Try Next Year
What was in Jan's Pan?
May
'It's May, the lusty month of May - that lovely month when everyone goes blissfully astray.
It's May, it's May, that gorgeous holiday. That darling month when everyone throws self-control away'
Just like Queen Guinevere in the fabulous Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot, May is definitely up there in the favourite months stakes. What other month boasts two bank holidays at either end, long light-filled days and an abundance of fresh produce? The promise of gatherings with friends and family for long awaited barbecues and al fresco feasts with a glimpse of the warmer weather to come?
Though beware - as my old Nan used to say, ' ne'er cast a clout til May is out' . Wise words indeed - we've been fooled by the promise of sunshine and shivered by a fire pit on more than one occasion. But the food and company kept us warm, and it's always a treat to spend time outside.
All self-control can be thrown away where dessert is concerned, with my guest dessert of choice, the perfect posset (see below). Any month that includes Burger day (if that’s your bag) on 28th May and National biscuit day (embrace it to the full on 29th May) has my vote too. There’s raspberry shortbread to test (recipe below) and I've recently discovered a local source of the Aussie treat TimTams (IYKYK). The trick is to bite opposite corners and use them as a straw then enjoy the molten middle - blissful.
May produce never fails to disappoint. I've been feasting on Spring 'greens' from my veg box - asparagus, broad beans and the pak choi that has been flourishing in the garden. I've gathered wild garlic before it passed its best and frothy fragrant elderflowers at their peak.
We kicked off the month with VE day, and a 1940's food tasting at Hertford museum. I channelled my inner Marguerite Patten (the original Home Economist) to produce recipes which mainly featured 'Doctor Carrot' and 'Potato Pete'. Lots of egg free recipes and even mock banana sandwiches using pureed parsnips (yes, really). The 107 year old man at the BBC VE day concert at the Palace (how cold must he have been that evening, sat next to the King?!) certainly brings home the benefits of the low-sugar, high veg wartime diet.
Out and about, I've definitely gone blissfully astray. I've been to the Pub in the Park, in Tom Kerridge's restaurant town of Marlow, to enjoy the food and music on a sunny Sunday. We enjoyed tips and tastings from chef Atul Kochhar. I hadn’t appreciated that the cuisine for each region of India is defined by the cooking oil it uses, and I was reminded that ground spices should be discarded after 1 year (that’s me spice-shamed, store cupboard sorting scheduled).
I've experienced the morning tea at Peggy Porschen in Belgravia (or Piggy Portion as we affectionately call it) for a friend's birthday treat. I've floated down the Thames from Windsor to Bray, the tiny Berkshire village that boasts 3 Michelin starred restaurants. No dinner stop on this occasion, but I did dine on fresh grouper on a yacht moored next to the Tower of London, alongside HMS Belfast, courtesy of the SeaDream Yacht Club (I get all the best gigs with my Guild of Food Writers membership). Their motto is 'It's yachting not sailing', and with a ratio of almost 1:1 staff to guests and unlimited champagne as soon as you step onboard I think I could be converted......
And pick I do, because elderflower cordial is so straightforward to make - a simple sugar syrup and citrus infusion of the flower heads. And for those who say that they don’t trust their instincts to pick the correct white flowers, just pick and smell - you really can’t mistake the delicate aroma of elderflower.
As well as a refreshing drink, diluted and with plenty of ice, I always have some to hand for my favourite Hugo cocktail (happy memories of après-ski). It’s also delectable drizzled over a loaf cake to ring the changes to lemon syrup.
Best picked in the morning, I always shake the heads out and lay them on a tray to let all the creatures scarper - you'd be surprised at the wildlife that comes scuttling out. Don't rinse the heads - it's the powdery yellow pollen that imparts the flavour, but do strain the infused flowers through muslin to be sure the minuscule black bugs don't end up in your cordial (they love the pollen too and without this step they will sneak in - extra protein maybe?). Once the flowers are ready, it’s simply a case of making a sugar syrup with citrus juice and zest, pouring it over and infusing them overnight. I’ve done this so many times some elderflower has seeded itself in the garden. This would be a most convenient instant source, but it's squeezed itself behind the pizza oven and shed (they are effectively prolific wildflower weeds after all) - not ideal.
