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Here you will find a large range of recipes which do not fit into the 'ancient' theme of the remainder of the recipes on this site. In essence these recipes represent a sampling of the several thousand recipes that I've gathered, adapted and personally cooked over the years. Many of these recipes originate with University friends who helped engender my interest in world cuisine. Others come from exchanging recipes on the internet or going through recipe books to search for things that work (and things that don't) and are the results of my own experiments and modifications on these recipes. Yet others are things that I've tried and which turned out so well that I decided to write them up.
I have a passion for food and cookery that is (hopefully) bolstered by a formal scientific training that lets me know what's happening when food cooks. This is one reason why Roman cookery with it's balancing of salt, sweet, sour, bitter and umami flavours is so fascinating (the same balancing is also present in Thai cuisine) and I want to bring this approach to the balancing of flavours to traditional Western and to fusion foods. Spice blends are fascinating as they show both how foods and flavourings have developed locally across the world and how the spice trade (especially the introduction of Black Pepper and Chillis) have affected the major cuisines of the world.
As well as the list of recipes presented below you can also fetch Modern and Traditional Bread, Cake and Pasty recipes by meal type via these links:
| Starters | Fish Courses | Meat Courses |
| Vegetarian | Accompaniments to Main Courses | Desserts |
| Breads, Cakes and Pastries | Sauces and Jams | Snacks |
| Drinks | Spice Blends |
Alphabetical list of Starters recipes follow (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 801 recipes in total:
Not found what you're looking for? Search the web:
Liberia is a West African country formed by freed slaves. It is one of only two African countries never to have come under European rule. Liberia is also one of the few African countries with a tradition of baking. Sitting alongside these are ingredients sourced directly from the rainforest.
Senegal was formerly the capital of French West Africa and the French influence remains strong in the country, not least in the cooking. French cooking techniques and European vegetables mix with rice, fish and hot chillies to yield a cuisine that is vibrant exciting and above all tasty. Try out two classic Senegalese dishes for yourselves here.
Nigeria has a very vibrant and dynamic culture and this is reflected in the country's food. Staples remain stews ('soups' in West African parlance) and staples based on grains, cassava flour and millet. Here you will see two authentic Nigerian recipes to help you gain a flavour for this country's cuisines.
Many cooks are apprehensive about baking, thinking it to be an extremely laborious and involved process. Following a complicated recipe and ensuring that everything is 'just so'. In fact, the basic sponge cake recipe is a very simple one and this article takes you through some of the rules and pitfalls of baking and gives you two sponge cake recipes to try. Follow this guide and they will come out perfectly every time.
The thought of a cold or chilled soup sends shivers up the spines of many diners. After all, soups are meant to be hot aren't they. But, just as a good hot soup can warm you up on a cold winter's day a chilled soup can also serve to soothe the palate and cool you on a hot summer's day. A century ago chilled soups were all the rage, and though we don't tend to make them much these days, there recipes are much in need of a revival. Here a classic hot soup is compared with a chilled soup.
Much of what we know, historically, about English cookery originates from the grand houses, as only these recipes were written down in recipes. The food of the 'common man' had to rely on oral tradition to be transmitted through the ages. As a result we know far more about the cookery of the grand houses than the cookery of the common man. This all changed in the Victorian ear with the rise of the middle classes and the adoption of recipes, spices and cookery methods from elsewhere in the world.
According to tradition, marmalade came to Scotland in 1797 when Mrs Janet Keiller had to do something with a ship-load of ripe oranges her husband had bought. From this was born Dundee Marmalade and this bitter-sweet product has been a traditional part of Scottish cookery ever since. Here you will find recipes that include marmalade as an essential ingredient.
Those obsessive about wild foods will source a whole meal from the wild. But this is not the way that it's best to start with or even to keep going with wild foods. It's far better to gather a few fruit, wild greens or mushrooms and to add these to your everyday cookery. This way you get an introduction to the range of wild foods available and you begin to extend your cookery by adding wild ingredients.
An ice cream is a cold dessert made, at the most basic level, with cream and flavourings and which is whipped to incorporate air into the mix both before and during the freezing process. However, Italian ice creams (gelati) have more flavour and are whipped less so they contain less air and are creamier. French ice creams (glaces) are based on an egg custard and taste rich and creamy. Find out more about these frozen desserts and how to prepare them.
Scottish cookery swings from the essential spartan nature of Highland Cookery, where the most is made of scant ingredients, to the richness of the recipes of the East Coast ports and border towns. Despite its reputation as something of a joke (which is, at least partially, deserved) Scottish cookery is alive and vibrant and represents a fusion of good ingredients, old recipes and modern techniques. Here, recipes are provided for a traditional highland meal and this is contrasted with a traditional rich cake.
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