I spent the past 2 years making all kinds of ice cream - at work, whenever someone was leaving I would make a custom flavour+topping that was completely inspired by something they loved or ate daily.

Some flavours I made:

• Black Forest (dark choc sorbet, marinated and fresh cherries, whipped cream)

• Malt Sundae (malt ice cream, whipped cream, maraschino cherries and sprinkles)

• Malted Coffee Gelato

• Salted Pistachio Gelato…

• Dark Choc Sundae with Sweet Salsa Macha

The list goes on really, I can’t wrap my head around all the different flavours, but the one that has stuck with me the most, was a burnt honey froyo with buckwheat, orange & fennel granola.

Unbelievably easy - the tanginess of the yoghurt still stands out, the floral honey notes are present and by burning the honey, you get some bitterness to cut through the sweetness of the iced treat. I’ve treated it like a sorbet, but because of the dairy present, it’s still plenty creamy, whilst being lighter than your usual gelato.

Let me know if you want the recipe for the granola (it’s the ONLY granola I like - completely gluten free, its nutty, crunchy and has little sweetener.)

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Burnt Honey Frozen Yoghurt

Notes: This recipe has gelatin as an optional ingredient - you can absolutely make it without. The final texture won’t be as smooth, more sorbet-like, but it’ll still taste delicious. Once the ice cream has fully set in the freezer, let it sit out for a couple of minutes before scooping it.

Makes: enough for 6-8 scoops

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Freezing time: 3 hours

Ingredients

1 Gelatin Leaf, optional

150g Honey

450g Natural Yoghurt

3g Sea Salt

Method

1. If using the gelatin, soak in cold water.

2. Add the honey and salt into a pot over medium heat. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the honey turns a deep amber colour, 3-5 minutes.

3. Remove from the heat and let cool for a 1-2 minutes.

4. Squeeze the excess water out of the gelatin leaf, and whisk into the honey with half the yoghurt, until melted. If the honey get too cold, place over low heat to gently warm the mixture until the honey has fully melted into the yoghurt - you don’t want the mixture to get too hot, or it will curdle.

5. Whisk the remaining yoghurt through, pour into a box, cover and place in the fridge until cooled down fully (until it registers a maximum of 7°C).

6. Tip it into an ice cream maker, churn until the mixture registers -6°C. Quickly transfer to a freezer-safe container, cover and leave to freeze for a minimum of 3 hours, or until firm.

The biggest shock when I moved was the quality of supermarket produce. I went from juicy, flavourful fruit and veg, to UK supermarket quality… which is heartbreakingly terrible. My weekly trips to Borough Market restored that faith back - I bought the right amount of ingredients, nothing was packaged in plastic and my food tasted like it should, which brought me a little closer to home.

I feel super lucky that I’ve worked with the Market on a recipe, this newsletter isn’t part of the project, but I thought I would share with you my favourite stalls, so if you also want to pop down, you know exactly where to go.

Borough Market Stalls:

Spice Mountain - has all the spices from any corner of the world. Also condiments like aji amarillo paste, good Lebanese tahini, pomegranate molasses, salts from everywhere and superb vanilla paste.

Raya - Filled to the brim with tropical fruit - you can find orange jackfruit (when in season), durian, buckets of lychee, longan, different types of banana and most importantly fresh sugar cane juice! It’s hard to visit and not walk out with the whole shop in your bag. Also, they have a sensational selection of ingredients/condiments you need to make Southeast Asian food.

Borough Olives - The best briney, pickley bits as well as dips. I used to come back to Geneva with their buttery Nocellara olives and a tub of pickled garlic. These two are my favourites, but you’ll find all kinds of antipasti at their stall.

Une Normande a Londres- Proper good French saucisson and cheese selection. Whenever I want some real, flavourful Brie, that’s where you’ll find me.

Neals Yard Dairy - Wide selection of British cheeses, and all the things you would eat with. They also sell Townsend Jona (amazing fizzy apple juice), as well as a bunch of dairy bits. My fav cheeses would be Baron Bigod, Sparkenhoe Red Leicester and the 24 month Montgomery Cheddar (both red and ched make a banging toastie).

Shellseekers Fish & Game- This is the only place I like my fish from. The selection at Shellseekers is always super seasonal, fresh and delicious. I think they’re extremely well priced and even better, they don’t kick up a fuss when I ask them to clean and butterfly my fish. My favourites from there are the shell on prawns, mackerel and halibut (skin-on).

Stark’s Fruiterers - Uber seasonal stall, always stacked high with fruit. When in season, their peaches and figs are the juiciest and sweetest. They’re incredibly nice and will let you try some bits as well.

I know Borough Market is now so packed full of tourists, but honestly, arrive there early (my fav days are wednesday or sunday, get there a just before it opens) and you’ll be able to walk about freely. It’s so inspiring to be surrounded my such great produce and also great restaurants, so if you’re ever looking for inspo, it really is such a great place to go.

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Papaya Satini & Coriander Hummus

Traditionally, in Seychelles only green papaya is used to make satini - our version of a chutney, they’re not heavily spiced, but rather kept quite fresh as a side to most meals. Instead of sticking with green papaya, I switched it to a ripe one, for a sweeter and softer texture. The ripe papaya is actually the perfect substitute for zironmon (pumpkin) satini - I found out about the magic of stir-fried papaya in Ixta Belfrage’s Fusão and through heat, the flavour mellows out and becomes reminiscent to the sweet-fleshed pumpkin you find in the Seychelles.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

For the Hummus:

50g Coriander

300g Cooked Jarred Chickpeas

½ Lemon

1 Tsp Ground Cumin

½ Mild Green Chilli, roughly chopped

40ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Tahini

For the Satini:

5 Spring Onions, thinly sliced, greens and whites separated

300g Ripe Papaya, peeled, deseeded, cut into 2cm chunks

200ml Water

1 Lemon

½ Mild Green Chilli, thinly sliced

Method:

1. Fill and boil the kettle. Add the coriander (stalks and all) into a bowl and pour the boiling water over. Leave to sit until the coriander turns vibrant green, 1-2 minutes, then pour the water out.

2. Drain the chickpeas, reserving the cooking liquid.

3. Add the coriander, lemon juice, cumin, green chilli, chickpeas, olive oil and tahini into a blender. Blend until smooth. Season with salt, and more lemon juice if needed. Set aside.

4. Place a frying pan over medium heat with a drizzle of oil. Once hot, add all the spring onion whites and half the greens and ½ the sliced chilli, cook, stirring, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Then, add the papaya and water, stir and bring to the boil, turn the heat down to medium and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the water has completely evaporated.

5. Remove from the heat and lightly mash the papaya. Let cool slightly, taste and season with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

6. Spoon the hummus onto a plate, top with the papaya satini and the reserved chilli and green spring onions. Drizzle with some extra olive oil and finish with some freshly cracked black pepper.

Serve this with crudités, crackers, crisps, or anything you’d like to swirl through.

I’ve added below 7 new recipes you can add to your mid-week rotation, they all take under 30 minutes to make and are veggie or pescatarian (because we really should be eating more veggies).

• Crispy rice omelettes with savoury fruit salad

• Sour Tuna Curry

• Tangy Tamarind & Green Apple Grilled Mackerel

• Celery, Chickpea, Dumpling Salad

• Creamy Soba & Tingly Sancho Sprinkle

• Cabbage, Carrot, Tuna Stir Fry

• Brothy Watercress & Rice

For me, Thursday - Friday, I allow myself to make something that is still functional, probably with less washing up, but still a little nicer than monday-wednesday dinner (I need to look forward to something). This recipe below for my 1 pot fish & rice fits into that category perfectly - it takes 45-50 minutes to make, but the bulk of the cooking is completely hands-off.

This recipe is inspired by baghali polo, an Iranian broad bean and dill rice. Mum’s way of showing love and care really stands out in her cooking. She mostly made Seychellois food, but once she moved to Switzerland, she started broadening her culinary world. She made baghali polo for my sister’s then Iranian boyfriend - Mum loved the dish so much, that she continued making it as I was growing up. I was inspired by that and the fish biryani she makes - both have quite a few similarities, apart from the spices she uses in the biryani which are a lot warmer.

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1-Pot Dilly Fish with Rice

SERVES: 3-4

PREP/COOK TIME: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients

For the Rice:

2 Brown Onions, peeled and thinly sliced

200g Frozen Broad Beans, defrosted, shelled (optional)

270g Basmati Rice, washed

320ml Water

40g Dill, minced (stalks and all)

1 Pinch Saffron Threads

Yoghurt, to serve

1 Lemon, cut into wedges

For the Fish:

1 Garlic Clove

1 Tbsp Lebanese 7 spice

¼ Tsp Turmeric

4x120g Cod Fillets

Method:

1. Grate the garlic into a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and stir the 7-spice and turmeric through. Season with salt and pepper, then stir the fish through. Set aside to marinate.

2. Meanwhile, place a frying pan (that has a lid) onto medium-high heat with a generous drizzle of oil. Once hot, add the onions and cook until starting to brown, 10-15 mins. Transfer ¾ of the onions to a plate.

3. Add the rice, dill, broad beans, saffron and water into the onions. Season with a generous pinch of salt, stir and bring to the boil. Once boiling, place a lid on, reduce the heat down to low and cook, undisturbed for 18 minutes.

4. Remove the lid, place the fish fillets on top, then return the lid and leave to steam on low for another 10-15 mins, until the rice and fish are fully cooked.

5. If the fish is still not cooked through, preheat the grill/broiler to high and slide it under until cooked through. Let the fish & rice rest for 5 minutes, covered before serving.

6. Fluff the rice using a fork and share between plates. Top with the fish, a dollop of yoghurt, some browned onions and a wedge of lemon. Finish with some freshly cracked black pepper.

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There were very few desserts made in our household - Sunday crêpes, pumpkin or banana beignet, seviyan kheer, but mostly tapioca pudding. Tapioca pudding was just too easy to not make it - all the ingredients are long-lasting, that live in the pantry/fridge, you can have it hot, or cold, and it can sit in the fridge for a couple of days until you’ve finished eating it all (like a meal prep dessert, lol).

