Recipes
Beef Kyiv (fuck russia)
Tender strips of quick-seared scotch fillet folded into a golden mushroom and onion sauce enriched with sour cream and Dijon. This comforting stroganoff-style dish comes together fast and delivers deep, savoury flavour over rice or pasta.
Beef n Shiraz Stew
A hearty, wine-rich beef stew where tender eye fillet is browned in flour and slow-simmered with Shiraz, root vegetables and mushrooms. Cosy comfort food best mopped up with buttered toast.
Beer Battered Fish
Golden, crisp beer-battered fish fillets fried until light and shatteringly crunchy. The cold beer creates an airy, bubbly batter that fries up beautifully around tender white fish. A takeaway classic made easy at home.
Catalan Coca (Spanish Pizza)
A rustic Spanish flatbread topped with sweet caramelized onions, tender red pepper and a dusting of smoky paprika. The wholesome three-flour base rolls out thin and crisp, making this a lighter, cheeseless take on pizza that's perfect for sharing.
Chili Beef
Thin slices of beef seared until caramelised, then tossed with garlic, ginger and chili in a sweet-savoury sauce brightened with lime and coriander. A fast, punchy stir-fry that's perfect spooned over steaming rice.
Chili Con Carne
A hearty, deeply spiced beef and bean chili simmered low and slow with a homemade Mexican spice blend. Rich with tomato, kidney beans and a hint of spicy salami, it's the ultimate crowd-pleasing comfort bowl. Serve with rice, corn chips or warm tortillas and pile on your favourite toppings.
Creamy Gravlax Salmon
Silky ribbons of gravlax folded through a boozy white wine cream sauce, studded with sharp capers and finished with parmesan. Served over spaghetti and crowned with caviar, it's an indulgent weeknight pasta that tastes like a special occasion.
Creamy Prawn Fettuccine
Golden pan-fried prawns nestled in a silky Cajun-spiced cream sauce, tossed through tender fettuccine. This quick skillet dinner delivers restaurant-worthy comfort in under half an hour.
Creamy Sparrowgrass Risotto
A hands-off oven-baked risotto studded with roasted asparagus and sweet English peas, finished with Parmesan, butter and a bright squeeze of lemon. Creamy, comforting and far less fussy than the stovetop stirred version. A perfect springtime vegetarian dinner.
End of Days Bolognese
A rich, slow-simmered Italian ragù built on a classic soffritto with beef, pork and pancetta. White wine, milk and chicken stock melt into a deep, comforting sauce that clings to any pasta. The kind of Bolognese worth simmering for as long as you can stand to wait.
Fish Tacos
Crispy pan-fried fish nestled in golden tortillas with a fresh tomato salsa, black beans and corn, and creamy avocado. These vibrant tacos come together fast and let everyone build their own at the table.
Flammkuchen
A crisp, cracker-thin German flatbread topped with tangy creme fraiche, sweet sauteed onions and smoky bacon lardons. This Alsatian-style 'tarte flambée' bakes in minutes for a fuss-free, deeply satisfying dinner. Finished with melty gruyere, it's rustic comfort food at its best.
Huevos Rancheros Gringos
A hearty one-pan Mexican-inspired brunch of spicy chorizo, sweet caramelised capsicums and beans in a rich tomato sauce, topped with eggs baked right in. Served with crisp homemade tortilla chips, creamy avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime, it's a vibrant crowd-pleaser any time of day.
Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani
Layers of fragrant saffron basmati rice and bone-in chicken marinated in spiced yogurt, all steamed together until intensely aromatic. Crowned with crisp fried onions, fresh herbs and ghee, this is a showpiece biryani presented in ribbons of white, yellow, orange and brown. Serve with a cooling raita for a truly festive meal.
Kyoga Fish
White fish fillets gently poached in a fragrant, fiery Thai-style coconut curry sauce built on a homemade chilli, ginger and lemongrass paste. Rich, sweet, salty and hot all at once, it comes together quickly and eats beautifully over steamed rice.
Lasagne
A proper homemade lasagne with a rich, slow-simmered beef and pork ragù layered between fresh pasta sheets and a silky parmesan white sauce. Topped with melting mozzarella and baked until golden and bubbling, it's the ultimate comforting dinner. Perfect for feeding a crowd.
Lasagne (Bolognese)
Layers of rich slow-cooked Bolognese, silky homemade béchamel and tender pasta sheets, crowned with molten chunks of mozzarella. Baked until golden and bubbling, this is comfort food at its most generous. Best made with a Bolognese cooked the day before for deeper flavour.
Lemon and Coriander Alfoil Fish
Delicate white fish fillets steamed in their own buttery, citrusy juices inside a foil parcel. The lemon and fresh coriander perfume the fish as it cooks, keeping it moist and full of flavour with almost no effort.
Lockdown Savoury Mince
A hearty, comforting savoury mince built on a base of leek, carrot and celery, with beef and caramelised honey-soy bacon for depth. Simmered in red wine and stock with tomato paste, then finished with corn and peas for a burst of sweet texture. Proper lockdown comfort food from the pantry.
