The Guesscipe Book

Thai Red Noodle Soup (with optional chicken thighs)

For all the complex plating styles, techniques and geometric designs that are so popular in youtube “food presentation” videos (which I am certainly not above), there is something to be said for the beauty inherently found in a bowl of stuff. Thai food is a moderately recent discovery of mine, and I am consistently bowled…

Chicken Katsu (with quick tonkatsu sauce)

I often marvel at how certain ingredients that were considered totally fringe and specialist a few years ago are not readily available in pretty much any large supermarket in the UK. I remember spending ages searching my local Tesco growing up for ghee when I first discovered Indian cooking, and for the life of me couldn’t find…

Pulled Ham and Piccalilli Rolls

Ham and Piccalilli go together like Hall and Oates, or Garfunkel and Oates, or Simon and Garfunkel. They go together well. Ham is, by nature, very salty. As such, it pairs up beautifully with anything sweet and acidic. There’s a reason you so often see it with pineapple, honey and apple. It cries out for…

Gingerbread Crème Brûlée

The undisputed king of custards, the crème brûlée. Velvety, thick and rich as anything, this absolutely incredible dessert is deceptively simple, and perfectly suited to entertaining – make ahead and store in the fridge, brûlée just before serving and you will totally wow your guests despite barely putting in 5 minutes of actual work time….

Peter’s Golfball Pie

In a bit of a first on this site, this next recipe is a request. You see, my father-in-law’s birthday is today, and he’s a dedicated fan of my recipes here. He’s also something of a cook himself, and particularly enjoys having a crack at the pie recipes I make on here – he recently…

Pulled Pork Buns with Spiced Apple Sauce and DELICIOUS Stuffing

There are those times in life when you have a lot of people to feed and a huge list of tasks to do. Putting up decorations, tidying up, normal daily jobs – no time to spend hours in the kitchen getting all manner of complex things ready. Well, this recipe is absolutely the solution for…

Honey Nut Fried Chicken

Comfort food is called that for a reason – that edible warm-hug feeling you get along with all the happy memories they bring. Well, goodness knows this has been a year where we need some comfort and joy. Comfort foods come in all shapes and sizes, but you’ll be hard pressed to find a list…

Mulled Apple and Bramble Cider

Is there anything more comforting than a hot, sweet drink on a cool, crisp day? The gentle tickle of the rising steam as you rise it up to your face bringing with it the aromas of the drink. Hot chocolate is fantastic and tea is popular, but it’s apple season and time to let the…

Ginger Ale Battered Fish with Tartar Sauce

What do they eat on Fridays at the nuclear power plant? Fission Chips. *Pause for applause…3…2…1* Fish and chips – the quintessential British seaside meal. Delicious fish fillets kept moist and flavourful thanks to its crispy batter coating alongside chunky chips, mushy peas and doused in salt and vinegar. Beer batter is often the go-to,…

Pumpkin and Goats Cheese Pasties

That wonderful time of year is upon us again! While the days might be getting shorter and colder, that’s no reason to despair. There’s a real joy to rediscovering those coats you haven’t seen in months, embracing scarves and beginning to smell the smoke of chimneys around once more. It’s also a time to enjoy…