This should taste mild with just a hint of heat so it doesn’t distract the subtle taste of the cod

Ingredients:

Rapeseed oil

2 tsp red thai curry paste I use Namjai which is as close to the real thing as you will get

2 tbsp fish sauce, I use Squid Brand (or to taste)

1 stick lemon grass, finely chopped

Handful mange tout

1 can coconut milk

Half chopped aubergine

Fillet sustainable cod, buy from a fishmonger, a little more expensive but the taste is sublime

Handful coriander

Method

Heat oil and gently fry of paste until fragrant, around 4 mins

Add lemon grass , 2 mins

Add Fish sauce and fry off until evaporated

Add coconut mild and simmer

Add aubergine and simmer for around 5 mins, add mange tout, cook for around 3 mins

Add fish fillet, cover with lid and simmer gently for 3 mins

Remove from pan, sprinkle over coriander and serve with choice of greens, I used Samphire steamed for 5 mins

Top with fresh chilli if you need more heat

Enjoy with a cold beer……

Evoke the long days of summer with this zingy lunchtime salad. You can either cook your lentils from scratch or cheat like me and use pre-cooked puy lentils, it’s all about saving time in a busy world, join the slow movement.

Ingredients: Serves 4

250g cooked puy lentils

4 large tomatoes, chopped roughly

Large bunch fresh basil, ripped up

2 1/2 tbsp good quality sherry vinegar

150g goats cheese, I used Chavroux, as it’s extra creamy and not too strong to overpower the other flavours

1 red onion,finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil, nothing to strong

Method

Place your tomatoes, half the basil and onions in a bowl and squeeze them with your hands to release their juices.

Add the vinegar and oil and stir

Add the lentils and mix well, season with salt and pepper and taste for balance.

Transfer to a plate and add the remaining ripped basil and scatter over the goats cheese.

A bit of spice in the mornings is a great way to start your day and these guys are packed full of vitamins and minerals to help you recover from too much running or alcohol intake, so whichever camp you reside in, (or maybe both) try these to boost your body.

Ingredients: Serves 1

2 medium hens eggs, boiled for 5 mins on a gentle bubble, then cool and peel under running cold water and set aside

A big handful of Baby Spinach cleaned and mixed with a little Rapeseed Oil .

For your spicy rub simply mix the following together or any spice / herb of your choice. Try mixing it up a bit until you get the taste you like as that is what cooking is all about, experimenting!

Try half a tsp of the following ground spices:

Cumin

Mild Chilli

Salt

Sweet Paprika

Coriander

Tomato Powder

Black Pepper

Method

Roll your eggs gently in your spice mixture, lay on top of your spinach with a dollop of homemade tomato sauce (Roast, tomatoes, de-seeded red pepper, garlic on 200c for 30 mins and mix in a processor until smooth)

Bring a taste of summer into your garden with this take on a Spanish classic

Ingredients; Serves 6

6 chicken thighs, bone and skin intact

seasoned plain flour

olive oil

chorizo, cubed

handful of lardons

1 finely chopped onion

4 garlic finely chopped

2 ltrs hot chicken stock

2 big pinches saffron, totally essential for that authentic  spanish taste!

1 tsp smoked, sweet paprika

cup frozen peas

10 uncooked king prawns intact

2 small squid, sliced thinly

sliced, smoked red peppers

Lemons to garnish and squeeze

Method:

Get on your oven to  200c

Dust your chicken thighs in the flour then fry on a pan until golden all over, transfer to baking tray for 20mins in the oven

In a deep pan or large paella pan, remember it has to hold everything nicely, fry off your chorizo and lardons until slightly crispy

Add onions and garlic until just soft

Add paprika

Add rice and half the stock infused with the saffron and stir from time to time over a low to medium heat for gentle bubbles, keep an eye on it as it can stick quite quickly, keep it moving.

After around 20 mins add rest of stock, peas, prawns, squid and cover for 15 mins then remove cover and stir, add chicken from oven and reduce any liquid for last 5 mins, prawns should be pink and smiling

Arrange peppers on top, squeeze of lemon and enjoy!

There are many variations on this classic Spanish soup, I like to make it the way I saw it being served up in the hills in Nerja. It arrived at the table as a smooth, silky thing with a sprinkle of finely chopped tomatoes and a smidge of parsley, that’s it. It tasted simply amazing with nothing else to clutter your tastebuds apart from the vino that followed it. Just make sure you sit in the shade as you could be there for quite some time!

Ingredients, serves 6

2lb ripe tomatoes, slightly soft, stems cut off and cut into four

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

1 small white onion, peeled and chopped

1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped roughly

8 inch cucumber chopped small

¼ tsp cumin powder

3 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 cup olive oil, spanish where possible

A piece of white bread soaked in water then squeezed out

Method

Put everything into a good blender, starting with tomatoes, peppers and cucumber and blend until very smooth, then chill.

Looks great if you can sit a glass soup bowl inside a slightly larger bowl surrounded by crushed ice.

Tiny dash of oil on top and enjoy

Eat your Greens and red and yellows, I mixed it up with smoked aubergine and added radishes, batavia red lettuce, yellow peppers, celery and celery leaves, kiwis and raspberries. Raw broccoli  and mixed baby sprouts give it added punch to help with your day ahead.

Salmon with Asparagus is a great way to get lots of vitamins into your body while at the same time eating a tasty, healthy meal.

Asparagus is packed with vits such as K, B2, C, E and copper

Salmon has vits, B12, D, and the all important, Omega 3 oil

Ingredients: Serves 3

3 salmon fillets

2 unwaxed lemons, 1 zested and juiced

50g unsalted butter

500g asparagus spears, trimmed of their woody ends

Method

Heat oven to 180c

Prepare the tin by placing a large piece of greaseproof paper on the tin, enough to cover the salmon

Lay your asparagus spear close together on the paper

Season, then put your fillets on top of the asparagus

Scatter zest on top, then putter, then lemon juice,  slice up the lemon and place on top of salmon pieces

Cover over with the greaseproof paper tightly scrunching it together to seal it

Bake in oven for 40mins

Bring to table and serve from the ripped open paper with a fresh, crisp green salad

Healthy goodness in a glass, Beets, Apples, Celery, Carrots, Spinach and Coconut Water juice it, drink it!