Notes about Recipes in this site

• Cooking for one: Thai chicken, sweet potato and spinach curry

  • Jane on May 05, 2016

    This was an OK weeknight dinner. It comes together very quickly. It didn't wow me but it was enjoyable. Though I didn't have cilantro and that may have lifted the flavors. I made double quantities and only had one pack of creamed coconut so my recipe has half the suggested amount. Though I thought it easily had enough coconut flavor. And my pack of creamed coconut is 1,330 calories and 112g of saturated fat - 560% of the RDA. I only looked at this now when writing the review - that seems crazy, doesn't it?

• Avocado, grapefruit and spinach salad

  • Jane on July 06, 2018

    A quick and easy salad. I liked the combination of ingredients - I added a couple of sliced radishes.

• Pink grapefruit, radish, beetroot and chicory salad with pomegranates

  • Jane on October 21, 2014

    I liked this but it was a bit too virtuous to eat on its own as a meal. It would be better with some roast chicken or salmon on the side. It was an interesting mix of flavors and textures - bitter, sour, sweet, crunchy, leafy - and didn't take long to put together. It also looked pretty with lots of red and pink from grapefruit, beets, radishes, red chicory and pomegranate seeds.

• Parsi scrambled eggs

  • Jane on April 26, 2017

    This was a perfectly OK lunch though I didn't love it. It's maybe better with a red chile - I only had a green one. It felt something was missing. Maybe another spice?

• Seared tuna with preserved lemon, black olive and avocado relish

  • Jane on April 19, 2017

    The tuna is just a standard seared tuna but the relish was great - I loved the balance of flavors and textures. Wouldn't change a thing. I served it with Roast potatoes with chili, mint and preserved lemon from Simple - yes, I know it's a lot of preserved lemon but I love it. This was a very easy dish to make on a weeknight. As the potatoes roast, everything else is prepped.

• Griddled courgettes, burrata and fregola salad

  • Jane on April 24, 2017

    Loved this. Very quick and easy to make but lots of flavor. I used Israeli couscous instead of fregola and dill instead of basil.

• Chicken with wild mushrooms, pumpkin, rice and sage butter

  • Jane on November 03, 2019

    This had a great effort to reward ratio. Very little prep work - soak dried mushrooms, rinse rice, chop veg (I used butternut squash rather than pumpkin) and then it goes into the oven. Lovely meal at the end. Although she says the sage butter is optional I would say do it if possible as it adds an extra dimension.

• Simple Goan fish curry

  • Jane on October 19, 2020

    This was really good. It has great complexity of flavor for such a quick curry. I used cod and added some sliced snow peas (mangetout) as I wanted some veg. I will definitely make this again.

• Celeriac and apple soup with blue cheese toasts

  • love2laf on November 25, 2017

    A touch of nutmeg really brightens the flavour. Excellent soup.

• Roasted bream with griddled baby gems (with aioli)

  • wester on June 09, 2018

    Excellent simple summer dinner, easy to scale up or down. I did not do the gems as I still had some haricots verts and grilled zucchini. I suppose any simple vegetable would work here, as long as it can be drizzled with or dipped into the aioli.

• Apricot and almond upside-down cake

  • vinochic on June 21, 2015

    Wasn't bad.. A denser style cake because of the almond flour, which I like. But, it came out a little soggy. Probably didn't caramelize the sugar enough. Also, a 9" rather than an 8" pan may work better.

• Savoy cabbage with juniper

  • Avocet on March 18, 2016

    We thought this was very good, but would be even better with olive oil, or duck or goose fat instead of butter. It warmed up well the next day for lunch.

• Potato, garlic and rocket soup with chilli oil

  • Avocet on October 18, 2021

    This was excellent. While I didn't make the olive oil, garlic, and chile finishing touch for caloric reasons, I did add chile flakes to the soup, and served the soup with a little yogurt to be stirred in.

• Blueberry and gin jellies

  • mziech on March 29, 2015

    Excellent recipe, refreshing after dinner, not overly sweet. Note that the setting of the jelly is done in 3 layers (so that the blueberries set in the jelly and not float to the top of the jelly) so this takes quite a long time.

• Pea pancakes with chilli crab

  • mziech on June 06, 2015

    Great recipe. Pea pancakes were somewhat sweet in taste. Add extra chillies for heat. Only thing that could be added could be something with a crunchy texture.

  • Foodycat on December 24, 2014

    I followed the idea more than the recipe, using a mixture of brown & white crab meat, flavoured with coriander leaves, chilli and spring onion, with a squeeze of lime juice. I didn't add the creme fraiche because the brown meat bound it. I used less cream in the pancakes. They look very festive and taste lovely.

• Apricot and almond tart

  • TrishaCP on July 02, 2018

    The flavors of this are good. (I did have to throw in a few blueberries because I was just a bit short of apricots. I added them with the almonds.) I didn't love the pastry- it was a bit too thick and crumbly for me.

  • Foodycat on June 29, 2018

    Delicious - and pretty low effort as far as tarts with home made pastry go.

• Tomato, melon and burrata salad with basil dressing

  • TrishaCP on July 23, 2018

    Spectacular. I only roughly followed the proportions in both the salad and the dressing. This is filling enough to be a main course salad with some type of protein. I used sun jewel melons, which are only mildly sweet but very crisp.

• Gooseberry and almond cake

  • TrishaCP on May 04, 2018

    We liked this quite a bit, although I thought the almond flavor improved after a day. Very easy to pull together. As Tiganna says, it is quite a wet cake (though in my case, I used frozen gooseberries so not too surprising)- but I thought the ratio of cake with the sour gooseberries was on point. I baked the cake for 15 minutes longer than stipulated prior to adding the almonds - I'm sure the frozen fruit had something to do with needing the longer bake. Interestingly, my cake didn't have the sunken middle the one in the picture seems to have (maybe because of the longer bake?).