This year I tried the River Cafe recipe as I was looking for a recipe with optional citric acid (I'll need to restock at Sugar and Scoop, our local refill store, and sadly one of the few I know that have survived, all the more reason to support it). I added more lemon than recommended, to balance the sweetness of the sugar and help with preservation. It keeps in the fridge for a couple of months but it's worth putting some in the freezer too (along with some flowers to see how they hold up). I make ice pop drinks for summer thirst quenching, or perhaps an elderflower sorbet or elderflower fritters to ring the changes. I’ll try drying some blooms in the air fryer too for a fragrant brew - apparently elderflowers have anti viral properties which can help sooth various cold and flu symptoms.
Wild garlic is less easy to come by round here, for some unknown reason. It flourishes in woods alongside streams, so you would think that this county town with its four rivers would be awash with the stuff. But there is only one place I know of locally that is easily accessible, and I got there at the end of its season. Harrods have had the same problem too - I'm told by my inside sources that they had 40 boxes of leaves delivered to freeze so they may keep some of the elements on their award winning afternoon tea menu going!
I made my usual wild garlic pesto as well - frozen into ice cube traysto give convenient sized portions to add pasta or dressings or drizzle over that grilled or steamed asparagus. I added some to my loaf of sourdough, and wild garlic scones are always a winner. The flower seeds can be used too, I blanched and added them to some olive oil to infuse, and they gave a surprisingly strong garlic flavour, which made a lovely salad dressing. They can also be pickled like little caper berries if you've the patience (it involves picking and salting). The options are endless and I really need my own personal supply of that too, it’s just so versatile (though countryside etiquette is such that transplanting is not acceptable - I’ll have to hope for some self seeding here too, though preferably not behind the shed again thank you).
We’ve had plenty of asparagus, broad beans and courgettes (plus actual spring green cabbage too)
Often simple steaming or blanching is enough to keep the texture and bring out the glorious green of these beautiful spring vegetables.
Blanch the broad beans in boiling water for 3 mins, then straight into cold water, and slip off their skins to reveal the emerald prize beneath. Keep the skin on the smaller ones - we all need the fibre after all. Steam the asparagus and pak choi for 3-4 minutes until just tender.
I served this on a potato hash made with grated cooked potato mixed with grated courgette and halloumi, fried til crisp, topped with the veg and drizzled with a lemon dressing.
Homemade dressings are so easy to shake up in a jam jar ( of which I have many, of course). The rule of thumb is 1 part acid to 3 parts oil, along with an emulsifier such as mustard and some sweetener such as honey. I used fresh lemon juice to a good EV olive oil here.
Mine is Greek, from a company called Honest Toil A member of our fantastic Food Swap group buys in bulk and kindly comes round to refill our bottles when we run out - supporting ethical producers and cutting down on plastics.
Asparagus is best friends with egg in our house - poached, fried or boiled. Drizzled with that homemade pesto or spicy Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil it’s our go-to lunch or brunch.
There’s been radishes and rhubarb too. The peppery radishes add bite to a salad but are just as good for a stir fry, or roasted. And my favourite way to treat rhubarb is to oven cook it in a medium-hot oven with orange zest and juice, brown sugar and some chopped stem ginger in a covered dish until it’s suitably softened, around 15-20mins. Then store in the fridge to stir into yoghurt and layer up with granola for breakfast or a quick dessert as and when required.
Pass the Posset
When asked to take dessert to a summer barbecue, a lemon or lime posset hits the spot. It's so easy to make and transport, and makes a refreshing end to a meal with soft fruit and a suitable biscuit. If you want to make it look like you've made more effort than it actually takes, and look like you've spent hours preparing, crush some biscuits to make a cheesecake base - gingernuts work particularly well. An almond almendrados biscuit suits gluten-free friends or these raspberry shortbread make a suitably summery accompanimen.
Lemon or lime posset
Take 300ml double cream and 75g caster sugar, slowly bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar and simmer for 3 minutes (don't let it boil over!)
