Ben Okri: ‘If you’re hungry, books seem full of feasts’
The writer on living on the streets in London, eating in a cellar during the Nigerian civil war, and fasting while writingIt’s a mystery to me why Nigerian food is not better known. It can only be the...
View ArticleThe recipe I can’t live without
Ten top cooks share the favourite dishes they return to time and again, including Diana Henry on Marcella Hazan’s chicken fricassée, and Clare Smyth on the simple soup she’s known since childhoodChosen...
View ArticleBenjamin Zephaniah’s vegan taste test
Dairy-free butters, cheeses, yogurts and more, tested by the writer and poet who has been vegan since his teensMarks & Spencer Oat Drink1l, £1.55, marksandspencer.comA slightly creamy colour....
View ArticleLen & Alex Deighton’s Spanish Cookstrips: Croquetas de jamón
Alex: The flavouring must be finely chopped otherwise the croquetas will be hard to form. Len: Don’t worry. A lumpy croqueta is still pretty good. Len Deighton is the author of the Action Cookbook and...
View ArticleBeyond the scotch bonnet: the rise of Caribbean food in the UK
A young generation of British-Caribbean chefs are reclaiming their culinary heritage and bringing it to a new audienceThe plantain at the Nyamming “explorative dining” experience, held in the belly of...
View ArticleGoing solo: the chefs who work on their own
We’re used to seeing bustling restaurant kitchens – but what’s it like to be the only one behind the pass? Four chefs tell of the ups and downs of doing all the cooking by themselvesAnna Tobias at P...
View ArticleGiles Yeo: ‘Love your food but don’t eat quite as much of it as you want’
The obesity expert and author of Gene Eating on fad diets, the magic of miso and why he can’t say no to pork scratchingsDr Giles Yeo arrives for lunch in Cambridge by bike from his research lab at...
View ArticleHow malbec scaled the heights
The rise of the grape that’s at its best on mountain slopes is an epic taleThe story of malbec is an epic that begins in south-west France, and takes in vine plagues, medieval trade wars and a long...
View ArticleWelcome to January’s Observer Food Monthly
Our first issue of 2019 brings you recipes chefs can’t live without, Caribbean food and a vegan taste testI would imagine every cook has a dish they make over and over again, a plate of food for which...
View ArticleNigel Slater’s comforting cheese recipes
What’s the secret to elevating a simple tart, baked onions or a fruit loaf? Just add cheeseI like the idea of a small amount of full-flavoured cheese used more as a seasoning than a principal...
View ArticleThe food lover’s dilemma: how many free samples is it OK to snaffle?
From bakery to farmers’ market, it takes commitment and shamelessness to grab a piece of something you have no intention of buyingThere’s only one thing better than a Danish pastry and that’s a free...
View ArticleAlice Levine: ‘Living with a British nationalist for a week is like the...
The My Dad Wrote a Porno podcaster on the role of food in the show, and the challenges of her new TV documentary Sleeping With the Far RightI won a competition in primary school for my painting of...
View ArticleThe days of ‘make do and mend’ in the kitchen are misplaced nostalgia
Stop invoking the plucky Blitz spirit and growing your own beans: the halcyon days of make do and mend were just a mythNot to exaggerate, but barely a day seems to go by now without some BBC reporter...
View ArticleTaste test: the high street's doughnuts, scones and muffins
Bake Off alumnus Liam Charles on honeycomb patterns in croissants (good) and luminous custard (bad)Continue reading...
View ArticleLen & Alex Deighton’s Spanish Cookstrips: Fabada asturiana
Len: A bean dish with meat garnish, not the other way around. Use great beans. Alex: The flavours should be distinct, each mouthful a little different.Len Deighton is the author of the Action Cookbook...
View ArticleWelcome to the February issue of Observer Food Monthly
This month sees the seventh annual OFM 50, plus Madhur Jaffrey’s classic cookbook and recipes for tarts and crumblesHere at Observer Food Monthly we have compiled a list of things we love. It wasn’t...
View ArticleOFM’s classic cookbook: Madhur Jaffrey’s An Invitation to Indian Cooking
Published in 1973, An Invitation to Indian Cooking made Madhur Jaffrey an ambassador for the food of her homeland. Darina Allen pays tributeMadhur Jaffrey was one of the very first guest teachers at...
View ArticleFood and wine matching made easy
Whether your priority is what’s on the plate or what’s in the bottle, always keeps thing balancedDepending on your priorities in life, the matching of food and wine usually goes one of two ways. Either...
View ArticleNigel Slater recipes: tarts, crumbles and meringues
Roast chicken yorkshires, leek and tomato crumble, citrus meringues: recipes that celebrate contrasting texturesA crisp crust hiding a soft filling has always worked for me. Be it melted cheese inside...
View ArticleAuthentic, natural, artisan … mind your language when talking about food
After the fuss about Gordon Ramsay’s Asian restaurant, there’s an easy way to avoid controversy over authenticity. Be deliciousA few weeks ago, Gordon Ramsay received championship levels of eye-rolling...
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