Paneer itame (like Wagamama’s, but better and vegetarian)

February 18, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

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My most popular post on here is Chicken Itame (despite the god-awful photo that accompanies it), but in recent months I’ve been on a bit of an eat-less-meat kick, so haven’t felt particularly excited about making it. This weekend, I had a craving and swapped out the chicken for cheese – Indian-style Paneer cheese, to […]

Chilli jam

July 25, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

I’ve been boring my boyfriend to death for weeks, telling him I want to make my own chilli jam. In my head, I’d already dreamed up my small business venture, selling preserves and sauces, all made by me, at London farmer’s markets and making a fortune. The fact that I’d never made jam, or anything […]

5 London restaurants for hungry people

June 9, 2016.Reading time 11 minutes.

london restaurants, where to eat in london, top london restaurants, food, food blog, plates and places, tayyabs london review, hawksmoor london review, montys deli review, where to eat in greenwich, tramshed review

Roll up, roll up (quite literally!)… If you scoff at artistic flowers arranged atop your food, if pea puree smears really get your goat and if piddly portion sizes have you swallowing down cries of “RIP OFF!”, you’ll love these Big Girl (and Boy) dishes. From Indian banquets to meaty breakfasts and filling foodie market […]

Lentils and rice with tomato, pork and kabanos

June 7, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

food, food blog, rice recipes, risotto recipes, tomato risotto recipes, tomato and pork rice, pork recipes, plates and places, gemma lucy press, how to make risotto

I’ve just returned from a little timeout in the Spanish sunshine and my return to normality is taking longer than usual. My responsibilities for the last week have been limited to remembering to apply more sun cream (factor 50, every hour; I no burn) and shoveling crisps from a bag to my face while I […]

Mini pork Wellingtons

March 7, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

You’ve had beef Wellington, but have you had pork Wellington? If not, I’d implore you to rectify that immediately. It is a taste sensation. A cheesy, buttery and ever-so-slightly crumbly pastry, encasing a juicy but firm piece of pork and a layer of sweet apple and garlic – what more could you want? With the […]

Fig, feta and pomegranate salad

March 6, 2016.Reading time 4 minutes.

Who knew figs were so tasty? I mean, I know I’m partial to a (packet of) fig rolls, but I never really associated the fruit with the sweet snack, and I know they look and sound delightful on Waitrose’s cool shelf, but I’ve never known what to do with them, or even really fancied them […]

Chicken, chorizo, sweet potato and orange tray bake

February 25, 2016.Reading time 2 minutes.

Easy, peasy, orange squeezy! Consider your Thursday night tea sorted. My chicken, chorizo and sweet potato tray bake with a healthy helping of orange, is perfect for busy people and it’s great for tea one night, leftover lunch the next day. Hearty, wholesome and zingy, it’s a taste sensation. It’s not too pricey either. Basically, […]

Chicken and pomegranate stew

February 22, 2016.Reading time 5 minutes.

Chicken. And. Pomegranate. This is a taste sensation, believe me. This is one of my go-to Saturday night dinners and a favourite when we have people over. It impresses every time, even the time the screw from the casserole dish top came loose and was served to one of our dear friends in his chicken […]

Red chilli sweet potato mash

January 12, 2016.Reading time 2 minutes.

Cooking ain’t all about the schmancy. My everyday cooking is so far from schmancy. And I know from pre-5.30pm chats with co-workers, that knowing what to have for tea, something that’s not too bad for you but not too tricky, or a ‘something’ to go with the standard chicken or pork or Quorn main, is troublesome. […]

Lemon and garlic roast chicken (aka my first ever roast chicken!)

January 11, 2016.Reading time 6 minutes.

I can make my own pasta from scratch, make brownies that are the perfect combination of fudgy and firm and tell whether an avocado is ripe just by looking at it. But I’ve never roasted a chicken. I’m a hardened meat eater but I’m yet to earn my stripes when it comes to dealing with […]

2015 food round up: My favourite plates and places

December 31, 2015.Reading time 15 minutes.

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In no particular order (just the order that things came to me on one hungry December commute home from work..), here are my favourite dishes from 2015. Some are from restaurants, many in London, some further afield and some are from pop-ups and food stands and one is even from Dominos. Some aren’t even edible, […]

Three cheese pork and beef lasagne

December 22, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

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I would never choose to eat lasagne. I’ve never made it because I’ve never eaten one I really enjoyed and I don’t like to ‘waste’ my choices when we go out to eat on something I’m not convinced I’ll love getting my chops around. In theory, I’m well-suited to the Italian classic – I’m a […]

Cookbooks to buy this Christmas

December 21, 2015.Reading time 7 minutes.

food, foodie, food blog, food blogger, gemma press, plates and places, food bloggers, what to buy foodies for christmas, food gifts, best cook books, best cook books 2015, christmas present ideas, food christmas presents

There’s nothing quite like the smell of a new book. Or a homecooked meal, constructed with the help of a new cookbook. What a lovely gift to give someone. And, for the less organised amongst you, a lovely gift you can order today from Amazon and have tomorrow. Christmas is a comin’ people! Know a […]