  • Tiganna on July 16, 2017

    Well liked, but for my personal taste, not enough fruit per dough ratio (though it was already pretty wet, not sure if this particular approach would stand up to more berries...) I substantially reduced the sugar added to the gooseberries from the suggested 5 tbsp to 1 tbsp and felt it was still on the sweet side.

• German barley and sausage soup

  • TrishaCP on February 02, 2015

    This was fine the first night that I made it, but I found myself feeling increasingly resentful when it came time to eating up the leftovers, and I wouldn't make it again. Not bad, but not worth repeating in my opinion. I followed the recipe, including the addition of celeriac- which I just didn't really enjoy in this form. I used weisswurst sausages, and pan-fried them a bit to get some browning before adding to the soup.

• Blackcurrant and crème fraîche tart

  • TrishaCP on April 13, 2018

    This tastes sooo good. But....I had major execution errors, some of which could be my fault. First, even with two egg yolks and water, my crust was dry and crumbly to the point that I couldn't even roll it- I had to pat it into the tart pan. Other than being overly thick in some places, it came out fine. The filling is luscious, but really really soft. I baked for 45 minutes but couldn't do more since the crust was starting to burn. It had turned puffy and golden as described. I wonder if my use of frozen black currants added too much extra liquid? I will be trying this again regardless because it is so tasty.

• New potato salad with sugar snap peas and radishes

  • TrishaCP on June 14, 2020

    This is a great recipe to highlight the flavors of new potatoes, snap peas, and radishes. My personal preference would be a lot fewer snap peas though!

• Lemon thyme yogurt cake with lemon icing

  • debkellie on October 12, 2023

    Light flavoured cake (made the lemon variant). Moist, but dense crumb. Easy & relatively quick recipe.

• Pumpkin 
and chipotle soup with spiced pumpkin 
seeds and lime crème fraîche

  • debkellie on September 01, 2020

    Definitely add the lime juice!

• Beetroot and apple with caraway, sour cream and hot-paprika butter

  • debkellie on September 02, 2021

    Made this as a side to a roast pork: rather than grate I diced the cooked beets (which I'd steamed plain rather than baked with oil & balsamic). Added the balsamic, along with a lemon/orange juice whilst stir-frying. Didn't bother with the sour cream smoked paprika drizzle. Went very well with the pork.

• Stacked potatoes with caraway 
and paprika

  • debkellie on December 16, 2018

    Excellent - neither flavour (caraway or paprika) dominates: cooked in the Weber.. well received ;-)

• Apple and tarragon loaf cake

  • debkellie on January 09, 2023

    Recipe suggests setting in fridge overnight. Can also be a fermented cake, in which case add on 2 days before baking plus overnight chilling.

  • debkellie on January 14, 2023

    For all the effort of letting it ferment & then overnight resting for the syrup to set I expected a far more interesting/flavoursome cake.. I did use more tarragon than suggested (doubled), but the only flavour is "sweetness" .. no apple, no tarragon... recommendation: don't bother, unless you're intrigued (as I was) by the ferment & the potential flavour combo.. (which did NOT deliver).

• Pink martini cocktail

  • debkellie on December 05, 2021

    A little heavy on the citrus for me; added a nip of sugar syrup to balance...

• Sri Lankan-spiced chicken with pumpkin

  • debkellie on March 06, 2022

    Fantastic curry .. I subbed thigh fillets for bone in, and used palm sugar rather than dark brown. Also made her Sri Lankan curry powder.. so that means quite a few more curries to be had... recommend this one.

• Roast pumpkin soup with bourbon and bacon

  • debkellie on August 11, 2023

    Intrigued by the title, and with all ingredients on hand .... a lovely soup, the bourbon (in my case, Wild Turkey) added a lovely smoky flavour. I added a couple of splashes extra with some sour cream at serving. Delicious, served with brioche bread (Bakewise recipe).

• Blueberry and ricotta hot cakes

  • debkellie on January 12, 2022

    Maybe its my choice of ricotta ("Perfect Italiano brand", but these were very "grainy" in texture, and exceedingly fragile to handle. Don't think I'd try again.

  • Divecat on July 07, 2015

    I did not have ricotta so used 150g cream cheese and 100g yoghurt (both full fat) and the hotcakes were delicious!

• Paneer with spinach and peas

  • debkellie on May 22, 2022

    Easy, tasty, nicely balanced curry. Good meat-free Monday vegetarian meal!

• Kir Breton

  • debkellie on August 22, 2021

    As close as we're going to get to being in France for a wee while....and a very different take to the classic Kir Royale...

• Linguini with mozzarella, wilted rocket and anchovies

  • Astrid5555 on August 14, 2016

    This is a typical Diana Henry winner. Simple ingredients, great taste. This was a perfect way to use some of my never ending arugula bounty from the garden. To my surprise both kids really liked it!

• Diana Henry's shepherd’s pie

  • Astrid5555 on January 05, 2016

    Simple yet excellent shepherd's pie recipe the whole family loved. I sneaked in some diced button mushrooms into the sauce since this is the only way the kids eat them. Had to substitute Cheddar cheese for the Gruyère, nonetheless delicious! Will have to repeat soon!

• Courgette, basil and lemon risotto

  • FJT on April 04, 2018

    Nice risotto; I will make it again but with vegetable rather than chicken stock.

