The Red Pepper: a good neighbourhood Italian

Wild boar pappardelle, taken on an iphone

Sometimes simple is best, and this little local joint in Maida Vale has been proving that for at least the last 16 years. It was the first restaurant I visited in London as an adult. And it’s turning out pasta every bit as good now, as it did then.

Delivering constantly good food is not nearly as simple as it sounds, and many restaurants fail this seemingly simple task. Here, the cooks – and there have been several changes in the kitchen over the years – always do the basics right. Continue reading

Interruptions to the scheduled programme

Kings Cross station

With a swipe of the stanley knife I cut the tape and sealed the last of the boxes. Vinney, the moving man from Brazil hefted the last chair down to the van and that was it. A flat empty of furniture. A kitchen with no pots or pans. A bedroom with no bed. The end of almost four years in N16.

Last Sunday we moved out of our first real home, handing over the keys to the new owners and commencing a life on the streets. Well, on family members’ floors at any rate (a BIG thank you to all the people who are putting us up). And now? Now I feel discombobulated and uncertain. Continue reading

Harissa roast chicken

Harissa roast chicken

Brrrrrr, it’s a bit nippy out there. At least is up here in London where the thermometer is firmly stuck around or below zero and there’s snow on the ground. So methinks it’s time for something to lift the spirits a little.

This Moroccan inspired chicken dish should bring the scents of the souk and just a hint of Saharan heat to cold kitchens. Sure it takes a bit of forethought, but this cold snap ain’t going away. Continue reading

Polish mushroom, barley and vegetable stew

Polish beef stew

I’ve always been a sucker for confort food, and when I saw this recipe for a Polish mushroom and barley soup on Susan’s blog, I immediately hankered after a hot bowl of the rustic looking food. And I’m pretty susceptible to good photo and recipe too.

Happily I’d been making beef stock not long before and had a freezer full of the stuff. So I set about defrosting it and hunting down the pearl barley from the back of the store cupboard. Continue reading