Daffodil Soup London

  THIS may look like a bowl of beige sludge but boy oh boy it packs a flavour punch.  There are lots of versions around, also known as Baba Ganoush, as it’s a staple of Mediterranean and North African cooking, and I have combined a few here but mostly the flavour bomb is the smoking of the aubergine.  Shortly before lockdown I invested in a smoker – it’s a small, table-top model (not much bigger than a backpack) that can be easily stored in the shed –  and I’ve been experimenting with cold-smoking, which is a low and slow way to infuse meat, fish and vegetables with that deep, smokiness that doesn’t come from a bottle like so many ‘smoked’ goods.  The critical different between hot and cold smoking, unsurprisingly, is temperature.  You can hot smoke foods in any closed-lid barbecue – it’s a guaranteed side benefit of  cooking over charcoal. With hot smoking you are cooking AND smoking at the same time – the smoke is generated by wood chips placed on top of the

We're all cooking so much more these days and while for some of us that's a busman's holiday for others it's a tedious treadmill of getting meals on the table with all the associated planning, prep and cleaning up that entails.  We're all looking for inspiration and hungrily devouring recipe collections and suggestions, and enviously eyeing up instagram feeds from foodies who make everything look so delicious - we do, after all, eat with our eyes.  Here at Daffodil Soup HQ we've been making lots of comfort food, baking bread and delving in to kitchen classics, which led to one of the most comforting meals of Lockdown so far - the most serendipitously delicious example of kedgeree that it just had to be shared.  Originally a Bengal staple dish of spiced rice and lentils served with fried fish (Khicharhi), smoked fish and boiled eggs were added by Colonial cooks in the kitchens of the British empire to make it a favourite at the breakfast table

Everyone’s cooking and baking again, and posting their stories online, which is lovely to see.  For professional chefs, this has been a stressful time, not being able to cook and feed people every day (it’s not just a day job, it’s basically a calling). With just two of us at home during lockdown, I’ve had to fight the urge to keep creating loads of dishes that we just can’t eat. The freezers are full, and there really is only so much one can eat in a day. (Trust me, we've tried.)  I’ve been making sourdough bread for decades with my starter called Elvis (and documenting the results endlessly on Insta) and once the strong flour issue was resolved I started baking bread for friends and neighbours, which has scratched the itch somewhat.     Then, seeing the lovely cheese and chilli cornbread recipe posted by Rosalind, the founder of Cookery School at Little Portland Street reminded me that I have a savoury muffin recipe which I used to bake as a loaf

Here’s another tasty and colourful side dish that works well hot or cold, as an accompaniment to a main meat or fish course or as a vegan or vegetarian option on its own.  It looks stunning on a buffet, too. Today's recipe was devised on the hoof while cooking for a lunch delivery. The main starch element to accompany beef meatballs loaded with sweet onions, parsley and mozzarella, was giant couscous also known as ptitim , or Israeli couscous. It is in effect, pasta, so it takes flavour very well.   Ingredients Serves 4 400g giant/Israeli couscous, wholemeal if preferred 1 bunch raw beetroot  1tbsp poppy seeds 1tbsp nigella (kalonji) seeds  Olive oil to taste Sea salt and black pepper Juice of half a lemon Method To make the puree, peel the beetroot and cut into even-sized chunks. Toss them in a little olive oil with sea salt and black pepper, wrap securely in a foil parcel and roast in the oven at 180C for 60-90 minutes. They should be t

Lazy Sunday mornings were made for these heavenly light American-style pancakes, which we used to call Scotch pancakes or flapjacks whenI was growing up. Now I know flapjacks are something very different indeed, made with oats and golden syrup and lots and LOTS of butter (a recipe for another time).  These clouds of joy are so easy – and if you make up a small container (or ziplock bag) of the dry ingred ients and keep it in your dry store cupboard, it's ready when the urge overtakes you.  The wet mix can then be whisked and the two combined while the frying pan is heating up … job done.   Pimping your pancakes is personal choice: classic blueberries and maple syrup, crisp strips of streaky bacon or pork sausages, simple summer fruit, peanut butter or chocolate spread with crunchy toasted hazelnuts; the options are endless.  Most good supermarkets sell buttermilk, but if you can’t find it you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to the same quantity of whole

This is a decadently delicious tart, and a fine example of how a few basic store-cupboard ingredients can quickly deliver on richness, flavour and visual impact. Who doesn’t have a tin of golden syrup in the cupboard (probably out of date but as it’s made from inverted sugar it really does not go off)? You might think using sourdough breadcrumbs in this is an affectation but I did it for two reasons. I make all my own sourdough at home, so I always have leftover crusts and I hate throwing them away. Plus, I was interested to see whether the slight sourness from the crumb would have any flavour impact on the extremely sweet filling. And it does. It adds a dimension that is subtle but noticeable, and improves the balance of flavours. To make it even simpler, you can use shop-bought shortcrust pastry, or even a pre-baked pastry shell (I won’t judge. Or tell).  And if you’re making your own pastry you could substitute dairy-free spread and make it vegan. You could do