• Salad of shaved radish, apple and fennel

  • Krisage on October 01, 2016

    Used one Fuji apple instead of 1 &1, walla walla sweet onion instead of red, agave instead of honey, and subbed dried mint (mixed into the dressing). Nice!

• Cream scones

  • darcie_b on June 23, 2017

    I made a powdered sugar/lemon/cream glaze and stirred in some frozen raspberries. Soft, not too dry, and delicious. My go-to scone recipe from this point forward.

• Pot-roast Indian-spiced chicken with sweet potatoes and coconut

  • SACarlson on December 20, 2020

    This is a great way to use up sweet potatoes. The leftovers were great in a mulligatawny soup.

• Grape chutney

  • hillsboroks on November 23, 2014

    This is a lovely flavored chutney that was easy to make on a rainy afternoon. I canned most of the batch in 4 ounce jars but saved a bit out to serve with goat cheese as an appetizer. It was perfect with the goat cheese on crackers so I am looking forward to setting it out during the holidays with a cheese platter.

• One pot Parmesan roast chicken and cauliflower

  • hillsboroks on March 29, 2019

    We really loved this. The chicken was moist and tasty and the veggies were perfect. My husband especially liked the caramelized onions. I would double the onions used next time. I made a half recipe for the two of us and used a full sheet pan. I lined the pan with heavy duty foil so there was little clean-up afterwards. The oven setting is 200C which is 392F.

  • Larkspur on May 13, 2017

    Love this sheet pan meal--great for a week night.

• Ham hock terrine with spicy beetroot relish

  • ShirleyHarring on April 04, 2020

    Online recipe has a paywall.

• Pumpkin and sweet potato curry with coconut and greens

  • Debkelliemember on August 12, 2021

    This makes a lot: easily serves 8 plentifully. The spice blend (made as specified) is pretty bland. Maybe I cut my pumpkin too small (I used Kent), but that ended up being the "thickener" of what would otherwise have been a very soupy sauce.. it was just OK.

• Miso soup with enoki mushrooms and tofu

  • Zosia on November 09, 2016

    EYB found this wonderful recipe for me with ingredients I had on hand as my search filters. It was light yet satisfying and a hit with everyone. I added a handful of baby spinach (another ingredient I wanted to use up) to each bowl to wilt in the hot broth.

• Brazilian-style fish with chilli and coconut

  • Barb_N on February 20, 2018

    A delicious change of pace from my usual fish preparations. I toned the chilies way down and switched up the vegetables. This will go into rotation.

• New Year's Day brunch: maple and mustard baked sausages

  • Barb_N on April 01, 2017

    This was ok but not spectacular. I suspect the main problem was the sausages. Mine were quite large and the juices prevented the sauce from becoming 'sticky' as indicated in the recipe. As such the sauce was just mustard and maple mixed together.

• Asparagus, pea and crisped bread salad

  • Barb_N on June 13, 2017

    I made this sans bread and broad beans- I also used a mix of herbs from FM. Shaved parm with vegetable peeler for wider strips. I think this is a perfect marriage for peas and asparagus, so many other recipes center around pasta and creamy sauces.

• Eastern steamed fish with soy, ginger and spring onions

  • Barb_N on June 02, 2015

    This was fantastic! I had to improvise with the marinade, having neither Shaoxing wine or sherry- Lillet blanc in a pinch. What really makes this dish is the final drizzle of the ginger-chile oil over the scallions and fish. I served it with bok choy & shiitakes, and seasoned rice noodles. My husband said: This was so good, I could start over and eat it all again.

• Luscious lemon squares

  • Foodycat on June 01, 2018

    This was a "I have to make something to take to a function and I don't want to go shopping" effort. And I didn't have enough lemons so it was a mixture of bergamots from the freezer, lemons and limes. Very good, very gooey.

• Lemon and ricotta cake with citrus fruits in lemon-thyme syrup

  • Foodycat on March 27, 2015

    I used blood oranges instead of lemons and didn't make the fruits in syrup. It made a very nice dessert cake - very moist and tender.

• Buttermilk scones

  • Foodycat on August 03, 2019

    Best scones I have made - I did them in the food processor, and substituted a mixture of milk and yoghurt for the buttermilk but otherwise followed the recipe. Light and fluffy, and they don't have that dreadful metallic baking powder taste a lot of scones have.

• Sardine and onion tart

  • Foodycat on March 15, 2022

    I just used a sheet of puff pastry so mine was rectangular. Other than needing to slowly caramelise the onions for an hour, this comes together very quickly. We had it with a chicory salad with a sharp mustardy dressing.

• Spiced apple and ginger-wine loaf

  • Foodycat on May 26, 2021

    I used a couple of pears instead of the apples - they were a bit short of the weight so I added some crystallised ginger as well. Pears don't cook to a nice sour fluff the way Bramleys do so I think the ginger helped the flavour as well. But it's a delicious cake with a lovely texture. I added some pecans to the decoration because I didn't have an apple and the flavours worked well. Loved the ginger wine in the icing!

  • raybun on January 30, 2017

    This is a lovely moist cake. I finally managed to track down ginger wine, in Ontario! I will increase the spices next time as they weren't as noticeable as I like. I've don't think I've ever made an unsuccessful Diana Henry recipe...

• Edible Christmas gifts: salt butter caramels

  • Foodycat on November 25, 2014

    Divine. I used a 10 x 7" pan because I don't have a 9" loaf pan, so mine were a bit thinner. But the flavour is wonderful and the chewy-but-not-filling-pulling texture is wonderful. I buttered the foil really thoroughly and it still stuck a bit, but I was eventually able to get it all unstuck.

