There’s a holy trinity of flavours I’ve loved for a very long time but, for some reason, I just can’t quite remember the first time I tried this amazing combo. And that’s literally kept me up at night.

I actually did spend part of last night absolutely racking my brain as to where I may have first had a crab, saffron and chilli linguine. And for the life of me, I could not remember.

At first, I thought the reason why might be because I didn’t necessarily have this dish on a lovely holiday in Italy, as one might have imagined. It’s easy to remember those standout dishes, that you have whilst traveling, especially when they are eaten in their actual place of origin. I think there’s something really romantic and cinematic about being in a dish’s home environment, that just tattoos the first time you try it, right on your brain.

There’s my first ever spaghetti alle vongole, eaten during a visit to the Amalfi coast. A real, proper Sicilian pasta con le sarde, in Sicily, that I remember like it was yesterday. My first risotto Milanese, first devoured in 2008 when I’d moved to Milan with my best friend to study for a year. A thick and rare and totally out-of-this-world Fiorentina steak, eaten in Florence, in 2014. Oh, and my first Cacio e Pepe, tried in Rome. An anchovy and onion Bigoli in Venice. A roadside arancino in Catania. Proper pizza in Napoli. The list goes on and on, and I think I can remember every one of these meals with total clarity!!

These really are memories that stick out like a sore thumb for me. (If a sore thumb were to be a positive thing, that is.) These dishes are etched, hard, on my mind, hopefully never to leave - because food memories are up there with the best memories I have, maybe barring my wedding day, or meeting Navy for the first time.

Funnily enough, I can very easily remember what I ate on both of those occasions too, though: our wedding night, on a hot July night in Spain, featured an incredible meal, including gazpacho, and sea bass with golden potatoes and black garlic alioli. Navy’s birthday was a Roman style slice of square pizza, in my hospital bed. Both meals felt otherworldly! Food truly does always feature in the greatest moments of my life!

Anyway, I’ve digressed enough, let’s come back to this amazing crab pasta. I stopped tossing and turning last night in bed because I finally realised that the reason I can’t fully associate this dish with the place I first had it, is because it doesn’t have a place. This particular combo of flavours is actually not a super authentic Italian pairing. Therefore, it does not belong to any one particular city or region. (Which is why I have no recall of the first time I had it.)

This dish and flavour combo has actually come to life in bistros and restaurants across cities like London, New York and Sydney. Though it is Mediterranean inspired, and saffron is used a lot in Sicilian cooking, and while, yes, you can eat crab and white wine pasta variations all along the Italian coast, this specific recipe doesn’t come from anywhere.

The ultimate, and much more important, point of this story is that, in my humble opinion, there ain’t much better than crab, saffron, white wine, chilli, garlic and fresh baby tomatoes. Even if it doesn’t have a hometown.

This pasta is truly a dream. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Recipe: Crab, saffron and chilli linguine

Serves: 4

Prep and cook time: 25 min

TOOLS

• Small saucepan

• Tongs

• Large pot (for boiling pasta)

• Deep, wide frying pan

• Wooden spatula

• Sharp, small Victorinox serrated knife (for halving the larger cherry tomatoes - I maintain that, dollar for dollar, these knives are the absolute best value way to level up any kitchen/cooking experience)

• Chopping board (this one is certainly an investment, but also amazing)

INGREDIENTS

• A generous pinch of saffron thread

  

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I feel like raw corn is not celebrated or spoken about nearly as much as it should be. (If this is a new concept to you, I am so glad to be the person to let you know that raw corn is absolutely a thing, and it is absolutely delicious.)

Raw corn is sweet, creamy, crunchy, fresh and a breeze to cook with because, well, mother nature has pretty much done most of the work, and so all you need to do is add some salt, fat, acid and heat and you’re good to go. And, on that, have I got the salt, fat, acid, and heat combo for you!

One of my favourite pairings for raw corn is heirloom tomatoes. In this salad, the heirlooms so elegantly bring all of their wonderful acidity, juiciness and colour to the table, and this salad is one that you could serve up beautifully on a platter for a hosting situation. At the same time, this could also be described as a fridge raid-esque melange of ingredients that get excitedly eaten straight out of the mixing bowl, with a large spoon, and an even larger smile.

The next ingredient that I’d like to bring you in on, kind of feels like one that I prefer enjoy in secret. I think that’s because I’m a little bit embarrassed to admit how much I like it, given the recipes it is typically used in.

I’ll give you some hints: It’s been around for a long time, and I think most probably rose to fame and popularity when veganism was on the rise in the mid 2010s, and social media duly became a shrine to dairy-free alts, like fake cacio e pepe sauces, and pretty much anything else that needed to taste of cheese, but not be cheese, you know?

My friends, I’m talking about nutritional yeast - and I am no longer ashamed to admit that I bloody love her!

“The nooch” (cringe) is nutty, it is cheesy, it is umami-rich, and I actually can’t get enough of it. And if I’m laying my honest truth out on the line here, I will admit that sometimes, if I’m making a super simple pasta at home for myself, Jon and Navy, I’ll often choose NY over parmesan. (Omg. Can’t believe I just wrote that.) But, yeh, it is true. It does a lot of work without the effort of needing to grate it or to clean up the utter mess that is a block of parmesan and a microplane.

In the case of this wonderful salad, we’re combining raw corn with those gorgeous tomatoes, finely sliced red onion, fresh rounds of stinking hot, but citrusy, fresh jalapeños, lots of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt flakes, fresh lime juice and, yep, nutritional yeast. The combo of the lime and the NY almost emulsify to coat the veg in this super tangy, almost creamy, salty, bright and delicious sauce.

Toss some fresh coriander through the whole dish, and you have got yourself a salad that I guarantee you’ll make for the rest of your life. When I say we were all hovering over the mixing bowl, shovelling mouthfuls of this salad in like we hadn’t eaten in days, believe me, cos it’s true.

Enjoy the hell out of this one! Your friends and family will love you even more than they already do for bringing this into their lives.

Recipe: Raw corn + heirloom tomato salad

Serve: 2 to 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

TOOLS

• Chopping board

• Sharp chef’s knife

• Colander

• 2 mixing bowls

INGREDIENTS

• 600 g mixed heirloom tomatoes

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15 years. That’s how long I spent in London. It was the longest single stretch of time I’d lived in any one place in my life.

Having recently turned 40, I’ve been spending a lot of time thinking about the different chapters of my life so far, and I always come back to my years in the UK as some of the happiest.

It’s very much where I grew up, both professionally and personally. It’s where I met my husband, and where our daughter was born. It’s where I started my career in food, my career as a professional content creator and recipe writer, and where some of my closest and dearest friends live.

London is absolutely, positively world class when it comes to restaurants and food. However, British cuisine still gets its fair share of jokes and lols, which I think in many ways is entirely unfair, given the fact that they did, after all, invent Coronation Chicken and, I’m sorry but, a Coronation Chicken sandwich has to be one of the all time sandwich greats!

I’m not sure how well known Coronation Chicken is outside of the UK. I don’t think very. This creamy, curry flavoured, yellow, boneless chicken dish was invented in 1953, in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s ascendance to the throne that year. Coronation Chicken is a British staple. (For anyone unfamiliar, it’s served cold as a salad or, as I mentioned above, as a filling in sandwiches.)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a fan of Coronation anything! I mean, curry plus chutney plus lime plus something creamy!? That is a combo of textures and flavours that I can very much get behind.

I often think of food as a puzzle. There are various different pieces that need to fit in order to make it whole/make things right. When I had an idea recently to roast long strips of aubergine/eggplant in spicy sweet chutney, salt, and lime zest, and then pile them high onto a bed of curried tahini yoghurt, along with some well roasted slivered almonds, I thought it might work

I was right. My word, what a dish! Taking my first bite, I was like “yep, this puzzle is complete.” That’s because this dish has everything necessary going on to make it utterly perfect:

The aubergines are so sticky and caramelised and salty and zesty and the tahini is so limey and creamy and well spiced. The crunchy, fatty almonds break it all up so well.

This is an utterly divine, extremely well balanced side dish that I think you’ll have on high rotation. Give it a try and see for yourself!

Recipe: Sticky Coronation aubergine on curried tahini yoghurt!

• Serves: 4 to 6 as a side

• Prep time: 20 min

• Cook time: 1 hour

TOOLS

• Sharp chef’s knife

• Cutting board

• Whisk and whisking bowl

• Lemon squeezer

• Shallow baking tray and baking paper

INGREDIENTS

For the eggplant

• 2 to 3 medium aubergines, cut into long wedges

• Sea salt flakes

• 3/4 cup Mrs Ball’s Hot Chutney, plus 2 to 3 tbsp extra for basting

• Zest and juice of 1 lime

• 2 to 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Black pepper

For the tahini yoghurt

• 1 cup Greek yoghurt

• 1/4 cup tahini

• 1 to 2 tbsp cold water

• Juice of 1 to 2 limes

• 2 tsp curry powder

• Sea salt flakes

To finish

• 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

• Zest of 1 lime

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 200°C/395°F, fan forced.

Cut your aubergine into long wedges. Lay the wedges on a tray, and season generously with sea salt flakes. Leave for 10 to 15 minutes, in order to draw out excess moisture.

Whisk together: the chutney, lime zest and juice, olive oil and a few cracks of black pepper. If you’re not using a hot chutney, add a finely chopped green chilli. Reserve 2 to 3 tablespoons of chutney for basting.

Brush the sea salt from the eggplant, and pat dry. Toss through the marinade until well coated, arrange skin-side down on a lined baking tray, and roast for 40 to 50 minutes, basting once or twice with the reserved chutney until deeply caramelised and tender.

Toast the almonds until golden.

Whisk together the yoghurt, tahini, cold water, curry powder, lime juice and a generous pinch of sea salt until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning and lime as needed.

Spread the tahini yoghurt onto a serving platter, arrange the sticky aubergine on top and finish with the toasted almonds and lime zest.

