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

This is a real winner when it comes to offering an appetizer to your guests, as an accompaniment to drinks. Every time I make it I get rave reviews, so I won't be so selfish as to keep the recipe to myself. Here in France we are not scared of garlic, in fact, we love it! It is what makes this dish! For the best outcome, marinate overnight or at least 4 hours before serving, accompanied by toothpicks. Ingredients: 100gr olives, drained well 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp olive

This is a popular, tasty aperitif snack here in France, where 'apero' is a sacred event.. The French also call it 'amuse-gueule' which means 'mouth fun', though English speaking countries would call it an 'appetiser'. It really is something different to offer your guests when having drinks together & is served with toothpicks. For the best outcome, marinate overnight or at least 4 hours before serving. Ingredients: 400gr tin of mushrooms, drained well 2 tbsp red wine vinegar

This recipe came about one evening when I wasn't sure what to cook for dinner, so I threw together what was left in the cupboards and fridge; a happy accident that only 30 minutes later, resulted in a dish that is now a firm favourite in my home. I am a massive fan of arrabbiata sauce. You just cannot beat that spice! At times, I make the sauce from scratch, especially in summer when I can use my homegrown tomatoes as the base for the sauce. However, in the winter months I us

I love tacos in many forms. This is an original way to make them that is quick, healthy & bursting with tangy, sweet flavours. Serve with warm tortillas & a spicy mayonnaise sauce. Enjoy! 4 Servings Ingredients for the Caramelized Pork: Olive oil, for frying 2 cloves of garlic, minced 800gr boneless, fatless pork, finely sliced 2 tsp fish sauce (can be substituted by soy sauce) 4 tbsp sugar Ingredients for the Pineapple Salsa: 200gr fresh pineapple, peeled & cut into very sma

spicy chicken pasta recipe

There are certain recipes that are dearer to my heart than others & this is one of them. I have always loved noodles, particularly rice noodles in soup. I find eating noodles feels like a warm hug; there is something so comforting about it. This dish is heavily influenced by my childhood in south east Asia & my love for Thai food in particular. It can be easily converted into a vegan recipe by simply leaving out the chicken & swapping the chicken stock for vegetable stock. Ma

Anyone who has lived in the UK would know just how much the Brits love Indian food. There are Indian restaurants & take-away businesses all over the place! I myself am partial to a lovey Bhuna curry with warm garlic naan bread on the side... heaven! But the UK is also famous for its Sunday roasts, which is why I want to combine the two by cooking a roast chicken 'Indian style' with a lightly flavoured curry gravy. I served it with Lebanese flatbreads (because, sadly, naan bre

This in an incredible combination of flavours; one that explodes your taste buds & leaves you feeling like you've really had an amazing culinary experience. The bitterness of the chicory pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the pear, whereas the crunch of the walnuts clashes marvellously with the creamy texture of the Roquefort cheese. All of this, finished off with the tang of a red wine vinaigrette. It is heaven & the perfect starter to impress your dinner guests. 2 Serv

This British classic epitomises the words 'comfort food'. There is no meal more perfect for a cold winter Sunday. Its fills the house with the most divine scents as it slow cooks on low heat for 3 hours. You will see in the image that I have added dumplings to mine at the end. This is optional. This meal goes beautifully with mash or any type of potato side dish. You can also put puff pastry over the top for the last 15-20 minutes, turning it into a beef & ale pie. Enjoy! 4 S

This French classic recipe is very easy to make with few ingredients involved. Chicken breasts, crispy fried, with a creamy mustard sauce. It pairs beautifully with mashed or roasted potatoes, but also rice or even pasta. 4 Servings Ingredients: 750gr of chicken breasts, each sliced in half horizontally 100gr flour 2 tbsp butter 1 tbsp olive oil 3 shallots, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 chicken stock cube diluted in 25cl of boiling water 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 3 tb

Raclette is an amazing, strong smelling cheese we have here in France. It is famous for the being the cheese used for 'a Raclette', which is a meal named after the cheese. It is a very social dinner, immensely popular for gatherings between family or friends. Having 'a Raclette requires a Raclette machine which is a plug in cooking device that the diners use to melt their cheese using little triangle or square trays. You place boiled potatoes, charcuterie & cornichons on yo

Brazilian food is very interesting to me. It is like a blend between Creole & Asian food but with its own twist. I love that they often use various nuts in their cooking. It really does add a unique flavour to their food. 4 Servings Ingredients: 750gr chicken breasts, diced into bite sized pieces Juice of 1 lime 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 40gr ginger, finely grated 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp cayenne pepper 50gr peanu

Before the people of Marseille begin rioting, I am not claiming this is the ultimate, classic version of bouillabaisse. The famous dish was traditionally a simply stew created by Marseillaise fisherman, in the south of France, to use up fish they could not sell. It has since become the a star dish in many top restaurants where they make it using a fish stock created by simmering various fish, shellfish & fish bones in a large pot. The contents of the pot are then blended & pa

Ah! My favourite soup on planet earth. I cannot get enough of it! This Thai coconut chicken soup is bursting with flavour & incorporates the sour, sweet, salty & spicy notes that are so typical of Thai food. At times, I cannot find fresh lemongrass but my local Asian store sells finely shredded frozen lemongrass which works just as well. Simply add 2 tbsp, which of course, is perfectly edible when shredded so finely. However, it is important to note that if using fresh lemong

This classic British starter remains one of the country's favorite starters. Cold prawns slathered with tangy Marie Rose sauce... it is simply delicious & a perfect, easy starter to impress your family & friends. 2 Servings Ingredients: 250gr cold, cooked prawns, shells removed 200gr mayonnaise 1 tbsp ketchup 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp tabasco Juice of 1/2 a lemon S&P 2 handfuls of iceberg lettuce, finely sliced Instructions: Simply whisk together the mayonnaise, ketc

This incredible vegan recipe came about this week as I was rummaging through my freezer, taking an inventory of what remained in vegetables I had froze from our vegetable garden this summer. I had quite a bit of blanched, frozen chard to use up so I decided to create a quick lunch today, using lentils and the remainder of a bottle of chipotle sauce I had found in the fridge. I created a simply aioli at the end by combining mayonnaise & chipotle sauce, which really added a spa

This beautiful dish is from the Basque region, on the south west coast of France, near the Spanish border. Because of its location, the Basque region was for centuries part of a well known spice route which is how the famous Piment d'Espelette arrived there. Since they have continued to produce this amazingly smoky chilli powder that has become a favorite with chefs worldwide. The name of this recipe means 'from the pot' & it is a rustic fisherman's stew, made to keep them go

This Christmas was the first time I have cooked any type of duck. For this recipe I used a young duck, which we call 'Canette' here in France. It doesn't yield very much meat but it is a real delicacy. Tender & delicious slow cooked with cider, apples & winter spices. This dish pairs wonderfully with roasted potatoes; even better if they cooked with a little duck fat. 4 Servings Ingredients: 1 whole duck (roughly 1.2kg) 2 onions, finely chopped 4 sweet apples, cored & quarter