• Baked sweet potato with rocket, black olive and walnut relish and goat's cheese

  • Foodycat on March 06, 2019

    Diana has a few variations of this in her books, with different nuts or herbs. This, with rocket and walnuts, is absolutely delicious.

• Kisir

  • Foodycat on July 13, 2015

    Very simple, tasty salad. I used coriander instead of parsley, which slightly overpowered the mint. We had it slightly warm.

• Bucatini with chestnuts, radicchio, Savoy and pancetta

  • Foodycat on December 29, 2015

    I just used radicchio because I had no Savoy, and finished it with some chunks of blue cheese. Absolutely delicious. ETA made it again 27.11.17, again without Savoy. Won't wait another two years to do it again.

• Buttermilk chicken with winter slaw

  • Foodycat on June 22, 2021

    Delicious! The buttermilk gives the chicken skin an incredibly deep flavour. I was only cooking for two of us so I just used white cabbage and fennel in the slaw, so it was very pale but the flavour was really good. I usually prefer a vinegar slaw so this was very much to my taste.

• Bulgur and spinach pilaff with chilli-roast tomatoes

  • Foodycat on May 28, 2015

    Absolutely delicious. If the only way you've had bulgur is in tabbouleh you should definitely try this because it is so much tastier. The recipe looks very involved but take a deep breath and assess which bits you can do ahead. I used feta instead of labneh because I had it.

• New Year's Day brunch: kedgeree

  • Foodycat on February 25, 2015

    A very luxurious version of kedgeree, with cream and hot-smoked salmon added. I didn't want to buy cream for the small amount added, and I didn't have any hot smoked salmon, so I added some crab that I had in the fridge, that was 50% white meat & 50% brown meat. It added the extra richness and savour. Really good. We had it for supper with a side salad.

• New Year's Eve dinner: persimmon, pomegranate and red chicory salad with goat’s cheese and toasted hazelnuts

  • Foodycat on December 25, 2014

    I made it without the cheese, because I was serving it with roast goose and a potato and celeriac gratin and didn't need the extra richness. Absolutely delicious!

• Chicken with leeks, apples and cider

  • Foodycat on March 18, 2015

    Simple and comforting - don't skip the step of sauteeing the apples for the final garnish, and use a good dry cider.

  • e_ballad on June 28, 2017

    Also found in Diana's "A Bird in the Hand", this was fine, but I think I've been spoilt by Diana's other chicken recipes, which have so far had a 'wow' response. As a comfort food, this recipe 'works', but it didn't quite impress.

• Chicken and cherry salad with creamy tarragon dressing

  • Foodycat on June 29, 2015

    Also in A Bird in the Hand and Food From Plenty. I used sauteed chicken thigh fillets instead of the poached breasts and just propped them on top. A lovely combination of sweet/savoury/juicy/pungent/crunchy/soft. I'm planning to use the dressing as a quick alternative to Bearnaise with steak.

• Buttermilk-bathed fried chicken

  • Foodycat on March 06, 2015

    Subbed celery salt and garlic flakes for the garlic salt, and used home made hot sauce instead of tabasco. And I used Laurie Colwin's method for frying the chicken. But it was deliciously crunchy outside, juicy in the middle and well-seasoned.

• Brown-sugar, chocolate and sour-cherry cake

  • Foodycat on November 24, 2014

    I went way off-piste with this one: I didn't read the recipe properly before starting, and was very surprised to see 400g dark muscovado sugar to 125g flour in the ingredients. That goes against every cake making ratio I have ever seen, and even though I love Diana Henry's recipes I just didn't trust this one! I wanted something edible at the end, so I used 125g sugar which I was pretty sure would work if not be as intended. I also substituted half home-made glace cherries and half cherries bottled in spiced rum, with some of the bottling liquid, to make up the weight of the dried sour cherries and kirsch. And I baked it in a 1lb loaf tin instead of a 9" cake tin - it took the full 50 minutes to bake. Anyway - with my additions it was a lovely, moist, sophisticated-tasting dessert.

• Mushroom and Marsala tart

  • Foodycat on December 01, 2014

    I used bought shortcrust pastry, and blind baked it for longer. I soaked the dried mushrooms in madeira (couldn't get dry marsala, didn't have dry sherry or brandy) instead of water and adding the marsala separately. It was really delicious, with a lovely thin, crisp crust and rich, creamy filling, but I think the lack of seasoning was an error. I added a pinch of salt to the filling but it needed a touch more, and some black pepper. I think maybe some fresh thyme or maybe tarragon would be really good in it too.

• Pear and chocolate tart

  • Foodycat on December 08, 2018

    Absolutely gorgeous. I used Comice pears which have a lovely flavour but a very fat bum, so only 6 halves fit the pie dish. The pastry was beautifully short but too fragile to lift out a neat slice.

  • luluf on June 09, 2020

    I’ve made this twice and the second time substituted gluten free plain flour for the flour component in the pastry. I also found the pastry very fragile, but it is absolutely delicious and my guests loved it both times. You can really taste the hazelnuts and it’s pretty easy to make

• Coronation salad of chicken, mango and avocado

  • Foodycat on July 11, 2015

    I used chicken thigh fillets instead of breast. This makes a very good, lighter, fresher version of coronation chicken. Even my husband, who claims he doesn't like meat and fruit together, enjoyed it. Next time I'd probably make a bit less of the dressing for the other quantities though. (also in A Bird in the Hand)

• Winter salad with honey and mustard dressing

  • Foodycat on December 03, 2014

    Very tasty dressing - we only used one clove of garlic and it was plenty! We'll be having this again through winter. I think the dressing would be delicious on grated raw beetroot too.