Mackerel Salad
A quick, protein-packed salad that pairs tinned mackerel with crisp cos lettuce, juicy tomato, and briny capers. Roasted almonds add crunch and a drizzle of olive oil ties it all together. Ready in minutes with no cooking required.
Madras Beef CUrry
Tender chunks of stewing beef slow-simmered in a fragrant blend of coriander, turmeric and mustard seeds, enriched with creamy coconut milk. A warming, aromatic curry with a gentle chilli kick, finished with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon. Serve with fluffy rice and crisp poppadoms for a proper Madras feast.
Massaman Beef Curry
Tender slow-braised beef in a rich, aromatic coconut curry sauce built from a homemade charred spice paste. Sweet, salty and sour with warming cinnamon and star anise, this Thai classic is finished with crunchy peanuts and served over fluffy jasmine rice.
Original Maccheroni alla Bolognese
A ragù rooted in Pellegrino Artusi's 19th-century original — no tomato in sight. Instead, lean veal and pancetta are enriched with mushroom, truffle oil, white wine and a final swirl of cream for silky depth. Serve over fresh pasta with plenty of Parmigiano.
Pasta with capers and lemon
A bright, briny weeknight pasta that pairs salty anchovies and capers with sweet blistered cherry tomatoes. Finished with a squeeze of lemon, fresh parsley, and a shower of parmesan, it's a fast dish full of Mediterranean punch.
Penaeng Chicken Curry
A rich, fragrant Thai-style Panang curry with tender slices of chicken simmered in creamy coconut and a peanut-spiked curry paste. Fresh Thai basil, kaffir lime and crisp vegetables lift every mouthful, served over fluffy jasmine rice.
Pepper Steak
A restaurant-classic pan-seared steak crowned with a luxurious brandy and cream peppercorn sauce. The pepper delivers a warm, aromatic bite while the cream mellows everything into silky perfection. Ready in minutes yet impressive enough for any special dinner.
Philistine Sketti
A rich, deeply savoury Italian-style meat sauce simmered with red wine, tomatoes and herbs until thick and glossy. Spooned over a tangle of spaghetti, it's the ultimate comforting weeknight bowl. Simple pantry ingredients transform into a sauce that tastes like it's been cooking all day.
Pot Roast Chicken
A comforting one-pot roast where half a chicken simmers in white wine and stock alongside whole carrots and potatoes, then crisps up in the oven. The rich cooking juices are reduced into a silky gravy for a fuss-free Sunday dinner.
Roast Chicken Pies
Comforting individual pies packed with tender roast chicken, sweet corn, leek and potato in a savoury stock base, all tucked under golden, flaky pastry. A brilliant way to turn leftover roast chicken into a hearty weeknight dinner.
Salmon Stirfry
Flaked salmon meets crisp Chinese stir-fry vegetables in a quick, ginger-spiked wok toss. Dark soy and mirin bring savoury depth in just minutes, making this a fast, satisfying weeknight dinner.
Seafood Bisque
A rich, velvety seafood bisque built on a deeply flavoured shellfish stock, laced with pastis, saffron and cream. Sweet crab and prawn meat are folded through before the whole thing is blitzed silky smooth. Restaurant-worthy comfort in a bowl.
Spaghetti alla Puttanesca
A punchy, salty-savoury Italian classic where anchovies, olives, capers and chilli melt into a rich tomato sauce that clings to every strand of spaghetti. Fast, pantry-friendly, and full of bold Mediterranean flavour — ready in about 20 minutes.
Spaghetti and Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
Tender beef-and-sausage meatballs simmered until silky in a garlicky basil-scented marinara, then tumbled over al dente spaghetti. A classic Italian-American comfort dinner that tastes like it took all day but comes together in about an hour. Finish with a shower of parmesan and fresh basil for a proper family feast.
Super Crunchy Roast Tatoes
The ultimate roast potato: fluffy inside, shatteringly crisp outside. Boiling then roughing up the edges creates maximum surface area, while a screaming-hot oiled tray guarantees a deep golden crunch. The perfect partner to any Sunday roast.
Swedish Meatballs
Tender beef and pork meatballs spiced with nutmeg and allspice, simmered in a rich, creamy beef gravy. Served over buttery mashed potato with a dollop of lingonberry jam, this is comfort food at its cosy best.
Tacos de carne asada
Smoky char-grilled skirt steak steeped in a bright marinade of pineapple, lime, jalapeño and herbs, then diced and piled into warm corn tortillas. Finished simply with fresh coriander, white onion and your favourite salsa, these tacos deliver authentic Mexican flavour off the BBQ.
Teriyaki Steak
A steak bathed in a classic Japanese marinade of mirin, sake, and soy, then seared to a caramelised crust and basted with a glossy teriyaki glaze. The reserved marinade boils down into a rich, sticky sauce that doubles down on flavour. Simple, savoury, and perfect over a bowl of rice.