Over the years I have searched and searched for the best baked meatballs recipe. In fact I’ve tried frying, steaming and baking meatballs to uncover the secret to the finest baked meatballs in the UK. I’m happy to announce that the search is now over! Who better than a meatball shop, or more accurately THE Meatball Shop in the US who bake over 4,000 meatballs every day for it’s customers.

I don’t know if it’s the subtle hint of ground fennel seeds, or the suggestion of chilli that really sets this baked meatballs recipe apart, but set apart it should be!

I first came across this recipe on ChefKey, a social networking site for foodies. It was in the form of a video of The Meatball Company owners demonstrating this exact recipe on the Martha Stewart show. The actual video is at the foot of this post. Read the rest of this entry »

This is a very quick and easy basic tomato sauce recipe. It’s relatively inexpensive and can be used in numerous different ways. The basic tomato sauce recipe can be served on it’s own over a steaming bed of spaghetti to make a mega-quick, flavoursome meal. It can also be used as a base for a more complex sauce, or as a part of another recipe such as this awesome baked meatballs recipe or chicken Parmigiana.

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Makes: 20 (ish) gougeres
Time to prep: 5 mins
Time to make: 1 hr

Gourgerès originate from France and are a savory choux pastry usually flavoured with cheese. The most common cheeses used for gourgerès are gruyere, comte or emmentaler however, there are numerous variations.

Gourgerès are often made into small savory pastries ranging from 4cm in diameter to 10cm – these can be filled with other savory ingredients such as meat or mushrooms.

In france, Gourgerès are often eaten as appetisers, or when tasting wine…sounds good to me!!! Read the rest of this entry »

Serves: 2
Calories: loads!!!

Welsh rarebit, what a recipe! Ever since I experienced by first proper welsh rarebit recipe (a couple of years ago), I have yearned to master this exquisite recipe.

The welsh rarebit recipe has an interesting history dating back to 1785, read more here. It takes a little bit of messing about, combines a couple of basic skills but the resulting meal is amazing! Here I sort of followed a recipe by Ross Whitmill, head chef at The James Fig pub. I say sort of because he doesn’t actually give the measurements of anything he used, but all’s well that ends well!! He also adds a couple of mushrooms into  the mix which really compliments the rarebit. Read the rest of this entry »

Potato Salad Recipe Serves 6 (as a side)

Crickey oh Riley!! The sun’s out after months of bleak days. We’re finally getting a taster of summer. In the UK (certainly in our house) a bit of sun means that a BBQ is obligatory. We rushed up to Sainsbury’s and grabbed a bargain on some salmon steaks, whipped up some cheats tandoori chicken (cubed and marinated in preparation for the skewers) and grabbed a pile of burgers. But a faux summer barbecue just wouldn’t be right without a potato salad. Read the rest of this entry »