Stir in the juice of 1-2 lemons or limes. The mixture should start to thicken instantly.
Pour into a container (preferably with a suitable lid) and allow to cool, then chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Take to the do and do take the praise.
I was inspired by Simon Rimmer's recipe on Sunday Brunch 27 April 2025 for these raspberry shortbreads alongside his version of orange posset (mine above is tried and tested many times).
I have rewritten the biscuit recipe from the instagram post here, adding a little more useful detail.
Raspberry Shortbread Slices
100g caster sugar
2 tsp freeze dried raspberries (or strawberries)
1 tsp orange flower water (I used orange juice or you could use vanilla or perhaps even rose water if you don’t overdo it)
200g butter
300g plain flour
Whizz the raspberries and sugar together and cream in the butter and flavouring of choice then mix in the flour. Knead together then roll into a sausage approximately 10cm diameter.
Sprinkle a sheet of greaseproof with raspberry powder and coat the outside of the dough, then wrap it and twist the ends. Chill half an hour minimum then slice into 1cm thick discs.
Bake 180/160C fan/Gas4 for approx 15 mins until just set.
Remove from the oven and allow to set and cool.
Transfer to an airtight tin to store or transport (I liked the reflections in the pic above - extras for those counting the calories perhaps?).
Smash burgers
As for those barbecue burgers, Smash burgers are all the rage and I have some top tips from the chef of the family.
Mix your mince with your seasoning of choice (salt, pepper and garlic powder works well). Divide into approximately 100g balls .
Heat your griddle pan until very hot, then add the burger. Cover with a square of non-stick greaseproof paper and use a burger press or the base of a pan to press down hard - they're not called smashburgers for nothing, so give it some welly to create those lovely craggy edges.
Cook on one side for 80% of your cooking time so that you really crisp up the bottom surface and the edges and top has started to cook through. Then flip it to finish cooking until fully cooked. It will take around 6-8 minutes in total.
Note: Burgers using mincemeat should always be fully cooked all the way through. The surface area of the minced meat is more prone to pathogen spoilage unless you have exceedingly fresh good quality meat or have cured the meat (but that's where it starts to get really cheffy, involving ‘pink curing salt’ which contains sodium nitrite and working the meat until it’s smooth - let’s leave that one to the professionals).
Now take it off the heat and top with a slice of cheese. Cover with a lid to allow the burger to rest and the cheese to melt in the residual heat. Believe it or not, chefs rate American-style processed cheese squares as best for purpose, you want it to melt quickly and evenly, so a crumbly cheese just won't do.
Spread a burger bun (plain or brioche - the jury's out) with a small amount of mayonnaise and quickly char the surface. This will give a beautifully crisp shiny finish.
Stack your burger with lettuce, tomato, gherkins (if they’re your thing) and the sauce of your choice, perhaps some Chipotle mayo or a blue cheese dressing.
The higher the stack, the messier to eat, the greater the pleasure. Enjoy - National burger day or not.
Ran-out-of-time Ratatouille
Whip this up in just 15 mins - ideal when time is of the essence and dinner needs to be on the table. The sun-dried tomato gives an intense concentrated flavour.
Serves 2
Cut 1 courgette, 1 de-seeded red pepper and 1 small aubergine into 2cm pieces
Coat in oil and roast in the bottom of the pan at 200C for 10 mins, tossing halfway through, until softened and slightly charred
Stir in around 6 halved cherry tomatoes, along with the same quantity of semi-dried tomatoes (add more or less as liked)
Add a good tablespoon of sun-dried tomato paste with a splash of water and cook for another 5 mins.
Throw in some black olives and fresh herbs if you have them to hand and serve with chunky bread to mop up the juices.
My favourite kind of quick fix.
April & May have blurred into one this year, as we set off to the other side of the world to visit Student Son, studying in Wellington, New Zealand, followed by a long overdue visit to family in Victoria. All in the name of anniversary celebrations (silver medal for us this year).
