Ham, peas and bread,

a pantry clean out, and the beginning of Spring.

I’m on a mission to clean out the pantry, amongst other things this week.

At the moment it holds more promise then it can deliver, with half empty jars of spices I rarely if ever use, some dry lions mane mushrooms, and more than enough pearl barley and dried peas to last me in to the new millennium.

What I’m envisioning is a simplified pantry where the stockpile of staples are in plenty, and where the odd spice is outnumbered, by what I actually use on a daily basis.

As much as Tonka beans may come in handy every blue moon, I’m looking for a pantry that draws delight, like a well edited and organised closet, and by opening its doors, I can immediately put together a dish inspired by its content, without wading through the noise of chaos.

In this week’s newsletter, I’ll be sharing an incredibly nourishing, and full of flavour everyday dinner dish that is a true favourite from my childhood, and the recipe is from my mother, the way she’s always made it.

It is a nourishing hug of a dish, that will give you all the comfort needed til fresh peas are back, the warmer weather has returned, and till life, as we know it, picks up a bit of speed and gusto.

I will also share with you my go to ruby red rhubarb soup dessert, but for that you’ll have to wait till tomorrow, where you will find the recipe along with an interview of how I work, cook and what got me to where I am today as an author, food writer and photographer, over on the brilliant chef Emily Scott’s newsletter tomorrow.

Emily Scott is a is a chef and author, divides her time between Cornwall, Bordeaux and the restaurant Calypso Grill in the Cayman Islands, where she is their new Executive Consultant Chef.

So join me tomorrow over on her Substack where I share my food journey, tips of how to find your creative voice and carve out space for it in this over populated world of food photography and food writing, and how I work, and ended up where I am today.