Mum frequented the asian supermarkets a lot, our base condiments would come from there, so whenever we’d go, we’d grab all the ingredients for the dessert in a one stop shop. (If we were able to find all these ingredients in tiny Geneva, you can defo find them or buy them online!)

Coconut Tapioca Pudding

Notes: If using young coconut meat in syrup - you’ll have to thinly slice it. To have it even colder, add a couple of ice cubes when serving, or enjoy with a scoop of mango sorbet.

Serves:4-6 people

prep/cooking: 25 minutes

Ingredients

75g Coconut gel/Nata de coco

90g Palm nut in syrup/Kaong

100g Young Coconut Meat in Syrup or Macapuno

300ml water

80g small tapioca pearls

85g coconut milk

2 tbsp condensed milk or sugar, adjust to taste

Method

1. In a sieve on top of a bowl, add the coconut gel, palm nut, and shredded coconut, rinse the mixture until all the syrup has come off. Add all the coconut pieces into a clean bowl and top with water.

2. In a pot, add the water and bring to the boil. Pour the tapioca pearls in and bring to the boil again. Boil for 5 minutes, then, turn the heat off. Place a lid on and let the tapioca sit in the water until they plump up - the exterior will become translucent, 15-20 minutes.

3. When the tapioca is ready - you can test this by trying a pearl, it should be soft with no graininess or crunch. Add the coconut milk and sweetener of your choice (2 tbsp is sweet enough for me, but you may want a bit more.) Drain the coconut mixture and add to the pudding, stir through. Serve either hot, warm or place in the fridge to fully cool down.

The pudding thickens once cooled, you may have to stir through a splash more coconut milk to loosen to your desired consistency. Cold tapioca pudding doesn’t taste as sweet as when you have it hot, so adjust the sweetness as well, if needed.

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London - Gelupo in Soho is the perfect after dinner/lunch pit stop. It’s creamy, smooth and incredibly light - pistachio is delectable and so is ricotta & fig. Soft & Swirly is also amazing, they do different flavours, but their vanilla is so insanely delicious, the flecks of vanilla bean crunch under your teeth, it’s the most vanilla vanilla scoop you can get. During fregola grape season in summer, they make a soft serve from it which is heavenly - tastes like japanese grape candy but only real grapes!

Rome - In the neighbourhood of Trastevere, tiny Otaleg is possibly the best gelateria I’ve been to - if it’s wild strawberry season, get a scoop of that sorbet with a scoop of pistachio gelato. Unbelievably flavourful.

Geneva - Gelatomania is the place. Every time I’m back home, I make sure to plan as many scoops as I possibly can in my visit. The dark choc sorbet is rich, creamy and seriously lovely, so is the hazelnut or pistachio gelato. Their labne special is stunning, and they did have a limited edition collab that was Kokuto & Kinako which is possibly one of the best flavours I’ve had (I’ve never seen it again, but if it’s there when you go, try it!)

Lisbon- Niva’s gelato is so full of flavour and kept at the perfect temp - it’s fudgy, whilst still being light and creamy. The salted hazelnut is truly what all nutty gelato’s want to be, the salt intensifies the flavour so much more.

Istanbul - I realise that nutty flavours are some of my favourites and Meşhur Dondurmacı Ali Usta on the Asian side of Istanbul is my go to after a huge meal at Çiya Sofrası. Turkish ice cream is a little different to gelato, it’s stretchier and chewier (in a lovely way) (the addition of salep in the base makes for that textural difference). My go to flavours are always the nutty ones - pistachio or walnut, or both.

Amsterdam - Massimo Gelato is exactly what you need - classic flavours, both sorbet and dairy based made perfectly. The queue will probs look long, but it’s quick - you’ll have your scoops in hand in no time.

As much as I love a stroll on Mainland EU with a cone in hand, I also really believe that ice cream at home (whether hosting or for yourself) is the nicest and easiest treat you can give to yourself. Not necessarily making the ice cream from scratch, but a shop-bought ice cream with homemade toppings is just as good, and probs even more unique!

I’ve got 3 different toppings, which pair with different ice creams/sorbet. 2 of which are accidentally completely vegan, so if like me lactose doesn’t quite sit right in you, I have you covered.

Dark Chocolate with Sweet Salsa Macha

Notes: My favourite pairing is this sweet salsa macha with dark chocolate sorbet, but I think a classic vanilla, or cinnamon, milk, ricotta, even caramel flavour would be delish. If you want to keep it vegan, try a citrus, passion fruit, or mango sorbet.

Serves: 4-6 scoops

Ingredients

100ml Olive Oil

2 Dried Chipotle Chillies, de-seeded, stems removed

4 Dried Ancho Chillies, de-seeded, stem removed, roughly chopped

½ Cinnamon stick

40g Almonds

35g Salted Roasted Peanuts

20g Pumpkin Seeds

2 Tbsp Sesame Seeds

100ml Maple Syrup

Flakey Salt, to taste

Dark Choc Sorbet

1. Add the olive oil into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the dried chillies and cinnamon. Cook until starting to soften, 2-3 minutes - don’t let the chillies burn or else it’ll turn your salsa bitter.

2. Remove the chillies and add into a food processor, set the cinnamon stick aside. Pulse the chillies until broken down into a coarse grind.

3. Return the oil back over medium heat, add the almonds and cook for a couple of seconds, before adding the peanuts and seeds in. Cook, stirring, until starting to go golden, 2-4 minutes.

4. Transfer the toasted nuts into the food processor, leaving the oil in the pan. Pulse until the nuts and seeds are coarsely ground.

5. Pour the maple into the oil and return the nutty chilli mixture in. Stir and place over medium heat until the salsa comes to a bubble. Remove from the heat, season with salt and transfer to an airtight container, until ready to use. Leave to cool completely before serving.

6. When ready to serve, drizzle liberally over your ice cream.

Mango, Toasted Rice

Notes: I used mango Sorbet, but coconut sorbet/ice cream will also taste delicious, as well as pandan or vanilla.

Serves: 4-6 scoops

Ingredients

Mango Sorbet

200ml Coconut Milk

1 Pandan Leaf, optional, cut into 3cm chunks

20g Sugar

½ tsp Cornflour

2 tbsp Raw Glutinous or Jasmine Rice

400g Good Ripe Mango, peeled and diced into 2cm chunks

1 Lime

Method:

1. Add the coconut milk and pandan into a saucepan. Place over medium heat to infuse for 10 minutes, then stir the sugar, until dissolved. Season with enough salt, to make it sweet and salty to your taste. Remove the pandan leaves and discard.

2. Stir the cornflour with a splash of water, pour into the coconut milk and cook, stirring, until the mix thickens and comes to a boil. Transfer to an airtight container and leave to cool in the fridge until ready to serve.

3. Toast the raw rice in a pan over medium heat until golden, 4-7 minutes. Once toasted, transfer into a pestle and mortar and grind into a fine powder.

4. Serve the ice cream with a drizzle of salted coconut custard, fresh mango, toasted rice powder and lime zest.

Double Strawberries & Cream

Notes: I’ve served this with vanilla ice cream, but it would be delicious with strawberry sorbet, or any milky ice creams; chocolate, caramel, coconut….

Serves: 4-6 scoops

Ingredients:

Vanilla Ice Cream

For the strawberry sauce:

150g Frozen Strawberries

40ml Water

Maple Syrup, to taste

1 tsp Cornflour

To top:

200g Fresh Strawberries,

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to drizzle

Flakey Salt, to serve

Method:

1. Add the frozen strawberries and water into a pot. Place over medium heat and leave to gently defrost, 10-15 minutes.

2. Stir the maple syrup and cornflour together until smooth. Stir the mixture into the defrosted strawberries. Bring to the boil, cook, stirring, until thickened, 3-4 minutes.

3. Scoop the vanilla ice cream into bowls, serve with strawberry sauce, then top with fresh strawbs, evoo and salt.

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For the past couple of months, I’ve been fixated on crispy rice omelettes. Anna made one and ever since, I’ve been having it every single time I can’t be bothered to think about what to make - it takes 10 minutes (at most), its textually perfect; crunchy, fluffy, soft, creamy… and my new addition that has seriously levelled it up, is the savoury fruit salad I have with.

Anyone that’s been here for a while, knows my obsession with Plaza Khao Gaeng Borough and anyone that has been, knows about the Strawberry Yam - a spicy, sweet, savoury, zingy, super umami salad that uses strawberries as the main ingredient, with some mint, lemongrass… all tossed through a spicy fish sauce, lime dressing. It’s the same flavour profile as you normally would find in a papaya sal, just a lot sweeter since the fruit used is ripe.

I’ve taken inspo and topped my omelette with it - Yes, fruit and eggs go really well together in a savoury dish! I promise, you’ll be just as in love as I am with it.

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Crispy Rice Omelette with Savoury Fruit Salad

Serves: 1

Ingredients

2 Eggs

100g Cooked Jasmine Rice

Hot Sauce, to taste

Salt, and Pepper

For the Salad:

100g Fruit (apple, pineapple, strawberries, mango…), finely diced or cut into 2-3cm chunks

1/2 Lemongrass Stalk, thinly sliced

¼ Cucumber or 2 Baby Cucumbers, bashed and chopped into 1-2 cm chunks

½ Lime

Fish Sauce, to taste

10g Coriander, roughly chopped (stalks and all)

Method:

1. Crack the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and whisk together.

2. Add the fruit, lemongrass, and cucumber in a bowl. Squeeze the lime juice over the top, toss together and season with as much fish sauce as you like. Set aside.

3. Pre-heat a stainless steel pan over medium heat until water beads and dances on the surface (it shouldn’t evaporate straight away), if you’d rather use a non-stick or cast iron pan, use that and place over medium heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of oil, then add the rice in one even layer, leave to cook and crisp on one side, 5-6 minutes, or until starting to go golden.