A note on the chutney

Mrs Ball’s Hot Chutney is my favourite here. It has the perfect balance of sweetness, spice and acidity and caramelises beautifully in the oven. If you’re using a milder chutney, simply add a finely chopped green chilli to the marinade. Enjoy!!

This dish has brought me so much joy, but actually a bit of strife too. Here’s the story. Without going in too deep, in a nutshell, I tested and wrote this recipe to sit in the vegetable section of my upcoming cookbook.

As I was writing the manuscript. I basically couldn’t decide what to cut, so I sent in 110, 15 more than were requested of me. That’s too many. And so came the difficult decision to narrow 110 recipes down to 95.

Which ones?

I started at the veggie chapter. That part was easy - the veg section was the heaviest in number, and there were quite a lot of potato dishes too, because I am *checks notes* totally obsessed with potatoes.

I somehow made the difficult decision to remove this very recipe, though I took solace in the fact that there were/are still a number of awesome potato dishes and also, removing this recipe from the book meant that I could then share it on IG and here with all of you! Win win!

Well, when it came making and eating this dish again, I was instantly reminded of just how BLOODY GOOD IT IS! All of a sudden, I was overcome with serious regret at the fact that I had taken it out of the book.

Anyway, after much back and forth, and ruminating, and agonising, here we are! The Best Potatoes I’ve Ever Made is going to live on Substack, and this lovely dish can now also be in your kitchen this weekend!

This is, for sure, one of the greatest potato dishes of all time. It is ALL OF THE THINGS: crispy, creamy, salty, sweet. And so, without further ado, I present to you…

Recipe: Smashed potatoes with golden feta, dates, capers + lemon

Serves: 4 to 6 as a side

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes

TOOLS

• Large pot

• Colander

• Large lined baking tray

• Flat bottomed glass or mug

• Small frying pan

• Microplane or fine grater

INGREDIENTS

For the crispy potatoes

• 1kg baby potatoes

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I’m always surprised when people I talk to are surprised that you can eat courgettes, aka zucchini, raw. In actual fact, raw is one of the best ways to eat a courgette!

When you shave/slice raw veggies really thinly, basically their entire personality changes. A courgette, or summer squash (aka patty pan squash), sliced into rounds, on a mandoline, loses its raw stiffness, and becomes ready to take (and abosrb) all the olive oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan you can throw at it!

This spectacular salad uses 3 of my favourite cooking concepts: (1) using raw veg, not leaves, as a salad base, (2) combining all sorts of different textures, and (3) creating some big flavour contrasts in the same bite. With this salad, you’ve got the crispness of the raw courgette rounds next to really yummy peas, as well as a lot of leafy basil. That base then gets tossed in a simple yet delicious dressing of extra virgin olive oil, lemon, and finely grated Parmesan, which coats every bite in a salty and savoury and lovely sheen.

Then you bring in some fresh burrata. That is torn apart and gently folded into the salad, and then punctuated by the buttery crunch of your roasted pistachios, plus the heat of Calabrian chilli. The overall effect is bright, creamy, crunchy, and spicy, all at once. This is the kind of effortless and low stress salad that looks like incredible on the table, but takes hardly more than ten minutes to pull together. Enjoy!

Recipe: Courgette, pea + burrata salad

Serves: 2 to 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

TOOLS

• Small baking tray

• Mandoline or sharp chef’s knife

• Chopping board

• Medium mixing bowl

• Microplane or fine grater

• Large serving platter

INGREDIENTS

The base + crunch

• 1/2 cup (60g) raw pistachios

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There are potato salads. And then there are POTATO SALADS 💥‼️

I know they’re a BBQ staple, and that plenty of people all over the world absolutely love potato salads, but I have never really been a gal who gets super excited by a bowl of mayo and potatoes. They’re just a bit too monochrome, a bit too heavy, a bit too stodgy and just a bit too one note for my taste.

But. If I were going to make a potato salad, I would make sure that it really, truly earned its place on the table.

That means loads of acidity. That means heat, herbs, crunch and something briny going on. I want it creamy enough to feel indulgent, but light enough that you can happily go back for another spoonful (or 3).

I’ve shared a potato salad on here and on IG before that a lot of people loved. It was packed with capers, anchovies, lemon, Greek yoghurt, pickled chillies and herbs. It’s a firm fave. But, I honestly think that this one has overtaken it.

I’m talking miso, plenty of lime, green chillis, spring onions, black sesame seeds and, what can only be described as, an utterly and totally irresponsible amount of crispy fried shallots. This P.S. is salty, sharp, creamy, crunchy and somehow feels really fresh, despite still being exactly what a potato salad should be.

OK, last note, and then we’ll get to the recipe. This is one of those recipes that sounded good in my head, but that also turned out even better than I’d imagined. If you’ve got a BBQ coming up, I’d make this one. Recipe below. Enjoy!!

Recipe: Miso and lime potato salad with chilli, sesame and crispy fried shallots

Serves: 6 as a side

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

TOOLS

• Chopping board (this one’s gorgeous, but an investment)

• Chef’s knife (my fave)

• Medium sized pot

• Large mixing bowl

• Small mixing bowl

• Microplane or fine grater

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg baby potatoes, halved

• A generous pinch of sea salt flakes

• 1/4 cup (60 g) high quality olive oil mayonnaise (I use extra virgin olive oil mayo, which I love, and has more flavour and just feels less “claggy” than trad mayo)

• 2 tbsp white miso paste

• 1/2 cup (125 g) Greek yogurt

• Zest and juice of 2 to 3 limes (or more if needed!)

• 1 to 2 jalapeños, thinly sliced into rounds

• 5 spring onions (scallions), sliced into rounds

• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds

• 2 to 3 tsp roasted sesame oil

• 2 generous handfuls of crispy fried shallots (these can usually be found in the Asian aisle at the supermarket)

METHOD

Boil the potatoes in generously salted water and cook until tender. Strain and set aside to cool slightly.

While the potatoes are cooking, make the dressing. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup of olive oil mayo, 2 tbsp of white miso paste, 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt, and the zest and juice of 1 lime. Taste the dressing, and add the juice of the second lime if you want something brighter and tangier.

Place the warm cooked potatoes into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle 2 to 3 tsp of roasted sesame oil and pour over the white miso dressing. Mix well to thoroughly coat. I like to mix it firmly so some of the potatoes break apart slightly. (Those crushed edges are gonna beautifully absorb all the dressing.) Add the sliced jalapeño, green shallots and 2 tbsp of black sesame seeds to the bowl and mix to combine.

Taste, and then add more of anything you think it needs. It was at this point that I’m pretty sure I added the juice of a third lime. Also, jalapeños can really vary in heat, so if you want it spicier, just add more! Same goes for saltiness, the miso does bring most of the salt but if you need more, go for it. Pretty much add more of anything else you like, if you think it’s lacking in one of the elements. Each bite should be superbly FULL of flavour and texture!

Transfer the potato salad to a serving platter, scatter with crispy fried shallots just before serving, so they keep their crunch.

TIPS

The potatoes

Dress the potatoes while they’re still warm, rather than letting them cool completely. Warm potatoes act like a sponge, drawing the savoury umami flavours of the miso dressing deep into their centres as they cool.

The spring onions (scallions)

Don’t slice the spring onions/scallions too thin. You want them to have enough structural integrity to stand up to the heavy potatoes during mixing, providing a fresh, crisp bite.

We’re doing our best to eat dinner together as a family these days. For my husband and me, that means having our dinner when our daughter does, at 5pm. Sunset is basically exactly then in Sydney in winter, so it doesn’t feel as random or as early as it otherwise would. Sydney is also an early to bed and early to rise city, so it kind of doubly works for us here.

Anyway, all this to say: lately, I have found myself sitting directly across from our 3 and 1/2 year old, just watching her work her way through one of her classic beige meals. (Tuna pasta, hummus on crackers, and peanut butter sandwiches are currently on rotation, if you’re curious). Recently, with peas firmly on my mind, I had a sudden (and pretty visceral) realisation: if green veggies were ever taken from me, I would probably tantrum like a 3 year old, myself!

I will choose a bowl of fresh, crunchy, salty, lemony salad eaten straight from the mixing bowl, over something more stereotypically indulgent, like French fries or pasta. If you’ve been following along with me on IG, you’ll know that salads with serious texture just do something to me. I think it’s because they hit every single sensory note, which is the hallmark of a perfect bite to me, Whatever the exact reason, I genuinely feel like I would go off the deep end without ‘em.

The famous fattoush is already one of the greatest salads of all time. This version adds sweet green peas into the fold, and it is so, so good. The sweetness of the peas creates a really satisfying counterpoint to the sharp and sour sumac and lemon dressing, while radishes, cucumbers, and red onion provide that much needed satisfying crunch. Then, when it’s topped with a mountain of fresh mint, pomegranate seeds, and za’atar pita chips, it basically becomes the kind of salad that actually gets better as it sits, because all the flavours develop all together.

It all comes together super quickly too, making this here salad a really awesome choice for a midweek lunch or dinner. At the same time, I think this salad looks more than good enough to stand on its own, on a weekend dining table - so if you’re having people over soon, I’ve got you!

Recipe: Sweet green pea fattoush

Serves: 2 as a main (or 4 as a side)

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

TOOLS

• Baking tray

• Chef’s knife

• Cutting board

• Large mixing bowl

• Colander

INGREDIENTS

The crispy za’atar pita

• 2 small pita breads (or Lebanese bread), torn into bite sized pieces

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I’ve been thinking a lot about colour lately. Between pulling together mood boards for my upcoming book(!!) as well as another exciting project I have in the works, colour chemistry has been very front of mind for me lately.

And if someone asked me to pick my absolute favorite colour to work with in the kitchen? It would have to be, without question, green.