So we set off mid April, just as the sun came out in the UK and the days got longer, for cooler autumnal weather and dark nights in Windy Wellington, with a stopover in humid Kuala Lumpur on the way there (and daily torrential rain) and a trip to Lake’s Entrance, a 4 hour train ride from Melbourne, on the way back.
So less ‘what’s in Jan’s Pan’ and more ‘what’s on Jan’s plate’ this time. Read on for some of the many highlights and food discoveries we made along the way.
The city sits on the southern-most tip of the North Island and is reputedly the world’s windiest city, due to its location on the Cook Strait which runs between the two Islands. I’ll vouch for that - I was glad of the layers I’d packed and my trusty blue shawl.
It’s also a nod to the fact that Peter Jackson turned the city into ‘Wellywood’ as it became the centre of all things ‘Lord of the Rings’, and this was part of the appeal for Student Son to study there. So yes, he may well have a degree in LOTR by the end of his 3 years - he’s been to the Weta Workshop to see the special effects, he’s visited Hobbiton to channel his inner Hobbit, and he’s even climbed ‘Mount Doom’ in search of fire-breathing dragons.
During his time here he has toured all of these places, done the mega-hikes in both North and South Islands, and sent pictures of the views from each peak. This saved us a lot of legwork (I’ve no shame living life through my offspring), so we happily settled for a much more relaxed stay in Windy Welly to explore all it has to offer. Just a boat trip to the South island is 3 hours, so staying put suited me for once.
We stayed in different locations to really appreciate the contrasts to be found in the area - bustling city, the coffee culture of cosmopolitan Cuba Street, sleepy seaside towns, magnificent views from Mount Victoria, the tram ride to the botanical gardens and Zealandia eco-sanctuary, and Miami beach-style esplanades and wide walkways for lively harbour-side living leading to the Te Pepe Tongarewa museum.
First stay was in the Te Aro area of the city, in the Movenpick Hotel, convenient for his student digs (tables were turned - how often do parents take their washing to their student children?!).
Now, while I’ve got your attention, let me tell you why I’d recommend a stay at a Movenpick on your travels. It appears that a standard feature of the hotel offering is a complementary chocolate buffet with chocolate fountain every afternoon between 4 and 5pm. Yes, free chocolate, and yes, daily, you read that correctly. We didn’t know that at the time of booking, but Student Son was round like a shot when we told him.
It’s also close to arty and inclusive Cuba street, Wellington’s bohemian pedestrianised quarter. Filled with cafes and restaurants catering for every cultural cuisine, we had Mexican, Italian, Thai, Malaysian, Japanese, even Ethiopian (where we sampled sour injera bread to scoop up dishes of spiced lentils and chickpeas), and we frequented the Willis Street street food market and many pop-up vans for easy and affordable dinner options (we were of course S-S’s free meal ticket for the duration. We got used to his daily text ‘so what’s the idea for dinner??’).
Top recommendation was Ombra, where we dined on Venetian-inspired small plates for our intimate anniversary celebration. Well, it would have been, if our over-enthusiastic waiter hadn’t have been so chatty, but that’s Welly for you - friendly and welcoming, and full of NZ and Aussies who have lived in UK at some point (invariably Ealing or Luton it seems) as a right of passage and want to share their travel tales.
In fact it was hard to identify traditional New Zealand cuisine, but it seems meat pies are quite a feature and we were sent to sample these from Puku pies in Lyle Bay one day. Steak and cheese was a winner, or cheesy cauliflower for a veggie option. I was also intrigued to see palusami - a Fijian dish of taro leaves and meat, which coincidentally I adapted for the English table as one of my first batch of recipes written for the Tesco Magazine back in the day. My younger self would never believe I’d get the chance to experience it first hand.
I expected to see much more seafood on menus, and our stay in the seaside town of Seatoun (sounds like a place for cartoon characters) delivered the goods. On the crossroads between Dundas Street and Falkirk Avenue, just back from the gravelly beach with its mountain vistas, there is Little Sprig, a small wine bar with craft beers, serving delightful plates of freshly made food (middle right); Huckle & Co, a fish and chip shop; Arcimbaldi, a popular breakfast cafe selling a myriad of mouthwatering muffins; the Cameron & Harrison butchery and delicatessen; a small Four Square supermarket, and the ubiquitous Dairy store - a kind of newsagent/sweet shop/ice cream corner shop common in New Zealand. So for a tiny sleepy seaside town it is a food lover’s delight.
