Sushi is one of my most loved foods and I was apprehensive about a 9 month stint without it!

We’re advised against eating sushi during pregnancy because of the increased likelihood of bacteria in raw foods (fish in this case). Whilst I have a million thoughts in my head about going to my trusted sushi restaurants, I’m also a rule abiding person, and don’t feel comfortable going against the grain, especially as it’s just temporary.

So I set about trying to satisfy my craving without “breaking the rules”, of which there are an awful lot for us poor pregnant women!

In Japan, a “sushi sandwich” is called an onigirazu - a mixture of sushi rice, fish and/or vegetables wrapped up in nori (seaweed). I ate many of these during my holidays in Japan, often from the local supermarkets, filled with a tuna mayo mixture. So my plan was to recreate that!

I’ve included a full method with pictures of how to wrap the sandwich below.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (makes 2)

1 tin of tuna

2 tbsp kewpie mayo (or regular mayo)

2 spring onions - finely sliced

200g (from a microwave pouch or cooked to packet instruction)

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp caster sugar

2-3 baby cucumbers (or 1/4 whole cucumber)

1 avocado - halved and thinly sliced

4 sheets of nori - 2 whole, 2 with a small square cut out

1 tbsp black sesame seeds

For the spicy mayo dipping sauce:

2 tbsp kewpie mayo

1 tbsp gochujang (korean red pepper paste)

1 tbsp sesame oil

Method:

Start by mixing the ingredients for the spicy mayo together until smooth.

In a small bowl, mix the drained can of tuna with the kewpie mayo and sliced spring onions and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the rice vinegar with the salt and sugar until dissolved. Spread the cooked warm sushi rice onto a tray and season with the vinegar mixture - mix well.

Slice and prep the cucumber and avocado and put that to aside, ready to assemble.

Take 2 of the nori sheets and cut out a small square, roughly the size of the palm of your hand and set aside.

For each sandwich, take 1 nori sheet and lay it down in a diamond shape in front of you. Spoon on half of the rice and arrange into a square shape (this will mean your sandwich is a square shape at the end).

Spoon on half of the tuna mixture and flatten down.

Sprinkle over half of the sesame seeds.

Arrange the slices of cucumber over the top.

Place the sliced half of avocado on top.

Then the small square of nori.

Then fold up and in each corner of the nori so that the fillings are encased.

Wrap in cling film and keep in the fridge until you’re ready to eat it!

Halve the sandwich and peel away the cling film, dip into the spicy mayo and enjoy!

England produces a glut of courgettes/zucchini in the summer - they grow abundantly so it’s good to have a couple of recipes up your sleeve which uses multiple of them.

Courgettes are extremely watery, so this recipe uses loads of them; grated then cooked down nice & slowly, which really develops their subtle, fresh flavour.

Keeping things simple with garlic, chilli and lots of olive oil for a good background aromatic hum.

Pasta wise, you can use whatever you enjoy/have in the cupboard. I used angel hair, which is a thinner variety of spaghetti. It has a fun texture and mixed well amongst the shredded courgette.

I’ve topped mine with a garlic pangrattato (fried breadcrumbs) which creates such a gorgeous texture alongside the silky pasta - I highly recommend this additional step!

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 4 people)

5-6 courgettes

75ml extra virgin olive oil

8 large cloves of garlic - finely sliced

2 red chillies - finely sliced

50g pecorino

300-350g angel hair pasta (or pasta or choice!)

1 lemon - juiced (optional)

For the pangrattato:

50g panko breadcrumbs

25ml olive oil

1 clove garlic - minced

Method:

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Life update! I’m pregnant! It’s been a crazy few months of nausea and exhaustion but I’m slowly returning to myself as the weeks fly by!

I’ve been making an attempt to overrule some of the forbidden pregnancy foods, finding a way to include them into my diet, and stumbled across this idea for this gorgeous salad.

Fresh, juicy, zingy & satisfying - this makes use of some fantastic seasonal produce, and everything goes so well together.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

1 nectarine - diced

1/2 head of fennel - shaved or finely sliced

2 handfuls petit pois - blanched

1 tin cannellini beans

1 handful of basil leaves

1 handful mint leaves - torn

100g serrano ham

50g pecorino

For the dressing:

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp runny honey

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Method:

Lay the serrano ham onto a baking tray and place in an oven at 180C for 10-15 minutes until completely crispy. Drain and leave to cool.

Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Prep the fennel, dice the nectarine and blanch the peas then add to a large mixing bowl with the cannellini beans then crumble in half of the crispy ham (reserving the other half the garnish each portion).

Pour in the dressing and give everything a good toss together - I find a pair of clean hands works best!

Serve up, top with the rest of the crispy ham then shave on the pecorino. Enjoy!

I love a galette! It’s the most customisable, simple pie/tart-adjacent creation. Shortcrust or puff pastry can be used as a crust, and you can really use your imagination with the fillings.

Sweet fillings work gorgeously like pears, chocolate & almonds in winter. It’s fun to choose anything that’s in season at any given time, encase them in the pastry, bake a voila!

It’s been what feels like an ongoing heatwave in the UK since May, and this is the perfect recipe to take to a picnic or a friend’s party. It’s a real crowd pleaser and just screams summer, using the best of the UK’s summer produce.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (makes 1 galette, 6-8 servings)

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If you’ve been to Japan, or plan to visit, then you may be aware of the many “tonkatsu” restaurants, specialising in pork loin steaks, breaded with crispy panko and deep fried.

Traditionally the pork is served with shredded raw cabbage (often done by hand to an impressive fineness). Light, crisp, fresh - no need for potatoes or anything heavy alongside a piece of fried pork, for obvious reasons!

The other joys to this dish are the 2 classic sauces: one creamy, sesame dressing for the cabbage, and one tangy, sweet, acidic ketchup-like sauce.

This experience was my guilty pleasure during both of my trips to Japan over the years, so I decided to make it at home.

It’s a real crowd pleaser - I mean, what’s not to like!

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

For the tonkatsu:

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It’s been heatwave after heatwave in the UK so it’s worth having plenty of minimal cooking dishes to have up your sleeve when the kitchen is the last place you want to be.

Bibim Guksu, meaning “mixed noodles” is a Korean dish of chilled noodles in a sweet, spicy sauce topped with whatever you fancy - my choices are a boiled egg, spring onions, cucumber & sesame seeds.

This is a true 15 minute dish and is refreshing, satisfying and moreish - give it a go!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 medium eggs

200g noodles of choice (cooked to packet instruction)

2 spring onions - finely sliced

1/2 cucumber - cut into matchsticks

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

For the dressing:

1 heaped tbsp gochujang

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp light soy

1 tsp sugar

3 tbsp kimchi - chopped

25ml cold water

Method:

Start by filling 2 saucepans of water and bring up to a boil. In one pan, boil the eggs for 6-7 minutes and, in the other, cook the noodles.

Drain the eggs and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the noodles and rinse them well in cold water to rinse off the extra starch that will make them sticky. Set aside.

Mix together all dressing ingredients until you’re happy with a saucy consistency and seasoning. Prep the spring onion and cucumber and set aside.

Peel and half the eggs and set aside.

Toss the dressing through the cold noodles and serve into bowls topping with the egg, spring onion, cucumber and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

I often crave a Chinese takeaway but I’ve so often been disappointed - lukewarm noodle dishes and soggy spring rolls have encouraged me to cook my own takeaway/fakeaway style recipes for when I need to scratch that itch.

This is a really easy one - think of it as a more flavourful chicken chow mein style dish. I’m using lots of diced chicken thighs, fried off really well to get a good golden colour on them, tossed through some noodles with a very soy heavy glossy sauce.

I’ve also added a healthy amount of black and white pepper so that it’s a prominent flavour, with a good warmth of heat.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

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A simple dinner that I’ve got on rotation this summer - lots of sweet peppers, soft, plump chickpeas with a smoky grilled piece of cod.

This is a really quick one but has a bit of restaurant flair - perfect if you’re having people over for a dinner party or a cheeky date night.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

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This is a brilliant recipe whether you’ve got a bbq or not, and is a great way to feed a crowd without too much faff. I’ll outline the method of how to do this in an oven below.

“Shawarma” technically describes the rotating nature of the spit that the meat is fixed to, so to mimic that as best I can without an actual rotisserie device, I’m taking 2 skewers, packing on the chicken thigh fillets then turning periodically on the bbq.

