Tom Cooks!

I seldom follow recipes when it comes to Indian food. I had got very cocky and reckoned I’d cracked it. There then followed a trio of dishes which were, as they might say it in my home town in Fife, pish poor. But undeterred, a pack of chicken thighs in hand and not a great…

And before you start, no potato either. No shepherds or cottagers are involved in today’s offering. As with many of my odder, off the cuff recipes, this was inspired by an item which was needing used. Without being obsessional about it, I dislike seeing food going to waste. A week or two ago I created…

Lime Drizzle Cake This article started with the intention of describing three or four things lime related; however, when I started writing about the lime cake, it brought back to me the extreme trauma of my early experiences of cake baking. Never made a cake, and think you can just pick up a recipe? Pshaw!…

As I wrote on Wednesday, I love limes. Having said that, I don’t go along with those who opine that they are interchangeable with lemons. Sometimes (indeed quite often) you just need that sharp, dish-enhancing zap which you’ll get only from its yellow cousin. But limes can be used at any stage of one’s menu.…

Virtually everyone has their favourite Del and Rodney memory. For most it will be the scene where David Jason tries to lean nonchalantly against the bar, only to discover that the counter had been raised. Great stuff, but I’m still tickled by their French trip. Del, thinking ahead to dinner, asks, What’s French for duck…

I had some interesting responses to last week’s On The Side column which had some suggested resolutions for 2022. For starters, LinkedIn blocked it, as it apparently contravened some policy or other, but they declined to tell me which it was. I’ve included the link so you can judge for yourself. Secondly, a few people…

Despite the efforts of many, including this column, the notion persists that game is just for toffs, exotic and expensive. It is neither, though most amateur cooks will have struggled from time to time to get it right. In the past, I have had particular problems with pheasant. The season closes at the end of…

I have bemoaned on many occasions the fact that we Brits are so unimaginative in our veg cookery. Unadorned, often unseasoned, boiled vegetables are not only depressing, they scream of a cook who, quite frankly my dear, doesn’t give a damn. While Christmas Day requires tradition, there’s no reason why old favourites can’t be given…

Continuing the kale theme from Wednesday’s On The Side column, I’m indebted to the Trotters. To Christopher, without whom I would probably have continued to body swerve its mineral rich loveliness, and who has kindly allowed me to reproduce some of his recipes: and to Caroline, for almost all of the photos. (Observant readers will…

I asked readers for some other Christmas recipes. My good friend, celebrated artist Michael Greenlaw, answered the call. The only problem is that as he is wintering in the Algarve, hearty stews and steamed puddings aren’t on his mind. Still these sound like crackers, so that’s Christmassy enough for me. Coincidentally I was thinking about…

Stephen Harris After Stir-up Sunday in this week’s On The Side, what else could I feature today? I am both grateful to, and traumatised by, Stephen Harris of The Sportsman in Kent. For some years I have been making my own Christmas pud, using a recipe which appeared in The Telegraph some years ago. His recipe makes two…

Having mentioned tiramisu in Wednesday’s On The Side, it seemed rude to let it pass by today’s column. Sadly, it has become a bit of a cliché. You are unlikely to find many dessert menus in Italian restaurants from which it’s absent. Yet the reason dishes become so ubiquitous is that they sell well. Put…

In On The Side on Wednesday we featured Coasts & Waters, the latest cook book from the prolific pen of Christopher Trotter. Many thanks to Christopher for permission to reproduce these two excerpts. The first is an interesting fish curry; the second is a fine explanation of a skill which many have struggled to master,…

Begin with your Banneton Now, whatever you do, don’t misread the title. It does not say An Idiot’s Guide To Sourdough. Such articles with their condescending titles are produced by experts who have decided to descend from Mount Olympus to impart a little wisdom to mere mortals such as you and me. Armed with their erudition, we will…

A bit like Lord Reith’s BBC my mission has been both to entertain and to educate. The problem is that you were the ones who were intended to be educated, not me. Mind you, I consider my weekly Italian lesson a failure if my teacher hasn’t learned something new: similarly, the amount of knowledge I’ve…

As I said on Wednesday, you can do anything (well, anything that’s legal, decent, truthful and honest – this column has standards) with jalapeños that you could do with most other chillies. You’ll all have your own favourites, so let’s travel a little. Firstly, snacking in the States. Some years ago my eldest offspring was…

Most of us have a favourite season. Mine is autumn. Ask many of my fellow autumnal devotees what they love, and many will cite the colours. In one sense, I do too, but more from the cook’s perspective. Last week the vivid purple of brambles had centre stage. Round about now, magazine editors are adorning…

What has gone wrong with the world? While some types of foraging may be a little esoteric – mushrooms, for example, potentially deadly if you don’t know what you’re doing – nothing could be simpler than bramble picking. Well, apart from the jaggy bits, and the permanent staining. I have recently returned from a holiday…

We really aim to be seasonal here, and today we hit double top. The partridge season started at the beginning  of September. While it has been a rotten year for grouse, partridge are plentiful. September is also prime time for wild mushrooms. If you forage for your own, you won’t need me to tell you…

This is a recipe for those of you with a sweet tooth. It comes courtesy of sister-in-law Alison, whose company we are currently enjoying, the first time in two years. As most of you know, baking, bread excepted, is not really my thing, so I’m forever grateful to the guest contributors such as Alison who…

Or, if you want to translate literally, jump in the mouth as the Romans do. You can see why, even on British menus, they stick to the original. I mention it in today’s Tom Eats! so I thought I might include the recipe. It’s incredibly easy to make. The fact that my last attempt wasn’t…

Well, I couldn’t tantalise you with a brief history of the stuff (see Wednesday’s On The Side column) and not give you some to eat, could I? You know by now about the cream allergy, so you’re not going to be getting any of the rich stuff, nor one of these unctuous ones where you start…

Yesterday was the so called Glorious Twelfth. Depends on your viewpoint, I suppose. Less than wonderful if you’re a grouse, as it’s the start of the shooting season. I came to grouse late in life, and I can certainly see what the fuss is about, but prices are always inflated immediately after twelfth in the…

At this time of year, many of you may be enjoying (or suffering) a glut of tomatoes. Here are a couple of recipes. The first is for a soup which is good at any time of year, but has a beautiful summery colour. A word of warning: the tomatoes need to be quite sweet, though…