The big easy

welcome

C ooking is awesome. If I thought

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Food editor Tom Shingler conjures up some tantalising May combos

If you make one thing…

Sitting somewhere between a scone and shortbread, this light and crumbly shortcake comes studded with dark chocolate. It’s the perfect vehicle to showcase that winning combo of strawberries and cream

APPETISERS

Inspiration, bite-size news, reviews and great stuff to do

The big delicious bash

There ain’t no party like a delicious. party, as we proved when we threw a big leaving do at our London HQ for editor Karen Barnes, after her 14 years in the hot seat. Andi Oliver, Rick Stein and Raymond Blanc were among the great and good of the food world who turned up to raise a glass, enjoy a nibble and say goodbye to Karen in style

OVER TO YOU

STAR EMAIL ★ Subject: Better late than never

discoveries

delicious

The booklist

Mark Diacono’s pick of the latest releases includes unabashed celebrations of steak and brunch alongside in-depth guides to baking and Korean street food. Plus: a uniquely absorbing food memoir

A homemade kombucha with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

The campaigning cook ’s new book celebrates the latest science that eating 30 plants a week can make us healthier – and he sees it as a joy, not a job. Hugh shares his latest growing experiment, an unconventional method for making a cuppa – and what keeps him up at night

“It’s made for sharing”

What I cook at home.

Feeling Greekish?

These no-nonsense recipes from Georgina Hayden’s latest book, Greekish, are simple to make and a joy to eat. Whether you want a light mezze or a feast for a crowd, they’ll bring the fragrant flavours of the Med into your home

My Greek Kitchen ESSENTIALS

STAR TURN A foukou (rotisserie BBQ) is a

LOVE GEORGINA HAYDEN’S GREEKISH RECIPES?

GET HER BOOK... FREE!

Jersey royals

Veg hero of the month.

Be a Better Cook

INCREASE YOUR SKILLS AND KNOW-HOW WITH THE HELP OF OUR EXPERTS. THIS MONTH: HOW TO PLATE LIKE A PRO, FERMENT YOUR OWN PROPER HOT SAUCE, YOUR GUIDE TO THE CHINESE PANTRY AND MORE

3 RECIPES 12 SKILLS

Every recipe you’ve cooked involved some sort of technique, no matter how basic. These three dishes each feature four culinary skills that, once mastered, you’ll roll out time and time again. The food team’s Pollyanna Coupland analyses each skill and shares the secrets to its success. Add all 12 to your portfolio and you’ll be a master chef in no time

3 TOOLS TO MAKE THESE RECIPES EASIER

You can learn all the skills, but if you don’t have the right equipment for the job, you’ll struggle. Here are three ProCook tools we used to create these recipes. Buy them at procook.co.uk

Wood ear mushrooms

Yvonne Poon’s guide to the Chinese pantry

How to PLATE LIKE A PRO

A meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant is a feast for the eyes as much as the taste buds – but how do top chefs work out how to display their creations? We delve into the mind of two-starred restaurant chef James Knappett to find out, before tasking our own Pollyanna Coupland with re-creating one of his desserts for some at-home wow-factor

The hottest new sweet bake in town

You may not have heard of crullers but, trust us, you’re going to love them. More substantial than a choux bun, lighter (and much quicker) than a doughnut, these elegant pastries have grooves that are ideal for holding a flavourful glaze or topping. Expert pastry chef and food writer Nicola Lamb explains the tricks and techniques needed to achieve cruller perfection

Put it on every thing!

RECIPE AND FOOD STYLING CHERIE DENHAM PHOTOGRAPH INDIA WHILEY-MORTON

Early summer pavlova

Okay, it’s not quite summer yet, but this showpiece dessert from cook Angela Clutton anticipates its arrival, combining floral elderflowers and early-season gooseberries. There are plenty of skills involved – not least making soft-crunchy meringue and a silky curd

Spreading the love

Everyone should know the joy of pâté making, says columnist Debora Robertson. As well as giving you a new skill and leading to a great nibble, it gets you out of more onerous things

Fermented hot sauce

PHOTOGRAPHS INDIA WHILEY-MORTON FOOD STYLING EMILY GUSSIN Far

DON’T BIN IT!

Cooking oil

A SWEET BUT STICKY BUSINESS

It’s revered as the ultimate natural food, but the business of selling honey has become ever more complicated – and a scandal is happening on shop shelves. Phoebe Stone explores the difference between a squeezy supermarket bottle and a jar from your local beekeeper, while Emily Gussin shares three recipes showcasing honey’s glorious versatility

Make your freezer a culinary hero

You know how it is: you put something in the freezer, then forget about it for months. But freezers aren’t just for long-term storage, says food editor Tom Shingler – they can help with everything from slicing to altering texture. Prepare to see those icy drawers in a new light!

LEARNING TO LOVE SCHOOL DINNERS

How much does what we eat at school shape our view of food as adults? Quite a lot, it turns out – and done well, school dinners can help us develop a lifelong healthy relationship with food. Clare Finney looks at the charities trying to help, against a backdrop of government cuts and rising childhood obesity

Drinks

Alt wines, sustainable beers, an award-winning mead and a fruity number

Susy’s best buys

Are you stuck in a wine rut? Expert Susy Atkins suggests canny swaps to lure you away from the tried and tested to a brave new world of adventure and rewarding experimentation

A singularly good vintage

Like wine, each year Hive Mind’s Traditional Mead is different. Its flavours depend not on the weather but on what the local bees foraged that year, as the principle ingredient is, of course, honey

Here’s to the future!

As sustainability begins to play a more important role in drinkers’ choices, expert Mark Dredge picks breweries that care about the planet

Make it every day.

Get dinner on the table in as little as 15 minutes with holiday-inspired recipes, plus a new pasta favourite

Taste of the Med

Add some Mediterranean magic to your midweek cooking with olives, capers, artichokes and more. We also have a surprise ingredient for a fast frittata: crisps! If it’s good enough for culinary wizard Ferran Adrià, it’s good enough for us

Health NEWS

News, nuggets of knowledge and advice you can trust.

ARE CARBS REALLY THE ENEMY?

Many people follow a low carb diet to lose weight, improve their metabolic health or simply because they think it’s a healthier option. As a result, carbs have earned a reputation for being bad for us. But is it possible we’ve got them wrong? Sue Quinn finds the debate isn’t black and white (or even brown and white)

A cosy Neuk

A quiet fishing haven, the East Neuk of Fife on the east coast of Scotland produces some of the nation’s finest ingredients from both land and sea. Norman Miller explores its pretty coastal villages, enjoying quality fare wherever he goes, from crab shacks to fancy restaurants

PUZZLES PAGE

There’s a prize to be won and food knowledge to be tested with Hugh Thompson’s crossword and food quiz. They’re what a cuppa and cake were made for

THE FOOD QUIZ

1 The culinary term à la ficelle means

Gadgets be gone! I’m in it for the work

This issue has been big on skills, and for writer Lara Green, slowing right down and doing the fiddly bits by hand is exactly what cooking is about