Standout breakfast dish at Arcimbaldi was busecca matta (pic top right) which literally translates as fake tripe. Fear not, no offal was involved, instead delicate omelette strips with tomato sauce, basil and bacon - definitely one to replicate at home. At the end of the day their muffins were reduced to half price, so we enjoyed half each of Persimmon & Blueberry Crumble and Fig & Pecan on our way back to our cosy self-contained Airbnb.
This town was the perfect place to unwind, quiet but with the city just a 30 min bus trip away (invest in a Snapper card for Wellington’s cheap, fuss-free and efficient bus service), with stunning coastal walks to Breaker Bay and beyond, and I’d thoroughly recommend the Happy Seagull B&B should you ever choose to visit.
I was a little surprised at the general lack of bakeries round and about, serving pastries and sourdough. It’s clearly not so much of a ‘thing’ - muffins seem to be the go to. But I was happy to discover the Shelly Bay Baker at our next point of call, Oriental Parade, where we stayed in an apartment with a picture window looking out on the harbour, enjoying prime position to watch the effort of the runners, cyclists, swimmers and rowers as we sat and ate our bakery goodies. We discovered alfajore biscuits, a chocolate coated cookie sandwich filled with Dulce de Leche, to go with our daily caffeine fix, as we sat beach-side, watching dog walkers and keen cold water dippers (we only managed to paddle, the sun and blue skies are deceptive - that wind chill certainly brings the temperature down).
Chocolate (bottom right), cheese, and vineyards (bottom middle) also featured (of course), plus a trip to Jalan Alor street food market in Kuala Lumpur finally (bottom left) so read on for more fabulous food discoveries.
A highlight of the stay was a drive over the Ramutaka ranges north of the city for a voyage of food discoveries. Hiring a car proved to be a cheaper, more efficient way to do an expensive online organised food tour, and it was hassle free as we found each of the venues on the itinerary, even parking directly outside to sample their wares.
First stop Featherston for cheese and deli goods and a cafe stop to recover after the winding mountain roads.
C’est Cheese has a small dairy on site which makes a speciality Featherston Truffle cheese with organic, pasteurised milk sourced directly from local cows, which naturally we took home to sample.
Then Martinborough for vineyards and tastings at the Margrain vineyard, one of the last remaining independently owned establishments (set up after a life of hard graft by a £10 Pom originally from Essex, who emigrated when he was 14!). We sampled his range of wines plus pizza topped with grapes (of course) - Chef’s special (but don’t tell him that ;-) )
Next Student Son was happy to sample the range of Craft beer at the Martinborough brewery
We drove back via Greystone for dessert - to sample Schoc chocolates. Belgian chocolate combined with New Zealand flavours such as Ghost pepper chilli and Smokey almond.
Chocolate had to feature, didn’t it. It’s reassuring to know that there are just as many craft chocolate makers in the Southern hemisphere, and we certainly found them. The Wellington chocolate factory back in town didn't disappoint. We enjoyed peppermint cacao husk tea in the cafe, and took home packs of single origin chocolate and chocolate coated hazelnuts. S-Son later did the Chocolatier experience, amazing value at $65NZD (about £30) to learn about craft chocolate and custom make 3 bars, enjoy a hot chocolate drink and enjoy 20% off in the shop.
Even in Lakes Entrance the chocolate theme continued, at The Chocolate Candy shop which serves the best hot chocolate in Victoria and creates gluten free chocolate in the Wonkadoos workshop, with chocolate dolphins, koalas and even emu droppings for holiday makers to take home.
And I won’t forget that bonus chocolate fountain for a long time to come, what more could a couple of chocoholics ask for?
Have you ever come across Feijoa? I had my first taste of this fruit, also known as pineapple guava (main pic), a New Zealand favourite with a distinct fragrant perfume all of its own and a flavour reminiscent of a number of exotic fruits. Some say strawberries, kiwi or pineapple but I also got lychee, perhaps because of its perfume and jelly like interior. The green skin is edible but bitter, but it works well cooked in a muffin.