• Burmese chilli fish with hot and sour salad

  • Foodycat on January 19, 2015

    Also in A Change of Appetite. 8 shallots - especially 8 shallots x 2! seems excessive. I didn't think 4 shallots per person could be right. For two people I used 4 in the cooked paste and 2 small ones in the salad. I used blanched white cabbage instead of Savoy, and cod as my fish. We really enjoyed it.

• Spiced quail with blood-orange and date salad

  • Foodycat on November 03, 2014

    Recipe also in A Change of Appetite and http://dianahenry.co.uk/recipes/spiced-quail-blood-orange-date-salad/ Absolutely delicious - I used regular oranges as blood oranges aren't in season, and used duck breasts instead of quail. I marinated the duck breasts keeping the skin dry, panfried them skin-side down for a few minutes to render the fat out, then returned them to the dish of the marinade and finished cooking them in the oven.

• Diana Henry's Easter scones

  • Foodycat on June 06, 2021

    Some of the nicest scones I have made. They don't have that metallic baking powder aftertaste that a lot of recipes have. I made them again and only baked 4, freezing the rest. They baked up really well from frozen - I reduced the oven temperature to 200C and baked them for 15 minutes.

• Indian spiced chicken with coriander chutney

  • Foodycat on June 04, 2015

    Also in A Bird in the Hand. I used chicken thigh fillets and cooked them on the barbecue. Really delicious, fragrant, not hot.

• Salmon tartare on rye crisps

  • Foodycat on October 20, 2014

    Very simple, very tasty. I didn't have any dill, so I used a little crushed fennel seed for the aniseed kick, and I couldn't find the capers that I am *sure* I have in the fridge so I doubled the pickled cucumber.

• Smoked-haddock rarebit

  • Foodycat on December 03, 2014

    Absolutely delicious! It made enough mixture to generously cover 3 slices of bloomer, so we had 1 1/2 each.

• Radicchio and red onions on white bean puree

  • Foodycat on January 11, 2015

    Also in A Change of Appetite. This is a lovely dish! I tend to add some chopped rosemary to the beans and roast some figs or grapes in with the onions.

• Blood oranges in caramel with sour-cream rice pudding

  • Foodycat on January 25, 2015

    Divine. A bit of a fiddle but well worth it to get all the bits together. I was tempted to add some vanilla to the pudding or some Cointreau to the oranges, but it all came together as absolute perfection.

• Beetroot and carrot soup with smoked sausage

  • Foodycat on February 05, 2015

    I used fennel seed instead of caraway. This soup was really delicious, but the combination of beetroot, carrot and orange makes it quite sweet, so the smoked sausage and sour cream garnish is quite important to make it more savoury. I didn't have the beetroot leaves, but I think next time if I can't get the leaves I will add some sauteed kale or something to add a bit more vibrancy to it.

  • Agaillard on May 01, 2021

    Just made using merguez sausage (spicy lamb and beef sausage from North Africa), cumin seeds and wilted salad leaves, rest of ingredients as listed - except I forgot the sour cream... It was really nice! The contrast of the sausage, the wilted leaves and the sugary soup is quite nice and as the author say, it's the toppings that make this soup, taste-wise at least. The look is vibrant and pretty. I will make again as this is pleasant, a nice change from standard soups and packed with vitamins!

• French ham and tomato macaroni cheese

  • Foodycat on April 17, 2020

    I used less pasta and more tomato. Really delicious - much fresher-tasting than a bechamel-based macaroni cheese but still comfortingly gooey.

• Red cabbage, sprout, celeriac and chestnut salad

  • Foodycat on January 06, 2021

    Lots of bits to it, but a very good combination. I toasted the chestnuts in the oven along with the hazelnuts and didn't add the sugar to them, and used a little honey in the dressing instead of sugar. Made a really good seasonal accompaniment to game meat.

• Burrata with roast peppers, raw fennel, capers, anchovies and herbs

  • Foodycat on April 08, 2016

    It's hard to imagine a way that burrata would be bad, but this combination of roasted peppers, thinly shaved fennel and herbs is particularly good.

• Cheddar, onion and spinach tart

  • Foodycat on September 30, 2016

    Absolutely delicious. Even though I had run out of plain flour for the pastry and ended up making a travesty of a crust with self raising wholemeal.

• Mumbai chilli cheese toastie

  • Foodycat on June 12, 2015

    So delicious. I made them in a frying pan and weighted them down with the base of a springform cake tin and a heavy mortar. The combination of the fresh green chutney, onion, tomato and cheese is well worth the effort. Perfect with a cold beer.

• Braised sausages with white wine, chestnuts, prunes and potatoes

  • Foodycat on August 17, 2020

    I didn't caramelise the chestnuts. This was delicious! Very autumnal.

• Roast pumpkin with burrata and hazelnut pesto

  • Foodycat on September 21, 2019

    Really rich but delicious - and the acidity of the tomato and the iron-y parsley pesto balance the sweet pumpkin (I used butternut) and creamy burrata really well.

• Melting ham and cheese risotto

  • Foodycat on May 01, 2020

    From a feature on what to do with Christmas leftovers, so it's all pretty flexible. I used a lot more ham and some leftover brie. Delicious - and made very good risotto cakes the next day.

• Spiced and fruity stollen buns

  • Foodycat on December 24, 2018

    Really delicious - packed with fruit, fluffy and lightly spiced. I used 1/2 tsp ground cardamom instead of the seeds from 8 cardamom pods and it wasn't too much. They took a lot longer to bake, 25 minutes not 15.