It’s not because I’m a health freak, and I’m actually not that obsessed with shades of green outside the kitchen (I rarely wear it). However, when it comes to food, green carries an electric energy that no other colour can match. I’m not just talking about fresh mint leaves, crunchy snap peas, or dark cavolo nero, though I love those too. It’s the high impact, punchy greens that really hook me: a vibrant salsa verde, a bright mojo verde, rough cut chimichurri, or a fiery zhoug. Even just seeing little rounds of green Thai birds eye chilis in fish sauce just does something to me. The more that I think about it, I actually do often think that every dish is missing something green. And this opinion is not purely aesthetic. Green food signals life, freshness, and just gives an immediate vibrancy. Green gives any dish instant, how do I put this, confidence, stature and attitude, if you know what I mean?

All of which brings me to this here green pea and basil soup. The feelings I have toward this lemony green, basil-y, and Parmesan-y number are rather strong. But, that said, this is actually more of a loose and intuitive recipe. This soup is the kind of cooking where you taste as you go, and just trust your palate. The framework is super simple: leeks, onion, and garlic sweated down until sweet and golden, combined with chicken stock and sweet frozen peas.

The real magic lies in blanching and ice shocking fresh spinach and basil, before blitzing them into the pot, alongside a generous downpour of Parmesan and fresh lemon juice. The result is quite possibly the greenest thing you will cook all year. It’s velvety smooth, it’s intensely aromatic, and it’s perfectly balanced between sweet, salty, and sour. Enjoy!!

Recipe: Lemony green pea, basil + parmesan soup (hot or cold)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes (plus 2 hours chilling, if you’re serving it cold)

TOOLS

• Chef’s knife

• Cutting board (gorgeous, but definitely an investment)

• Large, heavy based soup pot

• High powered blender OR immersion stick blender

• Small saucepan (for blanching)

• Large bowl, filled with ice water (aka an ice bath)

• Microplane, or fine grater

INGREDIENTS

The base

• 2 large leeks, white and pale green parts washed, and sliced into rounds

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I spent 15 years living in London and loved it. I worked in Marylebone, and spent most evenings eating and drinking out in Soho, Shoreditch, and more, before crawling home to my little shared flat in Maida Vale, just to do it all over again the next day. London in the 2010s was very much where I grew up and found myself, in more ways that one.

Though the food scene in Sydney, which is where I spent my childhood and where I live with my family now, is top notch, good old London is the place where my professional palate was properly shaped.

Before I began my own recipe writing and food content creation journey, I curated lists and booked impossible tables for other people as the Head of Restaurants at a concierge company. I did that by day, and of course tried all of the latest places by night. Somehow, I also managed to write restaurant reviews for The Telegraph Luxury. It was literally my job to know the best tables and most delicious dishes in town.

Needless to say, I really, really, really loved it.

So my relationship with the city’s dining scene is actually deeply personal as well as professional, and I’d be lying if I said that a giant part of my heart wasn’t still there, and always will be.

Returning to London always feels exciting and familiar at the same time. I was lucky on this last trip to eat out a lot. I have to say, I’m at the age and stage where I just cannot deal with multi course tasting menus or “high concept” restaurants. If you know me, and you know the food that I like to make and eat, it’s all about abundance, contrast, textures, sharing plates. And so, to me, a proper food guide needs to have a mix of casual and quiet breakfast spots, plus the honest, or dare I say it, basic joints that do the heavy lifting, alongside the knockouts. This list has all of that.

Guide: My Summer 2026 London restaurant hot list

On this recent trip, I (somehow) ate at 14 different places in just eight days! Important note: as with my other restaurant guides, Where I actually eat in Cape Town (Part I), Where I actually eat in Cape Town (Part II), and Sydney go tos, Part I, the list below is not necessarily a directory of what is trendy right now, and it doesn’t feature the super local, neighbourhood-y, off the grid gems that make London the infinitely interesting city that it is. And this is definitely not the 14 “best” places in town.

Rather, this is my personal, highly vetted, Summer 2026 download of where I actually ate when I had just eight precious days in London. Let’s dive in!

The daily musts: breakfasts and coffee

Panzers (St. John’s Wood)

This St. John’s Wood deli is a London institution. I ended up here twice for breakfast, even though I wasn’t staying anywhere nearby. The pro breakfast move at Panzers is simple: grab a classic bagel, with cream cheese and smoked salmon. (I take mine with capers, tomato and red onion.) There is just something about the Panzers oily, thin cut smoked salmon that makes it a standout.

Panzers insider tip

Panzers is also one of London’s best stocked supermarkets, selling many snacks, condiments, and ingredients that you just can’t find anywhere else. I’m partial to any kind of bagged snack, tinned fish, interesting nut butter, and/or hot sauce, and the selection of all that and more at Panzers is excellent.

Granger & Co. (Marylebone)

Ironic, perhaps, to eat at Grangers when I’m visiting London from Sydney, but the Marylebone branch of this Aussie-style cafe and restaurant is a very solid choice for a breakfast that feels wholesome and satisfying - I love their scrambled eggs and they brew some of the best coffee in town.

Granger & Co Marylebone insider tip

On a nice day, you might want to sit at the few handful of tables on the pavement, but I suggest the large and tasteful back dining room - it’s beautiful, and at night, it can feel downright sexy - something not many cafes can claim.

The Zetter Bloomsbury

This boutique hotel chain started in Clerkenwell back in 2004, and they added the Zetter Townhouse in 2011. Since then, they’ve opened two more townhouse-y locations, one in Marylebone, and the newest outpost in Bloomsbury. I was fortunate enough to stay in the Bloomsbury branch on this trip, and loved it, especially starting my days in the art and light filled ground floor restaurant, which feels unique, modern, classic and British all at the same time - without being stuffy in the least.

The Zetter Bloomsbury insider tip

There’s a beautiful, hidden garden behind the breakfast room. It’s a lovely little oasis in a busy part of a town. On a nice morning, it’s downright magical, and you can have coffee or a drink whether you’re a hotel guest or not.

Dover St. Counter (Mayfair)

If you find yourself between meetings in Mayfair and need a quick, chic place for a bite and a catch up, Dover St. Counter is a good choice. Food wise, it might be slightly overrated, but I also understand the hype: you walk in and everyone’s sitting at the counter, the whole place feels sleek and cool and chic, and they’re playing cool R&B too. If you enjoy elevated American-diner style food, counter seating and people watching, you’ll like it here. Their signature dish is a sort of iceberg wedge with caramlised walnuts on top. I also ordered a steak, and really enjoyed the experience, even if it wasn’t technically the best meal I had all week.

The neighborhood anchors + no frills cravings

Not every meal needs to be an “event.” These are the spots to visit when you want bold, clear flavors, and totally unpretentious cooking.

Santo Remedio (Marylebone)

Thanks to a slew of fantastic new openings in recent years, proper, punchy Mexican food is no longer as rare as it was when I first moved to London. Thank goodness! There are few bites in this world that are more satisfying, in my humble opinion, than an expertly made and served fish, or slow cooked beef, taco. Add an ice cold spicy mezcal margarita, on a warm summer’s evening, and I’m not sure dinner plans get much better than that. I’m pleased to say Santo Remedio delivers on all of these fronts. I went with three dear friends, and we got a slew of tacos, plus the ceviche, and the flavours were vibrant, sharp, and felt super authentic. It is tough to go wrong with slow-cooked meats, fresh lime, and proper levels of spice!!

Khao Soi I (Fitzrovia/Oxford Circus)

If you’re the kind of person that every now and then simply NEEDS a comforting, aromatic bowl of noodles, I think Khao Soi I is an absolute savior. Their namesake soup is a rich, spicy, fragrant, creamy coconut curry bowl of goodness, and you can choose all different toppings, including slow-cooked beef, which is what I got. It’s also a cool room, that was really busy (in a nice way) when I went. I suggest coming here if you’re meeting a friend in central London, or you’ve been shopping up and down Oxford Street and just want a highly satisfying and special meal that won’t break the bank.

Khao Soi I insider tip

People come here for the signature soup bowls, but I ordered a spicy cabbage stir fry dish as a starter, that was really, really nice. In fact, all the starters looked great, so come hungry!

Maza (Mayfair)

This Greek restaurant is a new retro gem from the team behind Mazi in Notting Hill. Maza specialises in deeply savory, satisfying authentic Greek dishes. It is a very dimly lit, buzzy Mayfair dining room - quite large and all on one level, which is nice for London. (Not every restaurant in town can spread out across one flat large open space, and the overall effect is very inviting.) But enough about the room, let’s talk about the food - it’s delicious! You’d expect a place like this to be serving high end, fancy Greek dishes, but Maza actually served the type of cooking that you’d find in Greece, really unpretentious, grounded, honest, authentic, delicious food, but in an elevated environment, and I just loved that juxtaposition.

Joy King Lau (Chinatown)

OK, I am going to be completely honest: this is a no frills Chinatown spot that’s been open since the 1970s. But honestly, sometimes that’s exactly what you want!! We went here because my friend and I were both craving dim sum, without realising that they didn’t offer this. Instead, we had a reliable meal that started with a really satisfying bowl of hot and sour soup. We also ordered the whole steamed sea bass, a crispy shredded beef dish, and a couple of dumplings. The restaurant is not winning any awards, but it isn’t trying to, and that’s kind of the point. When you want a straightforward, unpretentious Chinatown meal that is quick, affordable, and exactly what it looks like it will be from the outside, Joy King Lau is a useful spot to have in your back pocket.

The destination tables

These are the heavy hitters - places where culinary execution, service, room, vibe, and just the vision of the team, all combine to create a meal worth going out of your way for.

Impala (Soho)

Impala is a new must visit from the team behind my hands down favourite restaurant in London, the always 10/10, clay pot and woodfire grill gem that is Kiln. (The group is also behind several other absolute superstar London restaurants, like Mountain, Brat, and Smoking Goat.) The team’s new spot, Impala, is a North African / Mediterranean restaurant, led by the former head chef at Kiln, that does a range of delicious, inventive, insanely well crafted dishes that basically defy categorisation, and in some cases even explanation. My favourite bite of the year might have been their Shiso leaf kibbeh - the sweetness and heat that came from the crab was so nice, and then the cracked wheat brought a nuttiness, and the whole thing was wrapped up in a fresh shiso leaf, that cut through all that richness instantly. It’s fresh, unique, light, and utterly delectable. (Please note that they do a different filling every time). Impala itself is the kind of interesting, unique, one of a kind spot that I think every food capital needs. You could tell that the room would just feel dark and sexy as the night goes on, but actually at any time of day, Imapala has the buzz of a place that knows it’s hot, and I mean that in the very best way.

