COOKBOOKS DECODED

‘A healthy amount of ’

Jamie has a lot to answer for here, suggesting you dash, dollop, blob and chuck to your heart’s content.

But how much is a healthy amount of double cream? And isn’t that an oxymoron anyway? Food writers take note, some of us require a little more clarity. NB: the same goes for “splash”, “pinch” and “handful”.

Enrobe

Recipe writers went through a phase in the Nineties of “enrobing” things in puff pastry or parma ham. As one food critic put it, the description makes one think of Hugh Hefner, and thus puts you off your dinner entirely.

Source

These days, we don’t simply “buy” our ingredients. No, we “source” them, or better still – “forage” for them. Cookbooks now include helpful guides to sourcing your ingredients, with mindboggling lists of independent grocers and niche spice shops (I’m looking at you, Ottolenghi), and suggestions for good spots to winkle out wild garlic and wood sorrel. Let’s be honest, if it isn’t available in Waitrose or Sainsbury’s, it’s not going in the dish.

Toothsome

Anything with a bit of texture is “toothsome”. Utterly unappetising. Undertones of dentist waiting room.

Freshly ground pepper

What other kind of pepper is there? If you are spending your Sunday evenings grinding pepper for the week ahead, I would suggest you take a good look at yourself.

Luscious

Often used to describe creamy sauces or buttery mash. Sounds like the name of an R’N’B singer from 1997.