  • raybun on April 22, 2019

    Perfect for my Easter brunch. I followed FoodyCats ground cardamom amount, I’ll definitely be making these again! Baked for 30 minutes...

• Pecan and bourbon shortbread

  • Foodycat on March 30, 2020

    I didn't make the bourbon sugar garnish, I just used plain demerara sugar. It's a nice biscuit but not as short as I like - if I make them again I will use a small proportion of rice flour. I also think I should have reduced the temperature a bit - it was quite brown in 45 minutes.

• Gruyère and spinach French toast with bacon and tomato relish

  • Foodycat on June 20, 2022

    I didn't make the relish, I just roasted some cherry tomatoes on the vine. And I used grated gruyere and mixed it through the spinach before making the sandwiches. The spinach needs a lot of seasoning (I used salt, black pepper and nutmeg) but it's a delicious lunch dish.

• Chicken, basil, spinach and lemon meatballs 
with orzo

  • Foodycat on September 17, 2019

    17.9.19 Delicious - the meatballs are really light and fresh, and it's all pretty easy to bring together. I left the tomato paste out of the orzo and there was plenty of flavour even without it. 11.8.21 made again using turkey thigh mince and parsley instead of chicken and basil. Just as good!

• Watermelon, grapefruit and pickled radish salad with a hot Asian dressing

  • Foodycat on May 12, 2019

    So refreshing! I didn't have enough rice vinegar so I made a 1/4 quantity of pickling liquid and just used radishes (so, half the amount of veg for the pickle) and that was plenty. Had it with grilled chicken.

• Prawn, fennel and olive pilaf with dill and garlicky tomato yogurt

  • Foodycat on September 06, 2022

    I was slightly sceptical about the directions - boiling fast uncovered and then covering - but it worked very well. I thought my chicken stock was quite salty but the rice still needed extra seasoning.

• Roast autumn vegetable with aligot

  • Foodycat on November 15, 2022

    I didn't parboil my veg and they didn't need it - I used pumpkin and some whole brussels sprouts, instead of the parsnips, The aligot is delicious! I think I prefer the Ottolenghi version though - his chermoula really lifts it.

• Roast pumpkin, ricotta and bitter leaf salad

  • Foodycat on February 28, 2022

    Worth the various steps. The chunks of bread, soaked in milk and then sauteed in olive oil are absolutely delicious - I don't think I will ever make croutons any other way.

• Japanese-style trout with sushi rice

  • Foodycat on February 21, 2022

    Delicious - a few moving parts but the rice can stand while the other bits come together.

• Very lemony lemon cake

  • Foodycat on September 24, 2021

    Astonishingly good - very fragile, it's a challenge to turn it over to pour the syrup over the bottom, but absolutely gorgeous texture. It's really very, very lemony, almost wincingly tangy, even with the icing.

• Hot and sour tomato and watermelon salad

  • Foodycat on July 12, 2022

    Delicious. The tomato and watermelon is an unexpected but very good combination. Perfect for hot weather.

• Cheesy corn polenta with spiced prawns

  • Foodycat on November 19, 2021

    I used quick cooking polenta which was ready in 10 minutes, not 40. Lovely flavours! I added some okra so I didn't need to cook another vegetable.

• Pumpkin kofta with baked rice and coriander relish

  • Foodycat on March 09, 2022

    Fairly fiddly but delicious. I forgot to put the aubergine in though. The kofta are hold together nicely when you shape them but they don't really firm up any more in cooking so they are very delicate.

• Chicken, cauliflower and Gruyère cobbler

  • Foodycat on November 11, 2021

    Great way to use leftover chicken! I used the jellied juices from Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic instead of the wine and stock, and I just patted the dough into a circle and cut it into wedges. Very nice. The polenta gives a really good texture.

• Baked rigatoni with spicy sausage, broccoli and ricotta

  • Foodycat on October 29, 2020

    I simplified the method, just mixing the broccoli and pasta into the ragu and dolloping ricotta and mozzarella on top rather than layering - I used a pan for the ragu that could go in the oven so I didn't need a separate dish. I also tweaked the quantities for 2 people, halving the amount of sausage, broccoli and mozzarella, using less than half the pasta, ricotta, pancetta and parmesan . Really delicious - I just used regular (but good quality, high meat content) pork sausages and the fennel seeds and chilli flakes gave the ragu the flavour of good Italian sausage.

• Orzo with chicken, spinach and basil

  • Foodycat on July 29, 2020

    Really good use for leftover chicken - very quick and it leaves the chicken nicely succulent. Very adaptable.

• Roast vegetables with warm walnut-miso sauce

  • Foodycat on January 23, 2019

    I added the juice of an orange when I put the chicory in because I wanted a little mellow acidity, and only used 150ml olive oil for the dressing - which was plenty and ended up looking like the photo so I am inclined to think the 350ml was incorrect. The combination of vegetables is excellent and the walnut miso sauce was delicious - like a bagna cauda with extra attitude.

• Turkish fish sandwich (Balik ekmek)

  • Foodycat on January 31, 2022

    Really delicious - I used smoked mackerel because my grocery delivery substituted it for fresh and I couldn't be bothered changing my dinner plans. I sprinkled it with the paprika and cumin as per the recipe and wrapped it in foil and heated it in the oven while my ciabatta was toasting.

• Gratin of smoked mackerel, horseradish, parsnips and potatoes

  • Foodycat on November 01, 2021

    I liked the horseradish but I think next time I would use the suggested grainy mustard. Instead of milk I used white wine to cut through the cream a bit and that worked well - still incredibly rich.