It’s a delicious way to cook chicken because you’re able to achieve some char all the way around, whilst keeping the chicken juicy inside, plus layers on the seasoning mixture throughout.

A lovely sharp lemonny sumac salad is the perfect accompaniment with a splash of yoghurt sauce. I also cheated and bought some supermarket flatbreads for ease!

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 4)

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Potato salad is a wonderful thing, especially during these months in the UK where Jersey Royals are in season.

Traditionally bound in a mayo based sauce, I’m switching things up a little bit with this recipe, using a vinaigrette instead, spiked with horseradish for that lovely heady warmth.

I’m loving cucumbers at the moment in any form, so I’m doing a quick pickle of some sliced baby cucumbers and throwing them in, for an added zing.

The perfect accompaniment is a beautiful fillet of trout - the sharp acidity of the potato salad will cut through the naturally fatty fish - a match made in heaven.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2 as a main)

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Gildas are a beautifully crafted bit of food magic - one of many basque pintxos (a Spanish bar snack) consisting of an olive, an anchovy and a pickled chilli (guindillo) pepper on a skewer, designed to be eated in 1 mouthful, hitting salty, spicy and refreshing notes all at the same time.

Invented in San Sebastián in the 1940s, customers started combining these 3 snacks together and the gilda was born. Over the years, in various parts of northern Spain, I’ve experienced bars and restaurants putting their own spin on the gilda, sometimes combining pieces of cured meats and cheeses along with pickle or brined elements.

For anyone who loves brined and pickled foods, I’ve fleshed out this concept into a main meal by making it into a pasta dish.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

200-250g dried spaghetti - cooked to 3 mins under packet instructions (we will finish cooking the spaghetti in the sauce)

50ml extra virgin olive oil

3 tinned anchovies

5 garlic cloves - finely chopped

8 green olives - sliced

2-3 guindilla peppers (or pickled chillies) - sliced

2 jarred roasted peppers - chopped into 1cm dice

1 lemon - zested, juice reserved

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

50g parmsan - grated

Method:

Start by prepping the ingredients then get the pasta into some boiling salted water.

Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a large frying pan or casserole pan, add the anchovies and let them gently sizzle and melt into the oil. Add the garlic, keeping the pan on low and let that slowly infuse, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Once the garlic has softened and is incredibly fragrant, add the olives and both peppers with the zest of the lemon and the smoked paprika.

Let that sizzle and infuse together for a couple of minutes then take a ladle of pasta water and add to the pan to stop the frying.

Drag the pasta over when it’s a few minutes undercooked with some more pasta water.

Grate in the parmesan with another little bit of pasta water and give everything a good toss around the pan, allowing the pasta water to emulsify with the fats, creating a glossy saucy consistency.

Add a splash of the reserved lemon juice and taste for seasoning.

Time to serve up - pile into bowls making sure you include lots of the gilda mixture.

I made a few actual gildas on skewers to add to the top, to create the full experience. Enjoy!

This is a truly joyful pasta dish that you’ll make again and again.

We’re taking all of the flavours of ratatouille and roasting them really deeply and mixing through some warm rigatoni with lots of basil and a tangy sundried tomato vinaigrette.

This is a great one to batch up at the beginning of the week and enjoy for lunch, dinner or it works beautifully as a side dish alongside a weekend bbq spread!

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 4-5)

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The UK heatwave has been talk of the town this week! London has hit 34 degrees and, I’m not usually one to complain, but we’re firmly in the uncomfortable bracket of heat.

If you’re not having a bbq, you want minimal cooking meals so here are some dishes from the archives to inspire..

MINIMAL COOKING HEATWAVE DINNERS

Heatwave Noodle // Crispy Chicken Salad // Smashed Cucumber & Chicken Salad

Miso & Mirin Marinated Salmon // Green Goddess Salad // Steak Taco Salad

A delicious BBQ spread is a feeding ground for creativity; so many wonderful things you can make, share and eat al fresco. The meats tend to get all the attention, but I feel like it’s just as important to have some top notch sides to compliment.

This is where this recipe comes in. Utilising the BBQ for vegetables is a must; here, we’re charring whole peppers, asparagus and large wedges of broccoli, infusing that deep charred flavour onto them before tossing through some fresh, crunchy veggies, nutty brown rice and a sweet, mustardy dressing.

