Weekly Recipes

An unapologetic ode to the 90s this week. Just the name “aubergine caviar” sounds a bit naff now, but this, alongside the “tomato fondue” (also in the discount bin!) are well worth revisiting. They are perfect bedfellows for summer meat and fish such as grilled lamb or salmon, or grain salads. They are light, fresh, irrefutably delicious and most revealingly, actually contain very few ingredients. The best cooking is underpinned by clarity of taste, perhaps above all else; you want aubergine to taste of aubergine, tomato to taste of tomato. When creating a dish, you are inherently combining a number...

I’m delighted to see the amazing “Living Lettuce” now available in the hampers. We started using these at HIDE at the start of the year and haven’t looked back since. Incomparable freshness. They are grown in London in hydroponic farms within shipping containers (a little bit like a legit version of Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentleman”!), often picked and delivered within hours. It’s a spirited young company with great people behind them and a bright future ahead, so do support them. The lettuces they produce speak for themselves; they feel somewhat closer to a living plant than a kitchen ingredient, to...

Beef tartare has traditionally been a bit of a City-boy affair over here: all protein, the poor cow dying not only at the abattoir but a second time at the hands of the chef, unapologetically drowned in an overwhelming umami tsunami of Worcester sauce, tabasco and the like. It was always chopped into oblivion so it could absorb more of this seasoning. The version below could not be more different. It actually tastes healthy, in the way that ceviche, crudos and the like generally do. This is more a guide than a recipe, to help you on your way. Don’t...

A lush lemon & lime curd, to enjoy on toasted brioche or with some fresh berries. A one pan wonder, quite literally, as there is almost an alchemy to just how easily this comes together. As it simmers, the eggs cook, emulsify with the butter and thicken to a delicious velvety concoction. Being a purist, I don’t normally mix lemon and lime, preferring them for different roles in different dishes. I do think they work brilliantly together in this curd; the lime just seems to lend a bit of fragrance and exoticism. The yoghurt at the end lightens the mixes...