Goat’s cheese, asparagus and red onion risotto

November 29, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

food, plates and places, plates and places blog, food bloggers, foodie, recipes, risotto, risotto recipe, how to make risotto, vegetable risotto, goats cheese, asparagus, cheese, cheese recipes, goats cheese and asparagus risotto, how to make risotto

I love love love risotto. It’s a fail-safe dish I can cook without any recipe or rules, and often with whatever’s left in the cupboards. I’m a big fan of the fact that it takes a while, but is pretty low maintenance, and it’s where I founded my fond tradition of ‘one glass of vino […]

5 easy peasy dinner ideas

September 10, 2015.Reading time 10 minutes.

quick dinner ideas, quick dinner recipes, quick tea ideas, quick tea recipes, under an hour recipes, easy pasta recipes, easy steak recipes, easy blue cheese sauce recipe, how to make pasta, how to make blue cheese sauce, easy carbonara recipe, watermelon salad, food, foodie, food bloggers, recipes

For those nights you’re late home from work, as well as the ones where you just can’t be arsed and think about giving Mr Hut a call, here’s five super simple suggestions for your supper. And they’re all possible in well under an hour… Melon, proscuitto and mozzarella salad What I like about this salad […]

REVIEW: Duck and Waffle, 40 floors up

September 4, 2015.Reading time 12 minutes.

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We’ve been waiting for a space to come up at Duck and Waffle since we moved to London, nearly a year ago. We haven’t been entirely dedicated but every couple of weeks we’ve looked and it’s been impossible to book a table for two at normal eating hours. But since the infamous 40-floors-up-making-it-the-highest-restaurant-in-the-UK dining venue […]

Chicken korma curry from scratch

January 4, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

food, cooking, recipe, eating, recipes, curry, how to cook curry from scratch, how to make curry sauce, chicken korma curry, how to make korma, chicken korma recipe, healthy chicken curry recipe

Chopping onions and garlic and then adding them to a combination of chicken and shop-bought curry sauce or paste and chopped tomatoes, is great. But it’s not cooking a curry from scratch. And believe me, you can really taste the difference. This recipe, which is adapted from a Hairy Bikers one I read some time […]

Sausage, kale, sweet potato and Gruyere cheese bake

September 1, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

Kale is having a bit of an extended moment in the foodie world and I’m trying very hard to live by the philosophy ‘if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’ when it comes to the coarse cabbage, but I must admit I’m struggling. It’s a bit too strong and rough for me. But if there’s […]

Chicken itame (like Wagamama’s!!)

July 30, 2014.Reading time 4 minutes.

Well, it’s pretty close anyway. And so so delicious! And it is saving us a fortune when my Wags craving strikes! I think everything tastes better the fresher it is but with Chicken Itame it’s even more important and will really change the dish for the better. Oh and cooking the chicken this way is […]

Overnight oats with goji berries, cranberry, banana, apple and pumpkin seeds

July 28, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

It’s a bit of a mouthful, I’ll give you that. And to be honest you can top your overnight oats with whatever you want but this plentiful combination is my favourite for energy and taste at the beginning of a busy day. If you’ve never tried making overnight oats before give the below recipe a […]

Baked egg in avocado

July 27, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

food, food bloggers, food blog, avocado, avocado recipes, avocado breakfast ideas, how to eat avocado, egg recipes, avocado and egg recipes, breakfast recipes, breakfast ideas, baked egg and avocado

A hearty and healthy breakfast or a fuss-free lunch I have this dish at least once a week (availability of free range eggs at our terrible local Tesco depending). You only need a few main ingredients and then you can really make your avocado and egg combo as snazzy as you like. I’ve popped some […]

Tomato and basil bruschetta

July 13, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

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One of the simplest starters or snacks you can make and very quick to do yet so effective and requested time and time again in my house. It’s great sharing food too – I often serve it with my fiery chicken strips and plenty of dips. Makes more than enough for two 2 handfuls of […]

Red wine risotto with chorizo, prosciutto and peas

July 12, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

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If I had to serve a dish to someone of great culinary skill I’d probably cook them a risotto. I’ve cooked a creamy white wine, chicken and pepper risotto so many times it’s like second nature to me now; I need no recipe, just a glass or two of white wine and a little extra […]

Watermelon, ham & feta salad

July 11, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

watermelon salad, watermelon recipes, salad recipes, watermelon ham and feta salad, feta recipes, ham recipes, healthy recipes, healthy salads, food, food bloggers

Writing this I realise that even my salad-y type dishes involve a bit of meat – I am a meataholic! Often a home-made meal doesn’t feel right to me without at least a slither of the hard stuff, I promise to do something a bit more veggie-friendly soon though! Anyway, I digress. This week we […]

Greek couscous with chicken, feta, olives & tzatziki

June 11, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

I can’t take credit for this one as this was one of my boyfriend, Alex’s creations. And he can’t wholly take credit for it either because it was inspired by Jamie Oliver’s recipe here. I’m sure Alex’s would give the Naked Chef’s a run for its money though as it really was delicious! It’s a […]

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Tag: food