Impala insider tip

Impala feels like a dinner destination, but I actually went for lunch on a Friday, and I thought the vibe in the afternoon was really perfect - the light streaming in through the windows was lovely, and the energy was just on, with people still going about their day in Soho outside, but a relaxed, “if you know, you know” feel inside the restaurant. When I go back, I would choose a Friday lunch over any other seating.

Trishna (Marylebone)

Trishna occupies a very special place in my heart, and a whole chapter in my personal food history. The restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star in 2012, the year after I arrived in London, and it became my ultimate benchmark for high end Indian dining. Back then, it was the restaurant I would take my parents to, in order to prove I was living a successful, and sophisticated, life in food (before I’d bunk off to party with my friends at Chiltern Firehouse around the corner).

What I didn’t know then, was that this dining room was the launchpad for JKS Restaurants, the empire behind Gymkhana, Hoppers, and the opulent Ambassadors Clubhouse in Soho, and many, many more. Returning to the original Trishna is a must for me when I’m in London, and I’m pleased to report that the execution remains flawless. My favourites here are too many to list, but the real standouts are: Aloo Tokri Chaat, with ratte potatoes, masala chickpeas, tamarind, and sweet yoghurt. Hariyali Bream, with green chilli, coriander, and smoked tomato kachumber. (I’m a sucker for Hariyali sauce, and this fish has such a satisfying char!) Badami Broccoli, with cardamom, almonds, gajar murabba, broccoli and garlic chutney. And finally, my very favourite: Tandoori Lamb Chops, with Kashmiri chilli, ginger, crushed onion, and kasundi mooli. Oh and always start with the papadums and chutneys plus a side of pickle with the mains!

Trishna insider tip

Look for the Greek red wine on their list, if they haven’t yet sold out of it yet. I had to look up why this paired so well with our meal, and learnt that many Greek reds have softer tannins, that don’t amplify spice. The one we had was old and complex but so smooth. After 20+ years in the bottle, tannins soften and wine becomes much smoother, so it doesn’t intensify the heat as much. The combo was pure magic.

Kioku by Endo (The OWO, Whitehall)

Located on the rooftop of the new OWO hotel, this sushi restaurant is seriously next level dining. Endo is Endo Kazutoshi, the third generation in his family to be a sushi master. The food is epic, the views across Whitehall are great, and the whole experience feels like a masterclass in precision and luxury. That said, it’s the sheer skill that goes into what’s on the plate that steals the show. This is a spot for a serious, celebratory meal. I could very, very happily come back to London for a selection of excellent nigiri, and a carafe of delicious sake, and call it a visit.

Kioku by Endo insider tip

Save room for dessert! You’d be well within your rights to be completely full by the end of the meal, but a special shoutout to the desserts here - I had creme brulee, I believe, with caviar and it was an insane combo of contrasts: sweet, savoury and crunchy all at once.

Fallow (St. James’s)

“Conscious gastronomy” goes the tagline to Fallow, and I think it’s apt. I appreciate their approach to food sustainability (“nose-to-tail, root-to-stem”). The food here is creative, rich, and satisfying, and I would describe the room as very “St. James-y” (an area by Buckingham Palace that has been popular with aristocrats and the wealthy for centuries), without being old fashioned at all.

Fallow insider tip

A special shout out to Fallow’s breakfasts, and specifically their croissant royales. The Fried Chicken Royale features Sriracha mayo and Szechuan honey - you couldn’t conjure up a more decadently satisfying breakfast sandwich if you tried!

The atmosphere + setting

Spots where the design, the greenery, or the sheer aesthetic of the space elevates the experience.

Ham Yard Hotel (Soho)

Tucked away in a quiet courtyard in Soho, this hotel from the Firmdale group that runs about 10 hotels across New York and London, is an easy, super central spot for a drink or a catch up. Tucked away behind Piccadilly Circus, I think the Ham Yard really excels in the Summer, because of its namesake yard - a hidden-but-still-buzzy spot for a casual lunch or a drink, as long as the weather is cooperating.

Petersham Nurseries (Richmond)

If you want to get out of London without going too far, Petersham Nurseries is a little hack to get some fresh countryside air in a beautiful setting. I recently attended a beautiful Jo Malone London event here, and it reminded me of why this space is so globally famous. The original Richmond location, surrounded by greenhouses and dirt floors is kind of a gold standard in London for rustic but aesthetic dining.

My top 5 London all timers!!

These are perennial favourites of mine, that I didn’t visit this time around - but loved deeply over the 15 years I lived in London, and will always try to go out of my way to visit when I’m back.

Fischer’s (Marylebone)

Fischer’s is a happy place for me - I love the aesthetic of the dining room, and even the location, at the top of Marylebone High Street, feels just central enough, yet somehow tucked away from the bustle of Oxford Street and Selfridges. They serve an Austrian menu in a theatrical room (props, plenty of art, classic beer taps, and vintage wall clocks) and are famous for their Holstein schnitzel with an egg and anchovy on top, and for their sausages too - all served by a really friendly, welcoming crew.

Fischer’s insider tip

The chopped chicken salad with sauerkraut is one of the most simple, and satisfying, restaurant chicken salads I’ve ever had.

Shahjahan (Lancaster Gate/Paddington)

My husband and I were fortunate to live walking distance from this classic, white tablecloth, no music British Indian restaurant - and boy did we take advantage of that fact! Whether we were eating in, or taking away, this was our very favourite local spot, and quite frankly, we were always in the mood for it. Specifically, I really, really loved the lamb puri and the coconut fish curry, and they do a hariyali chicken tikka that really hit the spot. They have a cavernous lower ground floor dining room, but the high ceilinged ground floor is where you want to sit. The staff here have probably been working there for 30 years, and they are absolute pros- it only took a small handful of visits for them to begin recognising and joking with us.

Shah Jahan insider tip

At some point, we began to order off menu. Jon was tipped off by the waiters to a dish called lamb phal, that doesn’t appear on the menu, and is seriously one of the hottest dishes either of us have ever tasted. I’m being so honest when I say that the spice level here is not for the faint of heart - it’s fierce and aggressive. I actually had to look it up, because neither of us had heard of lamb phal - it’s actually a British Indian invention, first made by Bangladeshi chefs in Birmingham in the 1970s! Try it if you dare!!

Kiln (Soho)

I could talk about Kiln forever. An inventive wood fired grill and claypot restaurant serving Thai, Myanmar and Laotian inspired dishes at a long counter. (They also have a really small and cozy lower ground dining room). The menu at Kiln shifts often, but there are a couple of standards that always seem to be available. I just love the little skinny, fatty, charred lamb skewers, and the clay pot noodles are perrenniel faves, but honestly it’s tough to go wrong here. Sit up front, with a view of the busy bar and the record player in front corner of the room that is always, somehow, playing an unknown banger, or sit in the back, warmed by the wood grill and clay pots, and watch the kitchen crew work their magic.

Kiln insider tips

Show up early! Seriously! If you want to have dinner, plan to arrive just before 5pm, so you don’t have to wait. Otherwise, it’ll just automatically be 2 hours. Also, Kiln is not great for a group - because the ground level is all bar, it’s ideal for a two person catch up, or a date night, or even solo, where you can sit at the bar and watch the geniuses here at work.

AngloThai (Marble Arch)

AngloThai opened just as we were leaving London, but I’m oh so glad I caught it. It’s refined and inventive Thai, using British ingredients, served in a super nice dining room. The name refers to the chef and co owner John’s half British and half Thai heritage. The menu is very seasonal, and even changes day by day, I think. But every dish features fresh, British farm ingredients, a nod to the other co owner Desiree’s British family farming heritage. And then there’s the design! The AngloThai room just feels so inviting, romantic and cool in a special way - with furniture and artworks and ceramics sourced from Chiang Mai and Bangkok. The attention to craft and detail here is just next level - AngloThai is super tasteful in every way! And it’s also no secret- the place earned a Michelin star just a few months after opening, which I think has got to be a record of some kind!!

AngloThai insider tip

AngloThai has a superb wine list - “thoughtful and inclusive,” in the restaurant’s own words, and it is! Don’t try and choose - just ask for a good pairing, as you make your way through your courses, and they’ll hook you up!

Halepi (Lancaster Gate/Bayswater/Queensway)

I believe this delicious Cypriot restaurant represents London dining at its best: it’s a hole in the wall, it’s an institution, it’s family run, it’s casual and extremely unpretentious, yet it still feels like a destination. And that’s because you couldn’t replicate this lived in, charming, wintery Taverna that’s been open since the 1960s, if you tried. Tables here are very close quarters, so if you want to have a private chat over your meal, come at an odd hour, but to me the tight dining room just adds to the charm. Halepi kind of defies description, so I’ll just say it feels like a warm hug from a Greek Cypriot granny who loves cooking and serving food. As for which dishes to go with, I also just LOVE this kind of cuisine, so in my opinion, it’s tough to go wrong with whatever strikes your fancy, but please do not skip the Greek salad, which is abundant and generous, and the Halloumi, which is well sourced and delicious!

Halepi insider tips

Do not sleep on the lamb klefitiko either, an abundant lamb shoulder - the meat just falls right off the bone. Also, Halepi is helpfully open ‘til midnight, seven nights a week, which is cool if you’re a late dinner eater, or if you or a friend is just off an evening flight to Heathrow, and want your very first meal of the plane to be a goodie!

Sooo, I recently handed in the final manuscript for my upcoming cookbook(!!!!). This really felt like an absolutely, unreal milestone for me. Writing this book was one of the hardest, and one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done and I have to say, the swings between sheer joy and sheer anxiety (at times) has been full on.

