I need to eat more radishes – cooked like this, they’re so good. This is my brunch for one, but it would make a side for two (or just double it). I finish mine with crème fraîche and a sprinkle of my bacon crumb, but leave that off and it’s vegetarian.

I’ve struggled and tested so many recipes and techniques to find the easiest, perfect focaccia bread and – I think, I’ve found it!

It’s super easy but be accurate. Most important ingredient is time – this cannot be rushed no matter what you read in the ‘quick and easy’ recipes! Also, use a very good quality extra virgin olive oil. This is the main flavor and you want it to taste delicious, not nasty and oily.

1. Mix the dough

In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add warm water and 2 tbsp olive oil. Mix until you get a sticky dough (it should be quite wet—that’s key!).

2. First rise

Cover and let it rise for 1–2 hours until doubled in size.

3. Stretch & fold

Wet your hands and fold the dough over itself 8–10 times in the bowl. This builds structure and gives that airy texture.

4. Ferment

• Form mix into a ball and cover with olive oil.
• Cover the bowl with clingfilm
• Leave in the fridge overnight (or longer – up to 3 days)

5. Stretch & fold

• Remove from the fridge
• Wet your hands and stretch and fold the dough again as before 8 – 10 times
• If the dough is not ’stretchy’ leave it to get to room temperature then fold and stretch

6. Second rise

• Cover again and leave in a warm place for approximately 4 hours
• After 4 hours, stretch and fold again being careful to gently fold over and trap as much air as possible. Hold down the edge to stop it springing back
• Generously oil a baking tray
• Transfer dough to the tray
• Gently stretch it to fit (don’t force it). If it won’t stretch, it’s OK – the final prove will expand the dough to fill the tray)
• Let it rest another 1 – 2 hours

5. Dimple & top

• Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan)
• Press your fingers into the dough to create dimples
• Drizzle generously with olive oil
• Sprinkle flaky salt and add toppings

6. Bake

Bake for 20–25 minutes until golden brown.

7. Finish

Drizzle a little more olive oil after baking for extra flavor.

Sicilian dish featuring the best of summer. Always best made the day before and can be eaten warm or room temperature is preferable. The options to use are endless, stirred through pasta, on a bruschetta, as a starter with bread, a side dish with fish or just on it’s own

Lightly salt the aubergine cubes and leave in a colander in the sink for 30 minutes then pat dry with kitchen paper.

In a large pan heat 2cm of vegetable oil to 190C or when the aubergine sizzles in the oil. Fry in batches until golden and remove to drain on kitchen paper and lightly season each batch with salt.

Next fry the celery in the same oil until golden. Drain on kitchen paper. Safely discard the oil.

Heat the olive oil in a clean pan and add the onion with a generous pinch of salt and sauté gently for about 10 minutes until soft. Pour in the tomatoes along with chilli flakes and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes.

Stir in the capers, olives, sugar, passata and vinegar, bring to the boil, add the fried vegetables. Turn the heat to the lowest setting, cover with a lid and simmer for and hour checking every so often that it isn’t drying out.

Serve with warm or at room temperature scattered with nuts and mint.

Fresh juicy peaches in the summer and you could use plums in the autumn as well using lovely ripe tomatoes this recipe is refreshing and colourful. Good enough to be served as a starter on it’s own or as a side dish.

Put the sliced onion in the lime juice and leave to macerate while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Preheat the oven to 180c fan. Tear the bread into 2cm pieces. Spread onto a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, checking every so often until the bread is hard and very dry.

While the bread is in the oven, take a third of the tomatoes, cut in half and grate the cut side into a salad bowl to extract some pulp. Discard the skins. Next, finely grate the garlic into the pulp. Add sherry vinegar, salt and pepper then gradually whisk in the olive oil.

Cut the remaining tomatoes into 2cm chunks and add to the dressing along with the peaches and herbs. Remove the onions from the lime juice and add them to the salad. Give everything a good mix then gently toss in the warm croutons allowing them to be coated with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Furikake seasoning can be found in most supermarkets however, toasted sesame seeds can be used instead with some crumbled nori sheets. Use this recipe to make a Poke Bowl or Sushi.

Place the rice in a fine mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water for a couple of minutes until the water runs clear. Tip the rice into a bowl, cover with plenty of water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain. The rice is now ready to use.

Add 250g sushi rice to 350ml of cold water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid on. Turn off the heat but leaving the lid on, leave to stand for another 15 minutes. Important: Don’t open the lid during the 15 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, put the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pan, gently heat whilst whisking to dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove from the heat.

Once the rice is cooked, transfer immediately to a large mixing bowl and drizzle the vinegar mixture over the rice. Use a spatula to gently fold the rice using a slicing and lifting motion so you don’t squash the rice, until the vinegar is evenly mixed through. Keep folding to help the cool the rice. Once cooled, cover the bowl with a damp cloth (the cloth should touch the rice as this will help it stop drying out). Let it cool to room temperature. Just before serving the rice, stir through the furikake seasoning.