I served this with a butterflied breast of marinated chicken, some sliced halloumi and some coleslaw from the supermarket!

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side)

1 whole head of broccoli - cut into 4 quarter wedges

1 whole pointed red pepper

4 spears of asparagus

4 spring onions

1/2 red onion - finely sliced

1/4 cucumber - finely diced

20g fresh dill - finely chopped

10g fresh mint - leaves picked - finely chopped

1 handful raisins

200g cooked brown rice

100g feta

For the dressing:

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp honey

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

Method:

Start by preparing the vegetables for the BBQ - toss the broccoli, peppers, asparagus and spring onions in olive oil and salt then char on the bbq (or under a hot grill) until blackened and blistered on all sides.

Remove and leave to cool slightly while you prepare the other ingredients; chop the onion, cucumber and herbs, and cook the brown rice. Soak the raisins in some hot water to soften.

Add the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well with a whisk until smooth and well combined.

In a large bowl, add everything in and toss together. Crumble in the feta and gently toss that through, being careful to keep some of the crumbles nice and chunky.

Enjoy!

This is heavily inspired by beef bulgogi, a dish of marinated beef, often served with rice.

I picked up some frozen udon recently and fancied that so I decided to side-step from a traditional bulgogi but still keep the classic Korean flavours; gochujang, sesame oil etc.

This will very much satisfy a takeaway craving, and is neither difficult nor time consuming.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

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Crisp, fresh, sweet and delicious, this slaw is best served with something deeply savoury like a piece miso marinaded chicken.

I love this recipe because it’ll keep well in the fridge - the salad ingredients are quiet hardy so won’t get soggy in the dressing too quickly, and the dressing prevents the apple and fennel from oxygenating (going brown).

So let’s get straight into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (Serves 2)

2 chicken breasts

1 tbsp white miso

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tbsp mirin

1 tbsp light soy

1 lime - zested and half juiced

For the slaw:

1/2 hispi cabbage - finely sliced

1 small red onion - finely sliced

1 small fennel bulb - finely sliced (fronds reserved for garnish)

1 pink lady apple - finely sliced

10 leaves of fresh mint - left whole

For the salad dressing:

1 tbsp fennel seeds

1 tbsp dijon mustard

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp runny honey

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

To garnish:

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Method:

Start by laying the chicken breasts, one at a time, between a piece of parchment then bash with a rolling pin to thin out.

Mix the miso, sesame oil, mirin, light soy, lime zest and juice and coat the flattened pieces of chicken in the marinade. Leave for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, prep the vegetable for the slaw and make the dressing by whisking all ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Toss the slaw ingredients together with the dressing and set aside.

Bring a frying pan to a high heat and fry the marinaded chicken pieces until golden brown on both sides (around 5 minutes) and cooked through.

Slice the chicken into strips then pile the slaw into bowls, top with the chicken and garnish with the reserved fennel fronds and toasted sesame seeds. Enjoy!

This is the perfect weekend brunch or lunch for springtime - crispy, crunchy, zingy & fresh.

Making your own fish fingers, if you have time, is a great thing to do - so much more juicy and delicious. I like getting a chunky piece of cod loin and slicing them into whatever size I want.

I decided to create a slaw inspired by tartare sauce incorporating finely sliced cabbage and spring onions into all of the usual tartare suspects - capers, gherkins, lemon, mustard.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (makes 2 wraps)

250g piece of cod loin - cut into 2-3 fingers

50g plain flour (with a pinch of salt)

1 egg - beaten

50ml milk

50g panko breadcrumbs

250ml vegetable oil

1 tsp hot sauce

2 white tortilla wraps

For the tartare slaw:

1/2 sweetheart cabbage - finely sliced

2 spring onions - finely sliced

2 tbsp mayp

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 lemon - zested

1 tbsp baby capers - drained

3 gherkins - finely diced

5g flat leaf parsley - finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Method:

Start by breadcrumbing the giant cod fingers - firstly, dust in the seasoned flour, then coat in the beaten egg then coat in the panko breadcrumbs.