4. Pour the eggs over the rice and cook to your desired doneness. Fold the omelette in half and place onto your plate.

5. Toss the coriander through the salad, then top the omelette with. Finish with a drizzle of hot sauce.

I’ve only been twice - the first time was Christmas 2023 and then again earlier this year. It’s a place my parents love, I love, and luckily, Xien (from Mama Yu Chilli Oil) comes from… so I truly have the absolute best recs.

I’ve visited 3 different areas - Kuala Lumpur, Georgetown in Penang and Kuching, Sarawak on the Malaysian side of Borneo. All three regions have incredible food, some dishes I still actively talk and think about to this day.

My pins have been accumulating over 3 years, so there are many - I’ll share the absolute best and most memorable places, and if you’re ever in need of a pinned map, click below.

KUCHING, SARAWAK

Normally, I can’t rank my favourite places in order, but for Malaysia, the best meal I had and have been talking about consistently for 3 years is the salted egg crab from stall 25 at Topspot Food Court. Rosie Mackean posted about it when she went, and I can’t fault it. Slightly sweet, deeply savoury, perfectly fragrant… crab was cooked to perfection and with a bowl of rice and some midin (jungle fern) belacan - HEAVEN.

Kuching actually had some of the best food - on the way back from visiting the Orangutangs, we stopped over at Sin Lian Shin for a bowl of kolo mee, wontons and teh tarik made with gula apong, and it was truly sensational. Sarawak laksa was also my favourite out of all the regional varieties - we found a little cart in Chong Choon Cafe which was the most perfect start to the day (make sure you arrive early, they sell out quickly.)

GEORGETOWN, PENANG

A lot of people will know Georgetown since its very popular for tourism - back in 2023, around Christmas time, it wasn’t very busy, and I ate incredibly well. My favourite restaurant was Tek Sen - loved it so much my whole family as happy to wait ages in line 2x to dine in - my favourite dishes was the otak-otak, deep fried tofu with dried anchovy topping, assam tumis with sting ray. Don’t skip out on any of the stir-fried greens, they pack so much more flavour/texture than most greens you get in Europe. Other recs: Moh Teng Pheow Nyonya Koay - they have a large variety of kuih, both savoury and sweet (all delicious, my favourites: onde-onde, serimuka, pulut ayam, Kuih Bingka Ubi Kayu) they also make food as well that you can have there. Lastly, we stumbled upon a very busy and popular dim sum place that served their cheung fun with sambal- Tai tong has the famous dim sum carts that you don’t find in london </3. I ended up getting a bunch of dumplings, had no idea what most of them were but the experience was 10/10. Clasic siu mai was plump, cheung fun with prawn was some of the best ive had, slippery, freshly made and juicy af. You also can’t leave without getting the crispy, lacey wu gok.

KUALA LUMPUR

A very busy city and the capital of Malaysia- there are way too many places to eat here, which if you’re like me, you’ll most probably get decision fatigue. I don’t think you can go to KL and not make a pitstop at Village Park for nasi lemak - my fav, the nasi lemak ayam rendang (chicken rendang) with kedondong (ambarella) juice. From there you need to go to Sistars Kitchen for dessert and get a gorgeous Cendol to cool down.

If you want to taste a load of different Malay dishes, that are a little harder to find, Lubuk Bangku D Cabin Cafe is where you need to go - It’s perfect for different dietary preferences, but I would recommend going a little early as its a very popular place (for good reason). We managed to get our hands on the very last portions of assam pedas, some stir-fried wing beans, a greens curry as well as a beef curry (the beef was almost like jerky/biltong) - the flavours were melting on my tongue.

The perfect breakfast in Bukit Bintang is from Tony’s Noodles Cafe - you won’t find any signs, just a cart and a couple of tables to guide you. Tony is there with his mum dishing insanely delicious noodles, wontons and whatever dish of the day they have. You really can’t go wrong with any menu/off-menu items, my favourite char siu i’ve ever had came from here - he’s found someone that makes special char siu just for him. It’s juicy, still a little fatty and incredibly tender (i’ve never had char siu so well made before), the broth that the wontons come in is incredibly fragrant and made with a fish base. And if you’re there when he has crispy pork belly - get it! Both of them are super welcoming, and are happy to chat, so you’ll have a great time.

For the perfect snack/light lunch find your way to Restoran Moorgina - a Southern Indian place that makes the most perfect flakey, freshly laminated roti - the sambals you get with are seasoned to perfection, and theres a great array of dishes you can choose from to eat with. Leave space so you can finish with a roti kaya (coconut jam filled roti). Also a great place to go to if you’re with any vegetarians.

After that, make your way to Restoran Kan Brothers Ruby Dessert House to savour some sweet nutty porridge - black sesame, walnut, almond, peanut… It’s like a warm dessert soup (that’s good for you). My fav was the black sesame almond, if you like almondy flavours, you’ll love it, if not you can also get the walnut version with black sesame or any other combos you’d like.

If you’ve made it this far down, thank you for reading! If you use my pinned map or visit any of these places, please let me know how it went and I hope you loved them as much as I did. If I was able to influence you to put Malaysia on your wishlist of places to visit, I’ve done my job properly. This won’t be the last time I visit, I can’t wait to go again.

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Slow-cooked Chicken with Coconut Sprinkle

Inspired by the chicken rendang from Village Park, I’ve taken inspo from the flavours to make this recipe - it uses the super simple dump and roast method where you add all the ingredients into the base of a dish, and top with the chicken. It makes for super juicy chicken, that braises and slurps up all the delicious flavours in the sauce, whilst the skin stays golden and crispy.

Notes:

• If you can’t find lime leaves, omit and season the sauce with some lime zest.

• If you can’t find tamarind concentrate, use tamarind puree or pulp. If you can’t find any tamarind products, season the sauce with lime juice.

Serves: 4-6

Prep/cook time: 65-75 minutes

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

350ml Coconut Milk

100ml Chicken Stock

3 Garlic Cloves, gently bashed

1 Lemongrass Stalk

4 Lime Leaves

½ tsp Ground Turmeric

5g Cinnamon Stick

3 Whole Cloves

1 Tbsp Black Peppercorn

1 Tsp White Peppercorn

15g Ginger, gently crushed

3 Pandan leaves, optional

4 Chicken Legs

Fish sauce, to taste

Tamarind Concentrate, to taste

For the Sprinkle:

30g Desiccated Coconut

20g Crispy Fried Onions

2 Red Birds Eye Chilli, optional, thinly sliced

1 Lime Leaf, finely minced

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to fan 220°C.

2. Add all the ingredients for the chicken, except for the chicken, fish sauce and tamarind into the base of a tray or oven-proof pan. Taste and season with salt.

3. Pat the chicken legs dry, season with salt and pepper. Place on top of the aromats and slide into the oven. Roast for 25 minutes, then turn the heat down to 170°C, cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until the chicken is golden and starting to fall off the bone. If at any point, the sauce is drying out too quickly, add a splash of water. Leave to rest once cooked for 5-10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, place a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the desiccated coconut and cook until golden and toasted, 3-6 minutes. Tip into a bowl to cool down and stir the fried onions, chilli and lime leaf through. Season with salt.

5. Once the chicken is cooked, transfer the legs to a tray and leave to rest. If you’d like a thicker sauce, place the pan onto medium-high heat and reduce until your desired consistency. Remove from the heat, taste and season with fish sauce and tamarind (see notes for substitutions).

6. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and scatter over the coconut sprinkle.

If you’d like to make the rice, here’s the recipe:

Spinach & Coconut Rice

Ingredients:

250g Jasmine Rice

50ml Coconut Milk

180ml Water

80g Spinach

1 Garlic Clove, crushed

5g Ginger, crushed

Method:

1. Wash the rice 3-4 times until the water isn’t as cloudy. Add it into a pot (that has a tight-fitting lid)

2. Add the coconut milk, water and spinach into a blender. Blend until completely smooth.

3. Add the ginger and garlic into the rice, pour the coconut milk mixture over the top and season with salt. Place over high heat, bring the mix to a boil, then cover with a lid. Turn the heat down to low and leave to cook, covered, for 12 minutes.

4. After 12 minutes, turn the heat off, and leave to steam for another 10 minutes (don’t uncover). Once done steaming, use a fork to fluff the rice.

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If you make any of the recipes, or eat at one of my recommended places, let me know and send me pics!

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I’m not one to splash out on expensive meals - my best, most favourite and most memorable have always been ones where i’m sat on a plastic stool, crouching over a table or, at someones home. Whenever my chef friends give recs, the service and vibe of the kitchen always plays a big role, but unless truly horrible, i’ve always undermined that… until Impala.

Firstly, it’s gorgeous. From the outside, it’s understated, and as soon as you step in, you’re hit with everything - a banging playlist, smiling staff in gorgeous uniform, soft warm colours and textures… and if you’re anything like me, the counter seat by the scorching fire is the prime spot.

The food is inspired by Meedu Saad’s heritage - North African, Egyptian flavours with a modern Brit touch. It’s rare that you read a whole menu, and you know you won’t be able to find any of the dishes elsewhere. There are Egyptian classics that you need to get: aish baladi (pillowy, chewy flatbreads), they come with the most peppery green Greek evoo and a dab of smoky stunning Tunisian harissa. Also, birds tongue pasta (lesan el asfour) - a rich and savoury orzo with shredded meat throughout. Aside from those, my personal standouts where the beef tartare (never one to order it, can never eat more than a spoonful, but this, I could have about 10 plates,) sheftalia (like a sausage/kofta/meatball, wrapped in caul fat. Perfectly seasoned, bursting with flavour and lightly glazed with some kind of molasses, pomegranate?) The absolute star of the show, and a dish I will forever think about is their molokhia with aged beef - the molokhia leaves are ground down to make a deep, dark sauce (akin to Tunisian mloukhia) that coats the most perfectly cooked beef i’ve ever had. I don’t know what cut of beef this is, or how they cook it, but its insanely tender whilst still having a bite - In the best way possible, it reminded me of corned beef, if corned beef was made with a real chunk of meat. Covered in a very rich and fragrant sauce that tastes a bit like tea leaves, slightly earthy and completely comforting. For 2, we ordered 9 dishes (including dessert), which was sliiiiighty too much (could’ve done without the main).

