Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Blog, page 3

The pie life: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's pie recipes

The key to a great pie is to lavish a bit of love on the filling; the crust is a crowning glory, not a place to hide

Not enough of us make pies these days, yet there are few things more satisfying and crowd-pleasing than bringing a dish of golden-crusted goodness to the table. And it's not hard, just a matter of making a fine filling and good pastry.

The key is to lavish a bit of love on that filling; the crust is a crowning glory, not a place to hide. Most meaty pie fillings are essentially st...

Dress code: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's winter salad recipes

Salads don't have to be light and cooling. These hearty confections will help you to brave the elements

If the word "salad" makes you feel a little bit sad and unenthused – or, indeed, if you think salads simply shouldn't be eaten when there's an R in the month – let's see what we can do to put that right. For salad is, or should be, an elastic concept, a word that can be applied to all manner of fabulous assemblies: sometimes on the light and nibblish side, but often decidedly hearty.

So...

Are you cooking comfortably: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's one-pot winter warmer recipes

They don't involve much work, and they always turn up trumps on a cold day: what's not to like about one-pot winter wonders?

It's one of the great kitchen pleasures to look at a large simmering pot or bubbling ovenproof dish and think, that's supper sorted: a meal in one pot that's got the lot.

Food such as this rarel =====y takes long to prepare, and any time you do spend peeling, chopping, stirring or layering tends to be untaxing and therapeutic. Then you have nothing but the pleas...

The nutty confessor: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's almond, pecan and hazelnut recipes

Almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews and brazils: the protein-packed nugget of goodness that is the nut is just too fine not to eat pretty much every day

Last week, I made a fuss of walnuts, which, with sweet, juicy cobnuts and crumbly, earthy chestnuts, make up the bulk of our homegrown nut harvest. A wonderfully tempting trio they are, too, perfect for roasting, toasting and sharing as the days draw in. But I'd struggle to live on native nuts alone: these protein-packed nuggets of goodness ar...

Up for the crack: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's walnut recipes

They're great eaten just as they are, but walnuts work wonders in savoury and sweet dishes, too, from pasta sauces and salads to puddings and breads

It's walnut time. As autumn deepens, these beauties are finally ripening. Walnut trees do not pepper our gardens as plentifully as, say, apples, plums or even hazels, but as we rediscover their charms, more and more of these lovely trees are being planted both domestically and commercially.

If you've got the space to grow a walnut tree (or two: the...

Spread the word: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's pâté, terrine and potted meat recipes

As long as you can peel a shallot, squeeze a lemon and switch on a food processor, you're well set to make your own pâté

Pâtés, terrines and potted meats: ever given them a go? For some reason, they lie just outside the repertoire of a lot of keen home cooks; we think of them as restaurant fare, deli stuff, a bit too cheffy, or as the preserve of a past generation of farmers' wives or posh, country house cooks.

It's true they can be a bit time-consuming and technical. If you want to whip up a c...

Black beauty: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's liquorice recipes

Liquorice isn't just a treat from the sweet shop

I have fond memories of liquorice. Not real liquorice, the woody root of Glycyrrhiza glabra (how do you pronounce that?) that's prized both medicinally and as a flavouring. No, when I think of liquorice, I think of good old-fashioned, lip-blackening, paid-for-with-your-own-pocket-money sweets: bootlaces and allsorts and the plump coin of a Pontefract cake.

Liquorice is a love-it-or-hate-it thing. As a child, if you loved it, then you lu...

Mad about fruit: exclusive extract from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's new book

Forget the bowl of ageing fruit: apples, berries and plums should be part of our every day cooking, says Weekend's regular cookery columnist. And if these exclusive new recipes from his new book don't tempt you into the kitchen, he'll eat his hat…

Fruit is delicious and good for us, yet it's ridiculously under-explored in our kitchens. We are a nation that still thinks it's a bit racy to slice a banana on to our breakfast cereal. Well, it's time to change that.

In part, this will mean taking a...

Fronds with benefits: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's fish and fennel recipes

Fish and fennel go together like pork and apple or lamb and garlic. Or even better

This week, I'm celebrating a flavour combination that underpins many of my favourite fish dishes. Passionate piscine fan that I am, I often want a fairly quick meal that makes the most of whatever fish, shellfish or crustacea I've mustered, whether by rod, net, creel or, if needs must, wallet. Often, along with the stalwart seasonings of salt, pepper and lemon, something with an aniseedy tang will...

I've got the hots for you: Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's red pepper and chilli recipes

Peppers and chillies: they look ace and taste even better

Some fruit and veg advertise themselves with colours and shapes too lovely to resist. And once in the kitchen, they become upmarket home decor. Squashes and pumpkins always do it for me, as does a bowl piled with at least two shades of plum. But if you held a contest for the raw ingredient that looks best casually displayed on a worktop, the capsicum family would probably win: glossy, plump and multicoloured, they are catwalk...