Joy because I still can’t believe that cooking and recipe creation, this thing that has been such a huge part of my life, and actually my whole identity, is going to come to life in the form of an honest to goodness, real life, actual cookbook.

And anxiety because of the pressure. I basically second guessed *checks notes* everything about everything I’ve ever cooked, but also, when I’d landed on something really delicious that I loved, I found the act of deciding whether that recipe should be shared here on Substack and on IG, or rather saved and held back for the book really confusing and challenging. And I’m still second guessing.

This recipe right here is a perfect example.

I had been riding a wave of relative “post-cookbook-manuscript-submission-calm” when I threw this salad together. Then, my husband and I were savouring just how delicious it was. And then I had a moment of total panic.

Ultimately, there was a positive reason for the panic, I suppose. It was because this salad was so bloody good! Before my husband had washed the dishes, I had literally emailed the publishers to ask how late I could swap out, or add new recipes to the book.

Yes, I am genuinely trying to figure out how I can make this salad a sneaky, last-minute addition to my debut cookbook, because this dish is a total knockout. And if I can’t, then please save/bookmark this issue right here, because I promise you, you’re going to want to come back to this salad recipe!

The sweet green pea

This salad starts with the sweet green pea. If you’ve been following along on IG, you’ve seen my series “Yes, peas.” The IG algorithm doesn’t appear to be enjoying that series as much as I am but I truly hope you aren’t sleeping on the humble, frozen pea, especially if you have a real love for the bright and beautiful, abundant dishes, that come together without a lot of effort. Because, friends, this pea salad, is exactly that.

It is sweet. It is inexpensive. And, once you have this recipe up your sleeve, it will always be there for you, whenever you need a quick win!

Contrast and texture

The magic of this dish lies in the high contrast textures and the unapologetically briny dressing. So, when you pair the beautiful sweetness, crisp pop, and gorgeous bright green colour, with the creamy weight of butter beans and all that sharpness from the brine and that salty kick of crumbled feta, you’ve just got an incredible, structural base for an awesome salad.

The real game changer here is the brine from your pickled jalapeño jar. Instead of whisking a complicated vinaigrette, you’re going to use a few tablespoons of that fiery, vinegar spiked pickling liquid, straight into your salad bowl. The spicy, briny liquid will cut through the rich cheese, and will tie the fresh dill and preserved lemon together beautifully.

Toss in the crunchy, deeply roasted sourdough croutons in at the very last second so they absorb the juices without losing their crunch. This is the kind of salad that dreams are made of. Enjoy!!!

Recipe: Pea + butter bean salad with pickled chillies, feta + preserved lemon

Serves: 4, as an abundant side dish, or 2 as a main.

Cook time: ~15 minutes

TOOLS

• Baking tray

• Chef’s knife (My fave)

• Chopping board (This one is beautiful, but it certainly is an investment)

• Large mixing bowl

• Colander

• Small saucepan

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 3 thick slices of sourdough bread, torn into chunky pieces

Read more

To me, this dish fully encapsulates how a simple ingredient, in this case a bright green pea, has the power to completely transform a meal into something bright, vibrant, moreish, and so, so satisfying!

OK, I will also be completely honest with you, because I can see from the IG engagement that peas are (how can I put this?) polarising to say the least. The IG algorithm seems to really dislike peas. I think that’s a shame. If peas really aren’t your thing, and you end up making this brothy fish stew without them, it’s all good. This dish will still taste damn delicious, because fennel and white wine always do a massive amount of heavy lifting in the kitchen.

But, without those cute little green pops, I do think your whole plate will look a bit beige for my liking. The moment you stir in those sweet green peas and a mountain of fresh herbs, this entire dish comes alive, becoming brighter and more colourful. This dish brings a beautiful texture, bite, and sweetness, and is guaranteed to bring instant joy to any table. Actually, long lasting joy, not instant: when I made this for lunch, my husband went back for thirds, not seconds. (Technically, fourths, if you count the fact that he had the remaining portion for dinner!) It is safe to say that those humble little peas are doing a lot of wonderful work here.

Anyway, all this to say, this is a lovely dish to bring to life - it is so delicious! Served with lots of cracked black pepper, fresh lemon juice, and a good solid lashing of extra virgin olive oil, you have the most wonderful dish that comes together easily.

Let them swim!

The philosophy behind a classic “à la nage” dish is all about letting your fish swim in a light, highly aromatic broth. To make this work beautifully, without turning your vegetables into mush, I prefer to cook the baby potatoes separately in salted water first. This keeps them in lovely, generous chunks and allows you to control the texture perfectly.

When you drop the fish into the simmering leek and fennel mixture, it poaches gently under the lid in just a few minutes, absorbing all that liquid gold from the white wine and fish stock. It is a wonderfully elegant meal that comes together with minimal fuss, making it a total dream for elevated, yet effortless midweek meal. Serve with warm crusty bread, salty butter and a crisp glass of white wine and enjoy!!!

Recipe: Fish à la nage with peas + potatoes

Serves: 4

Cook time: 25 minutes

TOOLS

• Heavy based large shallow cast iron pot or Dutch oven with lid

• Chef’s knife

• Chopping board

• Tongs

• Microplane grater

• Large serving platter

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing

Read more

Today’s 3 recipes have no paywall - thanks to Jo Malone London for unlocking them for everyone!

If you’re part of this Substack community, chances are that abundant, colourful tablescapes have a special place in your heart. (They really do in mine!) In this issue, I wanted to bring you a really up close and behind the scenes look at a project that completely brought this obsession to life.

London calling

I flew to Summery London from cold and grey Sydney in May. It was the first time this year that I’ve flown solo, and it was amazing to catch up with some of my closest friends in a London heatwave.

One of the highlights of the trip was this three course vegetable feast I created to celebrate the launch of the Jo Malone London Limited Edition Veggies Collection.

But let me rewind.

When I first heard that Jo Malone London was launching three fragrances, all inspired by British vegetables, I honestly practically shrieked with excitement, because I’m someone who very much loves veggies not just for their taste but for their beauty too.

The concept made so much sense to me. Jo Malone London have bottled the feel of a warm, luxurious veggie patch on a sunny Sunday morning, with three incredible veggie inspired fragrances: Velvety Butternut, Scarlet Beetroot, and Carrot Blossom. For me, translating those ingredients into a veggie forward meal was a total joy.

If you love veggies and are keen on a gorgeous, colourful tablescape, this menu is it. And if you’re interested in the Limited Edition Veggies Collection, check it out here!

The thinking behind this feast

The core concept with this celebratory menu is really all about putting the humble root vegetable front and centre.

All too often, veggies get treated as an afterthought, or relegated to a basic side dish. But, for this feast, we’ll use specific visual and textural techniques to make them the absolute stars of the show.

For the butternut squash, we are roasting it hard at a high heat to catch the edges and get that deep, nutty caramelisation. Then, we balance that warmth with a sharp, fresh, and zesty relish.

For the beetroot, the secret is slicing them wafer-thin on a mandoline and drawing out the moisture with sea salt flakes, which lets them stay beautifully vibrant and crisp on top of a light, tangy pastry base.

Finally, for the carrots, we skip the oven totally, and shaving them into long and lovely ribbons so we can highlight their raw, sweet crunch.

By playing with these contrasting textures (creamy yoghurt, crunchy nuts, crispy fried ginger, and delicate pastry) you create a menu that feels incredibly elegant and elevated for your guests.

Recipe: Velvety butternut squash with tahini yoghurt and crispy ginger

Serves: 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Cook time: ~45 minutes

TOOLS

• Baking tray

• Baking paper

• Whisk

• Small pot

• Slotted spoon

• Paper towels

• Chef’s knife

• Chopping board

• Large serving platter

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large butternut squash, skin on, deseeded and cut into chunky, irregular pieces

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Sea salt flakes

• 100ml tahini

• 1/2 cup yoghurt

• Juice of 1 lemon

• Water, to thin the mixture

• 2 large thumbs of ginger, peeled

• Neutral oil, for frying

• A big handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

• 1 preserved lemon, finely chopped

• Juice of half a lemon Aleppo pepper

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C fan.

Tip all of the squash pieces onto a lined baking tray, ensuring they all sit skin side down. Pour over a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil and a lot of sea salt flakes, then massage it all over the squash with your hands. Be sure to arrange the pieces so they are sitting up (proudly!), as opposed to lying completely flat.

Roast until properly golden and caramelised at the edges. Do not be shy with the oven time here, as you want some real colour and char.

While the squash roasts, make your tahini yoghurt base. Whisk together the 100ml of tahini, the 1/2 cup of yoghurt, the lemon juice, and a pinch of sea salt flakes, loosening the mix with a splash of water until you have a thick, spreadable consistency. Taste and adjust. It should taste wonderfully salty, nutty, lemony, and acidic!

For the crispy ginger, slice your 2 large thumbs of peeled ginger into long, thin planks. Stack the planks on top of each other and slice through them to create fine matchsticks. Heat a small pot of neutral oil until it is properly hot, then fry the ginger until golden and crisp. This will happen very fast, so keep an eye on it. Lift the ginger out with a slotted spoon onto paper towels to drain.

Finally, make your green element by tossing the big handful of flat-leaf parsley with the chopped preserved lemon, a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and sea salt flakes to taste. It should taste incredibly fresh and fragrant.

To plate, spread that velvety tahini yoghurt over the base of your platter. Pile the warm roasted squash on top, scatter over the parsley relish, then finish with the crispy ginger so it stays sitting proudly on top rather than buried. Scatter a healthy amount of Aleppo pepper all over with your fingers for a bit of fieriness and colour. Finish the platter with one final drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Recipe: Scarlet beetroot tart with jalapeño currant relish

Serves: 4 people comfortably as an starter.

