MY FAVOURITE THINGS
The 2012 Bake Off winner shares his cooking tips and kitchen must-haves
Childhood meal I was the kind of lad who always had his eye on the Spotted Dick during Sunday lunch.
ingredients At the moment, it’s mahlab – the ground stone of a particular cherry. It has a sweet almond aroma and is beautiful in cakes and breads.
Breakfast A hot cinnamon bun, followed by Greek yogurt, oats and apple, fried in cinnamon and butter.
Lunch A slice of beef and horseradish pie with some pan-fried green beans. Or, if I’m in a rush, a few Peter’s Yard sourdough crispbreads with pork fillets
and some pickles.
Dinner This is an evil Q& A. Can I have more than one? Steamed beef puddings on a cold and blustery night, a light salmon and pickled cucumber pizza in summer.
Pudding Get out of town! I can't pick a favourite pudding.
Four-ingredient recipe Toast with butter so thick that every bite leaves teeth. But an actual recipe would be puff pastry topped with sliced heritage tomatoes, goat’s cheese and black olives, baked as a flat tart
or galette. Fond memory The smell of my parent’s bedroom when I was a little boy. They’d just painted it – I’ve always loved that fresh-paint smell. Food-related book On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee. Person you’d like to cook for Someone who has no dietary requirements whatsoever, and is very hungry.
Cuisine It’s a toss-up between Lebanese and Indian.
Chef The love child of Atul Kochhar and Dan Doherty.
Restaurant I simply haven’t tried enough to have one. Although you would be hard pressed to find
anything more satisfying than the Korean chicken burger at Altrincham market.
peice of kitchen kit My KitchenAid is an absolute godsend. And you can’t beat a really good crank-handled palette knife.
Cooking cheat or shortcut Don’t waste your time browning mince! Piece of advice you’ve received Don’t burn bridges or onions, but if you have to, then make sure you caramelise the hell out of them.