Cooking

I have always liked to cook, to experiment in cooking and to enjoy sharing the results. I soon developed an interest in cooking with ingredients I had grown in my own garden and then soon I had my own livestock too. Cooking with meat and vegetables all from your own garden is hugely satisfying, although being fully self sufficient is extremely difficult (especially if you have a chocolate addiction like I have).

Recipes
Select the Cooking label, on the left here, to see a selection of my favourite recipes.

Kitchen Tools

I do get asked sometimes what my favourite tools are in the kitchen. So here I have tried to list the best. Some are a bit pricey, some a bit specialist, but get the best and they will last a long time; at least that is my experience.

First up, a KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer. It is not cheap, there are less expensive versions, but they are a joy to use, so simple and powerful. If you bake, then you should get one. I have this black one, but the new Iron Black one looks amazing. This is very helpful when you are baking a cake, but if you are planning on making your own bread then it is really superb at saving you time with the kneading. I recommend getting the glass bowl as well as the steel one it comes with, as this means you can keep using it when one bowl is still dirty.

Next, I would have to go with a really good set of knives. I committed to the Global range about 15 years ago and although they are not to everyone's taste, I have got on really well with them. Here is an example of a basic collection, not the one I have (I have the block shown in the picture), but you can buy whatever ones you are likely to use depending on the work you do in the kitchen. I especially recommend the short serrated tomato knife and the long carving knife too. I have a few sabatier knives too, which I use just for butchery, including a big cleaver which is excellent for chopping up chops.

 

I do like a toasted sandwich. Sweet as well as savoury (have you tried a banana and nutella toasted sandwich?), they are fast food, fun to make and the only really tiresome thing is washing it afterwards. I chose this Waring sandwich maker as it was a deep-fill version and also recommended at easy to clean. It certainly is much easier to clean than any other one I have used and makes superb toasties.

In terms of saucepans and frying pans, having wasted money in the past on cheaper ones that do not past, I have learned to pay a little more (sometimes a lot more) for a pan that threatens to last for decades rather than 18 months. So I just always buy Le Creuset pans now, and I have some of their cast-iron casserole dishes too, which are superb. The only problem for some people are that they are heavy even when empty, so do go to the shops and try them for weight before you commit. As a side note, they also do this stoneware in black satin too, and it is absolutely perfect for a massive lasagna. This is another brand that seems to wash really well and can be used on induction hobs too. The frying pans come with a lifetime guarantee too, so if the non-stick coating comes away you can go and get another from Le Creuset or where you have bought it.

 

Bit of a luxury this one, but I am extremely fond of my Alessi lemon squeezer. Obviously, it looks amazing and I bought it for the aesthetics. However, the surprise is that it is superb at what it was made for. Mine is over twenty years old now and looks like I bought it last Tuesday, too. I like to make lemon tarts, ginger beer, lemon meringue and my infamous lemon downpour cake, and I always reach for this juicer; it is fun to use and practical too.

 

As you have probably already worked out, I have my own pigs and butcher them myself. I also get lamb and venison as a whole carcass and butcher them at home. So having a kitchen-top mincer turned out to not be strong enough to deal with what I required (I destroyed one trying to mince my first pigs). After some research I decided to buy one similar to this one from Weschenfelder; they are a British company despite the same and make strong, powerful mincers ideal for the small holder market. It also has a superb sausage attachment and is easy to clean. I have had mine for several years now and it has been well worth the money.

You have to have a good mixing bowl, or a set of good bowls. I have a set of Mason Cash bowls and really enjoy using them. They are really well made and of course a great British tradition; they have been around making their traditional cane bowls since 1800! I have the black ones (you can see the theme in my cookware now, I think) and they have a nice satin finish on the outside and a glossy cream finish on the inside. Really recommend you have at least one; and if you only get one, get the biggest you can; the 29cm one.