• Chicken meatball, greens and white-bean soup

  • Foodycat on September 22, 2021

    I used turkey thigh mince. This is so good! Really well-flavoured meatballs with a lovely light texture, in a comforting broth with beans and cavolo nero. It's canned beans so it's really quick, after the meatballs have chilled for a bit.

• Roast squash with black and white beans, chipotle-roast tomatoes and crisp tortillas

  • Foodycat on November 03, 2021

    I didn't do the spicy squash seed garnish and I fiddled the quantities of the other bits for two people. But so delicious! Everything is very well balanced, lots of different textures and flavours.

• Pumpkin mash with broccoli, preserved-lemon yogurt and crispy onions

  • Foodycat on November 10, 2021

    YUM. This is so good! Lots of bits but all very much worth the effort. My only quibble is I don't think the recipe was written in the right order - I think it should have specified frying the onions while the pumpkin was roasting because I ended up having things hanging around waiting while I finished up. I used slightly less pumpkin (800g not 1kg) and broccoli (250g not 300g) as a meal for 2 people and it was about right. Would have needed more dishes to feed 4 people.

• Artichoke and green olive tapenade

  • Nichill on July 03, 2015

    This is wonderful, and very easy. Ours probably ended up over-garlicky, as our marinated artichokes were garlicky already. We'll be more careful, or adjust the garlic next time.

• Leek, celeriac and dill gratin

  • Nichill on January 01, 2018

    Not a bad dish. Would cut the leeks smaller, and consider blanching rather than frying. Need to remember to use finest slicing blade on the food processor for the potato and celeriac.

• Whole aubergines with saffron, black cardamom and date butter

  • zengal on November 12, 2021

    Online

• Chicken in the pot with vegetables and barley

  • Larkspur on November 06, 2016

    Used wine instead of vermouth, my taste-testers wanted a bit more barley

• Crunchy salad with miso and ginger dressing

  • MmeFleiss on September 18, 2017

    The flavors were pretty spot on. Next time I'll use a tad less miso.

• A winter sultan

  • rmorse on December 12, 2017

    This is a good drink, but very strong (so I added more juice)

• Shwarma chicken with warm chickpea purée, sumac onions and pomegranates

  • jecca on August 21, 2016

    I haven't tried the sumac onions yet, but the chicken and chickpea purée are amazing. You could doctor some store-bought hummus (by heating and adding a little extra spice and oil) as a quick substitute for the purée though. The leftovers are great inside a wrap.

  • e_ballad on April 19, 2017

    We enjoyed the chickpea purée, but didn't get too excited about the chicken. I think we may have been spoilt by having Nigella's version previously, which has a bit more going on. As always, Diana's recipe worked perfectly however.

• Indian cucumber and tomato salad

  • e_ballad on November 23, 2016

    Ok, but nothing too exciting. Did like the tang of the lime juice.

• Spiced roasted carrots

  • e_ballad on February 24, 2018

    Not quite sure how, but this recipe made the carrots taste more... carroty. Stupidly simple to put together.

• Smoked haddock, parsnip and barley risotto

  • e_ballad on August 16, 2017

    Unfortunately, I wasn't taken by this at all. The recipe 'works', but the textural & flavour combination wasn't for me.

• Honey-mustard baked sausages with blackberry, apple and caraway slaw

  • e_ballad on March 21, 2017

    This recipe can also be found in Diana's book "Simple". The recipe was fine & everything went to plan, but this dish wasn't particularly to our liking.

• Baked sausages with beans, eggs and feta

  • e_ballad on October 19, 2016

    An easy family weekend dinner. Unlikely to rock your world, but tasty nonetheless.

• Spaghetti with spiced sausage and fennel sauce

  • e_ballad on January 01, 2017

    Also found in Diana's book 'Simple', this absolutely lives up to the title. Jam-packed with flavour, though was not overwhelmingly 'fennel-y'. Made 6x large serves.

  • Agaillard on December 13, 2019

    Just made - only difference is I used merguez sausages (spiced, thin beef lamb merguez originating from Algeria, quite popular in France too), and I used Luxembourgish cremant/bubbly as the wine - as those were what I had on hand that most resembled the original ingredients. I don't think this made much difference. This was a great, spicy, flavourful and comforting dish - and I agree you can't indeed taste the fennel much :) Deceptively simple too, although the cooking itself takes a long time (which it needs) - you can do the sauce the day before if that helps or separately to reheat and use as and when you make the pasta. What I don't agree is that it makes six servings, about four for me if that!

• Lamb kofta with pomegranate and pistachios

  • e_ballad on September 22, 2016

    Really great (though we didn't include the cayenne pepper due to my husband's wimpy tastebuds). We found that a little more stock was needed than the recipe indicated, just to prevent the sauce from drying out. We also didn't require the buttermilk as our Greek yoghurt wasn't particularly thick. Devoured by the toddler at a rate of knots.

• Root vegetable recipes: soupe savoyarde

  • e_ballad on July 22, 2017

    Loved this. It was a perfect winter warmer. Can also be found in Diana's "Food from Plenty".

• Sweetcorn recipes: barbecued or griddled sweetcorn with lime and coriander butter

  • e_ballad on November 20, 2017

    Very nice but I do prefer the chilli version on the same link.

• Sweetcorn recipes: Anne Rosenzweig's corn cakes with creme fraiche and smoked salmon

  • e_ballad on January 09, 2017

    These were good, but not amazing. The taste was a bit gritty, presumably from the polenta.