It’s expensive, but also reasonable - for the amount of effort that has gone into sourcing all the ingredients, down to the execution of the dishes, the restaurant environment and the attention of the staff. The bill came to £202.51 (with 3 glasses of wine and 1 non-alc) - much higher than the usual meal out, but one that feels absolutely worth it, if celebrating.

The crème de la crème, and what completely threw me off was my takeaway aish - I had some leftover that I wanted for breakfast the next day, they wrapped it up for me and MADE IT INTO A SWAN, and just gave me a whole one instead (apparently, depending on the person wrapping your aish, you get different animals.)

Now I get it, it really is all about the little things.

In complete contrast to a treat yourself/celebratory meal, I have a very quick tuna stir-fry recipe for you. It’s something I grew up eating, a dish that was on mum’s constant rotation, and a top performer on my website, for 5+ years running.

It’s a dish that uses a bunch of pantry/long lasting ingredients, a real good one to rely on and extremely cheap to make. Mum used to serve it with rice and lentils (another cheap staple). It also tastes great sandwiched between two slices of bread, slathered in butter, cream cheese or whatever condiment you like.

Cabbage, Carrot, Tuna Stir Fry

serves: 3-4 people

prep/cooking time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients

1 tsp cumin seeds

200g canned tuna, drained

1 brown onion, sliced thin

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp red chilli flakes

1/3 of a small cabbage (~ 185g), sliced thin

1 medium carrot, grated or julienned (thin matchsticks)

2 tsp apple cider vinegar

Cooked Rice, to serve

salt, oil

Method

1. In a pan on medium high, add a generous glug of oil, and the cumin seeds. Toast them until they start to pop.

2. Add the tuna and onion to the pan, turn the heat up high, and stir fry for 3-5 minutes, until the onions start to soften, but still retain a crunch.

3. Add the turmeric, chilli flakes, cabbage and carrots, stir fry until slightly wilted but still crunchy.

4. Take it off the heat, add the apple cider vinegar, mix it in and season to taste with salt.

5. Serve with rice, or however else you like.

I’ve started a new ‘series’, where I show you real meals, that are actually cooked during the week in my Seychellois household. Dishes that fuelled my childhood, things my mum made after her 9-5 to feed her family, and ones that I now make after my 9-5, inspired by the island flavours.

The first of the mix is a sour tuna curry. Not technically Seychellois, but inspired by Mauritian vindaye. Vindaye was introduced to me by my boyfriends parents - it was his dads special dish. If he was in the kitchen, you’d know vindaye was on the menu. With the smell of red onions piquant in the air, then a sharp smell of vinegar, and lastly, the smell of tuna. I would classify it more as a dry curry - it did have a sauce, more brothy, rather than creamy, and fragrant with turmeric. Eaten with rice, it was one of my favourite dishes I had at theirs, and one I missed when they moved away.

During lockdown, I had a strong craving for it, but I changed it so that it resembled more a Seychellois curry, with a coconut milk base (my favourite). I kept the tuna, and the pickled onion flavour by adding both vinegar, as well as pickled onions into the curry - a mix some people might frown at, but it’s the best part of the dish (in my opinion). The sour tuna curry became one of my dad’s favourites, and it’s a dish that is consistency in the freezer, for a quick rescue meal.

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Sour Tuna Curry

Tip: This version is made with tuna, but it can also be made with other meaty fish, like swordfish.

Prep/cooking time: 30-35 minutes

Serves: 2-3 people

Ingredients

280g Tuna steak, cut into cubes

3 tsp curry powder

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne chilli powder, optional (use only if curry powder isn’t spicy)

2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced

5g fresh ginger, grated

2 onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

115ml Full-fat Coconut milk

60g pickled pearl onions, cut in half if too big

2 bay leaves

400g Cooked Rice

oil, salt, pepper

Method

1. In a bowl add tuna, curry powder, cumin, cayenne chilli (if using,) garlic, ginger, and 1 tbsp oil, let marinate for 15 minutes.

2. Add a drizzle of oil into a saucepan and place onto medium heat. Once hot, add the sliced onions, and cook until just starting to soften, 3-4 minutes - you still want it to have a little crunch.

3. Gently toss the marinated tuna through, until seared, 2-3 mins, and pour the vinegar in. Scrape any bits that are stuck to the bottom of the pan, and let it completely evaporate.

4. Pour the coconut milk and add pickled onions, bay leaves in, stir. Let the mix come to a boil, leave to cook for 5-10 mins, until the coconut milk has thickened, taste and seasoned with salt and pepper.

5. Serve with rice.

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So, when I received a DM from them asking if I wanted to collab (WHAT THE HECK), I obviously said hell yes. I’m not going to bore you with all the ideas that came to mind, but we agreed on a salt cod fritter with mango ketchup - the fritter, inspired by Mauritian/Seychellois gato piman (a fragrant chilli lentil fritter), and because we’re in the UK, and I know how much Brits love an onion bhaji, I added a load of onions in it, for a little nod.

Many days later, I still can’t believe that I was part of their New Year Fried Rice Party! It feels super special to be able to work with them, and I feel even more grateful to have contributed a dish that I have a connection to. I had no idea who the other contributors were previous to the event, and to share a menu with Songsoo Kim, Elliot Hashtroudi, Nick Braham and Bao is unreal - all of them working at restaurants that have left an incredible mark on the modern London restaurant landscape, and ones that I have loved dining at.

It was such an exciting little project to work on, I rarely get to feed people my dishes, and seeing the plate on so many tables brought so much happiness to me! If you managed to get a table at the Fried Rice Party, and you tried the fritters, I hope you loved it as much as I did, and thank you for choosing it.

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Here’s the recipe, along with a couple process shots, to guide you through, so you can also make it at home.

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Salt Cod Fritter

Makes: 12

Ingredients

115g Boneless, skinless Salt Cod

100g Red Split Lentils

¼ Scotch bonnet, de-seeded

15g Coriander, roughly minced

½ tbsp Cumin Seeds

5g Ginger

½ tsp Ground Turmeric

1 Red Onion, thinly sliced, around 2-3mm

4g Curry Leaves, stems removed

¼ tsp baking powder

1. De-salt the salt cod: Rinse the fish under cold water to remove the excess salt. Place it into a large bowl and generously cover with cold water. Cover and palace in the fridge for 24-72 hrs, changing the water every 5-6 hours. Or until the cod isn’t excessively salty anymore.

2. Rinse the lentils and add them into a bowl of cold water. Leave to soak for 1hr up to a maximum of 4.

3. Drain the lentils. Add them into a blender, with the de-seeded scotch bonnet, cumin, ginger, turmeric. Blend until a thick, grainy batter forms (it shouldn’t easily slip off the spoon) - add 1 tbsp of cold water at a time, if you need help blending

4. Transfer the lentil paste into a bowl, flake the de-salted cod in and mix through with the baking powder. Taste and season the batter with salt and pepper, then add the coriander, onion and curry leaves.

1. Heat a pot, 1/2 way filled with oil to 175/180°C. Once hot, drop 34g worth of batter in (don’t compress or shape the fritters, the batter should stay craggly). Fry for 3-5 mins, until golden brown on all sides.

   

Mango Tamarind Ketchup

Notes: Only use the best tasting ripe mango. If you can’t get your hands on any, use canned mango pulp.

Ingredients

50g Tamarind Cooking Concentrate

100g Fresh Mango, peeled

50ml Water

50g Brown Sugar/Jaggery

½ Scotch Bonnet

½ Tsp Ground Cumin

1. Add all the ingredients into a blender, blend until smooth.

2. Pour the mixture into a saucepan. Place over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until thickened, glossy and dark brown, around 10-15 minutes, or until a ketchup or loose jam consistency. Season to taste with salt. It should be tart, sweet and savoury.

This year it’s actually not to do with that - I think i’ve done a good job, in my personal and work life - but my health? Terrible. A lot of my anxiety lies in the state of my health, and for the past 3 years it’s not been great. I got diagnosed with chronic sinusitis - that means every time I get a cold or flu, I will 100% get a sinus infection - that lasts around 3-4 weeks, and recently, I’ve been getting them back to back. My last bout started November 2025 and continued until end of Feb 2026 - that was when I lost my sense of taste and smell… completely.

I started out very positive. I know taste and smell get affected when you’re ill, so I brushed it off… ‘it’s gonna come back’. It’s been a month, my smell is at 40% and taste is at a solid 65% on a good day. I need to remind myself everyday, every second of the day that it will come back, it has to… after all, my life revolves around food, smell and taste needs to come back. My job is to make recipes. Ones that I love, and that people will cook and replicate and also love. Everything I eat, see, drink and experience leads to inspiring the work I make, so it needs to come back.

I finally made an acupuncture appointment. After being told ‘there’s no cure to sinusitis, you just need to be on steroids for the rest of your life’, I remembered that a couple years back, when I had debilitating back pain, acupuncture (with ostoepathy) changed my life. It’s given me some kind of hope that, if conventional western medicine won’t be here for me, maybe Eastern medicine will?

TBC on the results, but I leave every session hopeful, which I will latch onto.

Anyways, I’ve learnt a few things since my senses have failed me:

1. Texture is king. I have been ‘enjoying’ more meat than usual, just because it chews back (yuck). Veg can feel bland, soft and a little uninspiring. Although, eating meat has made me feel horrid, and I can definitely feel how lethargic my digestion has been.

2. Being present and listening to what you’re cooking is important - I’ve burnt more things than ever, its not quite enough putting a timer on, you need to actively check the food, and listen to it carefully.

It’s been humbling creating recipes for work - relying on the palate of others and coaxing out the information you need to work on dishes is hard. It’s a trust exercise that has been on my end very wearing. I only trust myself to create what I want, but if others love it, isn’t that the whole point?

So, as everyday goes by, I wake up hoping that I get better and better. Hopefully, I’ll soon be able to walk past or into a coffee shop and smell the warmth of the roasted beans, or the pungent fish sauce wading through my favourite Thai restaurant, or simply the pot of jasmine rice, I long for every night.

