I've used the phrase "maximum effect for minimum effort" for many years. It's really about helping the person who usually has the cooking duties to be able to add simple successful recipes to their repertoire.
Who cooks at home?
Me - but I don't do the dishes!
Do you take a list to the supermarketor are you a random shopper?
A list if planning on cooking something new that uses something not in the cupboard - otherwise it's just in my head.
How did you go about deciding what recipes to include in this book?
Again a team effort. Random and I outline what we want to achieve with the book and then I go away and develop the proposed content.
Which recipe is your favourite in this book?
The lamb tagine because a Moroccan friend has just taken me to Morocco. I have been making the Persian chicken for years and it's a perennial favourite at home. And the microwave meringues are very useful in an emergency.
Do you have a guilty pleasure?
Licking the beaters as though I was still a little girl.
And what was the very first thing you cooked?
Is making toast cooking? Actually I think it was beef bolognaise but it took a further couple of years to learn how to spell it.
Who inspired your love of cooking?
There have been lots of people who have influenced me along the way. Looking back, my parent's friend Mrs Kelt was a big influence - she got overseas cooking magazines at a time when buying overseas currency for such things was not easy.
What did your school report say?
Could do better.
Where did you train to be a chef?
I became a nurse when I left school but while nursing in the UK I got the opportunity to attend Cordon Bleu in London and La Varenne in Paris. Both short courses but inspirational.
If you were on Mastermind what would be your specialist topic?
I would never do Mastermind. My love is cooking but never as a competition.
Tell us three things about yourself that would surprise.
I absolutely love teaching in the Cook School even after all these years. After taking the cook school to Italy over the past few years I think I might be Italian. I have a real interesting vintage aircraft and have a few hundred hours flying experience in my pilot's log book.
RECIPES
CRAYFISH & CUCUMBER RIBBON ROLLS
This makes a little crayfish go a long way. The crayfish can be replaced with prawns or crabmeat, or even smoked fish.
INGREDIENTS
3 telegraph cucumbers (if possible use small-diameter straight cucumbers)
For the filling:
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 & 1/2 to 2 cups diced crayfish
3 tbsp thick mayonnaise
Grated rind of 2 limes
Handful fresh coriander leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Dill, a few sprigs to garnish
Salmon roe, to garnish
METHOD
Peel the cucumbers lengthways into long ribbons with a flat "Y-shaped" peeler. Avoid the seeded core at the centre of the cucumber.
Mix the filling ingredients (except the dill) together in a bowl, checking the seasoning is good and tasty.
Place a teaspoon of the mixture on a ribbon of cucumber and roll to enclose.
Depending on the length of the cucumber, you might get two rolls out of each ribbon.
The cucumber will stick to itself to seal the roll.
Place on a serving dish and garnish with dill and salmon roe.
- Makes 20.
