Welcome.

PORTRAIT: PAUL MITCHELL. FOOD PHOTOGRAPH: INDIA WHILEY-MORTON A

If you make one thing…

Forget sweet pancakes – savoury is where it’s at. Make this Shrove Tuesday (13 February) the best yet with these vibrant green ricotta-stuffed crepes topped with spicy, crunchy ’nduja oil. They’ll change your life

APPETISERS

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

OVER TO YOU

STAR EMAIL ★ Subject: In praise of comfort

delicious discoveries

The best new products from producers big and small, tested and approved by our team

HOT LIST

Here’s what editor Karen Barnes is loving for February – for the kitchen, at the dining table and for reading on rainy days, plus a must-book restaurant for a day trip with add-ons

The booklist

Mark Diacono picks the best new cookbooks to keep you busy in the depths of winter, from a manual on breadmaking to cooking on a budget, via a thrilling tour of the flavours of Oman and Zanzibar

A slice of cake with GBBO champ Matty Edgell

The PE and science teacher scooped the cake stand prize in the 14th series of the show last autumn and is enjoying the rollercoaster ride that’s followed. He reflects on his early kitchen adventures, reveals his essential baking kit and celebrates the special bonds created in the big white tent

LIGHT IN THE DARK

As the end of winter approaches but before spring kicks in, it can be hard to find seasonal inspiration in the kitchen – especially if you fancy something bright, fragrant and flavourful. But with some clever cooking you can take the available fruit and veg and transform them into something colourful and fresh, tantalising your taste buds until spring arrives

The joy of a chicken one-pot

Never make a dull dinner again – our favourite home-cooking guru Claire Thomson shares five cracking dishes from her new book, each cooked in just one pan... Brilliant!

Face your food fears!

However much of a food lover you are, there are probably one or two things you can’t stand – or at least, think you can’t... It’s our 2024 mission to get everyone conquering their food fears, opening up a new world of culinary possibilities. Of course, we’re not going to make you eat something that brings you out in hives, but if it’s just a dislike, we reckon we can get you over it. Don’t believe us? Read what the scientists say, then pluck up the courage to try our gateway recipe

BRING BACK THE GREAT BRITISH PUD!

The UK has a tradition of sweet bakes and hearty puddings, but they’re often overlooked in favour of the sugary delights of Europe and further afield. Ashleigh Arnott looks at why we’re so nostalgic about our trad puds, then Pollyanna Coupland takes a trip down memory lane, giving favourite desserts an update with new, why-didn’t-we-always-do-it-that-way flavour combos

EAT to the BEAT

It’s probably not the first thing you think of when choosing a restaurant but more and more the music played in the dining room – or lack of it – is becoming an important factor. Writer Clare Finney explores the complicated relationship between cooking and music

SWEDE

Veg hero of the month

Food for hibernation

My cooking year: February

Be a better cook.

OUR EXPERT TEAM AND GUEST CHEFS HELP YOU TO UP YOUR COOKING GAME AND BE MORE SUSTAINABLE. THIS MONTH: SEASON WITHOUT SALT, REDUCE FOOD WASTE, NAIL FRENCH ONION SOUP AND MORE

The food I cook at home

For the Lunar New Year (Saturday 10 February), some serious feasting is in order to welcome in the year of the dragon. Luckily for us, Amy Poon has shared a magnificent trio of home-style Chinese dishes that showcase flavours and techniques beyond the more familiar wok-fried noodles and rice

The supperclub forging friendships – and love

Good conversation over a great meal is a precious thing, as members of the Raeburn Supper Club in central Scotland appreciate. Tailored to unattached over-50s, the club serves up companionship and even romance, as Kerry Fowler discovers

The trucker’s story

Nothing will stop me cook ing.

Cosy retreats

Need an escape from the gloomy depths of February? We got together with the editors of The Good Hotel Guide To Britain & Ireland to round up choice hotels for a wintry break. At each, you’re guaranteed a warm and twinkly welcome and, after a frosty walk, some of the best food there is

I just can’t tolerate it!

If people’s food intolerances are genuine, fair enough, says comedian George Egg – he’ll go to great lengths to accommodate them. But if they’re not, woe betide the flaky eater who sits down at the Egg dinner table…

Season without SALT

Every cook has salt in the kitchen, says food editor Tom Shingler, but when it comes to seasoning, there’s a whole world out there beyond the white grains and flakes

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Best of the best.

Custard tarts with a fennel-seed twist

Technical bake.

STORIES OF SAVVY HOME COOKING

Waste not.

DON’T BIN IT!

Cooked potato

Sourdough discard

Use it up

1 BEEF BRISKET 4 GREAT MEALS

Make the most of your freezer.

Drinks

Wintry wines, tropical beers and a chocolatey Baileys treat

Susy’s best buys

Winter days call for comfort food – but what to drink with it? Expert Susy Atkins rounds up wines for hearty dishes and shares a toddy recipe, along with a top softie and some pink fizz for Valentine’s Day

A trip to the tropics

Beer school

Win! A special two-night stay in Nor thumberland

Enter for a chance to win two nights at The Cookie Jar, a welcoming retreat in Alnwick set in a former convent

Recipe index

February

delicious

COMING UP IN NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE

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 Genépi is a liqueur from the Alps.

Make it every day.

Casual meals with our trademark originality, plus speed and ease guaranteed

Comfort with ease

There’s a world of warming, out-of-the-cold flavour to be had with these easy weeknight recipes, bringing light and cheer to your midwinter

WHAT DO NUTRITIONISTS PUT IN THEIR SHOPPING BASK ETS?

With so much health advice bandied about in tabloid headlines and from often dubious sources on social media, it can be tricky to navigate a path to an all-things-in-moderation healthy diet. To help, Sue Quinn asked five leading nutritionists how they shop and eat

Health NEWS

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