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Beef is a very flavoursome meat, as long as it is well matured, but it does have the cachet of being expensive and to be used only as a treat. Partly this is due to the history of beef as a high-status ingredient. Partly it's due to the cost of the better cuts. But you have a whole animal to consider and this article takes you through the history of beef eating and gives you a recipe for both the best and one of the poorer cuts of meat.

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Pastry is one of the most basic components of cooking, needed for pies, tarts and cake bases of many types. It originates in the ancient method of applying a paste of flour and water to baked meats to protect them in the fire. But, in the Middle Ages fats were added and modern pastry was born. Learn a little about the different pastry types and see a recipe for a traditional classic flaky pastry.

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Chillies are a South American fruit, unknown to the rest of the world before 1492. Learn about this amazing spice and find two rather unusual chilli-based recipes for a jam and a sorbet

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Spring is the time for new resolutions and to make the best of fresh and new ingredients. Spring lamb and fresh rhubarb are at their best now and these two classic recipes show off these ingredients at their best. Here you will see some of the best of traditional British cookery that will allow you to make a spectacular meal from these ingredients.

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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.

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Hazelnuts are an important part of the Autumn's bounty and humans have been collecting and harvesting them for many thousands of years. Today, however, we tend to use them only as nuts and do not cook with them. To re-dress the balance, here is an introduction to hazelnuts along with some hazelnut-based recipes for you to try at home.

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This article gives an introduction to the history of that classic breakfast food, the waffle, starting form the Medieval European origins to the invention of the classic American waffle. Recipes for traditional and chiffon waffles are also given as well as some ideas of how to adapt and very these classic recipes.

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Chillies (chili, chilé, ají) is an amazing spice that originates in Central and Northern South America. It was unknown in the Old World until the early 1500 but by 1549 had made its way across the world from Europe through Africa, the Near East and had reached China and Japan. Learn about the history of the spread of chillies and why this is such an amazing spice.

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Freezing is often ignored as a cookery technique, yet where would we be without those cold delights of ice creams, sorbets, sherbets and granaches? Here you will find recipes for classic ice cream and a classic sorbet. I hope that you will come to accept that chilling is also is also a valid and vital form of cookery.

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Mushrooms are an amazing foodstuff, neither plant nor animal but a whole kingdom of life all their own. Though many mushrooms are cultivated the vast majority can only be found in the wild. Here you find recipes for both wild and cultured mushrooms so that you can know how to get the best out of them...