Works well as a starter or a side dish. They can made ahead of time and reheated in the oven.

Start with the intense tomato sauce. Put a frying pan over a low heat and add the olive oil, garlic and parsley. Cook until the garlic is soft and the oil fragrant being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the tomato purée and a generous pinch of salt. Continue to cook over a low heat, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes minutes. Set aside.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour with 1 tsp of salt and. Put the beaten eggs in another bowl and the panko crumbs in a third, making a production line. Put enough vegetable oil in a large pan to come 2cm up the side of the pan and heat to 160C. Prepare a tray with plenty of kitchen paper on which you will put the cooked aubergine.

Working in batches, dip each slice of aubergine first in the flour, then the egg and lastly the panko, drop in the hot oil being careful not to overcrowd. Flip occasionally until both sides are golden brown, 5-6 minutes, remove to drain on the kitchen paper. Repeat until all the slices are cooked.

When ready to serve, smear some tomato on each slice with a dollop of ricotta and finish with a sprinkle of fresh chopped thyme leave or parsley.

A gorgeous crisp salad that can easily be served as a starter or an accompaniment. I serve it as a course at our Woodland Suppers and it’s always gone down well.

TOP TIP: If you want really crisp salad leaves, soaking in iced water for 20 minutes always does the trick.

NOTE ON INGREDIENTS: It MUST be Iceberg Lettuce

I omit blue cheese from my ranch dressing as if I’m feeding a lot of people, there’s usually at least one person who doesn’t like it. Also if you do a veggie version without the bacon, most blue cheeses are NOT vegetarian – although the lovely Oxford Blue that we have on our cheese course is. It’s always worth checking

EQUIPMENT: A large bowl with two handfuls of ice and then filled with cold water

Quarter the lettuce through the root and soak in iced water for 20 minutes. Then drain making sure as much water drains out as possible.

Cook the bacon until crisp and allow to cool. Chop into little pieces, a bit bigger than a crumb.

Make the Ranch dressing by whisking all the ingredients together, or put them in a large jar and give it a good shake.

Place the lettuce quarters on a serving dish. Drizzle over the dressing and finish with sprinklings of bacon, tomato and spring onion.

This can accompany fish, chicken, meatballs, the list is endless. I like to serve it warm but it can be made in advance and stored in the fridge until needed. The simplicity always amazes me, prepare it in the bowl which you’ll be serving!

Thomas Keller is the inspiration for this incredible way to serve potatoes for a special occasion when you want to impress. I have been making these in the restaurant for many years. You can get all the hard work done the day before and when it’s time to serve it’s just a question of reheating.

You can’t make these in a small quantity but because it keeps for a few days in the fridge, why not have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner if you aren’t cooking for a crowd?

Beauty takes a bit of effort!

2 x 2lb loaf tins

THE DAY BEFORE

Preheat the oven to 180C fan.

Peel the potatoes, before slicing trim the sides to make a rectangle shape. it doesn’t have to be exact, just so you have a few straight edges.

Pour the cream into a bowl and season with 1 tsp of salt and a good grinding of black pepper.

Slice the potatoes using a mandolin. I do this over a chopping board which collects the starch juices. After you have sliced a few potatoes, add them with any collected starch to the cream. Continue until you have sliced all the potatoes. Get your hands in make sure each slice is coated with the cream.

Brush the baking pan with butter and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on all sides. Brush the inside of the parchment with more butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Lay the slices of potatoes in the pan and repeat the process dotting with bits of butter every two layers and season. Continue until the pan is filled. Fold the side of the parchment paper over the potatoes, cover tightly with foil and place in the oven for 1 hour and 50 minutes

Bake until the potatoes are completely soft. Pierce with a cake tester to check. Remove from the oven, take the foil cover off and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Place the second loaf tin on top of the potatoes and weigh down with some heavy cans . Let the potatoes cool to room temperature. Remove the weights, wrap tightly and then put in the fridge for 12 hours up to 2 days.

ON THE DAY

Use a spatula between the paper and pan to help release the potatoes. Carefully lift out using the overhanging pieces and place on a cutting board. Trim the sides and cut into equal pieces and place on a baking sheet. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat a large frying pan on a medium high heat. pour in enough vegetable oil to cover the base of the pan. when the oil is hot, add the potatoes cut side down along with the thyme. Cook basing with oil until browned on first side then carefully turn over on the opposite side. If you cook in batches, pop them in the oven to stay warm

Serve with a little extra knob of butter left to melt and sprinkle with chives

This is the potato salad I make when I want something a little more exciting than the usual mayonnaise-laden bowl. Warm new potatoes soak up a punchy dressing of fish sauce, garlic and chilli as they cool, then get a sweet-sour lift from ginger and rice vinegar, with handfuls of fresh coriander, mint and cucumber added at the last minute. It’s brilliant alongside grilled meats or fish, travels well to a picnic or barbecue, and is just as good made a few hours ahead, so there’s one less thing to worry about when your guests arrive.