Happy birthday to me! I’ve been trying to develop my perfect cookie recipe, but honestly, I’m just not mentally there, so, here’s a torte that has brought me a whole lot of joy, that I think you should be making as well.

Equittner’s Malted Brownie Batter Torte - a truly sensational dessert that felt like a hug I needed. If you’ve had Ovomaltine, this tastes like it and also has the most incredible, texture: chewy, light, and kind of mousse-y. She just came out with a book; Obsessed with the Best, that I feel like should live in everyones homes (it’s on pre-order for UK).

Thank you for getting this far, I’m sure you’ll understand that I won’t be developing many new recipes right now, but I’m hoping that I will be back to norm ASAP. The next couple of newsletter recipes that will come out will all be recipes I developed a little while ago, before I got sick, and I hope you’ll enjoy them, just as much as I did!

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Ramune, furikake, grape candy and rice for breakfast were my introductions - the rice for breakfast with a little furikake on top was truly a pivotal moment in my culinary life. For so long everyone around me, including my household, had cereal for breakfast. Something I didn’t love, because I couldn’t stand the taste of milk. From then, I begged by parents to get me the japanese lunch option on tuesdays at school - the most perfect bentos, and it continued from there.

Last year, after talking about it for so long, the flights, hotels and trains were booked. My first Christmas, away from family, just my boyfriend and I. Our aim was to visit the 3 major tourist cities, with day trips dispersed between: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka. Then Nikko, Kobe, Hiroshima? Obviously, almost nothing goes to plan, so we only made it to 3 cities in the end - we got stuck down with a horrific fever that lasted almost a week, just as we arrived into Kyoto. So in the end, Tokyo, Nikko and Kyoto were the stops. Even if, I had an incredible time. I loved every moment, and even got to see Haruka 20 years later. I left heart full, with excitement for the next time I’ll visit.

As always, pre-arrival I researched and pinned a bunch of places in japan that I wanted to visit. I went overboard (there’s 200+ pins) but I’ll share the map with you, as well as my absolute favourite places and things we did.

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My favourite hotels:

Yuen Shinjuku: A lot of people say to not stay in shinjuku, but I personally didn’t mind it, it was quiet, but not far from the bustle. If I had more time in Tokyo, I would’ve moved around different areas, but Yuen was beautiful. It has it’s own rooftop onsen overlooking the city, with the mountains in the distance - the perfect relaxing jet lagged activity to do. The whole experience was seamless, and well worth the price.

KABIN Taka: After a rough couple of days in Kyoto, we were meant to leave to Osaka and went against. We continued our stay in Kyoto, left the old damp hotel and moved to Kabin - a breath of fresh air. Again, so seamless and a very large room!

Food:

Soba-no-Mi Yoshimura: Unreal soba in broth+ tempura set. The best broth I’ve ever had, and faultless prawn tempura. I can’t stand prawn tempura that have a phat tempura coating, i need the prawn to melt as soon as i bite through the lacy coating, they’ve done it perfectly. Probably my favourite meal of the trip.

Shinpachi Shokudo - It’s a chain, but it’s delivers. Set meal (teishoku) that consists of rice, miso soup, grilled fish and pickles. I had the sardine with an extra side of green beans (veg was scarce) and every morning after I wish I had it again.

Tonkatsu Maisen Aoyama - I can’t for the life of me understand how they make the tonkatsu. The breading is indescribably wispy, crispy, crunchy and the cabbage is shaved so thin. I would highly recommend eating the tonkatsu with the Maisen spice salt - that’s the only thing, the meat itself seems to be unseasoned?

Santenamataro - Small cabin overlooking the river. Spectacular views, a sweet sweet solo man whipping up comforting food. The udon soup with yuba ticked all the boxes.

Kyoto Yaoichi Honkan - A seriously amazing supermarket. Loads of fresh produce, ready made food, and everything you could ever think of (including homeware). The perfect place to grab souvenirs, have a browse and if you’re in yaki imo season, make sure to grab a roasted one (mind-blowing how good a roasted sweet potato can be).

Tasuki - Whatever the weather, I think it’s worth having a Kakigōri from here. The ice is shaved so incredibly fine, like fresh snow pow. I had such a hard time figuring out what flavour to get, but ended up with black sesame with warabi mochi. There was a v welcome surprise in the middle that made it even better. Would highly recommend sharing 1 between 2 (they’re huge).

Flip up!2 - My love for salt bread is because of this bakery - still warm, crispy, buttery, soft and flaky. It looks unassuming, but you need to try it. All the treats sounded incredible, with most flavours not being readily available in Europe. Try anything that has mentaiko, and don’t skip on curry pan.

Sushi Ginza Onodera Toryumon - a standing sushi place, with a great reputation and an even longer wait time. Arrive early, just before it opens, so you can add yourself into the virtual queue (you can’t reserve ahead). It’s casual, not stuffy and you can freely talk in the teeny restaurant. They also have a kaiten (sushi train) in Omotesando that I wish I went to, apparently the quality is just as good, and tbh I really regret not going to a sushi train.

My absolute highlight of the trip was the day trip to Nikko on Christmas day. Rain had just fallen, the soil still damp and the scent of pine needles permeated the air - if I could bottle the scent of Nikko, I would - I’ve never been somewhere that smells as good as it did. It was a welcome break to the hectic city, and lunch overlooking the river was bliss. I left wishing that you could get fresh yuba here and I left Japan with a some ground sancho because of this dish.

Sancho is a fragrant and tingly spice, with citrusy flavour. It tingles just like szechuan peppercorn does, but imparts even more fragrance. That meal inspired the recipe below:

Creamy Soba & Tingly Sancho Sprinkle

NOTES: Enoki can be substituted with any kind of mushrooms you can find or like. Make sure to thinly slice them and stir fry in some oil until browned before adding the broth into the pot.

SERVES: 2-3

PREP/COOK TIME: 15-20 mins

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp Wakame

300g Silken Tofu

35g White Miso

200g Soba Noodles

550ml Dashi

200g Enoki Mushrooms, trimmed and quartered widthways. Optional

For the Sprinkle:

150g Edamame, defrosted

½ tsp Ground Sancho Pepper

1 Spring onions, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp Furikake

Soy Sauce, to taste

METHOD:

1. Add the wakame into a bowl and generously cover with cold water. Set aside for it to rehydrate.

2. Add the edamame into a food processor. Pulse until minced and transfer into a bowl. Stir the sancho pepper, spring onion, furikake into it. Season with soy sauce, set aside.

3. Empty out the food processor and give it a quick wash. Add the silken tofu and miso. Blend until smooth.

4. Place a pot of water on to boil. Once boiling, drop the soba noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and wash under cold water until less slimy.

5. Meanwhile, pour the tofu mixture into a pot, and pour in the dashi. Whisk together and place over low heat. Drain the wakame and add into the soup base with the enoki mushroom, gently warm up - don’t let it come to a boil. Taste and season with salt, if needed.

6. Stir the noodles into the hot soup base to reheat. Share between bowls and top with the sancho sprinkle.

This dish can also be eaten cold - simply cool down the broth after step 4 and serve with cold noodles.

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P.s. If you do go to Japan, I would highly recommend being aware and mindful of your fibre/veg intake. I didn’t believe the masses of people that warned about it on socials, but it's by far the hardest place I’ve found to keep it up. If you’re not getting fibre, I would highly recommend stocking up on some fruit from the supermarkets, the convenience stores/pharmacies will have fibre jelly packs (have them!). 7/11 green smoothie was so delicious, but theres little to nothing in there, you have to top up.

Every chance you get where you can add on a side of veg, do it. We found it quite easy to have veg if we ate at an izakaya, but still, the portions are teeny. You will regret not keeping your fibre intake up.

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I’m keeping this post short, but very sweet, with a recipe that really warms my heart.

I wasn’t an adventurous eater - probably something to do with my parents being apprehensive about everything they didn’t know. But, the one thing I loved from the Chinese/Singaporean/Thai/Malay… restaurant I grew up going to in Geneva, was sweetcorn soup (not with chicken, but with crab). Viscous, slightly gloopy (not too much), a little sweet and deeply savoury - It’s a perfect soup that I haven’t had for years and I hadn’t thought about until Ro made it at Mob.

With my fixation of egg and ketchup, I knew I needed to add some kind of tomato to the dish, and the idea for tomato, egg & sweetcorn soup was born. It’s no secret that I eat all my broths with rice - a way of eating deeply ingrained in my culture (rice and broth always, noodles always stir fried), so it had to be done.

If you make it, I hope you love it as much as I do.

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Tomato, Egg & Sweetcorn Broth with Rice

SERVES: 2-3

PREP/COOK TIME:

INGREDIENTS

400g Tomatoes, on the vine

2 Spring onions

1 Egg

1 Tbsp Cornflour

15g Ginger, thinly sliced

198g Sweetcorn, roughly chopped, liquid reserved

500ml Chicken Stock

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

½ Tbsp Sesame Oil

300g Cooked Jasmine Rice

Chilli Oil, to serve

White Pepper, to taste

METHOD:

1. Preheat the grill to high - around 230°C.

2. Place the tomatoes onto a tray with a drizzle of oil and season with salt. Slide under the grill and roast until blistered and softened, 5-10 mins.

3. Meanwhile, thinly slice the green part of the spring onion and slice the whites into quarters. Into a small bowl, crack, season and whisk the egg, set aside. Stir the cornflour with a splash of water into a mug, until smooth.

4. Add a drizzle of oil into a pot with the spring onion whites and ginger. Place over medium heat and leave to gently infuse the oil. Once the pan is hot, add the sweetcorn and cook until fragrant and starting to caramelise, 3-4 mins.

5. Pour the stock in and leave to simmer for 10-15 mins. Then, season to taste with soy sauce and white pepper.

6. Bring the soup to a boil and stir the cornflour slurry in. Let it thicken and come back to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and pour in the whisked egg. Stir the soup and let the eggs set for 2 mins. Remove from the heat, stir the sesame oil through and season again, if needed.