We bought red-skinned pears, crisp and particularly delicate, perfect with Camembert in a cooling salad.
Also Golden Kiwi fruit and lemonade apples from the weekly Sunday fruit market on Wellington Harbour. The golden kiwi lack the hairy skin and are bigger, sweeter and juicier than the standard green kiwi we are used to, so eat the whole thing for a jam packed blast of vitamin C.
Tarakihi Fish is one of New Zealand’s most common wild-caught coastal fish with its firm white flesh with medium-low oil content, similar to sea bass in taste and texture.
I tried grilled fillet at Little Sprig in Seatoun with roast butternut squash, grilled courgette, red pepper, radicchio, shallot and caper evo sauce. Light and low carb with the perfect combo of bitter and sweet.
Also good battered and fried with chips wrapped in paper to eat on the seafront, no cod & chips here - tarakihi and chips sounds much more exotic.
In Lakes Entrance we sampled Orange Roughy in at Off the Wharf Seafood Cafe. I’m told they use a lot of healthy rice bran oil to cook in Australia, no hydrogenated over-processed oils here.
New World supermarket fruit displays (top right) were impressive - I've never seen a more perfect display, with assistants on hand to keep it perfect….
And of course I finally got to KL, and visited all the places Malaysian chef Norman Musa recommended that I missed out on last year (see March 2025 archive) such as Central Market and the Jalan Alor street food market. It was well worth the year’s wait. Octopus doughballs anyone??
April in our household is full of birthday and anniversary celebrations. The benefits of having a chef in the family means the opportunity for a discounted dinner bed & breakfast at their current workplace. With Easter at the beginning of the month and his birthday half way through, Cheffy Son booked us a long awaited Christmas, Easter, birthday and anniversary treat rolled into one.
This meant a stay at art-deco style The Beaumont, Mayfair’s top award-winning hotel - famous for its Anthony Gormley sculpture 'Room' - with dinner at recently refurbished Rosi restaurant for ‘elevated British comfort food’, overseen by Lisa Goodwin-Allen. A chance for him to enjoy the food he cooks from the customer’s point of view, and for us to sit back and reap the rewards of his hard toil in the kitchen.
Easter weekend was surprisingly quiet and he was finally able to book in. The hotel sits on one side of Brown Hart Gardens, a raised garden built on top of an electricity substation dating back to 1902. It’s hidden south of Oxford St and yet just a stone’s throw from Selfridges. The hotel plans to open a new restaurant, Pearl, specialising in relaxed Mediterranean dining in October 2026, so one to look out for.
We enjoyed a hot cross bun and cup of tea in the room whilst watching Murder on the Orient Express, the perfect film for our art deco room.
We started with an aperitif and bar snacks in the Bar, Le Magritte. At dinner I sampled the corn-fed chicken wellington and a perfectly formed chocolate millionaire's tart, and there were plenty of extras sent from the kitchen for us to try - chef’s perks. The finale involved the flamed pineapple sponge with rum, caramel and coconut sorbet, prepared at our table.
Nothing beats the satisfaction of being able to crawl upstairs to bed after a big meal rather than racing for the last train home, and I was never going to be able to run after that feast, that’s for sure.
After a leisurely breakfast, we finished the weekend with a Mystery Adventure and tour of London. These self guided treasure hunts are a great to discover parts of London you’ve never seen (in fact that’s how I first came across Brown Hart Gardens on a previous HiddenCity mystery), learning about the history and discovering watering holes you’ve never come across before - highly recommended.
We ended up at Ye Old Cheshire cheese on this occasion, an ancient inn reputed to have been frequented by Dickens, and the pinnacle of our hunt for the 'holy grail' (ok, so it was a cup behind the bar).
And so ended the perfect family weekend to celebrate Son #No1's birthday before we disappeared off to celebrate Son #No2's birthday (goodbye teen years). A mother's got to treat her children equally, don't you know - even when they are 11,684 miles apart......