If you make one thing…

Ever roasted radishes before? Get ready to be amazed – they turn into beautiful, sweet, purple-pink gemstones while retaining their bite. Serve this with bread as an amped-up dip or as a side to other springtime dishes

WHAT’S ON THE MENU?

Food editor Tom Shingler mixes and matches this month’s recipes

welcome.

PORTRAIT: PAUL MITCHELL For years I’ve been on

APPETISERS

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

PUB OF THE MONTH

THE SILVER CUP, HARPENDEN, HERTFORDSHIRE

SCHOOL’S OUT!

The Easter holidays are here: hatch some plans, at home or away.

LET’S TALK FOOD

The British Library’s Food Season returns from 17

THIS MONTH WE’RE READING…

RAVENOUS In this eye-opening exposé, Henry Dimbleby, leader

OVER TO YOU

STAR EMAIL ★ Delving into delicious. for education

HOT LIST

What’s new, what’s great, what we rate – including bargain buys and an eco pick – all chosen by editor Karen Barnes

The book list

Fermentation magic, luscious fruit-laden bakes and pasta to get excited about… Award-winning food writer and cook Mark Diacono chooses the cream of recent cookbook releases

delicious. discoveries

We test many, but few make the grade... Here’s our pick of the best new things from producers large and small

A piña colada with Shivi Ramoutar

The food writer and TV presenter talks about finding fun in life, sharing the love for Caribbean cuisine – and her hidden talent

Anchovies make every thing better

They’re the canny cook’s secret ingredient – an instant flavour-bomb to give so many dishes that elusive oomph. Anchovy-fiend Debora Robertson is lucky enough to live in the part of France that produces the best little fishes for her dishes

One from the heart “Every meal was a bit of a fuss with Grandma’”

There was no chance of going hungry when Grandma Rene was cooking, and tzimmes was one of the favourite treats for Helen Graham and her family. Here, the executive chef of Bubala’s two Middle Eastern vegetarian restaurants shares Rene’s recipe for the Ashkenazi Jewish classic – arecipe to treasure

ASP ARA GUS

Bring me my spears!

Nathan Outlaw’s fish revolution

Despite being surrounded by sea, we don’t eat much fish. Most of it is exported to France and Spain, while we import a lot of the seafood we do eat. Renowned chef Nathan Outlaw is determined to change that by encouraging us all to eat a wider variety of fish and showing us how to cook it in imaginative ways. These five recipes are a great place to start, each showcasing a different cooking technique

New wave Italian

Bancone is at the forefront of the UK’s new wave of Italian restaurants – casual, quick, affordable and brilliant. Chef Ben Waugh shares four of his favourite dishes for spring with subtle twists and clever little techniques that – dare we say it – improve on the originals

DARE TO BE different

Juniper, fennel, chipotle, pink peppercorns… not the usual suspects when you’re making puddings. But Pollyanna from the delicious. food team shows that, just as salt can be used to bring out the flavour of caramel, these flavour-packed seeds, flakes and berries give familiar sweet treats exciting new dimensions

Win! A gourmet overnight stay in the Cotswolds

COMPETITION WORTH £1,000 * This is everything you

NEXT MONTH IN delicious.

Three bank hols, the Coronation, Eurovision, half term... It’s the month of celebration!

A SLICE OF SICILY

Discover Sicily’s distinct and delicious cuisine on this immersive, week-long tour of the spectacular Italian island with unforgettable cooking classes, local wine tastings and more

April Recipe index

35 ESSENTIAL RECIPE INFO Our symbols explained You

PUZZLES PAGE JUMBO CROSSWORD

There’s a prize to be won and fun to be had with Hugh Thompson’s crossword and food quiz. Give your brain a workout – it’s what a cuppa and cake were made for

THE FOOD QUIZ

1 Which of these items is not usually

Be a better cook.

If you’re craving some me-time in the kitchen this weekend, our expert know-how will inspire you to brush up on old skills and forage for new ones, all while being a little wild with flavour

The secret art of egg wash

“It turns pie lids a burnished bronze, seals pastry cases and gives any bake it touches an eye-catching shine – but what is egg wash, why does it work and how can you use it to its full advantage? Follow my tips and take your bakes to a higher level”

Your wild garlic weekender

It’s a highlight of the wild food calendar and one of the easiest things to forage – but in a few weeks, says Tom Shingler, wild garlic will disappear for another year. Put a weekend aside to collect and preserve this wonderful plant, ensuring a well stocked, gorgeously garlicky larder for months to come

Soured cream sage doughnuts

Acclaimed food writer Benjamina Ebuehi loves to experiment with flavour, and she’s given these traditional iced delights a not-sotraditional herbal note. They’re impossible to resist – especially the little ones

DON’T BIN IT! Tops & tails

Join the delicious. mission to avoid waste in the

The energy-saving recipe

This satisfying dal not only tastes wonderful but will save on your energy bill too, thanks to a nifty technique known as passive cooking

HAS VEGANISM LOST ITS WAY?

Traditionally, the big pulls of veganism were animal welfare, green creds and health benefits. Then came a craze for overly processed plant-based products to undermine these ideals. Thankfully, says food writer Clare Finney, a new multicultural approach is re-inventing vegan eating. Read all about it – then enjoy our inspiring ‘new vegan’ recipes

Drinks

Best bargains, plus well travelled beers and a very English cocktail

Susy’s best buys

Enjoy some seasonal drinks action with Susy Atkins’ top picks for spring, all matched to recipes in this issue, plus a bargain fizz for Easter and an award-winning new gin

Beer school Go west

Expert Mark Dredge heads to California, revelling in the gold rush of West Coast IPA

Make it every day.

Quick recipes for busy people, inspired by global flavours, plus easier-than-you-think Korean home cooking and glorious breakfast muffins

A world of flavour

Every cook needs quick, easy weeknight recipes that taste fantastic. These fit the bill with culinary inspiration from around the world: ItaIy, China, Scandinavia and Japan. Simply genius

The food I cook at home

You may have enjoyed the savoury zing and tang of Korean cooking in restaurants, but are you ready to magic it up on a Tuesday night? Korean-born Londoner Su Scott shows how easy it is

There’s nothin’ like a muffin

Recipe expert and teacher Cherie Denham combines fruit, nuts and oats in a buttermilk batter to create light, fluffy cakes that will set you up for the day

Health NEWS

News, nuggets of knowledge and advice you can trust.

THE HIDDEN HEALTH RISK IN YOUR FOOD

By stealth, emulsifiers have become commonplace in everyday foods: chocolate, ice cream and flavoured yogurt, to name but three. With new research raising concerns about potential health risks associated with these additives, should we be looking at food labels more closely? Sue Quinn gets out her magnifying glass

Wales’ HIDDEN GEM

Sandwiched between the crowd-pulling national parks of Pembrokeshire to the west and the Brecon Beacons to the east, Carmarthenshire tends to get overlooked. Dare to leave the A40, says Dianne Spencer, and you’ll find crumbling castles, sweeping estuary views and a wealth of local produce, from natural wines and quality coffee to artisanal cheese and silky air-dried ham. Oh, and did we mention the pies?

Enough with the bloomin’ flowers

Spring is here, which means chefs are using flower petals to decorate dishes again. Please don’t, says writer Fliss Freeborn