Cook time: ~35 minutes

TOOLS

• Mandoline

• Paper towels

• Mixing bowl

• Baking tray

• Pastry brush

• Chef’s knife

• Chopping board

INGREDIENTS

• 1 candy cane beetroot

• 1 regular beetroot

• Sea salt flakes

• About 5 tbsp labneh

• About 5 tbsp mascarpone

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced

• 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry

• 1 egg, beaten

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Za’atar, to finish

• 1 hot jalapeño, finely diced

• 2 tbsp dried currants, roughly chopped

• A handful of fresh mint, finely sliced

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 400°F/200°C fan.

Using a mandoline, slice the candy cane beetroot and the regular beetroot into wafer-thin rounds. Place them in a bowl and season well with sea salt flakes. Spread the slices out on a layer of paper towel, top with another layer, and leave them to sit so the salt can draw out the excess moisture.

Meanwhile, make your creamy base. Mix the 5 tbsp. of mascarpone into the 5 tbsp. of labneh just to thicken it slightly, because you want this to stay a thin, light layer rather than a heavy one. If your labneh feels quite wet, you can add a bit more mascarpone to compensate. Stir through the lemon zest, lemon juice, and a good pinch of sea salt flakes. Taste it to ensure it is beautifully salty and tangy.

Score a light border around your sheet of puff pastry. Spread the labneh base thinly over the centre, keeping inside the border. Pat your beetroot slices really dry with paper towels and lattice them beautifully over the labneh layer.

Brush the pastry border with your beaten egg wash, drizzle the beetroots with a little extra virgin olive oil, and scatter over a little extra sea salt flakes.

Bake at 400°F/200°C fan for 20 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed and golden brown.

While the tart bakes, mix your relish. Toss the diced jalapeño and chopped currants with the sliced mint, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and a pinch of sea salt flakes. Taste and adjust until it feels perfectly spicy, acidic, salty, and sweet.

Let the tart cool for just a moment on your board, then scatter the bright relish all over the top. Finish with a generous dust of za’atar, slice it up, and serve immediately.

Recipe: Raw carrot ribbon salad with shaved fennel and pistachio

Serves: 4

Cook time: ~15 minutes

TOOLS

• Vegetable peeler

• Mandoline or sharp chef’s knife

• Small glass jar

• Chopping board

• Large serving bowl or platter

INGREDIENTS

For the salad

• 4 large carrots, shaved into wide ribbons with a peeler

• 1 large fennel bulb, thinly sliced on a mandolin

• 1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

• 100g pistachios

• 1 tbsp za’atar

For the dressing

• 3 tbsp capers, roughly chopped

• 90ml olive oil

• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

• Juice of half a lemon

• Zest of half to a whole orange

• Juice of half an orange (or to taste)

• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar

• Flaky salt and black pepper

METHOD

Roast the pistachios. Heat the oven to 350°F/180°C. Scatter the pistachios on a tray and roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until fragrant and golden. Set aside to cool completely, then roughly chop.

Make the dressing. In a bowl or jug, whisk together the capers, olive oil, Dijon, lemon juice, orange zest and juice, and sherry vinegar. Taste and adjust, it should be punchy, well seasoned, and generous enough to properly coat the vegetables. Season with flaky salt and pepper.

Assemble. Put the carrot ribbons, fennel, and parsley into a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss really well, making sure everything is well coated.

Finish and plate. Heap the salad onto a large platter. Scatter over the za’atar, then most of the chopped pistachios, tossing gently or scattering as you go. Finish with the reserved pistachios on top and serve.

Hosting and serving guidance

This menu is an absolute dream for effortless hosting because almost all of the components can be prepped well before your guests arrive. You can whisk up the tahini yoghurt, slice the ginger into matchsticks, and chop the parsley relish for the butternut squash a few hours ahead of time. The labneh and mascarpone base for the beetroot tart can sit happily in the fridge, and you can even shake the orange and dijon vinaigrette together in its jar the morning of your lunch.

When your guests arrive for an apero, pop the beetroot tart into the oven so the kitchen fills with that warm, buttery pastry scent. Serve the tart warm with a chilled glass of wine while you easily assemble the roasted squash platter and toss the fresh carrot salad.

Substitutions

The beetroot

If you cannot find candy cane beetroots at your local market, standard red beetroots or golden beetroots work beautifully for the tart. Just be sure to use the paper towel trick to draw out that moisture so your pastry stays perfectly crisp.

Labneh

You should be able to find labneh at any Middle Eastern grocers, and failing that, many gourmet supermarkets will carry it, and even some farmer’s markets, but if you are finding it tricky to source, you can easily substitute it with some thick, strained Greek yoghurt mixed with a tiny splash of lemon juice.

Nuts

For the salad, if someone at your table has a nut allergy, swapped the roasted pistachios for toasted sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to keep that essential element of crunch.

Shopping guide

Carrots

When you are out sourcing ingredients for this veggie feast, look for medium-sized carrots that feel completely firm to the touch, so it’s easy to shave clean ribbons off of.

Fennel

Look for a bulb that is bright white and compact, without any bruising or brown spots on the outer layers.

Squash

When picking out your butternut squash, look for one that feels heavy for its size, which tells you it is full of moisture and will roast up into absolute liquid gold.

I was thawing out a bag of frozen peas for our 3 year old’s dinner the other night, when it occurred to me how much I, too, love peas!

And for good reason: peas are easily one of the most underrated and resilient ingredients in your kitchen. They’re inexpensive. They’re available all year round. And a random bag is probably in your freezer right now. Whether you pull that bag out to cool a sprained ankle, or to smuggle something green onto your kid’s plate, that bag of frozen peas is basically a constant almost everywhere. But it’s really, really rare that we allow the humble little pea to be the main event come dinner time.

Til now.

Introducing “Yes, peas”

When I am thinking through a new series for my Instagram and this Substack, I usually lean on a really specific and repeatable thing: “Magic marinades for midweek meals” to zhuzh up your traybakes. “Put a relish on it,” for endlessly inventive toppings for grilled meat or fish. Or “Big New York Salads,” which is self explanatory. Basically, I love doing these series that are simple, useful, easy to get and execute and, of course, completely delicious!

Back to my kitchen. Standing at the counter that late afternoon, as the sun (annoyingly) started to set at 4:30pm here in Sydney I realised that peas check every single one of those boxes, yet they rarely get their due.

So this here Substack marks the beginning of a new series called “Yes, peas,” which is going to be dedicated entirely to the humble but mighty little green pea. We’re going to go through everything it can accomplish when you stop treating this little guy as an afterthought.

To kick things off, we are doing a pasta built on the classic interplay of anchovy, chilli, garlic, pecorino and mint, finished with a crisp, toasted pangrattato.

The entire dish comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta, delivering a bowl that feels deeply comforting but is balanced by a bright, citrusy, and slightly sharp finish.

Recipe: Conchiglie with peas, chilli, pecorino + mint

Serves: 4
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

TOOLS

• Large pasta pot

• Large frying pan

• Small frying pan (for the breadcrumbs)

• Microplane or fine grater

• Spider ladle

INGREDIENTS

• 300g conchiglie or orecchiette pasta (their cup like shapes are basically perfectly designed to catch your peas in each forkful)

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I am guilty of acting on my culinary urges quickly, whether I’m cooking a new idea for the fist time, or returning to a personal fave. I basically think of something, get hungry for it, and then want to cook it right then and there.

I suppose what I’m saying is, when I get the itch, I need to be able to cook without delay!! So, when I get a craving for something rich, that tastes low and slow, it hits really quickly. (Ironically.) And that need for speed is why it’s been a joy to discover that Harris Farm Markets is now available over on Amazon Australia.

Between work, travel, family time, the school run, and planning an upcoming big birthday for myself, my schedule has been feeling very uncomfortably full these days. And, as much as I genuinely love wandering the grocery aisles in person, especially here in Sydney, I’m pretty damn grateful to have my exact favourite ingredients buzz my doorbell within a two hour window.

That sauce tho

What I love about this specific ragù is how intense, deep, complex, and unctuous of a result it delivers. But somehow, this recipe achieves that low and slow taste really really quickly.

Let’s talk about the architecture of this sauce first: sardines, fennel, saffron, white wine, chilli, and tomato.

I know, I know - sardines can be super polarising, but if you’re one of those people who doesn’t like them, I’m asking you to please, please trust the process here.

First off, from a nutritional standpoint, they are packed with healthy fats and are brilliant for brain health. But from a purely culinary perspective, the magic lies in their structural surrender: sardines melt almost completely into the pan.

Within minutes, they dissolve into a rich, deeply savoury, umami loaded base. It mimics the kind of complexity you would normally expect from a sauce that has spent half a Sunday simmering on the stovetop. As we were scarfing this down, my husband and I both said to each other that the depth of this incredible sauce reminded us of a traditional bouillabaisse, which is famously labour intensive.

This version, my friends, is not.

It was incredibly satisfying to open the Amazon Australia shopping app and find the exact European brands and pantry staples I would normally source in person, whether I’m in London or in Sydney. And this lovely service is currently running across Sydney, alongside select locations in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Canberra. Plus, if you are a Prime member, you get free shipping on orders over $100.

If you cook one thing to spark joy this week, make it this.

Recipe: Fennel, sardine, saffron + chilli ragù

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

TOOLS

• Large, wide frying pan or skillet

• Large pasta pot

• Small bowl or measuring jug (for steeping the saffron)

• Chef’s knife and cutting board

• Tongs

INGREDIENTS

All of these ingredients are curated on my Amazon Australia shopfront!

• ½ a large fennel bulb (or 1 small), finely diced, fronds reserved for garnish

• 1 small brown onion, finely diced

• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

• A generous glug of high quality extra virgin olive oil

• 6 large anchovies in olive oil

• 300 400g colourful baby plum or cherry tomatoes, halved

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• A generous pinch of saffron fronds

• 250ml dry white wine

• Dried chilli flakes, to taste

• 2 tins sardines in olive oil

• ½ to 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes (adjust based on how saucy you prefer it)

• Dried pasta of your choice (I used Ricciarelle, but long shapes like bucatini, maffaldine or spaghetti would also work beautifully here)

• A handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

• Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Start by steeping the saffron. Before handling the vegetables, crumble your saffron fronds into the white wine and let it sit. The heat of the wine isn’t strictly necessary if it sits for a few minutes. The alcohol and liquid will naturally draw out that bright, golden hue and earthy aroma.

