This is a great one-pot meal that can be made in under half an hour and is also vegetarian. Its a great way to add a meat-free meal to your weekly menu & I dare say, its the only way my little girl will eat lentils. 4 Servings Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 shallot, finely chopped 4 cloves of garlic, minced A 800gr tin of brown lentils, drained 1 tbsp dried oregano 1 tbsp dried basil 1/2 tsp pepper 2 tbsp tomato paste 1 800gr tin of whole tomatoes, crushed by hand 1 tbsp bal

Scallops are my absolute favourite seafood. I just love the texture, taste and versatility. As a starter, I love to flash fry them with with fresh chilli, garlic, soy sauce, lime juice & fresh coriander. And of course, there is the popular French recipe, simply called 'Coquilles Saint Jacques' - scallops bathing in bechamel sauce, topped with breadcrumbs & baked in their cleaned out shells. This recipe is a very simple, easy one to make with few ingredients. It pairs perfectl

My uncle is a sea captain. He spent most of his career working on cargo ships & had many adventures at sea, including high risk encounters with pirates. This is one of the first recipes I wrote down, at the age of 16, when my uncle took a short term contract leading a team of deep sea fishermen on a catamaran off the coast of Reunion Island, where we lived at the time. He took this job especially to be able to visit with us and after a week at sea he popped by our house with

The inspiration for this recipe came from the deep love I have for Mediterranean cuisine. Often people think of Greek style cooking when they think about Mediterranean cuisine but its far more varied than that and includes Northern African cuisine, from beautiful Moroccan Couscous Royale to Tunisian tagines. And of course, the Mediterranean sea embraces the coast along the south of France, and with this in mind, I wanted to create a recipe that fused the flavours of southern

What can I say? I thought this was the perfect name for this salad, as it can only bring a smile to your face and a ray of sunshine to your day. It is a beautiful salad inspired by Mediterranean flavours from the olive oil & Greek feta, to a classic combination from Maghreb cuisine: honey, lemon & mint... all finished with a dash of harissa to add a bit of flare! If the watermelon is giving you pause for thought, shoo those thoughts away! It pairs beautifully with the rest of

There is nothing I love more than the smell and taste of fresh dill. And what better combination than the Scandinavian holy trinity... dill, salmon & lemon. This is a quick, easy breakfast that will delight your taste buds & leave you wanting more! 2 Servings Ingredients: 100gr smoked salmon, roughly chopped Juice of 1/2 lemon Cracked pepper 2 tbsp fresh dill, stalks removed & finely chopped 1 tbsp mayonnaise 4 eggs 3 tbsp butter Rustic bread, cut into 1.5cm - 2cm slices (1 l

I have experimented with this American comfort dish many times in the past. I always found it to be bland or dry, and sadly, mostly both. I forgot about it for a few years and then began to think about it again recently, when I saw someone make it on a cooking show. I must say, the version cooked on the show looked incredibly dry and the recipe shared by the amateur cook comprised of only 4 ingredients, which only added weight to my assumption. However, she cooked it with a g

Gazpacho has become a well known & well loved cold soup that is easy to make & a great starter to impress your dinner guests on a hot day. It is also charming served as a hors d'oeuvre in little shot glasses or expresso cups. The key is that the gazpacho must be very, very cold with a minimum of 6 hours in the fridge. This soup is originally from Andalusia in the south of Spain. There are many versions out there including some I find rather odd (why the fruit?) though I perso

This vegan recipe is delicious & packed with healthy ingredients. It works just as well with kale, which you would finely slice & add 5 minutes before the end of cooking. 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 onion, finely chopped 2 carrots, finely diced 2 cloves of garlic, minced 300gr green lentils 1/2 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp chilli powder 1.5 litres of water 2 vegetable stock cubes Juice of 2 lemons 2 handfuls of spinach Fresh coriander, to

There are many, many versions of sweet & sour sauces out there. From the bright red style that one may find at a Chinese buffet, to the more discreet, spicy version such as the one I am sharing here. It really is a delicious dish that packs a punch when it comes to flavour. It is best to use fresh pineapple in this dish though at certain times of the year, tropical fruits can be hard to find where I live. I don't let that hold me back! Tinned pineapple is perfectly acceptable

