follow recipes from Nigel Slater's 'The Kitchen Diaries' in 2006

1. Lemon Trifle – from the Kitchen Diaries
2. Pumpkin Laska – from his new book “Tender”

Both were awesome – something about cooking Nigel just seems to work. I am a similar cook in terms of approach – not too much measuring and lots of good gutsy flavours.

Yummmo!

Really yummy – I don’t really like white sauce or cheese sauce – bu t this was great – lots of mustard – couldn’t find Pavlone so substituted Tallegio and it was great – made far too much – ate it for dinner twice – not as good reheated :-)

Cooked this cake last weekend – it was the first cake that I have cooked for a while. Not sure that it is helping with the diet but heigh ho. It turned out a described moist and intensely gingery – I think I put a little extra ginger in and cooked it in a round tin but otherwise followed the recipe exactly – it needed longer cooking than it said.

Just bought this book for Laura – hope she likes it…

Very nice. Followed the recipe sort of. Cheap stewing lamb from sainsbury’s needed longer cooking (2.5 hours) and I couldn’t find any haricot beans and so black eyed beans had to do. Added a couple of stock cubes and a splash of balsamic vinegar and some worcestershire sauce for extra pep. No fresh herbs because I forgot. Me, Jim and Big Dave ate it in front of 24. Served with mash and beans – it was really rather good. Thank you again Nige!

I was thinking just the other day that this would be a good goal.

For my part I have been writing in pencil in my copy when I have cooked a particular recipe.

I have cooked:

Braised Oxtail with Mustard and Mash (page 63) (not as good as I had hoped – possibly due to the shodiness of oxtail from Budgens?)

Chicken with mustard seed and coconut milk (page 110) (absolutely delicious -although I skipped the curry leaves – there was plenty leftover for the next day too)

Onion soup without tears (page 16) – very cunning….

Chicken stew and mash (page 80) – (yumm – really nice and really interesting – although it made me realize I need a better casserole dish and I have been lusting after a good cast iron Le Creuset one since then)

That is me upto date.

Expect more later…