7. Reheat the rice and share between bowls. Ladle over the sweetcorn soup and top with roasted tomatoes, spring onion greens and chilli oil.

I hope everyone feels ready for this year, and if you took some time off, I hope you’re well rested. I accidentally stopped posting on socials mid December - I went on my dream holiday to Japan and wanted to soak it all in the first week, and when I was ready to go back online, I fell incredibly ill. Nevertheless, I had the most precious time, and I can’t wait to go back. I’ve you’ve been thinking about visiting Japan, I would highly recommend!

Now onto this weeks post - I thought I would round up my favourite plates I ate at in 2025. It’s no secret that London has a top tier food scene, and since I spend all my time thinking, making, researching and eating food, I thought I would share with you the standouts.

These restaurants are some I feel confident sharing - places I know I can rely on for a phenomenal time:

• 40 Maltby Street: Small plates, mod-brit food with an exhaustive and truly exquisite wine list. Everything is cooked to perfection, the staff are super knowledgable and I would trust them with anything. It’s also a non-res place which is a godsend. (also featured in Vittles top 3 restaurants in London 2025, so you can seriously trust.)

• Osteria Angelina: Fantastique Italian Japanese fusion. The two cuisines come together in harmony, flavours sing whilst still being delicate. First place in London that has made me like lean tuna.

• The Tamil Prince: I wish I was closer up north so it didn’t take me 1hr to get to this gem. The textures and flavours make me want to jump of joy. I think about the dosa all the time, and I can’t wait to make the trek up when the weather gets warmer for the brunch menu.

• Chop Chop by Four Seasons (at the hippodrome): Honestly, I would have never known about this restaurant if it weren’t for @dudu_eats. It’s under the hippodrome casino, and they serve the juiciest, most tender roast meats. Bonus points, they’re open until 4am.

• The Parakeet: A pub restaurant that serves extremely flavourful, seasonal dishes. Cooked on coal, everything feels familiar, with a fun twist. (lovely wine list too++)

• Scully St. James: Probably the most creative restaurant I’ve been to- Ramael Scully takes inspo from all the countries he’s from/lived in and brings ingredients, textures and flavours together to make dishes you’d never find anywhere else. It’s £££, so would recommend to go for a special celebratory meal!

• Plaza Khao Gaeng: My favourite restaurant in London. I’ve never had a bad meal, whether it’s their Arcade or Borough location. The thought of a meal there brings me so much joy, and it always reminds me of the magic of food. Dishes transport you to a faraway land, everything is just perfection. From the moment you walk in your mouth starts salivating, and when you finish your meal you’ll be thinking of when you can come back for seconds.

One of my last meals in London before going away was at Plaza Khao Gaeng, everything was sensational, but the Yam Pla Budu was an absolute standout: Fried sea bream, zingy and fragrant shaved lemongrass salad and budu fish sauce. I had never had something so incredibly vibrant, and the budu sauce was next level (savoury, aromatic tamarind fish sauce) - the type of dressing you drink off the plate.

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it so I made a dish inspired by it using ingredients that are easy to find in western supermarkets. My local fishmonger had some gorgeous fresh mackerel, so I went for that and asked them to butterfly the fish, keeping it’s head on, but you could do this with sea bass, sea bream… even salmon would work! You can also just use fillets instead, to make it a lot easier.

Tangy Tamarind & Green Apple Grilled Mackerel

Serves: 2

Prep/Cook Time: 20-25 mins

INGREDIENTS

1 Sea Bream or Mackerel

1 Limes

300g Cooked Jasmine rice

For the Salad:

1 Lemongrass, thinly sliced

30g Crispy Onion

2 Lime leaves, de-stem and thinly slice

1 Green Apple, core and finely dice

2 Tbsp Glutinous or Jasmine Rice

20g Coriander, leaves picked and stems thinly sliced

1 Birds eye chilli, finely minced

½ Lime

For the dressing:

2 Tbsp Tamarind Puree

1 Tbsp Honey or Palm Sugar

½ Lime

Fish sauce, to taste

METHOD

1. Squeeze the lime juice onto the cut up apple. Clean the fish and butterfly. Pat dry and season both sides with salt. Turn the grill on to high (~220°C).

2. Place a pan over medium heat with the raw rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is golden brown and toasted. Transfer into a pestle and mortar. Bash/grind until the rice breaks down into a coarse powder.

3. In a large bowl, stir the dressing ingredients together. Squeeze the lime juice in. Taste and season with fish sauce, more tamarind for tartness or honey/palm sugar for sweetness.

4. Pat the fish dry and place onto an oiled tray, skin side up. Slide under the grill and leave it until cooked through, 4-8 mins (grills vary in strength so keep a close eye). The thicker the fish, the longer it’ll take - if the skin is charring too quickly, move the tray down a level.

5. Once the fish is cooked, pour the dressing all over. Toss the salad ingredients together and pile on top of the fish. Serve with lime wedges and the cooked jasmine rice.

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It’s something I’m constantly learning to overcome and deal with, but since moving away from home, I don’t have any of the small rituals or routines I grew up with. I really miss the smell of roasted chestnuts permeating the crisp cool dry air, ice rinks popping up everywhere and spending days on end freely gliding. I celebrated Christmas with my parents the night of the 24th, and would go to my best friends on the 25th to continue… but now, both my parents and best friend are +8000km away, and I’ve found it extremely hard to come around celebrating it on the the 25th, the British way.

I’ve been slowly trying to make up my own traditions to bring a sense of familiarity every year, and this has manifested itself in 2 ways - a yearly cookie box (filling myself with butter and sugar) and leaving the country and going on holiday.

It may seem like I’m running away from my feelings, but there’s no better time to do it. Consecutive bank holidays means that it’s an absolute steal, and if you’re anything like me, you probably need the time off and away for a mental reset… I would highly recommend this.

The first year I was able to leave the country was right after the lockdown travel ban, I booked and legged it to the airport on a flight out to the Seychelles - not quite a holiday, (it’s the motherland) but I spent time away on a secluded island for 2-3 days and that’s when I realised this is what it’s ALL about. After that year, I’ve met my parents in Malaysia for Christmas, I’ve been to the Mountains with my boyfriends family and this year will be the first time that I celebrate it just the boyf and I in Japan (my dream destination).

I know i’m not the only one that feels this way during this period, and as hard as it can be, it’s always a good reminder that you can bring a sense of comfort by doing what YOU want.

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Anyways… all about the cookies. I started it last year and went all out. This year I paired it all the way back. After being sick for a solid month with whatever this superflu or god knows whats going around, I made a lazy cookie box, which is even more perfect than the last.

3 cookies that can all be made in 1/2 a day, 1 day or spread over 2.

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Earl Grey Brookies

The combo of chocolate and earl grey is undeniably delish. Unlike many cookies, these don’t need any chill time and actually benefit from being portioned out and into the oven ASAP. These were based on my recipe for the Mob Chilli Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

Makes: 12-14 Large or 20-24 normal size

Prep/Baking time: 30-35 mins

Ingredients

140g Plain Flour

1 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

5g Earl Grey Tea

120g Butter

3 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

200g Dark Chocolate, finely chopped

100g Caster Sugar

115g Light Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Smoked Sea Salt, optional

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to fan 160°C. Line two baking trays with baking paper, set aside.

2. In a small bowl, add the flour, baking powder and salt. Mix together until combined, set aside.

3. Melt the butter with the earl grey in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Once melted, sieve the solids out and stir through the cocoa powder and chocolate until fully melted. Place it back on the heat ot fully melt, if needed. Set aside to cool down.

4. In a mixing bowl, add both sugars, vanilla extract and crack the eggs in. Whisk until the mixture doubles in volume, has gone pale and looks fluffy, 5-7 mins.

5. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture, then, fold in the flour mix until no streaks remain.

6. Working quickly, use an ice cream scoop (for a large cookie) or 2 tablespoons (for a normal size) to drop the batter onto the baking paper, making sure to leave plenty of room between each cookie. Sprinkle them with smoked flaky sea salt and bake in the oven for 10-12 mins, until the exterior is shiny and has lots of cracks on them. Let cool for 10-15 mins before enjoying.

Caramelised Banana Pinwheels

The use of caramelised banana in sweet treats really remind me of Seychellois desserts. These biscuits take the base recipe for Claire Saffitz’s pinwheels and homemade banana jam is used to create the swirl. You end up with more banana jam than needed, but it’s delicious so no complaints and it also makes for a great gift!

Makes: 20-30

Prep/Baking Time: 40-45 mins + cooling time

Ingredients

For the Jam:

180g Caster Sugar

300g Ripe Bananas, peeled and mashed

2 Tsp Vanilla Paste

1/2 cinnamon stick
For the Cookies:

115g Softened Butter

45g Caster Sugar

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Large Egg yolk

2 Tbsp Maple Syrup

2 Tsp Vanilla Extract

160g Plain Flour

90g Banana Jam

50g Desiccated Coconut, optional

Baking Paper

Method:

1. Make the jam: Add the sugar into a saucepan and place over medium heat. Let the sugar gently melt and caramelise - since this is a dry caramel you can stir the mixture to help it evenly melt. Once melted, let the caramel cook until dark amber. Whisk the rest of the jam ingredients in, then let it simmer until thickened, 10 -15 minutes. You can test for doneness by dropping a little bit of jam onto a cold plate, set it aside for a coupe of minutes, and swipe your finger through. If it holds the line or wrinkles, the jam is ready. Pour into a sterilised or clean jar and seal. Let cool down fully before using.

2. For the cookies: Add the softened butter, sugar, cinnamon, salt, yolk, maple and vanilla into a bowl and whip together until smooth. Then, fold the flour in until incorporated.

3. Lightly dust a large piece of baking paper and plop the cookie dough on top. Dust the dough with more flour and place another piece of baking paper on top. Pat the dough down into an even puck. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a rectangle of around 3mm thickness. Transfer into the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes up to overnight, to firm up.

