Fish parcels with orange

Whole red mullet are baked in the oven on a bed of aniseed-flavoured fennel and fresh orange segments. To save time, ask your fishmonger to scale and gut the fish for you. Serve one parcel per person and accompany it with new potatoes and some [...]

Smoked turkey baguettines

Mini baguettes, with their crusty exteriors and soft interiors, are the ideal breads for filling with all kinds of nutritious ingredients to make a quick snack. Here a combination of crisp and chewy vegetables is mixed with delicious smoked [...]

Potato and bacon chowder

It's easy to make a nourishing supper based on ingredients you are likely to have on hand, such as onion, potatoes, parsnips, bacon and milk. Here they're turned into a hearty and satisfying soup, which is finished with a little vitamin-rich [...]

Greek lamb kebabs

Cubes of lamb flavoured with a mixture of garlic, lemon and fresh oregano are cooked on skewers and served with a Greek-style tomato and cabbage salad and pita bread for a deliciously aromatic main dish.

Hoisin beef stir-fry

For a quick meal try this colourful stir-fry of thin strips of tender steak with fresh ginger, button mushrooms, red capsicums and crisp snow peas, served on Chinese egg noodles. Hoisin sauce, a sweet Chinese barbecue sauce made from soya and [...]

Butter bean dip with crudités

This quick and tasty dip is made from canned butter beans puréed with tomato paste, garlic and fresh basil leaves. Served with sesame seed breadsticks, pita bread and a selection of crunchy vegetables for dipping, it makes a nutritious lunch for [...]

Fruit bread slices

If you're bored with cereal for breakfast, try this fruity alternative. Thick slices of fruit bread, toasted and spread with orange-flavoured cream cheese, are topped with strawberries and bananas. Cut the loaf lengthwise for 2 slices per [...]

No harm done

When I needed my university exam certificates for a job interview, my brother volunteered to go up to the attic to find them and put them in a folder for me. The next week, I nervously walked into the interview room, where much to my surprise [...]

Naan with lentil ‘caviar’

Yoghurt spiced with garlic and mint, then mixed with raw vegetables and high-protein lentils, is delicious spooned onto warmed naan. A few coriander and mint leaves on top add a touch of freshness, and a dab of chutney or lime pickle on the side [...]

Ingrate

I recently visited a local restaurant for a spot of lunch. I ordered a ham salad, and the waiter soon arrived with my meal. “Do you know what kind of cheese this is?” I asked him, pointing at my plate. Off he went into the kitchen to find out [...]

Deadly diet

At a conference I attended recently, a doctor was addressing a large audience. “The material we put into our stomachs should have killed most of us sitting here years ago,” he said. “Red meat is full of steroids and dye. Soft drinks corrode your [...]

The customer is always half right

I was really pleased with my purchase of a new pair of shoes from a major retailer. About a week later, on a rainy day, I was in a rush and quickly grabbed my shoes from the rack and made my way into town. To my horror, I felt a wet sensation [...]

After dinner drinks

We recently ate a restaurant and as we paid our bill the waitress asked our small son what we were going to do next. Excitedly, Jamie said, “We have whisky in the car, you know.” The waitress glared at me and walked off before I could explain to [...]

Knock knock

When I worked in the post office, a lady barged in and started complaining that she’d got home to find a note from the postman – he’d tried to deliver a package but nobody was in. “My husband was home all day!” she fumed. After I gave her the [...]

The Great Tweet-off: Kids’ Edition

A source of surprise, pain, comedy, wisdom and everything in between, this month we celebrate the joy (mostly) of children. Sometimes, at night, after my son has gone to bed, I go into my room and finish all my sentences. – Paula Poundstone [...]
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