The British Larder Inspirational recipe diary

I love spring, today is a bright and sunny day, a bit chilly but its great as long as its sunny. I even noticed the daffodils popping up everywhere. The signs of spring signify the awakening of a new year and makes me happy. As a small celebratory token I made this delicious saffron clam and corn chowder.

The name is a bit clunky and you perhaps expect a chunky broth; but I thought why not tame the butch name with this elegant and dainty version. It’s a pretty dish, perfect as a starter for mothers day.

This pretty saffron clam and corn chowder reminds me of the daffodils standing proud under the trees on the village green. It’s not just pleasurable to the eye as the corn soup is packed with flavour and nicely finished with a tiny kiss of saffron. I also love the textures the crispness of

Making tart tatin used to be my “party piece”. I love the wow factor which I still get  after all these years. It’s a warm fussy feeling and a sense of achievement that I get every time I make this dessert.

This mulled plum tart tatin is anything but the original apple recipe developed accidentally by one of the Tatin sisters. She baked a apple tart as normal but forgot that it was in the oven, consequently it burned. The rumor is that she did not want to throw it away and from then onwards we have Tart Tatin! I am so glad that she burnt the apple tart, as I love this glorious sweet, sticky fruit and pastry combination.

My method of making this delicious recipe is different from the traditional way. The dark brown sugar and the plums add to the intense, rich aromatic and rather seductive fragrance

This roasted cardamom panacotta with stewed rhubarb is exactly what the British Larder is all about. The combination of flavours, textures and unusual methods is a sheer delight.

Sophistication with a capital S, the dish looks and tastes vibrant and exciting and there are numerous elements to this recipe.It’s your choice to extract what you like from it or take the plunge and make the whole lot.

I have chosen to use a few unusual ingredients, such as agar agar which is a natural vegan and vegetarian setting agent, I will explain more about using agar further on in this recipe. Hope you feel inspired!

Yum yum is the thought that spring to mind when thinking about these lip smacking delicious little gems. Packed with natural gelatine, and when cooked for a few hours they become soft, tender and incredibly morish.

Pigs cheeks are really good value for money as they are solid bits of meat with very little to trim, no fat and no bones, a bonus!

It’s a real shame that pigs cheeks do not feature more often on our menus, it’s definitely a forgotten cut.

I have to admit that I have only recently discovered them myself. Bath chaps is a very old fashioned dish that I use to associate with pigs cheeks. I am really excited about this discovery and therefore I have developed several recipes using these little gems. One discovery is that you do not have to cook  them for hours. Cut them in half, tenderise with a meat