The Guesscipe Book

Cottage Pie (Packed with Vegetables for Fussy Eaters)

While I am absolutely a lover of food and enjoy trying out new things, I am also undeniably a fussy eater. Particularly when it comes to the textures of vegetables, I have a whole list of things I can’t generally stomach, even if I like their flavour – banana, mushroom, cooked tomatoes, courgette, aubergine, peppers,…

Goats Cheese and Broccoli Quiche

I believe it was Jaime (private school girl) who once said…quiche! I recently developed, through a cooking friend of mine, a real interest in custards and the links between them. Crème brûlée or crème caramel, cheesecake or ice cream – what a fantastic, simple, versatile thing. And to think, it’s nothing more than dairy thickened with…

Haggis En Croute

Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it; But we hae meat, and we can eat, Sae let the Lord be thankit. No, I’m not Scottish (though in recent years, I think I’d rather be.) However since coming to London and encountering a variety of wonderful Scottish friends, I have…

Shakshouka with Beans

Say it – go on. Say it. It’s fun. 1…2…3…shakshouka! It’s even more fun to eat it, and delightfully easy to make it. An ancient dish that has come in many forms, we’re essentially talking about a spicy tomato stew with some protein in it – most commonly, eggs. The eggs stew directly in the…

Boxing Day Pie

For those lucky ones among us, Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without an obscene amount of surplus food. Notice, however, I do not say unnecessary food – there are plenty of ways to make use of it. From the famous assortment of boxing day sandwiches, to the more modern turkey curry – I myself decided to…

Crispy Bubble and Squeak

I was once mercilessly mocked by an Australian and American couple I knew for the “ridiculous” names we Brits give to our food. Bangers and mash, spotted dick, jam roly poly…they suggested we would call spaghetti hoops “schplonkers” because of the schplonk sound they make when the spoon drops in them. Well, Bubble and Squeak…

Curried Sausage Rolls

Don’t we all just love a beige platter? Delicious carby goodness staring at us from the buffet table. Quiches, scotch eggs, chicken bites and of course – sausage rolls. This time last year I gave you sausage rolls spiked with traditional Christmas flavours. However this year I decided to take a different approach. This season…

Keema Matar (Spiced Meat with Peas)

I’m often a bit hesitant about putting Indian food on here – it’s probably my favourite world cuisine, and of course Anglo-Indian food is it’s own beautiful thing, but ultimately it feels a bit fruitless. Those who cook food from the subcontinent frequently will often make their own curry pastes or bases in preparation and…

Pork Balls and Noodles in a Lemongrass Broth

I find noodle soups so fascinating – throw a few vegetables, some protein and some noodles into a bit of flavoured water and you have an incredibly filling, fresh bowl of goodness that’ll warm even the coldest heart. Put it in a little plastic pot and you have a student staple. They come in all…

Marmite and Cheese Dip

Around three months ago, at the age of 25, I discovered that I like marmite. What had once been the horrible, burnt tasting “wasp honey” I had tasted as a child was now a wonderfully, sticky, salt and slightly bitter nectar. I’ve since become obsessed, using it in pretty much every sauce and stew since then,…