How I See It...

Hello,

I hope you’re good and starting to feel a little more revived, seeing friends you’ve missed, feeling spring sunshine on your face, and appreciating every little flower and bud pushing its head out. Never before have the little things in life excited me so much, and I’m truly grateful for them all.

I was interested to read the cookery in last week’s MyWeekly about using up all your ingredients. I truly hate leftovers and do everything I can not to be wasteful. As a child growing up in the ’60s I was given many parental lessons on the subject, and food was always at the top of the list. Standing over me, as I minced around with the food on my plate, my mother would chastise my pickiness with the words, “Eat your food – there are children in China starving.” Why she picked out China, to this day I’m not quite sure, but the message was clear. I’ve never forgotten it and always try and use ever ything up. Thanks to the TV show, Ready Steady Cook I treat it as a game.

However, to get the best out of the game you have to be a reasonably good cook. Over the years, thanks to working with some of the greats including Albert Roux, Marco Pierre White, James Martin, Brian Turner, Raymond Blanc and many more, by osmosis I’ve soaked up enough tricks to have kitchen confidence.

However, one of my favourite teachers is ex-chef turned comedian Jack Dee who, during our time on Celebrity Big Brother, taught me two great lessons… One, how to make bread. Two, how to produce “Fridge Raid Soup” which 20 years later I’m still making.

As I write, on the stove bubbling away is one of my favourite culinary magic potions: a stock pot. In it has gone the chicken carcass from yesterday’s roast, onion, garlic, celer y, rosemar y, carrots, broccoli stalks, potato peelings, parsnip peelings and a chicken stock cube.

After about 3 hours of simmering away, this delicious and nutritious base will be the foundation of tonight’s “Fridge

Raid” which is now affectionately called “Jack Dee Soup”! Love

Anthea X