Bring the vegetable oil up to 170C then fry the cod fingers for 5-6 minutes until deeply golden brown, crispy and cooked through. You can check with a temperature probe - it should read around 60C.

Remove the fish fingers, let them drain on a wire rack then season with fine salt.

For the tartare slaw, take a large bowl and add the mayo, mustard, a splash of liquid from the gherkin jar, lemon zest and some seasoning then add the shredded cabbage, spring onion, capers, diced gherkins, herbs and a squeeze of lemon juice. Have a taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.

Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 10 seconds - this will make them more pliable and easy to wrap up.

Lay some of the slaw down then pop on the fish finger, drizzle in hot sauce then lay some more slaw on top.

To wrap up, fold each side inwards then wrap the back edge up and over and roll forward away from you.

Slice in half and enjoy!

Recently, I’ve much preferred cooking chicken dishes with either legs or breasts. As much as a whole roast chicken is a wonderful thing, you have to commit to either the white or brown meat as a priority, because they want different things.

Tender, juicy breasts would require fast, short cooking, whereas the leg meat on the bird wants slow, low temperature cooking to break down the muscle fibres and become soft.

This is the a method for slow roasted chicken legs - very little effort required with such a beautiful result. A simple seasoning of salt and olive oil, and enough time in the oven and you get crispy skin and fall-apart meat.

To go alongside the deep, rich, savouryness of the chicken, I’m making a bright, lively orzo dish with lots of lemon zest and briney green olives.

For an extra bit of flavour, I’m making a really simple flavoursome oil with zaatar, a powerhouse blend of herbs - a really good thing to have in your cupboard at all times!

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

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Meatballs from any minced meat is a recipe for a delicious dinner - easy to make, quick to cook and a vehicle for infinite flavour combos.

This dish is a great one to share amongst family or friends, arranged into a big bountiful platter for everyone to tuck into.

It also suits the warmer, sunny weather we’re being treated to in London - sunny food best eaten al fresco!

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the meatballs:

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I love tinned fish - they all have their place; tuna mayo on a jacket potato, delicious salty anchovies pounded into any sauce, and another common supermarket shelf item, tinned sardines.

In my opinion, they are best used in a pasta dish like this one. We’re going with puttanesca vibes which all work beautifully with the sardines - briney olives, sweet tomatoes and a zip of lemon zest works gorgeously against the tinned fish.

You could, of course, use tinned tuna in this dish, but it’s good to switch things up a bit, and sardines are a much more sustainable (and cost effective) option, and work just as well.

So let’s get into it!

FULL RECIPE

Ingredients (serves 2)

200g dried linguine or spaghetti

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 banana shallot - finely sliced

4 cloves of garlic - finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tin (around 130g) sardines in olive oil

8-10 cherry tomatoes - halved

100ml water or veg/chicken stock

10 pitted black olives - halved

2 tbsp baby capers - rinsed

Handful of basil leaves

10g flat leaf parsley - finely chopped

10g chives - finely sliced

1 lemon - zested

Salt & pepper to taste

Optional: grated parmesan to garnish

Method:

In a large frying pan, sweat the shallots and garlic in the oil, on a low gentle heat, for 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree, stir it through and fry for a few more minutes to cook off.

Add the sardines and their oil into the pan, break apart with a spatula then add the halved cherry tomatoes and water/stock to loosen. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down, adding more water as you go.

Cook your pasta in salted boiling water to 2 mins under the packet instructions (we’ll finish cooking the pasta in the sauce).

Add the olives, capers, lemon zest and herbs to the tomatoey sardine sauce followed by the cooked spaghetti and a couple of ladles of pasta water.

Give everything a really good toss together, not being shy about adding more pasta water to make sure you have a glossy sauce-like consistency.

Serve up generously into bowls with an optional sprinkle of parmesan (a contentious issue as a lot of people don’t like to mix cheese with seafood dishes, but I like it!) Enjoy!

This is one of those dishes that has restaurant vibe but is really easy to make at home. And not to mention, absolutely delicious.

This kind of technique is commonly used with pork, chicken or veal (for Italian Milanese or Austrian/German Schnitzel) but works well with this lean lamb cut.

It also utilises some of spring’s finest ingredients, using them in a fairly simple way.

FULL RECIPE:

Ingredients (Serves 2):

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