Recent Recipes
Black pudding Scotch eggs
Never will I tire of eating black pudding and eggs – together or individually. They are what the French call meilleurs amis. I like to eat these black pudding Scotch eggs with a good mayonnaise, finished with lots of freshly chopped chives. They’re delicious e...
Sea beet and asparagus salad with baby broad beans and radish
This Lovely vibrant salad can be made with young perpetual spinach. Its emerald green, irony leaves work in very much the same way. But if you do live coastally, it's quite easy to find sea beet growing around beaches and tidal estuaries. The young toothsom le...
Lemon and elderflower posset
This is a lovely version of a classic English pudding. The addition of elderflower gives it a heady floral note, which works beautifully with the lemon. I like to garnish this with fresh gooseberries. You can cook them briefly with a little honey perhaps, but...
Trout with pickled cucumber, spelt & herbs
This quick, warm salad of nutty spelt grain and clean river trout always lifts my mood, particularly on a wet, wintry day. With a light air of spring about it, it provides a welcome break from the richer dishes I often prepare over the colder months of the yea...
Roast guinea fowl with black pudding, apple & sage.
I remember my uncle keeping these fine birds when I was a boy, and how their unusual regal quality would grab my fleeting attention as I tore past them in pursuit of my cousin. Now, as a chef I appreciate them all the more. Guinea fowl is delicious and underra...
Venison & bacon stew with orange & bay
At River Cottage I'd always cook venison throughout the winter months. One of my favourite ways to eat it is as a tasty carpaccio. The loin is seared in a hot pan for a few seconds before being sliced and served more or less raw, with flaky salt, lemon juice,...
Christmas ham
I cure a ham each year. It makes lunch on Christmas day all the more satisfying and it’s easy to do. You just have to think a couple of months ahead. I earmark a leg of pork from one of our late-autumn pigs, then towards the end of October, I’ll think about ge...
Liver and bacon
My take on this timeless classic should convert even those who are most reluctant to eat liver. What’s more, because the liver is served slightly pink, it all comes together quite quickly.
Raw mushroom, kale, celeriac and pumpkin seed salad
I’m a big fan of macerated kale salads, it’s something we do at River Cottage quite regularly, and a technique I find brings the humble kale leaf into a new and exciting dimension. What’s more, it’s super quick to put together, because everything is raw. Yes,...
Mushroom, pancetta and parsley tart
This is probably one of my all time favorite recipes. I’ve been making it for years. It works with fresh wild or cultivated mushrooms, but I find using a combination of fresh and dried gives a much better flavour.