BE A BET TER COOK

Welcome to JANUARY

When it’s cold outside the only wise move is to batten

January FIVE GOOD THINGS TO DO

I love hearing about people’s food experiences – and

FROM OUR INBOX…

I so enjoyed the childhood memories menu in the November

FOR STARTERS

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

A SLICE OF MY LIFE CHING-HE HUANG

The cookery writer and presenter finds she’s come full circle to embracing her traditional Chinese influences – using them to create simple, bold flavours

WISH LIST

These pages are about us doing the hard work so you don’t have to. We’re sent anything from 40 to 100 new products a month, and we really do try them all: tasting, smelling the aromas, testing gadgets. Only if they’re useful, good-looking and value for money do they get the delicious. seal of approval.

HAVE YOU VISITED OUR delicious. ONLINE SHOP?

The delicious. shop was created so we can take the best items from our favourite producers and put them all in one place for you to browse and buy. As well as high-quality artisan food items you’ll find great kitchenware. Here are my top picks this month

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT…

Our on-trend columnist Kay Plunkett-Hogge urges us to be resolutely uncool when it comes to our seafood choices

TEST REPORT delicious.

WHERE White Pepper Chef Academy and Cookery School

Why dry January is a bad idea

Old habits die hard, as Aristotle knew and countless authors of today’s self-help tomes affirm. But, considers Julian Baggini, modify habits the right way and you may just find there’s something to the ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ adage

Meet the woman who’s transforming lives through food

Is it possible to overcome the allure of the cheap ready meal or trashy takeaway? Through Bags of Taste, her social enterprise, Alicia Weston is proving that, with a healthy portion of motivation, you can get people to eat better for less, long term. Felicity Cloake finds out how

CHEERS!

If you’re cutting back on alcohol after the festive parties, I have good news: there are exciting new soft drinks for grown-ups and a crop of lighter wines on the shelves too. Here are my picks

THE CITY THAT DOES WINTER BEST

The cold-and-frosty months are the prime time to enjoy

Lake of Menteith Hotel: Scottish waterside retreat

WHY IT’S GREAT This sprawling hotel is right on the

10 RESTAURANTS TO TRY IN 2018

Britain’s dining scene has never been more vibrant, says Elizabeth Carter. New trends pop up all the time and areas previously devoid of decent nosh are becoming culinary destinations. Here are some of the best places countrywide

Let,s drop the food-choice shame

Food writer Polly Robinson has a new year’s resolution for everyone to take on board: let’s stop lazily stereotyping people’s food choices based on what supermarket they shop in, how they speak, where they come from or even what gender they are

WINTER VEGETARIAN

Make (but don’t bake) the recipe up to 24 hours ahead

THE VEG TEST KITCHEN

Prep tips, insider knowledge on ingredients, plus how to make your veg and herbs last longer

UP YOUR PREP GAME

Experts use a lot of fancy terms for veg-cutting. Do you know what they all mean in terms of size and shape…?

Cheese on toast

You can’t go wrong with this classic combo, whether it’s as a quick lunch or the ‘Not sure what I fancy’ supper. We’ve done a bit of re-jigging, retaining the essentials (the cheese and the toast) and come up with three irresistible twists RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING JEN BEDLOE PHOTOGRAPHS GARETH MORGANS STYLING OLIVIA WARDLE

The budget-friendly BRAISE

If you need a reason to learn the art of slow cooking, this might be it. The lengthy oven time transforms a tough, inexpensive cut of meat into a first-rate, flavourful roast that’s fall-apart tender. Add an intense, wine-rich sauce and horseradish Yorkshires and you’re in roast heaven

Food worth staying in for…

When January rolls round I crave warming comfort food with big flavours. I’ve never figured out why people choose this time of year – already dark and gloomy enough, surely – for giving things up. This month it’s all about home-cooked comforts. We’ve also rounded up some of the best telly to watch or, if you want to keep your brain active, the best board games. The salads can wait until the weather picks up because right now we’re cosying up for winter. Pass the remote…

The recipe hall of fame CORNISH PASTIES

Debbie Major turns her expert hand to proper Cornish pasties made with braising steak, tweaking and perfecting the recipe until she finds her best possible version. Then (don’t tell them in Penzance) she ramps up the flavour with a Mexican twist

Gill Meller A COOK’S YEAR

He’s made an art of celebrating the fruits of land and sea and, as group head chef at River Cottage, he’s expertly placed to know when seasonal food is at its best. In this new series, Gill Meller takes a special ingredient each month and makes it shine. First up: brown crab – just right for January’s fresh new start

7GREAT WAYS TO LOVE YOUR LEFTOVERS

A big delicious. welcome to chef, cookery teacher, broadcaster, author and brilliant cook Thane Prince as our fifth writer in residence. A thrifty sort, she’s partial to a fridge forage. Here she gets creative with recipes that bring new life to your store of post-festive odds and ends