4. Remove the dough from the fridge and let it come up to room temp for around 10-15 minutes.

5. Spread the banana jam all over the dough. With the longest side facing you, roll the dough up into a log (if the dough cracks, leave it to rest for a couple more minutes, it’s probably too cold). Place the log into the freezer to firm up for 20 minutes, or wrap in cling film and place in the fridge overnight or until ready to bake.

6. Preheat the oven to fan 160°C and line a tray with baking paper.

7. Cut the log into 1cm thick slices, rotating the log so it maintains the round shape. Dip one side of the cookie into the coconut and transfer onto the lined tray, coconut side down, spacing them out by 2-3cm. Slide into the oven and bake until lightly golden on the sides, 10-15 minutes. Let cool completely on the tray before enjoying.

Date, Peanut Choc Chip

Doing this yearly cookie box is the best time to sift through the cookbooks I have and play around with the recipes in them. This one is a riff off of Zaynab Issa’s Date & Dark Chocolate Cookies from her glorious debut cookbook Third Culture Cooking.

Makes: 8-10

Prep/Baking Time: 30-40 minutes + cooling time

Ingredients

140g Plain Flour

1/2 tsp Bicarb Soda

1/2 tsp Cornflour

3/4 tsp Salt

80g Pitted Dates, roughly chopped

115g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped

1 Egg

55g Extra Virgin Olive Oil

30g Dark Roast Peanut Butter

2 tsp Vanilla Extract

70g Caster Sugar

75g Light Brown Sugar

Flaky Salt

Method:

1. Whisk the flour, bicarb, cornflour and salt into a medium bowl. Stir the dates and chocolate through, set aside.

2. Whisk the egg, olive oil, peanut butter and vanilla until creamy and emulsified. Add both sugars and whisk until combined.

3. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Portion the dough out into 60g balls, place onto a baking paper lined tray. Cover and chill for a minimum of 2hrs up to overnight.

4. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Make sure the cookie dough balls are spaced out, with about 5cm on each side - if you need to bake them onto 2 trays. Sprinkle over as much flakey salt as you’d like.

5. Slide the trays into the preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, until the edges are crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven and bang the pan against the counter to deflate the cookies. Let them cool on the tray for 10-15 minutes, before enjoying.

If you celebrate, I hope you have a lovely Christmas. If not, I hope you get some well deserved time off to relax <3

Christmas was an interesting time in my household - my mum gave up on putting up the tree after 1 year - all the kids went around bopping bobbles off and crashing them onto the floor into millions of sharp pieces, and honestly they’re island parents. The concept of western Christmas seemed foreign to them and quite random, which I completely now understand. The most special thing about the 24th (yes, we celebrate it the night of Christmas eve), was that my mum would bless me with full kitchen independence. I wasn’t allowed to cook for myself the rest of the year but that day, I would be allowed to choose anything I wanted to eat AND I could cook it myself - 1 thing she freed herself from, lightening her task load (smart woman), and I cherished and loved it so much.

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So, once I started celebrating Christmas in the UK lots of things were new to me, and the 1 thing I couldn’t quite wrap my head around was the prescriptive traditional meal. Food and nostalgia play a massive role, so I get it, but it baffled me to hear that the people I was sharing this meal with didn’t really love the food, and it was really only there because of tradition - we should be stuffing ourselves with delicious, flavourful food always. So, consider this my plea! If it’s not for you, change it up.

I know many people still don’t want to stray too far from tradition, but he’s an incredibly easy way to inject flavour into your bird, without much effort -

1. Switch that turkey for 2 chickens. More tender, juicier, takes less time to cook.

2. Pat that bird dry. If you can, spatchcock, season it liberally with salt, place on a wire rack and leave it in the fridge overnight. Then pat it dry once again before roasting it.

3. Cook the bird over some aromats+liquid, for a juicy but crispy skinned situ.

Here’s how I’ve been loving my roast chicken (and I think it would make for a great festive centrepiece):

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Thyme & Scotch Bonnet Roast Chicken

This recipe takes 5 minutes, to put together, before whacking it in the oven (I’ve timed myself). It comes out juicy, tender and creates a luscious, rich sauce. It’s not overtly coconutty. It’s fragrant with thyme and has a hint of spice and fruitiness from the scotch bonnet. I’ve used the same method for whole spatchcocked chicken and separately with thighs and legs. You can also use this with turkey, but you’ll have to double the ingredients and add them in when theres around 30-40 minutes left for the bird - turkeys have a lot more fat, so if you render the fat into the sauce, it’ll be very oily and will taste gamey. Cook the turkey on a tray alone, and when you’re ready to add the sauce ingredients, tip the fat out first.

Ingredients:

1 Garlic Bulb, halved

200ml Chicken Stock

250ml Coconut Milk

10g Thyme

1 Cinnamon Stick

10 Whole Allspice Berries

1 Whole Scotch Bonnet

10g Ginger, Bashed

1 Chicken, Spatchcocked

Method for chicken:

1. Preheat the oven to fan 220°C.

2. Add all the ingredients into the base of a tray or ovenproof pan, place the spatchcock chicken on top and slide into the oven. Roast for 25 minutes, then turn the heat down to 170°C and cook for an additional 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

I served it with lime pickled shallots and coriander to cut through the richness, but some lime/lemon wedges will work wonderfully as well.

I’m very much a type B person (on holiday) with a sprinkle of A - I save all my recommended restaurants/places I want to see pre-flight, but I never end up actually planning or looking at the map until I’m there… I’ve realised, thats a bit of an issue. I miss out on lots of places I want to visit because I don’t look at their opening hours...

I’m sure you’ve heard multiple times that Copenhagen is a mecca of good food places (the most concentration of Michelin starts or wtvr it is…) and whilst I had some great bites, it’s not the food I loved the most - it was the city, sauna and wine.

I went May 2024 and got super lucky with the weather - most of the time it was sunny and warm. We had 1 morning of torrential rain, which we spent indoors, in a cafe we stumbled into, eating the most perfectly simple whipped butter, bread and cheese (at Orsa). The other times, I was living life, playing monopoly deal in the sun, enjoying the city and drinking wine.

Now, to be extremely honest, I found out whilst there that my palate doesn’t fully appreciate Danish flavours (apart from their baked goods). But, let me tell you more about what I did love:

• La Banchina - we treated ourselves to the sauna, and a few plunges in the wildly cold river as well as lunch of the day - It was a phenomenal way to spend a clear, but cool spring day. The lunch was a fried fish burger, cooked to perfection in pillowy buns, but their short menu changes daily.

• DØP - The Danes know how to make a good glizzy, and DØP specifically rocked my world. Our first order was conservative, 3 hotdogs between 2, and in the end, we basically ordered the whole menu. They make all kinds of flavoured hotdogs, but the one I enjoyed the most was the wild garlic pork, classic and merguez. Get them with all the toppings for a+++ enjoyment.

  

• Sadly we only were able to visit 1 bakery: Hart. Extremely popular, it was featured in The Bear and their treats were very good. They’re well known for their cardamom croissant/bun. Yes, it was great - a bit like a kouign amman with cardamom, what’s not to love? But, the standout for me was the terbike. A poppy seed crusted pastry, with lots of buttery layers and a hint of marzipan.

  

• Propaganda - This was a godsend after a few meals that I didn’t enjoy. The first bite of food almost brought me to tears. I love punchy flavours and this mod Korean resto brought me back to life.

Now, for wine, I’ve got a couple places:

• If the weathers nice: Rosforth & Rosforth. Sit by the river, soak up the rayas and drink wine. Because they’re a wholesaler, the bottles there are cheaper than other places.

• Pompette - sit outside and people watch. There’s a very busy fried chicken shop next door called Poulette and you get to smell all of it, people watch and sip on lovely wine.

• Ved Stranden 10 - another one for when the sun’s out. They had a dock on the water where you could sit on and enjoy your glass. It’s in a super busy area, so also great for people watching (theres a lot to look at, it’s like a walking fashion runway.)

Even if I didn’t enjoy the Danish food much, I did love the city so much that I kept on saying how I would move there. Whilst that probably won’t happen (I’ve heard winters are HARSH, and I can’t handle more than London/Geneva winters), it still did inspire me to make a recipe that I think most people would love.

I’m not one to put myself through the gruelling process of home laminating dough to make croissants etc… BUT an extremely easy way to get those buttery, flakey layers is to whip up some scones. So, I used the most perfect scone recipe made by Jodie, and turned the base recipe into Terbike scones by spiking the dough with some grated marzipan and finishing them with a poppy seed crust.

I enjoyed them with a pad of crunchy salted butter and also plain (they’re that good), but I know they would be delish with clotted cream, whipped cream, jams… anything you usually eat with a scone.

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Flakey Terbikes Scones

Prep/Baking Time: 1-1.5hrs

Makes: 6-8 scones

Ingredients

120g Butter

200g Marzipan

425g Plain Flour

1 Tsp Salt

1 tbsp Baking Powder

¼ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

1 ½ tbsp Sugar

275ml Plain Kefir

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Egg

½ tbsp Water

30g Poppy Seeds

Method:

1. Dice the butter and coarsely grate the marzipan onto two separate plates. Place both in the freezer for 15 mins.

2. To a large bowl add flour, salt, baking powder, bicarb and sugar. Mix well.

3. Get the butter out of the freezer. Using your hands, squish the butter flat into the flour. Make a well in the mixture and add the grated marzipan along with the kefir and vanilla. Fold with a spatula until combined.

4. Tip out onto a clean surface and roughly form into a cohesive dough (there will be dry bits, don’t worry).

5. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 36 x 18 cm. Scoop any dry bits and scatter over the dough, then fold the top ⅓ of the dough down into the middle, then fold the bottom ⅓ into the middle, so both seams meet. Fold the bottom over the top and rotate 90°. Roll the dough out, once again until 2-3cm thick, then perform the double fold once again. Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to fan 220°C. Crack the egg and whisk with the water. Add the poppy seeds to a plate.

7. Once the dough has rested and chilled, portion into 6 equal pieces (or 8 if you’d like smaller ones), pop onto a tray and brush the tops with the egg wash. Dip the egg washed side of the scone into the poppy seeds to coat, then place back onto the tray, seed side up. Slide into the oven and bake for 15-17 mins, turn the heat down to 180°C and bake for another 5-10 until golden and baked through.