Next, melt down the anchovies. Pour a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil into your wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the anchovies, using the back of a wooden spoon to break them down. They should completely dissolve into the oil, creating a rich, savoury baseline.

Add the diced fennel, onion, and sliced garlic to the oil. Sauté gently for about 8 to 10 minutes until everything is completely softened and starting to take on a light, golden colour.

Turn the heat up slightly and add the halved baby tomatoes. Cook them down until they begin to collapse and blister, releasing their sweet juices into the pan. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for a further 2 minutes, allowing it to darken and caramelise slightly to concentrate the umami.

Deglaze your pan by pouring in the saffron infused white wine, scraping up any rich bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble until the alcohol smell cooks off and the liquid has reduced a bit. Add your chilli flakes at this stage.

Drain your sardines slightly, then either add them to the pan, breaking them into large chunks with your spoon or you can remove the bones if you wish. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, lower the heat, and let the sauce simmer gently. As it cooks, the sardines will naturally dissolve into the tomatoes. You want to simmer this until it is thick and concentrated. When you drag a spoon through the centre of the pan, the path should stay clear for a second.

While the sauce settles, cook your pasta in a large pot of heavily salted water. Cook it for exactly two minutes less than the packet instructions dictate.

Ladle about ½ a cup of the starchy, salty pasta water straight into your ragù pan, turning the heat up to medium to loosen the concentrated sauce. Transfer the pasta directly from the water into the skillet using tongs. Toss continuously for 60 to 90 seconds. The starch in the water and the fats in the sauce will emulsify into a glossy coat that clings to the pasta strands. Fold through the fresh parsley.

Taste for seasoning (the anchovies and tomato paste provide a lot of natural salt, so adjust carefully). Divide among bowls, finishing each with a final thread of olive oil, cracked black pepper, and a scatter of the reserved feathery fennel fronds.

Pro tips

The starchy secret

Do not skip on the pasta water! Because this ragù is thick and reduced, it relies entirely on that starchy liquid to turn it into a silky, cohesive coating rather than a dry topping.

Wine

Use a dry, crisp white wine (like a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio). Avoid anything oaky or sweet, which will clash with the delicate, metallic notes of the saffron.

Texture balance

If your sardines are really small, they will vanish completely. If they are larger, you may retain a few small, tender pieces. Both outcomes are correct, but the overall goal is for the fish to become the body of the sauce itself.

Shopping + substitutions

Saffron

Look for distinct, deep red threads. Avoid powdered saffron, which is frequently cut with turmeric and lacks that specific, metallic, luxurious aroma essential for cutting through the oil of the fish.

The sardines

Look for sardines packed specifically in olive oil rather than brine or tomato sauce. The oil inside the tin helps keep the fish plump and integrates seamlessly into the cooking process.

The pasta choice

Sturdy, ridged shapes like rigatoni or thick strands like bucatini excel here because they provide enough surface area to hold onto a rustic, textured ragù.

Wine

If you don’t cook with alcohol, or prefer not to, fish stock is an excellent substitute for the white wine - you would just steep the saffron in the stock.

When writing recipes, I often return to the same foundational elements, the ones that just bloody work. If you’ve been here for a bit, you know that the date and parmesan dressing has become a consistent anchor in my kitchen, and for good reason!

I know better than to fight what works. And this dressing just does. Trust me. If you haven’t made it yet, please, please use this as your sign to do so. And if you have, know that this isn’t about repeating something you’ve made, it’s about proving just how versatile this is. I wholeheartedly embrace this dressing’s versatility, and I hope you do too!

A salad of contrasts

This lovely, textural salad pairs the sharp bitterness of radicchio, with creamy tinned butter beans and crunchy sourdough croutons, all held together by a fragrant, rosemary infused version of this lovely dressing.

It all adds up to a salad that’s delicious and becoming a fast favourite at our house - and I hope you love it as much as we do!

Why it works so well

The core formula of dates, shallots, olive oil, lemon, and Parmesan works so damn well because it hits every necessary flavor note. This variation introduces a layer of finely chopped fresh rosemary, which adds an earthy, and resinous aroma that elevates the entire profile and gives it a very fresh feel.

When tossed through the rustic bitterness of torn radicchio, with creamy butter beans, and golden hunks of toasted sourdough, you get a highly structured salad, that features an excellent assortment of textures. And I love textural variety when it comes to salads.

This simple, rustic combination that relies entirely on contrasts: bitter against sweet, and soft against crunchy, in order to taste phenomenal. Enjoy!!

Radicchio and butter bean salad with rosemary infused date dressing

Serves: 2 to 4

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

TOOLS

• Large mixing and serving bowl

• Baking sheet

• Sharp chef’s knife

• Microplane or fine grater

• Colander

INGREDIENTS

For the rosemary date dressing

• 8 to 10 firm pitted dates, finely sliced (not Medjools, which are too soft and gooey)

• 2 small shallots, finely diced

• 80ml high quality extra virgin olive oil

• Juice of 1 large lemon (plus more to taste)

• A knob of Parmesan, finely grated (approx. 30g)

• 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and very finely chopped

• Flaky sea salt, to taste

For the salad base

• 1 small head of radicchio, leaves washed and pulled apart

• 1 tin (400g) butter beans, thoroughly drained and rinsed

• 3 thick slices of sourdough bread, torn by hand into uneven hunks

• Extra virgin olive oil, for roasting the bread

• Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C fan. Tear the sourdough slices into rough and irregular pieces (versus neat cubes). The jagged edges you’ll create will catch the dressing that much better. Arrange the pieces on a baking sheet, and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil, and season with a pinch of sea salt flakes.

Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until they are deeply golden and completely crisp. Set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the finely sliced dates and diced shallots. Pour over the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, then add the finely grated Parmesan and a good pinch of sea salt flakes.

Add the finely chopped rosemary leaves to the bowl. Stir everything thoroughly with a fork, then let the dressing rest for 5 to 10 minutes whilst you prepare the rest of the salad. This allows the acid in the lemon juice to soften the bite of the raw shallots and draws out the aromatic oils of the rosemary. Taste the dressing. It should be sweet, sharp, and highly fragrant.

Toss the torn radicchio leaves directly into the bowl with the dressing. Use your hands (or tongs) to mix well, ensuring every leaf is completely coated in the emulsified oil and cheese.

Time to fold and finish: add the drained and rinsed butter beans to the bowl, folding them through gently so they absorb the dressing without breaking apart. Taste the salad at this stage and adjust with an extra squeeze of lemon, salt, or olive oil if needed.

Just before bringing the platter to the table, scatter the cooled, crunchy sourdough croutons over the top. Serve immediately whilst the bread retains its structural crispness against the dressed leaves.

Some pro tips

The rosemary prep

So, rosemary can very quickly become woody and rather unpleasant if left in large pieces. Take your time. Chop the leaves as finely as possible, almost running your knife over them until they resemble a coarse powder. This ensures the flavor integrates smoothly into the dressing.

Beware the soggy crouton

Croutons absorb moisture pretty quickly. If you fold the warm bread into the dressed salad too early, it will lose its crunch and turn spongy. Keep the roasted bread separate until the last minute before serving.

Dry your beans

Ensure your butter beans are completely dry after rinsing. Any residual canning liquid (or tap water) left on the beans will thin out the dressing, preventing it from clinging properly to the radicchio.

How to shop for this (and substitutions)

Your bitter greens

If radicchio is not available, or its bitterness is too strong for your tastes, Belgian endive (aka chicory) or a sturdy Castelfranco lettuce make excellent direct substitutes. Alternatively, you can use a mix of sturdy winter greens like frisée or escarole.

The starch

If you are cooking gluten free, swap the sourdough croutons for crispy roasted chickpeas. Toss a tin of drained chickpeas in olive oil and sea salt, and roast at 400°F/200°C for 20 minutes until crunchy. They offer a similar satisfying texture!

The dates

Firm dates, not medjools, are the preferred choice here. If your dates are exceptionally soft or gooey, they’ll be too hard to work with/chop for the dressing.

There is a specific kind of pressure in hosting a dinner party when you don’t actually have a dining table. I had a few of my girlfriends over the other week, and our lack of furniture actually meant the evening was even more casual than it otherwise would have been.

In the end, we all stood around my kitchen island, drinks in hand, eating with our hands. And for a casual, standup catch up dinner like this one, these slow cooked beef cheek tacos were actually the perfect call.

My hosting plan always relies on three basic elements: one protein, something starchy, and something green. A really good taco night, even a causal one like this, can sometimes feel like a lot to coordinate, especially if you don’t usually cook Mexican inspired food. However, when you break the menu down into that trusty, tried and tested triangle, it actually is entirely manageable.

The beef cheeks are your lovely protein, warm corn tortillas obviously cover the starch factor, and a sharp cabbage salad plus guac and lots of fresh coriander to serve with the tacos provide some fresh and green elements to balance the plate and meal.

All about the cheek

Beef cheeks are an exceptionally rewarding cut to work with. Because the cheek is one of the most active muscles on the animal, it is tightly packed with collagen and connective tissue. Left to cook quickly, they’re impossibly tough, but when you slow braise them, they actually turn into a completely different thing. As it braises over four hours, that collagen dissolves into rich gelatin, relaxing all the fibres, until they are entirely fall-apart-with-a-touch-of-the-fork tender. That same dissolved gelatin is also what naturally thickens the braising liquid, transforming what starts out as simple stock into a really glossy and rich and delicious sauce. (Trust me, it was!)

Please try this recipe! It will give you a deeply savory, spicy, and lime sharp braise, built on a base of tomatillo salsa verde, cumin, and habanero. Your shredded meat will become insanely rich, and when you pile it into warm tortillas, and add those sharp, crunchy quick pickled red onions - you won’t believe how delicious and low stress this can be. Enjoy!

