DUCK RAGU WITH SPINACH PASTA

WELCOME TO May

RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING: LOTTIE COVELL. PHOTOGRAPHS:

Unsung heroes…

There are a lot of them in the food world. People who

MAY moments…

Breast Cancer Care, one of the charities delicious.

ONLY 5 INGREDIENTS

Lighten the midweek cooking load with these quick, simpleto- make recipes that require just a handful of ingredients

THE LEFTOVERS RECIPE

This dish is just as good served cold and is perfect

THE BUDGET RECIPE

RECIPE: WARREN MENDES. PHOTOGRAPH: BEN DEARNLEY. STYLING:

THE BATCH-COOK RECIPE

ADAPTED FROM A RECIPE BY VALLI LITTLE. PHOTOGRAPH:

SOUP OF THE MONTH

A light, flavoursome soup that’s ideal for batch cooking – double the recipe, eat half now, then freeze the rest for later. Result: instant midweek meal

FRIDAY NIGHT DINNER FOR TWO

This Indian-inspired recipe combines the joys of a Friday night curry with a quick-bake classic pizza. It’s one to share – and love

Pork chops

Pork is often overlooked in favour of chicken, but if you commit to buying high welfare, free-range meat from outdoor-reared pigs, we promise you pork will become a treat again

Food to feed your digestion

I’m a food lover born and bred but for me, food took on a different meaning when I was diagnosed with coeliac disease and I learned about what goes on in the gut. Since then I’ve made it my mission to help others discover how delicious it can be to take care of your digestive system. These recipes encourage a diverse diet, to help develop a healthy gut and support your microbiome (those trillions of microbes that help us digest our food). Doing so will benefit your immune system and enable you to enjoy greater energy and wellbeing.

For us, food is about feeling good

“As a food-blogging couple, few things are as important to us as the ceremony around cooking, and many of our best memories are connected with it, including hilarious episodes with the kids around our kitchen table. These recipes are fun to make, taste great and strike a balance between interesting and uncomplicated.”

CHICKEN SATAY

The Indonesian favourite loses calories and gains fibre

COMING NEXT MONTH IN… delicious

• Giant paella for the barbie • Dine outdoors with

FROM OUR INBOX…

There’s always time for a glass of chilled Barbadillo

FOR STARTERS

NEWS, NIBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE AND GOOD THINGS TO DO RIGHT NOW

RICK STEIN

The veteran presenter, author and restaurateur remembers family meals, dirty dishes and a treasured classic from his bookshelf

WISH LIST

“These pages are about us doing the hard work so you

“It’s good to go back to your roots”

The Campsie Glen Smokehouse blends centuries-old traditions with clever innovation to create its celebrated cured fish. Susan Low travelled to the outskirts of Glasgow to meet ‘seafood charcutiers’ Duncan and Cathie Smith

Would you go meat-free for a week?

For Julian Baggini, there’s more to consider during Vegetarian Week than simply whether to say no to a burger. There are animal welfare, health and environmental concerns too

TEST REPORT

WHERE Nick Nairn Cook School, Port of Menteith, Scotland

WHO WAS THE HERO WHO INVENTED KETCHUP?

We have the Earl of Sandwich to thank for inventing two slices of bread with a tasty filling, and the Tatin sisters for their upside-down apple tart. But who are the unsung heroes of our tables? Guy Dimond reveals oft-forgotten creators of the nation’s favourite foods

Are cookbooks as innocent as they seem?

When you pluck a cookbook from the shelf, you’re probably looking for inspiration for dinner. But what if that book of recipes has a hidden political agenda? Jane Levi finds layers of propaganda on a bed of subterfuge, with some social engineering on the side

CHEERS!

Susy Atkins picks her best buys and salutes some English heroes

Are fermented foods as good for you as the headlines say?

