James Martin's Foodie files

TV chef James Martin shares his culinary secrets with Weekend

MUM’S TREAT

Scrambled eggs and smoked salmon is good for Mothering Sunday. Or you can try chocolate fondants, which are easier than making a cake. Whisk an egg white until stiff then fold in 2tbsp plain flour and 1tsp cornflour. Fold this into a bowl where you’ve already mixed 50g of melted dark chocolate with 1tbsp caster sugar and an egg yolk. Spoon into two buttered moulds and bake at 200°C/fan 180°C/ gas 6 for 10 minutes.

TOP TAKEAWAY

I think people are looking forward to getting out to restaurants again. I had a takeaway Sunday lunch from my local pub The Fox and it was really nice to taste somebody else’s food. I had my friend Larry’s roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower cheese, lovely roast potatoes, swede and turnip mash and wilted cabbage, then a rhubarb and apple crumble for dessert.

DISH OF THE DAY

Not a lot of people go for monkfish, but do try it if you spot it at your supermarket. It’s meaty with hardly any bones, so treat it like steak. You can pan-fry it or even roast it like a joint. It also takes strong flavours like peppercorn, coq au vin, bourguignon or Spanish-style tomato-based sauces. It’s great in Thai curries too, and with lemongrass and ginger.

GREEN FINGERS

I’ve started working in my garden again. With restaurants set to open soon I know that I won’t have as much time to spend on it as I did last year, but I still want to grow lots of soft fruit. I’m also going for a dozen different varieties of tomato, as well as ‘cut and come again’ salad leaves – and I’m going to try growing Albert Bartlett potatoes.