8. Transfer to a cooling rack and serve warm.

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Since, I’ve made and eaten loads of sandwiches, but they’re nothing to write home about… so, I was surprised when my most memorable meal from Amsterdam was the Poulet sandwich from Leauf.

The standout element of that sandwich was the joppie sauce - a very famous Dutch curry mayo. It’s slightly sweet, tangy and very moorish. Dutch mayo is already quite different to British mayo; it’s a lot lighter, less claggy and a touch sweeter (which makes it the perfect base).

Joppie Chicken Salad Sandwich

This recipe makes plenty of joppie chicken salad, cucumber/celery pickled salad and also gives ingredients to assemble it into a sandwich for 2-3 people. You will have leftover chicken and pickled salad, but that’s never a bad thing to have on hand…

Notes: To make it quicker, you could use leftover/pre-roasted chicken/turkey.

Prep/Cooking Time: 50-55 mins

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

1 Baguette

2 Chicken Legs (around 750-800g)

Lettuce or Chicory, as much as you like in a sandwich

For the Pickle Salad:

1 Celery Stalk, sliced thin, optional

½ Cucumber, sliced thin

2 Tsp Sugar

1 Tsp Salt

50ml Rice Vinegar

For the Joppie Sauce:

1 Shallot, finely diced

1 tsp Sugar

2 Tsp Mild Curry Powder

1 Tsp Sweet Paprika

1 Tbsp Rice Vinegar

100g Kewpie Mayo

50g Ketchup

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

Method:

1. Preheat an oven to fan 170°C. Season the chicken legs with salt, all over. Bring up to room temperature.

2. Place the chicken, skin side down in an oven safe frying pan. Turn the heat up to medium and leave to cook, until the skin turns golden, 10-15 minutes. Turn the chicken over and slide the pan into the oven. Let roast until cooked through and the skin is crispy and golden, 40-45 mins.

3. Meanwhile, make the pickle: Add the cucumber and celery into a jar. Stir the sugar, salt and vinegar together in a small saucepan. Taste and add more sugar or salt depending on whether you’d like it sweeter or saltier. Bring it to a quick boil, making sure the salt and sugar have dissolved and pour over the celery and cucumber. Close the jar with a lid, give it a shake and leave the veggies to pickle.

4. Place the empty pan back over medium heat to make the joppie sauce. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot, add the shallot and cook until translucent, 3-4 minutes. Stir the sugar and spices through, until fragrant, then pour the vinegar in and remove from the heat.

5. Tip the shallot mixture into a bowl and stir the remaining ingredients through. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more sugar or vinegar, if needed.

6. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the skin and set the chicken aside to cool a little. Using forks, shred the meat, and tear the skin into bite sized chunks. If you have any chicken juices from roasting, toss the shredded meat into it. Let it cool down.

7. Stir the cooled chicken and crispy skin through the joppie sauce. If you’d like, toast the baguette.

8. Drizzle the cut sides of the baguette with a little olive oil and layer on the lettuce, pickles and finish with the joppie chicken mixture. Sandwich together and enjoy immediately.

They say you need to try something 20x until you like it… I’ve had LOTS of celery, and I’m still not a convert. But… I’ve found my way to enjoy it - the list is small:

• Raw, juiced, with a touch of lemon and looooads of ginger

• Raw, very thinly sliced, in a salad with a PUNCHY vinaigrette that softens the herbaceous flavour.

If you’ve caught onto the pattern, my celery needs to raw, and either liquified or sliced so thin, I can see through it. I thoroughly enjoy the crisp it has, and the veg lasts absolutely ages in the fridge. It feels like one of those forgotten vegetables so most of the time it stays extremely cheap.

Today’s recipe is really what converted me into loving a celery salad (my own only though). It’s essentially dumplings with my favourite dumpling dipping sauce as dressing and bulked with some greenery, celery and chickpeas.

Even if you’re a celery hater, I hope you try this recipe, and hopefully it’ll put you on the path to conversion.

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Celery, Chickpea & Dumpling Salad

Serves: 2

Prep/Cooking time: 15 mins

Substitutes:

Instead of Black Vinegar: equal parts balsamic vinegar

Instead of Celery: cucumber, tomatoes, raw courgette, sugarsnaps…

Instead of Sesame: roasted salted peanuts, toasted sunflower/pumpkin seeds

Ingredients

For the Salad:

250g Celery, trimmed and thinly sliced on a bias

12 Frozen dumplings (your favourite kind)

200g Cooked Chickpeas, drained

2 Spring Onion, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds

10g Coriander, Optional. Leaves picked and stems thinly sliced

For the dressing:

4 Tbsp Black Vinegar

1 Tbsp Chilli Crisp

3 Tbsp Shoyu Soy Sauce

½ tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

Method:

1. Add all the dressing ingredients together into a mixing bowl. Taste and season to your palate with more shoyu for savoury/saltiness, more black vinegar for tartness.

2. Add the chickpeas, sesame, coriander stems and celery into the dressing - don’t toss yet. Set aside.

3. Cook the dumplings how you like according to package instructions - steam, pan fry…

4. Before serving, toss the dumplings, spring onion and coriander leaves through the dressing.

5. Serve immediately.

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I recently visited Amsterdam and I saw it in a completely new light. I had previously been on a little summer holiday with my parents about 10-15 years ago? I loved it then, and I still love it now.

It’s extremely rare for me to visit a city and think about potentially being able to live there, but Amsterdam is up there on that list. It’s beautiful (when it’s sunny), the food scene is lovely, the coast isn’t too far, and your way of life seems a lot healthier.

Whilst I was there, we stayed with a friend and got a lot of insider scoop on places to see, drink and eat at, and paired with the incredible recs I got from lots of you, I created a map to share!

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As you can see, my map has 100+ pinned places - I didn’t have the time to visit all of them in the 4 days I was there, so instead, I’ll share with you the places I went to and recommend, and if anyone has been to any of others, or in the future visit them, leave a comment below with your thoughts!

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Toko Bersama- The dutch colonised Indonesia between 1800-1945 - this means that you can now find some incredible Indonesian food in the Netherlands. Toko Bersama was my personal highlight of the trip - I had never had Indonesian food, and it bursts with flavour. I wish I had taken a picture of my plate, but it was vibrant (in both taste, texture and colour). Heres what I got (sorry I don’t know almost any of the dish names):

• beef rendang (delicious flavour, but teh beef was a little tough)

• Mackerel cooked in a chilli sauce (it may be called balado ikan tenggiri). Sensationally fragrant with the flavour of the chillies, there was warmth as well as spice, and it didn’t feel too oily.

• Tempeh kecap - my favourite dish from there. I personally think the Indonesians are the only ones to know how to cook tempeh and this was phenomenal. Deeply savoury nuggets of slightly chewy but tender tempeh, with a sweet finish - I could eat that every day.

• Spinach with ginger? - a very welcome greens to our meal. The spinach wasn’t too earthy, the ginger was fragrant and warming, with no bitterness.

• Turmeric coconut rice - lovely separated grains of short grain rice, with a slight coconut flavour.

Grammes - a cute coffee/bakery in de pijp. If you want to feel energised after your coffee, this is the place to visit. My iced americano was both delicious and insanely caffeinated - exactly what I needed to be able to continue biking throughout the city. They also sell gorgeous mugs (which I regret not buying) and the pastries are also delectable. We got a kouign-amman and a savoury laminated pastry with parm stuffed with basil pesto.

Barracuda- a sweet spot in Noord serving seafood. Everything well cooked, and good value. We ordered a total of 11 things, with beer and wine included which came to a total of €100 (~£88)- this would be unheard of in London. I loved the concept of ordering what you want, when you want it (you don’t order all at once), which I think makes for a more mindful eating experience.

We had a mind-blowing tuna ham called mojama- nigiri-thick slices of cured tuna, served with grassy extra virgin olive oil and almonds. Their fries reminded me of Mcdonalds french fries (which are the only good mcdo menu item, but yuck because BOYCOTT), the herb salad was incredibly welcome, and a lovely whole turbot that was buttery soft and juicy (for under €30, crazy).

Café Twee Prinsen - If you want to perch by the canals and people watch, with some snacks and a lovely glass of wine - this is the place to be.

Ulmus Bakkerij- This is super close to one of the Ford Negen’s, which is a lot more well known, but when I told our friends that we had gone to Ulmus instead, there was a slight head nod that made me feel like I had found a little local secret - I may be wrong, but this bakery was lovely! It was busy with locals, lots of good dogs, and families having a morning treat. Everything we had was excellent - cinnamon roll, croissant and cheese pastry as well as an oat cortado and americano.

Leauf- I am not one to buy sandwiches ever, but I know how much the Dutch love one for lunch and I’m so incredibly happy we went to Leauf. Their bread is the perfect vessel for a juicy delicious filling - its as if a baguette and bahn mi bread had a baby. The exteriors slightly crunchier than a bahn mi one, with more texture, but the mie inside is incredibly light and fluffy like you would find in bahn mi bread. We got the leauf poulet and japonais - I didn’t like the japonais (because I don’t like smoked salmon), but the poulet was INCREDIBLE. A slightly curried mayo, crispy onions, lovely buttery lettuce, perfectly tangy pickles…. it was so good that I really thought about getting another one that same day for our Eurostar back to London.

For Gelato: Massimo and Miuz- both make lovely gelato with excellent texture. Miuz makes slightly more fun flavours (the turmeric cashew was heavenly creamy, ginger melon sorbet was perfectly spicy) and Massimo sticks to slightly more traditional flavours (pistachio and stracciatella, divine).

We biked everywhere, which at first I was incredibly scared of, but it’s defo the best way of getting around the city, and its the most popular way of getting around (the roads are made for the bikers). I spent some time in Vondelpark reading in the sun and I truly thought life was perfect then.

I think a lot of people think Paris is the city of love, but Amsterdam to me, might take that title. I loved my time there and I’ll definitely be visiting again when the sun comes back.