Sales of fermented foods and products that contain live bacteria and yeasts known as probiotics are now worth billions of pounds a year. But is this way of eating really a recipe for a healthy gut and improved wellbeing – or just another fad? Sue Quinn investigates

THE BEST PLACE TO EAT IN THE USA

It’s famous for its laid-back hipster culture, but with amazing produce from land and sea, world-class wineries and no fewer than 65 breweries, the West Coast city of Portland and its surrounds have become a haven for in-the-know food lovers. Daniel Tapper takes a flavoursome road trip, from downtown to the Oregon coast

A welcoming bolthole in the Lakes: The Brown Horse Inn, Cumbria

A welcoming bolthole in the Lakes: The Brown Horse

Ban stickers on fruit!

Why does a nectarine need a registration number, asks writer Will Dunn. It’s a flippin’ soft fruit, not a car. A small issue, granted, but nevertheless it’s high time these pointless, gluey fruit stickers were banished for good

WIN a two night break in Devon

Your reward for cooking the cover this month could

FREE! Ovenproof dish

Hurry! Offer ends 31 May 2017

LOOSE ENDS

Don’t let this month’s special ingredients linger in your kitchen – make the most of them with these smart and easy ideas

Goodwood Festival of Food

SEE THE delicious. FOOD TEAM IN ACTION, DEMONSTRATING

WIN! A sparkling Scottish escape

Enjoy tastes to remember and stunning scenery on this break for two on the East Lothian coast

FOOD LOVER’S CROSSWORD

See how much you really know about the world of food with Hugh Thompson’s culinary conundrum. Answers next month

Fishcakes

Quick to make and easily devoured – just two of the attributes that make fishcakes perennially popular. Here we have Thai-style bites, pepped-up crabcakes and the ultimate fishcakes & chips to add to the bestsellers list

THE ULTIMATE TARRAGON CHICKEN

This month, to celebrate spring, our recipe comes from Great Dixter House & Gardens in Suffolk, whose recipes have been gathered in a cookbook showcasing the flavours of homegrown produce. Great Dixter was the family home of the late Christopher Lloyd, an influential gardening writer. Aaron Bertelsen is now in charge of the estate’s flourishing vegetable garden

The great bank holiday brunch

”Brunch is such a weekend pleasure. What could be better

7 RULES TO TAKE YOUR COOKING TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Nuggets of kitchen knowledge, often gleaned from time spent in the kitchen when growing up or watching a favourite chef on TV, stay with you and, over time, build into the skill repertoire of an excellent cook. To help you along the way, here are seven rules that make the difference between okay results and fantastic cooking

THE LOST ART OF THE SIDE DISH

”Whether they’re plain or fancy, side dishes should

A celebration of spring

RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING LOTTIE COVELL PHOTOGRAPHS

RADISHES

RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING ELLA TARN PHOTOGRAPHS MAJA

Gill Meller’s WALK-AND-EAT FEAST

Welcome to the first in a new series of two-part guest features where outstanding food writers create exclusive recipes for delicious. and write about the experiences that inspire them. First up is River Cottage’s Gill Meller, an author, writer and food stylist who’s never happier than when he’s outside enjoying nature. May means bank holidays, which provide a reason (if anyone needs one) to pack up a tempting bundle of edible morsels and escape for a walk

“There’s one ingredient my family would never be without…”

An appreciation of yogurt runs in Lebanese food writer Bethany Kehdy’s family, and this flavourful savoury soup brings back sweet memories of gathering round the kitchen table and of her long-lived, but much missed, grandfather

If you make one pudding this month

Dainty sponges get the grown-up treatment with a slug of brandy and a citrussy syrup

SHORTBREAD

This series is devoted to classic recipes that have stood the test of time. We test various versions, honing, tweaking and perfecting the combination of ingredients until we’re convinced we have the best possible version. This month, buttery, melt-in-the-mouth shortbread is having the superstar treatment

THIS MONTH IN THE delicious. KITCHEN…

While the delicious. food team are testing recipes, they’re often debating the best ways to do things as well as answer cooking questions that arise in the test kitchen. Why, we wondered, did we all feel sleepy after a kale-heavy test-kitchen lunch? We also debated the seasonality of fish – yes, the time of year does play a role in what seafood’s best. It’s the kind of information you won’t find anywhere else, and it will take your cooking to the next level.

YOUR COMPLETE SCAMPI HOW-TO

“Preparing fresh langoustines (scampi) is a skill worth