25 April - The Gurnard's Head, Zennor

Again, a bit of forward planning had gone into today's eating out, with a booking already made for the Gurnard's Head at Zennor. We've stayed and eaten at its sister pub/hotel, the Felin Fach Griffin, near Brecon, so it was already on my list of places to try if we were down this way. And it didn't disappoint. We had a simple spring vegetable salad to start, to leave enough space for our mains; delicious, melt-in-the mouth braised pork with a wonderfully sweet and earthy mixed root veg mash and some spring greens - yum! We were both pretty stuffed, but still couldn't quite resist sharing some orange cheesecake for pudding!

In an attempt to walk it off, we had an afternoon walk from Lands End, along the cliff path to Sennen Cove where we stopped off for a late afternoon pot of tea in a cool little beach cafe, before walking back.

For supper, a simple salad was enough; beetroot, tomato and boiled egg with a creamy dressing from the Observer magazine (again!). A tbsp white wine vinegar mixed with slightly less sugar, a good teaspoon of vinegar, then 3 tbsp double cream. When I dunked my finger in the bowl, it tasted like an odd sweet mix with a vinegary after-kick, but once it was mixed with the beetroot, it actually worked really nicely.

24 April - 2 Fore Street

Lunch today was a simple bowl of pea soup with some toast on the wonderfully sunny little terrace in front of the cottage - location, location, location!

Armed with a booking this time, dinner was at a little restaurant in the middle of Mousehole; 2 Fore Street. We weren't sure what we fancied when we went in, but it was one of those meals that turned out to just hit the spot perfectly! I had chicken liver pate to start and Tris had crab on toast - both tasty, but not too heavy. Then we both had sea bass. On the menu it came with braised fennel that neither of us like, but they were happy to swap it for asparagus. The fish was delicious served with a subtle roast-tomato sauce and prawns, plus the asparagus, some spring greens and the most delicious Cornish new potatoes on the side. Altogether, couldn't have been more perfect!

23 April - a ploughmans and fish'n'chips by the sea

A walk along the coastal path from Mousehole brought us to the tiny Lamorna Cove for lunch in it's one cafe, that just happened to do a pretty good ploughmans in a fabulous spot!

Finding dinner proved more of a challenge though! We probably should have realised that getting a table in one of Mousehole's few eateries on Easter Saturday would require a booking ... after trying two pubs and two restaurants, all fully booked, we finally had to settle for take-out fish and chips! As someone who needs at least four of my five-a-day to feel properly human, I nipped back to the cottage while Tris waited for our cod and chips and popped some green beans on to boil. I'm not sure the combination really went, but the fish was great and I felt better for at least a bit of green!

22 April - minty lamb in a new kitchen

Today we arrived in Mousehole in Cornwall for a week in another rented cottage. It's a really cool little place with a great kitchen.

We came down with a load of stuff in the back of the car, so I was all ready for an easy-cook dinner when we arrived. Another Nigel Slater favourite, I made up a marinade in advance of fresh mint, garlic, olive oil and a couple of anchovy fillets whizzed up to a paste. Then when we arrived, I coated a couple of lamb fillets in the minty slush and left them for an hour or so, before popping them in a hot oven for about 15 minutes. I boiled some new potatoes then gently squished them to split their skins and popped them in the oven with a bit of olive oil and salt to cook with the lamb and served both with some more asparagus. A bottle of wine and some chocolate bunnies for pud made a great start to our Easter hols.

21 April - cod with Bengali-style mustard sauce

Today was a bit hectic, but I was determined to find the time for some proper cooking with lots of ingredients before we head off tomorrow for another week in a self-catering cottage. I chose a recipe from last Sunday's Observer Food Monthly magazine by Vivek Singh for fish (the recipe used halibut, but my local fishmonger only had cod) with a spicy curry sauce. I'm never 100% about fish curries, but in this one, you cook the fish and the curry sauce separately and just serve them together, which appealed to me. The original recipe includes three parts, the fish, the sauce and an onion garnish, but after a busy day, I gave up and omitted the garnish.

