The Scots certainly love their oats and for good reason – oats is low in fat, fibre-rich and high in energy. An Englishman observing a Scotsman settling down to his breakfast of oats porridge said scathingly, “Why do you Scots eat oats – in England we feed that stuff to the horses.” The Scotsman looked… [read more]

The name is certainly a weird one. The first part of the name comes from the fishing town of Cullen in North East Scotland, while the second part refers to a soup. Although originally it referred to a shin or knuckle bone used in soups, over time ‘skink’ was applied to any soup. In this… [read more]

The name is pretty self explanatory – chicken and leeks in this soup! The name however doesn’t mention the prunes that seem to be added in some of the recipes. They do give it a bit of a weird taste, however it is totally up to the individual to add or leave out the prunes.… [read more]

When you feel like a lunchtime snack that isn’t going to involve a lot of time, then this provides a tasty meal within 20 or so minutes. If you have kids around who are hurrying you along because they are, “Starving!” then you can divide out the tasks – one doing the measuring of the… [read more]

A tagine is a North African dish that is often both sweet and spicy, bringing out the flavor of the meat. The traditional way to serve it is with Moroccan flatbread or couscous to mop up every last taste sensation. A ‘tagine’ refers to both the stew and the conical two-part earthenware dish in which… [read more]

Across Africa, South America, and the East there are variations of a basic flour water mix used to make ‘bread’ in a dry pan to be eaten with traditional stews. In Ethiopia injera is the flatbread made from teff (a fine grain that varies in color from white to dark brown) and fIour and left… [read more]

After trying beetroot gnocchi at a top quality restaurant close to Mount Warning in New South Wales, Australia, I was determined to try and create something similar. So here goes. The truffle oil you buy is made by infusing a light oil with pieces of truffle adding a luxurious element of expensive French truffles. Although… [read more]

Most people roast their red peppers whole in the oven or over a grill, and then leave them in a plastic bag to sweat before removing the skins. I have done my peppers a different way so at to: eliminate the use of plastic reduce the amount of electricity used in turning on a big… [read more]

When you have grown a herb garden, you are naturally keen to use your produce to make those long lazy afternoons around a grazing table memorable and what better way to use up your homegrown coriander, mint and a lemon from the home orchard than for this recipe. We all know about pesto made with… [read more]