ALSO IN EAT & DRINK

• New Kid on the Butcher’s Block
  

  Now, when I was a sprog, deli’s were rare and homely joints. Yet, when Fernandez and Wells rocked up, the homely deli-style collided at full pelt with the foam-perfect café and female-friendly wine-bar, all wrapped in a modern shabby-chic wrapper. And we lapped it up. And now the Salt Yard guys are getting in on the scene too.

   

• Bringing Homely Back
  

  Give most restaurant critics or discerning foodies an undressed wooden table, a tumbler of wine and a hunk of something well-hung and you're laughing. Forget Michelin stars: on the food scene, ‘rustic’ is back.

• Wasabi and Roast Garlic Mash
  

  This mash recipe comes from my Asian Fusion class which I teach a few times a year. We serve it with racks of lamb that have been rubbed with a Chinese-inspired honey and sesame marinade and the combination is incredibly delicious.

   

• Chorizo and Parsley Mash
  

  I tend to think of this recipe as ‘guy mash’. Brightly coloured with big flecks of chorizo and parsley, this is the antithesis of those smooth, wimpy purees. I like to serve this with a nice piece of roast halibut but it is also delicious just eaten straight out of the bowl - preferably while watching football and wearing mismatched socks.

• Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
  

  I love buttermilk and am always looking for ways to use it. It has a delicious tangy flavour and adds a light and fluffy quality to just about everything you add it to.

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