1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
knob of butter
1 lemon
glass of white wine
fresh mussels in shells (500g)
fistful of fresh parsley, chopped
splash of cream
black pepper


clean the mussels by removing any excessive ‘beard’ and leave them to soak in water for 10 mins.
discard any that are open and don’t close when tapped (they are already dead!)
dice the onion as finely as possible and sweat off with the butter in a deep sided pan with lid.
crush the garlic and add this to the half-cooked onions.
pour in the white wine, squueze in the lemon juice and dump in the drained and cleaned mussels.
cover with a lid and leave to steam for 2-3 minutes until the mussels have all opened.
lift out the cooked mussels into a deep serving bowl, then add parsley, black pepper and cream to the cooking juices in the pan.
stir, reduce a little if needed and pour over the mussels.
serve with chunks of crusty French bread to mop up all the juices.

serves 2

two fistfuls of new potatoes
shot of olive oil
2 chicken breasts
dollop of red pesto
handful of black pitted olives
two handfuls of cherry tomatoes
½ a bulb of garlic
few fresh basil leaves


preheat the oven to 200°C.
scrub the potatoes, halve any large ones and toss in the oil with some salt and pepper.
lay them on a roasting tray and roast for about 20 minutes in the oven.
prepare the chicken breasts by cutting away any fat or sinew, then halve them lengthwise.
massage the red pesto into the cut chicken and peel the cloves of garlic but leave whole.
take the potatoes (still only half cooked) out of the oven and scatter the roasting tray with the cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, olives and then lay the chicken on top.
stick the tray back into the oven for about 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked, the tomatoes have burst and the potatoes are golden.
scatter with freshly ripped basil leaves and serve straight from the roasting tray.

Serves 2

1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
shot of olive oil
½ a small courgette
½ a red pepper
¼ of an aubergine
2 tomatoes
couple of fresh basil leaves
4 fresh eggs

peel and dice the onion, before adding to a deep frying pan to cook over a medium heat with the oil for 2-3 minutes.
cut the courgette, pepper and aubergine into 1cm cubes.
crush the garlic and add to the cooking onions with the other diced vegetables.
fry everything together for 3-4 minutes whilst removing the pulp and seeds from the tomatoes.
dice up the tomato flesh and add to the pan to warm through with the washed and ripped up basil.
crack the eggs into the pan, making sure not to damage the yolks, and leave to gentle cook until the white of the egg is completely set.
serve straight from the pan with fresh crusty bread.


serves 2

lamb mince (500g)
small red onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small egg, beaten
natural Greek yoghurt (200g)
half a cucumber
handful of fresh mint
1 lemon
shot of oil
few pitta breads
2 beef tomatoes


dice the red onion and garlic as small as possible.
throw into a bowl with all the dried spices, lamb mince, beaten egg and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
pound together with your hands to mix.
roll it into about 8 kofta (sausage) shapes and insert wooden skewers (optional).
heat a little oil in a frying pan and add the koftas to cook. Turn them occasionally to colour on all sides.
slice the cucumber lengthwise, then scrape out and throw away the seedy flesh.
chop what’s left of the cucumber and the mint finely.
stir the cucumber and mint into the yoghurt with the zest of the lemon and plenty of salt and pepper.
toast the pitta breads until crisp before slicing into strips.
serve the cooked koftas on a bed of sliced tomatoes with a dollop of tzatziki and the toasted pitta.

Serves 4