Sam Bilton

Golden syrup is used to make modern brandy snaps but the original brandy snaps sold at fairs were made from treacle. They were a...

Losing or misplacing stuff is a daily occurrence in my house. For me it’s usually a particular kitchen utensil. For my husband, it’s...

We all know that Seville oranges make fabulous marmalade but how about using them in a tart? This dessert takes its inspiration from the...

Gingerbread is synonymous with Christmas. From houses and lattes to lebkuchen and gingerbread Santas there is likely to be some sort of...

Inspired by a recipe from Bartolomeo Scappi’s Opera (1577) Like many recipes of this period the original (which you can see below)...

We had another bumper crop of red currants this year but what are you to do with them? Jelly is all well and good but I still have some...

Some of the happiest years of my childhood were spent in the small Aberdeenshire town of Ellon. When my parents decided to move back...

We don’t tend to think of pairing spices with strawberries but these sweet red fruits take to the warmth of spices surprisingly well....

‘Sturdy’ is not a terribly complimentary adjective when applied to a person’s figure or a cake. It implies something quite solid. But...

When is a cake a biscuit? This question was raised in 1991 regarding the humble Jaffa Cake. The manufacturer McVities argued that Jaffa...

This post has been more difficult to write than I imagined. The past few days I have been restless, wanting to write, and knowing that it...

Great minds think alike… Or so the adage goes. Even so when you ask a dozen or so cooks to make a dish inspired by a single word, it...

Here’s a suggestion for how to use up any left over Christmas pudding you may have. Makes around 600-650g Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable...

The quince is the trickster of the fruit kingdom. The scent and colour of these deeply aromatic golden globes hints at a succulent,...

Pumpkins and squash are surely the antidote to dull and gloomy autumn days? Their often gnarly exterior encases vivid and sweet tangerine...

Adapted from The Experienced English Housekeeper by Elizabeth Raffald (1769) The Bride Pie was the forerunner to the wedding cake (you...

There is something about figs even in this day and age that causes people to titter. With their curvaceous exterior and fleshy pink...

The appearance of the first mince pies in our shops seems to get earlier every year. I spied a small display in my local supermarket in...

I made my annual batch of medlar mincemeat last week. As always I picked far too many medlars and as a consequence ended up with more...

Despite living in the intense heat the Victorians who had settled in India were still partial to a traditional British pudding after...