Delicious UK May/June 2020

PORTRAIT: TREVOR LEIGHTON. PHOTOGRAPH: STUART WEST Are you still catching up psychologically with how life has changed? I am. Most people have been pulling together in a remarkable way. I’ve never known a time when we’ve had to adjust mentally and physically to so many challenges, so fast. I applaud the people working to support frontline workers and those in need: see p22 for three life-enhancing stories. And I applaud the chefs and celebrities using social media to inspire the nation to cook as we haven’t cooked for decades (who knew Gary Lineker was a dab hand in the kitchen?). That’s where delicious. comes into its own, too. Several of you have told me you see our magazine and website as the food equivalent of public service broadcasting. Adjusting to…

Are you still catching up psychologically with how life has changed? I am. Most people have been pulling together in a remarkable way. I’ve never known a time when we’ve had to adjust mentally and physically to so many challenges, so fast. I applaud the people working to support frontline workers and those in need: see p22 for three life-enhancing stories. And I applaud the chefs and celebrities using social media to inspire the nation to cook as we haven’t cooked for decades (who knew Gary Lineker was a dab hand in the kitchen?). That’s where delicious. comes into its own, too. Several of you have told me you see our magazine and website as the food equivalent of public service broadcasting. Adjusting to working from home has been a challenge,…

Cook any recipe from the May/June issue, share a pic with us and, once we’re all able to mingle freely again, you and your friends could be enjoying the ultimate private chef experience with Dineindulge. This is how it works: your Dineindulge private chef will prepare, cook and serve the company’s signature five-course set menu for up to eight people in your home on a date of your choice. Look forward to treats such as lemon and thyme calamari, rib eye steak with red wine jus, and dark chocolate delice. And there’s no washing up, either, as your chef will clear and clean down your kitchen before leaving. All you have to do is gather friends and get some good wine in… Isn’t that a wonderful thought? To see the signature menu…

Cook any recipe from the May/June issue, share a pic with us and, once we’re all able to mingle freely again, you and your friends could be enjoying the ultimate private chef experience with Dineindulge. This is how it works: your Dineindulge private chef will prepare, cook and serve the company’s signature five-course set menu for up to eight people in your home on a date of your choice. Look forward to treats such as lemon and thyme calamari, rib eye steak with red wine jus, and dark chocolate delice. And there’s no washing up, either, as your chef will clear and clean down your kitchen before leaving. All you have to do is gather friends and get some good wine in… Isn’t that a wonderful thought? To see the…

Leftovers are suddenly not a joking matter Emma Sturgess’s frustration at the pressure to use up leftovers [Apr, p130] prompted lots of replies – and revealed how attitudes have altered since the lockdown STAR EMAIL FROM: JEN COPELAND We live in a fast-changing world and I wonder if Emma would have a different point of view now. In the #stayhomesavelives era, the food we have to hand is such an important way of lifting spirits and fuelling ourselves and our families. I for one am not unknown to dump the odd overripe banana or end of a piece of cheese when I can’t be bothered to be creative. But somehow the new ‘make do with what we have already’ mindset and shopping less frequently have made me more resourceful. The two spoonfuls of gravy…

FROM: LUCAS HOLLWEG in Somerset One advantage of living in the country is that our daily hour of exercise takes us along nearby lanes and footpaths. As much as anything, it’s a chance to forage for free food. There are stone walls covered in succulent pennywort, carpets of wild garlic, which has featured in almost every meal recently, and forests of young nettles, the spinach of the hedgerows, which can be drafted into service in the kitchen. People in the local community are increasingly sharing their resources. The last of their surplus winter squashes and seed potatoes appear in the church porch for neighbours to help themselves. There are offers of vegetable seedlings, spring onions, rhubarb, undrunk beer from the pub and gooseberries left in the freezer from last year. Friends leave…