Fish & marinade:
two chunky cod fillets
a few black onion seeds
a few fennel seeds
salt
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Sauce:
1 tbsp vegetable oil
bay leaf
1/4 tsp black onion seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
small onion finely sliced
1 tsp mixed grated ginger and garlic
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
small tomato finely chopped
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
250ml water
large green chilli slit lengthways
salt
sugar
pinch garam masala
fresh coriander
c. 200ml coconut cream

For the sauce, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the bay leaf, onion seeds and fennel seeds, then the onion. Fry gently, then add the garlic-ginger paste, chilli powder and turmeric. Fry for a couple more minutes, then add the tomato. Cook, stirring and mushing for a couple more minutes. The same with the mustard. Then pour in the stock and bring to the boil. Add the green chilli, a pinch of salt and sugar, the garam masala, coriander and coconut cream and leave to bubble gently.

Mix together the marinade ingredients and rub them over the fish - set aside for 10 mins or so. Then sear the fish on both sides for a couple of minutes in an oven-proof frying pan, before popping it in a hot oven (200C) for just over 5 minutes.

I then quickly wilted some spinach, put this in the middle of a deep dish and surrounded it with the sauce, before putting the seared cod on the top, sprinkling on a little more coriander and serving it with rice in separate bowls.

The verdict? It looked great and although the sauce was quite sharp and seemed a bit overpowering at first taste, it really grew on me. And because the fish isn't cooked in the sauce, you still taste it rather than it being drowned out by the strong sauce. Definitely one to try again, perhaps with the halibut if I can get some next time.

20 April - harissa chicken

I was back in my own kitchen with a cupboardful of ingredients this evening, but a bit knackered after a long day on trains back from Brighton. So this evening was simple harissa chicken - chicken thigh fillets marinated in harissa paste, lemon juice and olive oil, then roast (c.25 mins at 200C) with some strips of red pepper and some cherry tomatoes for the last 10 minutes. Served with a few green beans and some couscous.

19 April - using up; salad & a pie

My last day in Brighton meant trying to use up the contents of the fridge. Lunch was a salad of spinach, cherry tomatoes, the rest of the goats cheese, the last few chunks of pancetta and a few new potatoes. Then this evening, I had more spinach and some green beans to use up, but nothing to go with them. So I gave in to something pre-prepared - a pork and cider pie from a Jamie Oliver shop - yes, he gets everywhere! Actually pretty good, washed down with some really nice pear cider.

Now I've just got to decide what to do with the last few bits of food in the kitchen. I hate throwing things away, but some things just aren't going to travel. I won't feel too bad about binning the rest of the rather unexciting French dressing and I don't think butter's going to fare too well on a warm day.

18 April - figs & goats cheese and pasta again

On a beautiful sunny day here in Brighton, I had another lunchtime favourite; fresh figs and goats cheese, served with some walnut bread - mmm!

Then this evening, I had the challenge of trying to use up the ingredients I've accumulated this week, without just repeating the same combinations. It was pasta again, but this time with a tomato-y sauce. The last shallot fried slowly and gently in olive oil with a sliced red pepper, some garlic and a bit of that chunk of pancetta. Then I added a small tin of tomatoes and some fresh basil and let it bubble down. Still a few things in the fridge to use up tomorrow - my last day here.

17 April - a working lunch & dressing from a bottle

Another busy day of networking saw a working lunch at a Thai restaurant; promising corn fritters to start followed by some rather uninspiring sweet and sour chicken. Then there were several coffees in the sunshine on Brighton seafront, followed by early evening drinks and canapes at the Brighton Museum.

By the time I got back to the apartment to collapse this evening, I wasn't quite sure whether I wanted more food or not. So it was a simple supper of fresh tuna nicoise. Sadly, I had to give in to French dressing from a bottle. Although I've got my little bottle of olive oil for the week, buying a whole bottle of vinegar for just a dribble really didn't seem worth it!

16 April - quick Italian

Today was a day of busy networking at a conference. Lunch was a quick dish of pasta - with shallot, pancetta and cream - can't go wrong! Dinner was out with work colleagues at an Italian chain - a passable aubergine parmigiana and a less exciting panacotta. Good company and a few of glasses of wine though.

15 April - chicken with a creamy sauce

Today I've been rather struggling to find food. Because I'm staying right in the centre of Brighton, there're loads of boutiques, restaurants and cafes, but very few food shops. As I'm probably going to be doing quite a bit of eating out over the next few days, I was determined to cook for myself tonight. I ended up in M&S food searching for dinner ingredients. I decided to go for chicken in a creamy sauce, but couldn't find any fresh herbs to add a bit of flavour to the sauce - tarragon would've been good, but anything would've done. I had no luck at all finding herbs and ended up with a little jar of truffle butter (from Carluccio's) to add oomph instead.

