Crowdpleasers SPARAGUS at its best

welcome.

May has a lot to live up to

MOMENTS May

Events, ideas, seasonal stars and a good read to welcome in late-spring sunshine and hope-filled days

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Turn our sunny spring recipes into an alfresco meal to remember. Acting food editor Jules Mercer shares her choices for a…

#notforsharing

Kick back with a sneaky brunch or afternoon treat for one

Over to you

STAR EMAIL ★ Subject: Batch-cooking benefits From: Jo

From the delicious. Food Lovers group on Facebook

For our heritage feature on p37, we asked which old dishes you’d revive and which you’d consign to history. Here’s what you said…

APPETISERS

Bitesize news, reviews & diary dates

HOTLIST

What’s new, what’s great, what we rate

A glass of madeira with Regula Ysewijn

The enthusiastic historian of British food and judge for Fortnum & Mason’s Platinum Pudding competition shares her love of castles and vintage clothing

It’s time to celebrate

Sensational Jubilee party food • Heritage recipes get a f resh take • Fantastic new BBQ chicken •A trio of royally good cheesecakes

A universal language

Debora Robertson has swapped metropolitan London for coastal France, but finds she still has a lot in common with the locals – including a love of food and admiration for the Queen

One from the heart “The air turned sweet with the smell of fried onions and garlic”

Chef Kian Samyani learned to cook this with his dad Mohammad, and now it’s a favourite for the staff breakfast at his restaurant

Meet the crumblies

In the world of British cheese, somewhere between hard and soft there’s crumbly – and along with Wallace and Gromit, expert Patrick McGuigan reckons it’s a fine place to be

That something special

With bottlegreen, you can make even the best days feel that little bit more extraordinary

Aye aye, kipper!

For Jeff Lawrie, third-generation custodian of a Highlands smokehouse, the secret to his operation is simple: doing things the way they’ve always been done. And that starts at the quayside, choosing the best fish off the boats

Bite-size break Brittany’s northern charmer

Take an overnight ferry and wake up in time for breakfast in St Malo, whose walled old town once thronged with spice traders and pirates. Hit the beach, trawl the food shops and gorge on galettes, oysters and proper cider

Take five

There are prizes to be won and fun to be had with Hugh Thompson’s delicious. brain teasers

What does the term ‘national cuisine’ mean today?

We’re a multi-cultural society in a globalised world, says writer Tina Charisma. Although that’s meant the decline of old-school British cooking, the flavours we have now are something to celebrate

JUBILATIONS!

The extra-long weekend for the Queen’s big celebration is a great time to gather outside – whether for a street party or in your garden. These generous dishes are designed for sharing: familiar favourites with fresh new flavours. It’s time to get excited!

OLD SCHOOL meets NEW SCHOOL

What were the British eating back in the

A grill to thrill

“‘Chef Ben Chapman taught me this Thai technique of grilling chicken really gently. Why not try grilling Thaistyle this bank holiday weekend? Gai yang is grilled chicken and nam jim jaew is a wildly popular dipping sauce – sweet, sour and a little spicy (adjust to your taste). The easy-to-make roasted rice powder is essential to the sauce, adding a toasty flavour and crunchy texture.”

Fit for a Queen

This dessert gives a nod to Her Majesty’s favourite cocktail with its Dubonnet and gin jelly topping, plus it uses Scottish honey, so she’s bound to approve. Flag it as a must-make for the big weekend

Drinks

A Jubilee cocktail, plus the best British booze to buy

Susy’s Best buys

It’s not just UK vineyards that are hitting the heights these days, says wine editor Susy Atkins. There are top new spirit producers too – and many offer a warm welcome

Best of British

The UK is a land of hops and barley, says expert Mark Dredge, home to some of the world’s finest brewing ingredients, where many classic beer styles originate

Would you eat out alone?

Bank holidays may be a prompt for the nation to gather, but there’s been another trend emerging in the UK restaurant world: the solo diner. Like many people, food writer Clare Finney once avoided eating out on her lonesome, but recent events have turned the tables

Make. Life. Simple .

Easy food for busy days. Family friendly recipes. Impressive spring bakes. Leftovers all used up

Thrifty cook Cheese scraps quesadillas

This nifty recipe is a double-thrift champ – not only does it use inexpensive ingredients but it also uses up leftovers. Oh, and it tastes fantastic too

Use it up

Get creative with your leftovers, whether it’s nearing-their-use-by items in the fridge or half-empty jars from recipes in this issue

Spiced muffins with pineapple flowers

Pretty as a picture, these iced muffins are easier than they look – an excellent example of minimum effort for maximum impact

Health NEWS

News, nuggets of knowledge and advice you can trust. By Sue Quinn

Why we need to learn to LOVE bitter food

Chicory, sprouts, kale… Do you hate them? There’s a genetic reason for your distaste, but there’s also growing evidence that learning to appreciate the bitter flavours you instinctively avoid could be beneficial for your health. Susan Low leafs through the latest research

Bursting-with-goodness salads

These colourful platefuls deliver satisfying zing and crunch – and will feed a bank holiday crowd

Be a better cook

Indispensable tips, fresh from the delicious. test kitchen, plus chocolate mousse from a master and DIY Indian pickles and chutneys

Whipping egg whites

“While researching our recipes, we’re always asking questions

Hot water crust

This type of pastry is traditionally used to

Gelatine

This culinary gelling agent has umpteen uses, from

2 Masterclass CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

Learn with Michel Roux Jr

Indian chutneys & pickles

An Indian meal isn’t complete without a pickle or chutney on the side, and there’s no substitute for the homemade stuff, says expert Romy Gill. Spices at the ready

delicious. discoveries

Taste-tested for you: the best new food and drink from retailers big and small

Hot on the shelves

Acting food editor Jules Mercer family-tests the best new supermarket products

INTRODUCING... YOUR DREAM HOLIDAY

Travel is back on the agenda again – yay! And to celebrate, we’re launching the delicious.Travel Club with some tempting offers

TWO KitchenAid Artisan espresso machines and coffee grinders to be won!

Each prize worth over £600* *RRP VALUE £648. COMPETITION