Jay Raynor, one of the UK's most revered restaurant critics confesses to adoring his toast burnt with a smear of butter and a smattering of Marmite. ‘Toast’ is the title of Nigel Slater’s award-winning biography of a childhood remembered through food and Toast House is the name of my favourite cafe in my home town of Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
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Amelia Hirst
Easy tomato and herb tart. A lesson from the UK's youngest allotment holder
At seven years old most children will spend their summer holidays watching TV or playing computer games. Not Amelia Hirst. She will be busy producing veg on her own allotment.
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Home made beetroot and spinach tagliatelle
Years ago I watched pasta being made in Bologna, Italy when I was a student teaching English to an Italian family during my long summer vacation. The cook where I was staying made pasta by hand, left the dough to rest and rolled it into long sheets using a rolling pin. She then cut the pasta into tagliatelle or made little cap shaped pockets known as tortellini which were stuffed with either meat or cheese fillings and served in a delicious broth.
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Aubergine with tahini, yogurt and pickled radish
"Do you think it suits me? My nephew Lewis asked as he tried on a dark, navy blue, linen shirt in the Fara Workshop just off the Angel, Islington, North London. "Yes" I replied in truth. He returned to the changing room, dressed and took the shirt to the counter.
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Elderflower Champagne
At this time of the year the hedgerows are full of elderflowers. In the early morning light their flat white heads appear to hover in the dark green foliage. There are also soft pink and white bramble blossoms that signal their forthcoming dark autumn fruit. On my morning run through the woods I find more beauty in the form of hatched eggs shells and decide to celebrate this glorious time of the year by making a bucket of elderflower champagne. It should be ready for Le Grand Depart on Saturday 5th July. The race passes close to my house in Ilkley twice over the weekend.
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