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Techniques and Tips

A few ways to add that extra pizzazz to your cooking!

Growing fresh herbs

There's nothing more satisfying when cooking that being able to use your own fresh herbs picked from your garden or right from the pot to add to a recipe. They are much fresher than store-bought packaged herbs and continue to grow in preparation to be used in a whole variety of dishes. The ones shown above, including verbena, thyme, sage and mint, were bought from a local farmer's market and planted in garden soil.
  • Read the label on the herbs to determine whether they prefer a sunny or shady spot outdoors
  • Plant in the suitable location outside by firstly digging a small hole in the soil for each pot
  • Remove each plant gently from the pot, ensuring to keep the roots intact
  • Place into the hollowed area in the ground and pack the soil firmly around them
  • Water generously right after planting and continue to water regularly or when the ground is particularly dry.

Making home-made chicken stock

Home-made chicken stock makes an excellent base for soup. It allows you to make the most of the bones leftover at the end of a roast and adds subtle depth of flavour without being overly salty or having any unknown added ingredients found in store-bought stock.
  • Take the leftover carcass from a roast chicken and place it in a pot
  • Fill the pot 1/3 full of water
  • Add a carrot and a pinch of salt and pepper, in addition to any herbs that you have to hand, including thyme, oregano and parsley
  • Simmer gently for 45 minutes to 1 hour and then leave to cool
  • Strain into jug or container and use immediately or freeze for use later on.

Preparing butternut squash

Butternut squash tastes amazing when oven roasted with a pinch of salt, pepper and olive oil. In order to do this, it needs to be prepared before being placed in the oven.
  • Chop off the ends of the butternut squash, about 1 cm from each edge
  • Carefully slice the butternut sqaush in half, lengthways, with a sharp knife
  • Remove the seeds inside with a spoon
  • Place on an oven tray lined with aluminium foil
  • Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper before placing in the oven.

Greasing a loaf tin

For all cakes baked in the oven, it is important to grease the tin or pan beforehand to prevent the cake from sticking to the edges of the pan. Some tins are non-stick which helps significantly, but otherwise, greasing the tin will ensure that your cake will come out smoothly and in one piece.
  • You can use a non-stick spray, such as olive oil around the edges and on the bottom of the tin.
  • Alternatively, you can use grease-proof paper to smooth dairy-free spread around the edges and base of the tin.
  • Covering each surface with a layer of grease-proof paper and then pouring in the cake batter means you can easily remove the cake from the tin when baked and then remove the grease-proof paper from the edges and base of the cake.