whole trout
couple of limes
handful of fresh coriander
1 red chilli
salt and pepper
roll of tin foil

gut and clean your fish, but leave it whole.
lay the trout out on a double layer of tin foil.
stuff the coriander into the belly of the fish and season well with salt and pepper.
slice the limes and arrange neatly across the top of the fish.
sprinkle with some finely sliced chilli.
cover with another double layer of tin foil and fold in the edges to make sure the package is completely air-tight (if its not your whole house will stink of fish as it cooks!!!)
position the fishy parcel onthe top shelf of the dishwasher and put on for a full cycle (ours was intensive 65°C for a 2 hour cycle)
remove fish and enjoy the the moist succulent flesh.

serves 2

POTATO SALAD
cooked potato (500g)
2 cooked beetroots (not the ones in vinegar!)
handful of watercress
2 dollops of mayo
1 dollop of horseradish sauce

PASTA SALAD
cooked pasta (400g)
2 tbsp basil pesto
handful of chopped black olives
chunk of parmesan cheese, finely grated
half a jar of roasted peppers, hacked up
few fresh basil leaves

COUSCOUS SALAD
cooked couscous (200g)
chunk of chorizo, diced up and fried for 2 mins.
4 or 5 spring onions
slab of feta cheese (200g)


take each of the salads one at a time and make sure all ingredients are cut to bite-size pieces.
stir each salad together in a clean bowl and season with salt and pepper.
transfer to Tupperware containers and you’re ready to hit the road – it really is as simple as that – nothing fancy.

6 decent sized sausages
6 rashers of smoky bacon
8 eggs
1 onion
2 medium potatoes
2 fresh tomatoes, sliced
couple of handfuls of mushrooms, chopped
2 tins of baked beans
1 tsp salt
black pepper
shot of olive oil


preheat oven to 180°C.
wash, peel and cut potatoes into chunks.
drop them into salted water and bring to boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until cooked, then drain.
arrange the bacon and sausages on a tray and put into the oven until the bacon is crispy and sausages golden.
slice onion and fry in oil for 5 minutes.
whack the mushrooms in with the onions and fry for a couple of minutes to soften.
beat the eggs in a large bowl and add salt and pepper.
grab the cooked potatoes, onions, mushrooms and bacon and stir into the egg mixture.
shove an oven-proof frying pan onto the hob and make sure it’s smoking hot before spilling in the egg contents.
sink the cooked sausages into the pan and scatter a few tomato slices on top.
launch immediately into the oven for 20-25 minutes. Once set and golden on top, take out.
allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes.
loosen around the edges and turn out.

serves 6

shot of oil
2 onions
1 bulb of garlic
matchbox-sized piece of ginger
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp fenugreek
1 tbsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp chilli flakes
1 cinnamon stick
4 cardamom pods
1.5 kg diced leg of lamb
2 tins of tomatoes
1 pint of veg/lamb stock
generous fistful of fresh coriander and mint
basmati rice
naan breads
natural yoghurt (optional)


pre-heat the oven to 160°C.
dice the onion, garlic and ginger finely and sweat off in a large, oven-proof pan for about 5 minutes.
grind up all the dried spices to a powder (use a pestle & mortar or bash the hell out of them in a clean tea-towel).
fry the spices in with the onions for a few minutes.
trim any excess fat and sinew from the lamb before cutting into cubes.
add the prepared lamb and tinned chopped tomatoes to the onion and spices.
top up with stock and bring to the boil.
chop half of the fresh herbs (leaving the other half for the end) and mix through the curry.
stick a lid on the pan and put into the oven to cook for at least two hours.
cook for a final half an hour without a lid before serving with boiled basmati rice, warmed naan breads and the remaining fresh herbs.

serves 6

potato gnocchi (300g–shop bought)
4 spring onions
6 rashers of back bacon
creamy blue cheese (100g)
2 large fistfuls of fresh spinach
knob of butter
double cream (100ml)
cluster of walnuts
fresh parmesan


fill a pan with salted water and bring to the boil.
wash spinach under cold running water and drain well.
drop gnocchi into boiling water and cook for 4 minutes until they float.
fry bacon and spring onions in a pan with knob of butter.
wilt spinach in the same pan with the cooked bacon before adding cream and walnuts.
crumble over blue cheese and season with freshly ground black pepper.
drain gnocchi and toss in the creamy spinach sauce.
divide between bowls and grate Parmesan over to serve.

serves 2