad bowl like it held the secrets to the universe, when it hit me how much nonsense we’ve been fed. There is this persistent, expensive myth that learning how to cook on a budget […]

You don’t need a dozen expensive spices or a degree in pastry arts to get this right, despite what those glossy magazines in the village shop might suggest. Most people think that learning how to make a fruit cake is all about the complexity of the recipe, but after forty years of seeing people overcomplicate […]

I was standing in the kitchen last Tuesday, looking at a bunch of coriander that had turned into a dark, weeping heap of sludge only three days after I’d bought it from the shop in Salisbury. It’s a damn shame, really, because most of the advice you find online about how to keep herbs fresh […]

You don’t need a degree in chemistry or a cupboard full of expensive, lab-grade equipment to master the art of summer in a bottle. I’ve seen plenty of people get themselves into a muddle with complicated ratios and fancy additives, thinking that’s the secret to how to make elderflower cordial that actually tastes of the […]

You don’t need a linen tablecloth or a selection of imported preserves to do this properly; in fact, the moment you start looking for “gourmet” ingredients, you’ve already lost the plot. I spent years valuing properties in the Test Valley, and I can tell you that the best lunches I ever had weren’t served in […]

I’ve sat through enough parish council meetings to know when someone is trying to sell you a load of old rubbish, and frankly, the modern obsession with “gourmet” techniques for wild meat is no different. You don’t need a sous-vide machine or a degree from a culinary institute to understand how to cook game properly; […]

I saw a spread in the local paper last week suggesting you need expensive chia seeds, organic agave, and a specific type of almond milk to have a decent breakfast. It’s absolute nonsense. If you follow that sort of modern, overcomplicated rubbish, you aren’t eating breakfast; you’re performing a chemistry experiment. I’ve spent thirty years […]

You don’t need a culinary degree or a kitchen full of fancy gadgets to get this right, despite what those glossy magazines might tell you. I spent thirty years looking at the structural integrity of flint cottages and Victorian terraces, and if there is one thing I know, it is that a solid foundation is […]