I pan-fried a chicken breast, took it out the pan to keep warm and added a shallot and chopped garlic clove. When they were soft, I deglazed the pan with some white wine, let it bubble down, then added some cream. Finally, I stirred in about half a teaspoon of the truffle butter. It smellt wonderfully truffly when I opened the jar, but actually wasn't that strong, so I probably could've added a bit more. It made a nice enough simple supper though with the rest of yesterday's asparagus and some Jersey Royal potatoes.

14 April - pasta with asparagus

It's been difficult to resist the lure of all Brighton's lovely cafes and restaurants, but the idea of staying self-catering this week was partly to avoid spending a fortune on eating out. So I went out in search of supplies instead, the challenge being to get together enough ingredients to make meals but without having anything left over at the end of the week. I'm afraid despite my intentions to be economical, I couldn't resist getting into the Brighton vibe with some independent food shopping in funky little shops and I came back with the ingredients for some pasta with asparagus - yes, again, I know, but it's in season and irresistable! Mixed up with some shallot, garlic and pancetta, it made a pretty good lunch.

Cooking in the little apartment kitchen was fun. Although it's a nice, generally well-equipped kitchen, there do seem to be a few key essentials missing - especially any kind of wooden spoon or spatula. There are metal serving spoons and a fish slice, but nothing to stir with. I may just end up buying one before the week's out. I also ended up frying up my single shallot and few chunks of pancetta in an enormous frying pan!

In the evening, I drove up to Hawkhurst (a village just over an hour away) to meet up with an old friend and some traditional pub food; ham, egg and chips!

13 April - gilgamesh, camden

Today I met up with a friend in London on my way down to Brighton and went for lunch at Gilgamesh in Camden. It's a huge, OTT restaurant styled on the theme of the epic poem after which it's named (written in about 2000BC and set in Mesopotamia with tales of ancients kings, battles, monsters etc.). My friend assured me that it's even more dramatic at night, but it was still a pretty impressive setting.

We went for a set menu, with a mix of dim-sum style starters, a main course and a pudding. The food is described as pan-Asian and it definitely came up with a great mix of Asian flavours. The starters were quite Chinese-y with prawn sushi rolls, Char Siew pork wraps (really delicious, if rather tricky to eat with chopsticks!) and spicy chicken samosas. Then for my main I had lamb shank mussamon - a meltingly tender lamb shank served in a lovely rich southern Thai sauce - a creamy brown curry sauce, a kind of crossover between Thai and Indian - fantastic! I think we were both pretty stuffed after our mains, but still managed to get through pudding; a little chocolate sponge (quite grainy, a bit like a polenta cake) and a splodge of icecream.

Great company and a great meal - can't complain for a mid-week lunch! I'd definitely recommend the place and I will have to go back some time in the evening to get the full effect.

Now I'm down in Brighton for a week for work, staying in a little rented flat. The kitchen doesn't look bad, but this evening I couldn't manage more than a small bowl of soup after such a huge lunch.

12 April - a lunchtime salad & cod for tea

The recent warm sunny weather is definitely on the wane, but it was still feeling summery enough to merit a salad for lunch - a big plate of nicoise-style salad (new pots, green beans, cherry tomatoes and a boiled egg), plus the rest of yesterday's parma ham on the side. The sun came out just at the right moment to snatch a quick sunny photo on the terrace, but then a cloud came over and it was back inside to eat.

Dinner was cod wrapped in pancetta and baked in the oven (about 15 mins) with the rest of the asparagus in a risotto. I'm not quite convinced about risotto as a side dish, but not bad.

11 April - asparagus & miso chicken

Today saw a classic combination for lunch and a new recipe for dinner. With the arrival of English asparagus in the shops, I couldn't resist a Spring lunch favourite; asparagus with parma ham and a handful of new potatoes. On a busy working day, I didn't really have the time or patience to make any fresh garlic mayonnaise to dip in or hollandaise to pour over, so I went for a simple poached egg on the top instead. Trouble is I was so busy arranging the ham and asparagus on the plate ready for a photo call, I slightly overcooked the egg and the yolk didn't quite ooze as it should. Note to self, don't let keeping a record get in the way of the cooking or eating!