• Indian apple rice pudding

  • e_ballad on April 08, 2017

    From the outset, everything worked perfectly & it was very nice. It just didn't pique our interest enough to compete against a couple of rice pudding recipes that we prefer.

• Venison sausages with red wine and wild mushrooms

  • e_ballad on May 03, 2018

    While this was good, the 1.5 hours required to prepare this dish didn’t reflect in the end product. The sauce was also still very thin, so I would suggest reducing down the red wine for longer than the recipe states.

• Braised venison and beetroot with horseradish cream

  • e_ballad on June 29, 2017

    This can also be found in Diana's "A Change of Appetite". This was ok & it was a nice comforting dish, but we prefer other venison casseroles that have a bit more going on.

• Braised pork, chestnuts and wild mushrooms with juniper and rosemary

  • e_ballad on April 28, 2017

    This was really tasty autumnal fare, which I made a day in advance as recommended. If doing so, I'd recommend NOT adding chestnuts until just prior to serving, as mine disintegrated & ultimately acted as a sauce-thickener, which is quite different to the photo above. Similarly, the Marsala-mushrooms would be best added just prior to serving, as their flavour was barely appreciable against the rest of the dish when cooked together.

• Roast apple and Calvados fool

  • e_ballad on August 28, 2017

    Crazily simple & (without the additional Calvados) was inhaled by the kiddo.

• Baked lime and passion-fruit pudding

  • e_ballad on March 26, 2017

    Far too sweet for our liking. There was a soup at the bottom, so we cooked it a little longer to see if the sauce would thicken a little, but scored burnt sponge for our trouble. A rare disaster (at least, by my hands!) from the monumentally fabulous Diana Henry.

• Cumberland sausages with apples and cider

  • Agaillard on February 12, 2018

    Nice comforting English dish, though I added a French touch as I replaced cider with white dry Jurancon wine, as I had a bottle opened - I used chilli and fennel sausages, rather than Cumberland ones, and I think the spice was a nice contrast with the sweetness of the apple, and the acidity of the wine. Will definitely make again (will try with cider next time!!). We have a similar dish in France called boudin aux pommes (but with blood sausage, and minus the cider). I actually like this one better, because of the cider sauce!

• Warm chickpea and onion purée with sizzling peppers and lamb

  • Agaillard on April 06, 2020

    I did a transformed version of this, due to what I had in hand in my Parisian confinement : lamb was meatballs made of lamb lemon sausages, chickpea/onion puree lacked the tahini and replaced lemon by a dash of vinegar, and I served the lamb mixed with the peppers with the puree on the side without pita (didn't have). This was really good and comforting. I made the rest of it in the evening, with a couple of eggs in a shakshuka style, was nice as well ! I have some chickpea puree left and I am wondering if it can be eaten cold a bit like hummus? Probably.

• Middle Eastern leeks with yogurt, dill and sumac

  • Agaillard on July 30, 2021

    Just made this with boiled eggs for a light lunch.... I really enjoyed it! It is very simple and flavorful ... I wonder whether this is a real middle-eastern dish or a creation... Will probably made again on my leek dishes rotation...I subbed fennel seeds for dill and fromage blanc for yogurt which I think didn't change the results much. I pressure cooked the leeks and I think overall they were more done than expected in the recipe - I may want to watch the cooking next time, but I do not mind my leeks tending too much on the tender side either.

• Chicken braised with shallots and chicory on Jerusalem artichoke purée

  • Agaillard on June 02, 2019

    Good and hearty comfortable meal ! Easy to make too! I used celeriac instead of Jerusalem artichokes as we are off season. Very enjoyable :)

• Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut soup

  • Agaillard on January 28, 2018

    Very nice! Subtle complementary flavours, beautiful looking, a real pleasure! I did not mix the soup up, just puree-ed it manually, and I did not mix in the hazelnuts either, rather, I chopped them roughly then toasted them and just sprinkled it over the soup. I will most definitely make again - add it to my go to soup repertory. Also it looks so classy, it is ideal to serve as an appetizer in a semi formal dinner.

• Toffee apple cake

  • raybun on January 22, 2017

    We loved this. I halved the recipe as the original one is for 14, and served it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It's very similar to a typical British sticky toffee pudding but with cubes of apple in the sponge to lighten it. Now I wish I'd made the whole amount, but it seemed unreasonable when there's only 3 of us!

• Peaches in muscat

  • Frenchfoodie on August 12, 2020

    Wow. Incredibly easy (skins slipped off a dream), turned the wine an appealing pink against the white peach slices and, most importantly, tasted great. I know I’ll return to this again and again in summer.

• Corn, bacon and wild-rice chowder

  • sosayi on September 19, 2018

    Looking to use up some leftover grilled corn (I used 1.5 cups for the two ears called for), I came across this recipe and happened to have everything on hand for it. It was a great fall soup and I highly recommend it! The only thing I'd change would be to possibly cut back on the amount of bacon. While delicious, I don't think it would suffer for less and might make it a bit lighter.

• Grapefruit, fennel, burrata, olive oil and 
sea salt

  • Jesmondgirl on January 17, 2020

    Didn’t have burrata so used mozzarella, still good.

• Chicken with feta cheese, dill, lemon and harissa yogurt

  • Lafro on April 25, 2022

    I didn't quite follow the recipe but used it loosely as a guide. Had chicken breast so grilled it rather than cooking in the oven. Used the same method for the veg but included carrot as well as the potato. Served with lemon wedges rather than drizzling the juice over at the end. I also used Rose harissa in the yoghurt as that's what I already had. Simple and delicious.

• Trofie pasta with courgette pesto

  • djnielsen64 on March 21, 2023

    Delicious! Would definitely make again.