Great dinner party masterclass last night. I designed the menu around the best seasonal produce that I am able to get from the markets at the moment. We used some amazing ingredients including wild mushrooms, black truffle and scallops. It’s always nice going to the markets, even if it is just to pick up one special ingredient for your recipe. Some of these ingredients just aren't avaliable in the supermarkets and although not cheap they are worth it for the result. Take the

It's cold, it's wet, it's miserable, so for me a spicy curry always makes me feel better. This recipe is really easy and requires little effort but delivers massive flavour. Here's the recipe to get rid of those winter blues. (I could't resist the backdrop of some of my favourite books) Ingredients: Paste: . 2 sticks of lemon grass . 2 red chillies (seeds in) . 1 white onion . 2cm piece of fresh ginger . Half a bunch of coriander . 1tsp ground cumin . 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

I think we will all agree that chicken and beer go well and I am pretty sure we have all seen recipes with pictures of chicken with cans of lager placed where the sun doesn’t shine...! Personally I am not a massive fan of this method so I thought, why not try marinating the chicken in Guinness. It was delicious and as you can see, I served it with a few sides including roast potatoes, corn and a slaw made from celeriac and pomegranate. Here’s the recipe: Ingredients 1 can of

These were the perfect start to a Sunday morning after a session at the gym. Really easy to make and so tasty! I served them with fresh blueberries, yoghurt and of course a bit of genuine Maple syrup. One of the advantages of having friends in Canada! Try them out. You can always make the mix before you go out on Saturday night so they're ready to cure your hangover on Sunday morning! Here's the recipe for 5-6 pancakes: Ingredients: 200g buckwheat flour 100ml buttermilk 100ml

A first cake order for Old Town Cooks! A red velvet cake was requested so that's what I did, although I did stray a litle from the traditional recipe to make it a bit different. I decided to put a beetroot and chocolate cream in between each layer of the cake just as an added little surprise. A little bit of tempered chocolate on top and a bit of cream cheese and butter icing and the cake was done. This isn't one of those gluten, fat free cakes but it is perfect for a celebra