I’m working on my new book at the moment, it’s due for release at Christmas next year - so a little while to wait, but in the meantime I’ve been busy testing recipes, trying new things and making loads of trips to the supermarket for ingredients! Here are some of the props from the photo shoot - love all of the vintage style crockery we get to use!
Even though I found it difficult (!) to give up my MasterChef title, I thought that Phil Vickery was a wonderful winner. Now, another year on, there’s a new winner in Emma Kennedy!
I thought her food was brilliant and I’m looking forward to seeing her at the BBC Good Food Shows this Winter. I’ll be at the NEC over the weekend, cooking on stage with the very lovely Shelina Permalloo. www.bbcgoodfoodshows.com
I think that food festivals are a brilliant way to support your local food producers and show off what the country has to offer, and I was lucky enough to be invited along to the fantastic Liverpool Food Festival this year. I cooked up a couple of my favourite dishes plus took part in a Bake Off judged by the lovely Paul Hollywood. Slightly terrifying as I was competing against one of my favourite chefs, Tom Kitchin. Luckily, Paul said I’d done a ‘very good bake’, so even though I didn’t win, I was happy with that!
Fish pie is the ultimate comfort food. We had different versions growing up. I remember my mum’s always had prawns in, but I think her sauce was quite cheesy and she did a potato topping. I decided to ‘posh it up’ one night when making dinner for my friends and the resulting recipe looks great – a bowl of beautiful fish in a creamy sauce topped with pastry. I demonstrated this dish at the MasterChef Live show.
Serves 4
Preheat the oven to 200C (400F), gas mark 6 and grease a baking tray. Lay the pastry out on a lightly floured worksurface and cut into four 11 cm (4. inch) rounds. Brush with the beaten egg, place on the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until puffed and golden.
Put the shallots and wine in a saucepan, bring to the boil and continue to boil until the liquid has reduced by half. Add the cream and let it bubble away until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Stir in the mustard, chopped fish and the prawns, add some salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 5 minutes until the fish is cooked through and the prawns have turned pink. Stir through the parsley and tarragon.
Spoon the fish mixture into serving bowls and top with the cooked pastry discs to finish.