This deep, dark, delicious curry is inspired by the flavours of beef rendang, one of the most fragrant curries of South East Asia, and something I enjoyed so much in Malaysia, about this time last year on a food-focused press trip of dreams with Essential Escapes. It seems like a whole world ago now… but as I sit here typing this, the sweet smell of beef cooking until-fall-apart-tender is filling my house with its sweet scent, and bringing the memories flooding back. Now, more than ever, the power of food to transport us, and to summon special memories, is something to be thankful for. 

There is so, so much to process at the moment and so many levels on which this is all still completely surreal, but here I am, back on the blog after a rather long hiatus, with a new recipe for the Coronavirus lockdown.

This risotto is a zero waste risotto because it uses two very flavourful things that might otherwise go to waste – the celeriac peel and the cheese rind – to inject an extra layer of flavour into the dish. The peel and rind together create one of the most gorgeously fragrant stocks I’ve ever made, which is used to make the risotto, while the celeriac flesh is salt baked to concentrate the flavour and tenderise, and then basted in sage infused-brown butter before being stirred through the creamy rice with more freshly grated Grana Padano. 

How can you resist a tray of bubbling, golden, crisp-edged cheese and greens-laden baked cannelloni? As the clocks go back and the temperature drops, this sort of meal I crave – comfort and nourishment in one roasting tray.

really, it’s the culmination of the past four years of learning, writing, cooking and feeding – and the result is a cookery book that is designed to bring joy to your kitchen and to your life. I wanted to create a book that is going to make you want to jump up and cook from it, but that is also going to gently encourage a deeper connection to the food you cook and eat, and a savvy, instinctive way of cooking that will mean you’ll only ever make delicious food from here on in.

As most of you will know by now, I am an avid garden dweller. I always say I grew up practically feral, surrounded by the glorious wild Kent countryside, and while the irony is that these days, I don’t actually own a garden, I’m the proud custodian of a much loved allotment, and a medium to well-tended balcony in East London. Planting and growing, or just walking around, enjoying and being in the company of plants, flowers and trees is such a hugely important part of my life, and despite the fact that I don’t have a garden in London, I feel so lucky to be able to access green spaces and nature whenever I like in this city.

One of our strongest crops at the allotment this year has been the beets. I had hopefully strewn a couple of packets’ worth of the knobbly little seeds into some of our beds a few months back and hoped for the best, and these guys have really shown up for us.

Anyway, you get the picture – when it comes to picnics, I’m here for it, I’m keen as the mustard I slather onto my ham and butter baguette. I’ve come up with an assortment of recipes inspired by continental and further flung flavours, that cover the bases in terms of my favourite picnic foods and are guaranteed to elevate your own al fresco gathering.