Advice & Inspiration For Your Garden

the best muesli

This recipe, unlike many shop-bought mueslis, contains no added sugar. Make a big batch of the core recipe to last a couple of weeks and store in an airtight jar, then add the extras you like, c

roast parsnips rolled in parmesan recipe

These are crunchy and sweet, lovely with any meat or stew, to eat with an aperitif, or as a first course dipped into crème fraîche flavoured with dill and/or chilli jam.For 6 600g parsnips100g fresh

mrs titley’s chocolate and coffee éclairs recipe

These éclairs are the best you’ll ever eat. They are ideal for a big family party – make two-thirds chocolate and one-third coffee – over Christmas or New Year. You can make the cases several da

moroccan harira with sorrel sauce recipe

This is a traditional soup/stew – a meal in itself – eaten to break the month-long, daylight fasting of Ramadan. It's fragrant and spicy, typically served with little bowls of lemon juice to pou

mini blinis with smoked salmon or roe recipe

Using buckwheat flour mixed with plain sharpens the flavour of these blinis. Serve warm.for about 80 blinis 225g plain flour 225g buckwheat flour, sifted 4 teaspoons dried yeast 2 tabl

mince pies with orange pastry recipe

I love an orange flavoured pastry with my mince pies, a traditional tasting twist on a classic recipe.makes 15-20 mince piesfor pastry: 75g butter, plus little more for tray 170g plain flo

sloe gin (or damson vodka) recipe

This sloe gin or damson vodka recipe can be adapted to the fruit you have to hand. Damsons left after the vodka is strained are perfect to eat with ice cream or yogurt. This makes a perfect Chri

marni's salsify recipe

This is my grandmother Marni Hodgkin's favourite recipe for salsify, which came originally from Rosamund Richardson's book Definitely Different. Small chunks of the cooked root are tossed in

smoked mackerel and parsnip fish cakes

We should be eating as much oily fish as we can, and this is a delicious way to do so. Serve with a home-made tomato sauce.Serves 4 800g parsnips, peeled (unless organic) and roughly chopped2 tbsp co

wilted winter green salad with pomegranate recipe

The colours here – crimson and brilliant green – look good, and when served warm, this is an ideal winter salad. It's excellent as a starter or as a side dish with meat and fish, and also works wel

rosemary and pork farfalle recipe

I love this meat pasta sauce and so do my children, particularly if I leave out the non-essential chilli and onion. It takes only 10 minutes to make and is one of our standard mid-week suppers. It

red thai curry mussels recipe

Delicious, spicy and fragrant, mussels, like oysters, are generally thought to be best in the colder months of the year (those with an ‘r’ in them). Use a good-quality red Thai curry paste, such

smashed roast new potatoes with garlic and rosemary recipe

My children call out for this as soon as they see new potatoes coming in from the garden. This is real winter comfort food – good as a side dish, but substantial enough on its own served with a salad.

persian jewelled rice recipe

The textures, colour and flavour of this rice make it an almost stand-alone dish. Where in summer and autumn I cook Broad bean pilaf, in the winter and spring I cook this - one of my favourite things

pheasant with apple and chestnut

A classic combination for autumn and winter, with the apple helping to prevent the pheasant from drying out.Serves 4 2 pheasants2 tbsp seasoned plain flour3 tbsp olive oil4 onions (about 500g), quart

soda bread with sunflower and pumpkin seeds recipe

Here's a very quick and easy recipe for when you want almost instant bread on the table. It does not use yeast, so there's no proving, or waiting for it to rise.Makes 1 x 500g loaf 225g strong white