homecook

  • The art of risotto

    16th April 2020The Delicate Diner

    Risotto. That simple, comforting bowl of creamy goodness that we all need right now. We all know that we are living in difficult and challenging times – I am not going to use this space as a place to talk about that. Instead, I am offering some light relief from the news – along with a store cupboard recipe that everyone can enjoy. Many people say that risotto is difficult to make. I have never found it to be, and I actually find it quite soothing, gently stirring the grains of rice until they are perfectly al dente. Risotto is…

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  • The Butcher's House oxtail & ale stew

    23rd March 2020The Delicate Diner

    Oxtail is an underrated cut of meat – and a far cry from the soups of our childhoods. One of the cheapest cuts, if not the cheapest, of beef, oxtail is full of flavour and benefits from slow cooking. This recipe easily feeds a family of four, with leftovers for another day. INGREDIENTS1 oxtail, jointedYare Valley rapeseed oil2 red onions, quartered3 or 4 bay leaves2 celery stalks, chopped2 large carrots, slicedWhite and pink peppercornsHalf a swede, dicedDried parsley & dried oregano1 beef stock pot1 bottle Broadside beerTomato pureeAround 5g porcini mushroomsCornflour Add a splash of Yare Valley rapeseed oil to…

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  • Lactose-free mint choc chip ice cream

    17th August 2018The Delicate Diner

    My favourite ice cream as a child was, without fail, mint choc chip. The lurid green ice flecked with chocolate pieces, it was the stuff of dreams and, no doubt, started what remains a life-long obsession with chocolate and mint flavours together. From the punch Bendick’s Bittermint to the easy going After Eight, combine those flavours together and I am a happy girl. However, being intolerant to lactose means that I can no longer grab a mint choc chip cornetto or, even crunchier, a slice or two of Vienetta for a creamy, frozen, choccie-mint treat. And that could only mean…

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  • Easter in Norfolk

    2nd April 2018The Delicate Diner

    Hello my lovely Delicate Diners – and a very Happy Easter to you! What a miserable day it is; typical Bank Holiday style, tipping it down with rain outside, and not a Bond film to be found on the TV inside. So what better to do than share some of my brilliant Easter weekend experiences in Norfolk. I suggest you pull up a glass of something, sit back, and enjoy this foodie blog celebrating fabulous foodie Norfolk. My weekend began a day early as I had a friend up from London for a visit. I had returned from Switzerland the…

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  • Home Cooked 4 You – the best of gluten-free cooking

    7th September 2016The Delicate Diner

    Like me, Tina has spent time in the Middle East and as such, she is very much into flavour. In fact, the biggest compliment I can pay Tina is that I would serve her own food at my own parties, it is that good, and the flavours that she uses are ones that I love.

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  • Crispy crispy crackling…

    4th September 2016The Delicate Diner

    Sunday afternoon. The end of an incredibly hectic deadline – one that has been amazing, emotional and educational all rolled into one. I have just poured a deliciously large gin and tonic – The Botanist with Fever Tree, since you ask – and I have half an eye on the showjumping from Burghley. After all, once a horse girl, always a horse girl. More to the point, I am in need of comfort. For many reasons. Wiped out from long days in the office, staring at a screen and agonising over photographs of Arabian horses when there is just a…

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  • An indulgent Saturday brunch…

    13th August 2016The Delicate Diner

    Saturday morning. I am feeling a mixture of emotions – tired, anxious, excited, and full of Olympic energy. The sun is shining – as always, too brightly into my window in the morning – and I spend a peaceful half hour reading, the world outside and the birds singing as they encourage their young to take flight. Autumn is closing in. Already, the milkman is having to use the lights on his truck as he comes hairing down the driveway, waking me. For the last few months, he has been accompanied by the dawn chorus. Now, it is the darkness…

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  • Strawberry, lime & black pepper muffins

    14th May 2016The Delicate Diner

    Outside, the sun is shining but it is cold! Mother Nature seems to tempt us with a few days of warmth before sending cold winds back to send us racing indoors in search of jumpers and warming cups of coffee. In spite of this weather rollercoaster, nature’s own bounty is plentiful and for that reason, May remains my favourite month of the year. From the cherry blossom dressing the trees to the arrival of fresh Norfolk asparagus in the shops, there are signs everywhere that summer, is at last, unfurling herself and is ready to warm us in her soothing…

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  • Sirocco, Sabrina Ghayour: Chocolate, cardamom & espresso

    2nd May 2016The Delicate Diner

    We had a slice last night – badly sliced and decadent in the extreme, and it was light, flavoursome, aromatic, balanced, indulgent and wickedly delicious, all in one mouthful. I did wonder if a slice late in the evening, before going to bed, was a good idea, but I slept well.

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  • From the worst cake to a delicious sweet pie!

    22nd April 2016The Delicate Diner

    I am sorry for being so absent – my few days in Las Vegas was very busy, full of migraines and headaches, meetings and work, and then the horse show to focus on too! The food was average in the hotel I was in and was summed up by this cake below… I’d ordered steak for the last night in Vegas, and gone through all the options with my waiter. There was no sauce option for me – even the champagne sauce contains gluten (seriously?!) – so the waiter proudly presented me with a plate of steak with lemon butter sauce, that…

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