I feel like lasagna is the queen of comfort food. You can cut down the total preparation time buy simmering the bolognese sauce for 20 minutes rather than 1.5 hours. It really is a question of preference. Serve with a fresh lettuce salad drizzled with a balsamic dressing. 6-8 Servings Ingredients: 3 tbsp olive oil 750gr minced beef 1 onion, finely chopped 1 tbsp tomato paste 2 cloves of garlic, minced 1 tbsp dried basil 1 tbsp dried oregano 1L tomato sauce 100gr butter 75gr f

This side dish pairs perfectly with grilled meats. I absolutely love it accompanied by grilled steak and chimichurri on the side. The sweetness of the mango clashes marvellously with the tangy lime & bitter onion, with the crunchy peanuts giving it that extra swag. I have occasionally served this salad in gem lettuce 'boats' for that extra wow effect. 2 Servings Ingredients: 1 mango, cut into small cubes 1 avocado, cut into small cubes 2 tbsp fresh coriander (leaves only), fi

This is in my top three favourite Thai meals. I could never tire of it & just love the caramelised noodles coupled with the crunchy broccoli. I always use the stem of the broccoli as well. It is delicious and adds even more texture to this stir fry. I love to serve this dish with my pickled chillies, which is fresh chillies that have pickled with white vinegar in a jar in my fridge for roughly a week. A bit of the vinegar drizzled on these delicious noodles really is divine!

There is nothing I love more than the flavours of the Mediterranean. It is a cuisine that is always packed with healthy ingredients & deep flavours. This is a simple, quick recipe that elevates any white fish though the cooking time should be adapted depending on the thickness of the fish fillet. This dish pairs beautifully with boiled or roasted potatoes & vegetables. 2 Servings Ingredients: 200gr boneless, skinless cod fillets 2 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped 50

The perfect accompaniment for barbecued meat, burgers & pulled pork. I prefer to make it the night before so that the cabbage has time to soften & absorb the flavours. 4-6 Servings Ingredients: 1/2 cabbage, finely sliced 2 carrots, peeled & grated 4 tbsp mayonnaise Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar S&P Instructions: Simply combine all ingredients in a bowl. Toss well & refrigerate until serving.

Is there anything better than pulled pork? Even without a smoker, pulled pork can be easily achieved with just an oven. Overnight marinade is key, as is the long cooking process on low heat. The result is simply astounding. The pork is so soft that it falls apart in strands. This meat is amazing in a burger with BBQ sauce or topped with mash & grated cheese as a variation of cottage pie. It couples beautifully with coleslaw, the recipe for which I will post separately. 6 Serv

This is a one pan meal that is delicious, healthy & easy to make, perfect for a week night dinner. you can substitute the honey with maple syrup for an even tastier version! 4 Servings Ingredients: 800gr new potatoes, halved or cut into bite sized cubes 2 red onions, roughly chopped 2 courgettes, cut into bite sized cubes 2 tbsp olive oil 4 chicken breasts (roughly 700gr) 2 tbsp honey 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard Juice of 1 lemon 250gr cherry tomatoes S&P Heat your oven to 180c

We have another dish that confuses us with its origins! Named after the Malaysian island of Penang, this dish is well known across central & southern Thailand. I'm a real fan of making life easier by using quality, ready made curry paste, though there are certain Thai curries for which I highly recommend you make the paste fresh, such as my Chiang Mai Thai Curry recipe, which would simply not be the same without the bold flavours that can only be found with fresh ingredients.

This beautiful salad is a great starter or side dish for summer meals. Quick & easy to make, it is sweet, tangy & fresh! I used a charentais melon (a French variety similar to a honeydew melon) but you can use pretty much any melon that you like, so long as it is ripe & sweet. 4 Servings Ingredients: 1/2 a melon, peeled, deseeded & cut into 8 slices 150gr mozzarella mini balls 4 slices of Parma ham, each slice cut in half horizontally 8 slices of cucumber Juice of 1 lime 2 tb

When I discovered this incredible dish from Finland, I fell in love with it instantly. I love fish, particularly salmon, though I had never thought to use it in a soup. Not only is this dish incredibly healthy, it is very easy & quick to make. The fresh dill really is the star of the show & adds that Nordic flavour that makes this soup one of a kind. This soup is even better the next day, when the dill has had more time to infuse the broth. 4 Servings Ingredients: 2 tbsp butt