PINEAPPLE

”The tough exterior of this aromatic fruit hides sweet beauty within, and it’s more versatile than you might think. Enjoy pineapple grilled, fried or baked – or on its own, just as nature created it. The intense flavour marries well with strong, punchy ingredients – especially the fiery heat of chilli and ginger. I’ve used the fruit’s sour-sweet complexity to brilliant effect with these recipes for crowd-pleasing duck tacos and a reinvention of that retro classic, pineapple upside-down cake. So, is this spiky fruit ripe for revival? Absolutely”

”MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE RECIPE”

There are many reasons why people cook, and being hungry is just one of them (although it’s a pretty good one, admittedly). Expressing creativity, showing love for others and getting together round a dinner table are equally good reasons to rattle the pans. We asked chefs Thomasina Miers, Bill Granger and Matt Tebbutt to let us in on their favourite family recipes, and tell us why they’re special

”The steamy kitchen takes me back to my childhood”

For MasterChef finalist Emma Spitzer this family recipe is a living legacy. It creates a direct connection, through her mum, back to the Polish grandmother she was never able to meet

10-step guide to THE PERFECT COOKED BREAKFAST

How often have you made (or been served) flabby bacon with a side order of cold egg and stewed mushrooms? Doing a cooked breakfast well is harder than you might think, but it’s a simple process of organisation once you know how. Here’s your key to the ultimate fry-up

If you make one pudding this month, make it thisÉ

We’d like to introduce, as an instant antidote to grey January, the make-ahead pudding that’s guaranteed to put a smile on the face of everyone who tries it… It has chocolate, it has custard and it’s a cinch to make as it’s quick to put together. Plus, it smells amazing as it bakes. Dig into the middle with a big spoon for melty, caramelly surprises. Yes, oh yes

The menu JOSÉ PIZARRO’S HOMAGE TO CATALONIA

If you need an excuse to invite friends round and have a cheering meal to share as a post-Christmas cheer-up, this collection of dishes is as tantalising as excuses come. The recipes, from one of our favourite chefs, are packed full of pleasing flavours that will make everyone’s palates sit up and take notice

EAT WELL FOR LIFE

NO FADS, NO UNREALISTIC HEALTH CLAIMS… JUST 21 INSPIRING PAGES OF HONEST, NUTRITIOUS, GOOD -FOR-YOU RECIPES, INFO AND IDEAS

WIN! A country house hotel stay

Enjoy the high life at Surrey’s delightful Frensham Pond Hotel – in a National Trust lakeside setting

FREE teapot and tea cosy

Hurry! Offer ends 31 January 2018

GET MORE ENERGY

Need a post-Christmas reboot? These recipes, created with the help of nutritionist Amanda Ursell, are designed with zest for life in mind – because we all need a bit more at this time of year

THE LEFTOVERS RECIPE

This dish is a good one for using leftover cooked veg

THE LIGHTER MUFFIN

Our take on this favourite bake combines spice, apples and a light, crunchy crumble

THE BUDGET RECIPE

This elegant supper is more thrifty than you might expect. Healthy, versatile chicken livers provide star quality and it’s ready in under 30 minutes

THE 5:2 RECIPE

This packed-with-goodness hotpot doesn’t skimp on flavour

THE BATCH-COOK RECIPE

Make lots of pie filling, serve half now as a hotpot and freeze the rest to make mini pies

SOUP OF THE MONTH

This healthy bowlful of hearty flavours is an easy way to help reach your five-a-day

4 EASY PACKED LUNCHES

Take lunch into your own hands – it’s the easiest way we know to save £££s in the new year (or any time)

PORK SAUSAGES

Although high in calories and fat, they’re a great standby. As an occasional treat, use a pack or two to whip up these simple suppers

Can food ever really help you sleep?

Sleep deprivation is a global epidemic with scary implications for human wellbeing. For those who find it hard to get to sleep, could a solution lie on our dinner plates? And are bananas really ‘sleeping pills in a peel’, as one headline has claimed? Sue Quinn investigates

Healthy eating for January… and beyond

Having a balanced diet is a year-round pursuit, and these three recipes from chef Phil Vickery will set you on your way. They’re designed to keep blood sugar levels stable, which means they’re good for diabetics, but that also means they’re good for everyone

Enjoy plant power

This year, put plants first to discover a delicious, fuss-free way of eating that’s good for you

LOOSE ENDS

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

delicious

• Melt your Valentine’s heart with our loveable pud

FOOD LOVER’S CROSSWORD

See how much you really know about the world of food

THIS MONTH IN THE delicious. KITCHEN…

While the delicious. team are testing recipes, they’re often debating the best ways to do things as well as answering cooking questions that arise in the test kitchen. What’s the best technique for preparing fresh pineapple? How do you make sure your pastry case doesn’t shrink at the edges? What should you look out for when making marmalade? It’s the kind of information you won’t find anywhere else, and it will help take your cooking to the next level.

How to prepare a fresh pineapple

If you’re making our star of the season pineapple recipes

CHICKEN & COCONUT CURRY LAKSA

This dish is popular all over Malaysia and steaming-hot