Recipe: Slow braised beef cheek tacos

Serves: 6

Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour to temper the meat)

Cook time: 4.5 hours

TOOLS

• Large cast iron casserole (Dutch oven) plus tight fitting lid

• Tongs

• Paper towels

• Chef’s knife (my favourite)

• Chopping board (This one is a serious investment piece)

• Two forks (for shredding)

INGREDIENTS

The beef cheeks and sear

• 4 large beef cheeks (approx. 1.2 to 1.6kg total)

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I recently saw a video shared by the wonderful Laura Jackson, where she roasted a chicken in a cast iron pot over a bed of veggies, then removed the bird to cook orzo directly in the remaining pan drippings. While I often feel like a lot of online food content is a bit disconnected from the practical realities of day to day cooking, this specific technique immediately resonated with me. It’s simple, highly efficient, and relies entirely on maximising the flavour forged in a single pot.

I hadn’t previously roasted a whole chicken inside a heavy cast iron pot quite this way, but the logic of using the rendered fat and caramelised vegetable sugars to cook the starch is undeniably genius. My iteration leans into a classic Greek flavour profile, swapping the orzo for rice, and infusing the dish with lemon, dried oregano, and a generous amount of garlic.

This beauty is a proper one pot roast, where an herb butter chicken cooks over leeks and carrots, before the pan is filled with rice, crumbled feta, and chard. The leeks melt completely into the rice, providing a subtle sweetness that anchors the entire dish. Despite what at least one commenter said on IG, the whole process is straightforward and very low stress! Promise!

You push seasoned butter directly under the chicken skin, which then roasts over a bed of leeks and carrots. Once the chicken is removed to rest, the rice is added to absorb the stock and the concentrated juices left behind in the pot. It is finished with crumbled feta, fresh dill, and chopped chard that wilts cleanly in the residual heat. That’s it.

The result is a practical, honestly low stress but very, very impressive meal, that will keep your kitchen clean and your plates full! This is a rustic, deeply comforting one pot meal that fits into any weekly rotation, regardless of the season, and I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!

Recipe: Lemony, garlic and oregano roast chicken with leeks, feta and dill rice

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 1 hour to rest the meat)

Cook time: 1 hour 45 minutes

TOOLS

• Heavy based large, shallow cast iron pot/Dutch oven

• Small mixing bowl

• Paper towels

• Chef’s knife (my fave)

• Large serving platter

INGREDIENTS

The chicken and herb butter

• 1 whole chicken (approx. 1.8–2kg)

Read more

OK, I heard the response to that honey Dijon and mayo marinated salmon recipe that I shared recently loud and clear! It’s so great that there is a strong appetite (sorry) out there for this specific style of cooking, and not only because it is a personal fave.

That style is actually a hybrid of two concepts that I use constantly (combining a lovely marinade with a texturally distinct relish), and let me just say that I’m loving it, because it represents the best kind of intuitive and fluid cooking.

This type of recipe has an elegant balance that you just can keep coming back to: a luxe, savory marinade just pairs so well with a fresh, sharp, super textured relish topper. And, as with (checks notes) everything I cook, once you understand the basic framework here, the components themselves become entirely interchangeable. You are simply combining 1. acidity, 2. sweetness, and 3. crunch to elevate a great protein. That’s it. That’s the secret. No gatekeeping here!

And for this particular dish, I’ve shifted the flavour profile towards the Middle East and South Asia, eg. tamarind paste and pomegranate molasses, which combine to create a really deep and sticky glaze on the salmon. That glaze is then balanced by a crisp radish, walnut, and za’atar relish.

The contrast in both texture and temperature is what transforms a simple side of salmon into an impressive table moment - without too much actual labour! And it is so good!

Recipe: Sticky Tamarind salmon with radish + roasted walnut relish

Serves: 4 to 6

Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 20 minutes marinating)

Cook time: 15 to 20 minutes

TOOLS

• Small bowl or jug (for whisking the marinade)

• Large baking tray (lined with baking paper)

• Mandoline or very sharp chef’s knife

• Mixing bowl (for the relish)

• Large serving platter

INGREDIENTS

For the salmon and glaze

• 1 skinless side of salmon (around 800g to 1kg), brought to room temperature

Read more

Trust me on this one. This dish relies on one of my favourite “Magic Marinades,” because it’s basically foolproof, and ridiculously delicious, and really versatile. This special sauce will work just as well on salmon, as I’ve done it here, as it does on chicken thighs.

I think one of the reasons I love this exact dish so much is because it’s basically a combo of my two favorite ways to eat: a punchy and super savoury marinade plus a very fresh, and very sharp and moreish “topper,” in this case a relish of peas, snap peas, dill, and capers that provides just the right amount of zip to balance the richness of the salmon side.

But before I get too far into this, can I just say that I completely get that mayo in a marinade can be a major point of contention!! That said, I really do think that this dish would win over any skeptic, and the reason why is actually more science than flavour.

The egg and oil in mayo provide a really stable high fat barrier and that’s what makes sure that your honey and Dijon actually cling to the fish, instead of simply sliding off into the sheet pan. It all creates this really delicious, super golden crust that protects the salmon from the direct heat, ensuring it stays really succulent inside, while the exterior of the fish caramelises and turns a really beautiful golden colour.

Trust the process (and chemistry) with this one! I promise it will be worth it. This is vibrant, easy, and just the kind of fresh and satisfying “Spring on a plate” cooking that I personally crave, especially now that I’m settling into a new kitchen and daily/weekly rhythm in Sydney.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Recipe: Honey Dijon salmon with a crisp pea + caper relish

Serves: 4 to 6

Cook time: ~25 minutes

TOOLS

• Small whisk or fork

• Large roasting tray (lined with baking paper)

• Small saucepan (for the peas)

• Microplane or fine grater

• Large serving platter

INGREDIENTS

For the salmon:

• 800g to 1kg side of salmon (skin-on)

• 3 tbsp full fat olive oil mayonnaise (Do not use “light” mayo because we need the fat for the delicious crust)

• 1 to 2 heaped tbsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp honey

• Zest of 1 lemon + juice of half a lemon

• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Sea salt flakes and black pepper

For the relish

• 1 big handful sugar snap peas (or snow peas), finely sliced on the diagonal

• 1 handful frozen peas

• 2 heaped tbsp capers, roughly chopped

• Small bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped

• Extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice

METHOD

Preheat your oven to 350°F/180°C. In a small bowl, whisk the mayo, Dijon, honey, lemon zest, juice, grated garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. It should taste sharp and sweet. Slather this generously over the salmon, ensuring even coverage. Season with an extra pinch of sea salt flakes and pepper.

Place the salmon in the oven. Start checking it at the 10 minute mark. Thickness varies wildly, and you want it just opaque in the center. For the final 3 to 5 minutes, switch to the grill/broil setting. Watch it closely though, because you want the glaze to bubble and turn a deep, caramelised gold. If the fish is cooked through but not brown yet, stop anyway. A succulent, pale salmon is always better than a dry but golden one.

On to the relish! While the salmon is roasting, bring a small pot of water to the boil. Blanch the sugar snaps and frozen peas for 60 seconds only. Immediately drain and shock them in a bowl of cold water. This stops the cooking and keeps them electric green.

In a bowl, combine the dried peas with the capers, dill, a good squeeze of lemon, and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with sea salt flakes and pepper. This should be very fresh and herby.

You can serve the side of salmon whole for a big table moment/reveal, but I prefer to flake it into large, organic shards directly onto a platter. Scatter the green relish over the top, allowing the lemon and oil from the peas to mix in with the salmon.

Shopping guidance

The mayo

Always use a full fat, olive oil based version. Lower fat mayo alternatives contain more water and stabilisers, which won’t caramelise correctly under the grill.

Substitutions

The protein

As mentioned, this marinade is really magic on chicken thighs too! Increase the roasting time to 35 to 40 minutes and finish under the grill.

The peas

If sugar snaps are out of season, simply double the frozen peas. They are a reliable pantry hero that carry the dill and capers just as well.

Green, fresh, crunchy, lemony, salt, sweet, moreish.

This salad seriously ticks every box.

But first, I need to talk about that salad dressing I just can’t shut up about (but for good reason.)

Dates, shallots, lemon, olive oil, Parmesan, salt. That’s it. That’s the recipe. But the balance it strikes is a lot more than you think.

Sweetness from the dates, sharpness from the lemon, a salty and savoury hit from the Parmesan, richness from the olive oil, and then the shallots come in to give it that gentle bite. (Oh, speaking of shallots, this funny bit from Sheng Wang came across my feed recently, and I can totally relate to this. Also: can I vote for more cooking standup in the world?)

Anyway, every flavour pillar is covered in a single spoonful here, and I just genuinely love it. This is the kind of dressing that you make once, and then find yourself reaching for again and again and again.

The versatility is what makes it such a brilliant one to have up your sleeve. It works on pretty much anything. Pick a vegetable, add something fresh and crunchy, dress it generously and let the good times roll.

I’ve leaned on it more times than I can count and it has never once let me down.

This time it’s wafer-thin shaved fennel, sugar snaps sliced on a sharp angle, double-roasted almonds for proper crunch, and lots of torn mint. If your fennel comes with fronds, use them. They add wonderful flavour and freshness.

I make the dressing directly in the bowl, throw the veg on top, and toss. That’s it.

Raw veg, something crunchy, this dressing. That’s all you need.

Recipe: Shaved fennel, snap pea and almond salad with “The“ dressing

Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a main

Cook time: 15 minutes

TOOLS

• Mandoline (for getting that paper-thin fennel texture)

• Small baking tray (for the almonds)

• Large serving bowl (you’ll mix the dressing directly in this)

• Chef’s knife

• Microplane or fine grater

INGREDIENTS

For the dressing

• 10 firm pitted dates, finely sliced into long, thin strips

Read more