For dinner, I was tempted to go for another old favourite, but prompted by what I said in the intro to this blog about trying new things, I opted for a recipe I'd spotted in Saturday's Guardian magazine for dinner - Yotam Ottolenghi's miso chicken. I was a bit surprised to find the key ingredient, sweet white miso paste in my local Sainsbury's and the whole thing was pretty easy to make - just mixing up the marinade mid-afternoon and then leaving the chicken until the evening and bunging it in the oven. I didn't go for the accompanying Asian slaw, because I'm not really a fan of raw cabbage, so we had it instead with a few boiled new potatoes and some wilted spinach.

The verdict - well, as someone who doesn't eat chicken skin, I rather missed out on some of the miso coating, but what I managed to scrap off was very tasty and Tris gave it a thumbs up. So it might be one to go for again, perhaps with a variation on the Asian slaw next time to add a bit more punch. Now I've just got the rest of the packet of sweet white miso paste to use up in something else ...

10 April - Thai prawn curry

I make variations on several different Thai curry recipes, mostly from Nigel Slater. This one is based on his Thai noodles recipe from Appetite ... but without the noodles!

For the spice paste:
one red chilli
one large clove of garlic
fresh ginger - about the same amount as the garlic
fresh lemongrass - the soft bit in the middle of two stalks
fresh coriander leaves - a good handful
half teaspoon of turmeric
grated lime zest
groundnut oil

shiitake mushrooms
spring onions
raw king prawns
125 ml vegetable stock
coconut milk - most of a tin
lime juice
fish sauce

I chop and whizz all the spice paste ingredients together using a hand blender. Add the spice paste to a hot wok, stir it about and add the chopped shiitake mushrooms and sliced spring onions. Fry for a few minutes adding a little more oil if they look dry.

Next I add the stock and the coconut milk, stir and turn down to a gentle simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Add the prawns and simmer until they turn pink, just a couple of minutes. Then season with a squeeze of lime juice and a few drops of fish sauce.

Today I served it in dishes with plain steamed basmati rice, plus a bit more fresh coriander and a couple of leaves of Thai basil scattered over the top. It didn't come out very spicy this time, perhaps because it was a rather elderly chilli from the bottom of the fridge, but it was wonderfully fragrant and herby nonetheless.

9 April - lamb & pesto

After a day out in the sunshine, I wanted a simple but tasty birthday dinner, so fell back on an old favourite. I had lamb with Mediterranean vegetables/ratatouille and fresh pesto at a Bristol restaurant, River Station, several years ago and I've been recreating it in various forms ever since. Today it involved some lamb leg steaks, griddled until stripy and caramelised on the outside, but still pink in the middle, served with roasted red peppers cut into strips and cherry tomatoes roasted with a little garlic, then all topped with a splodge of fresh pesto. The pesto wasn't freshly made by me, but from the Waitrose chilled cabinet rather than the nasty stuff you get in jars.

On the side, we had some green beans and rosemary roast potatoes; new potatoes boiled for 10 minutes, then squished slightly so that the skins split and then roast for probably 20 minutes with some olive oil, sea salt and a scattering of chopped fresh rosemary. All washed down with several glasses of Veuve Cliquot - you can't beat birthday bubbles!

I'm not sure the photo really does it justice - I'm definitely going to have to work on my food photography!

food at forty-two

According to Douglas Adams, forty-two is the answer to the meaning of life, the universe and everything. For me, it's food. So as I turn forty-two, I thought it might be an apt time to do something I've been thinking about for some time. Partly inspired by Nigel Slater's wonderful Kitchen Diaries, I'm going to keep a record of what I eat for the next twelve months.

Why? Well, partly out of curiosity just to see what I do eat and how often I end up cooking the same old things. Partly to try and inspire me to be more creative and not keep going back to those tried-and-tested favourites all the time. I also want to keep a record of recipes that turn out well (so I can use them again) and those that don't (so I can adjust them next time).

I'm planning to keep a notebook in the kitchen to jot stuff down as I go along and then I'm aiming to type it up (and add pictures) every few days. The blog is partly to provide a more easily searchable format, but also possibly to share with friends and family. I'm not quite sure how the blog'll develop, but at the moment, I envisage a mix of recipes, comments and the odd restaurant review too - because it's not just about what I cook myself, but the food in my life generally. Anyway, we'll see how it goes ...

Bon appetit!