Just a quick post to share some super exciting news that I’ve been hugging to my ample chest for the past couple of weeks: THERE’S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A BOOK TWO!! Whoop woo! I signed the contract yesterday, so figure I can release the cat from the bag (I’m not very good at secrets, as you all know!) – […]
I’ve sung in bands on and off over the years, but performing in public has always been a nervous, shaky and awkward affair for me. I had a piano and two guitars until I sold all my stuff a couple of years ago to try to catch up with rent arrears and get back on my feet – and I […]
These little beauties started off as meatballs when I had friends over for dinner and only had some sausage meat and sad little prunes with which to make a miracle meal. I liked them so much, I made them again as burgers. (Makes 6) 87p each 6 dried prunes, sliced, 30p 1 onion, diced, 9p 400g free-range pork mince, £4.50 […]
There is nothing as comforting as rhubarb and custard to see you through the last of the winter’s chill. Traditional rice pudding is baked in the oven, but I never heat the whole oven up for something I can do just as well on the hob. (Serves 4) 54p a portion 200g rhubarb, £1.50 50g sugar, 4p 150g long grain […]
Jack Monroe is a Tory cabinet’s nightmare – a coherent single mother who lived in abject poverty with her small son, and found an enthusiastic following for her blog about the indignities of rent hikes, food banks and pawning her possessions to feed her child. She then won a book contract for a collection of recipes compiled while on a […]
Yesterday, we had a large black bunch of mint in the fridge, some sticky soggy parsley and a clump of basil that had seen better days. Add to that a hard rind of cheese and you can see why everyone wants to come to lunch here… I decided to whack it all in the blender and see if I could […]
Scratchy throat, simultaneous blocked and runny nose, muggy head, general air of malaise? Yeah, that was me this morning… So in a bid to banish the heavy cold feeling, I knocked up a large jug of this stuff – and by golly, it worked a treat. If you have an office job, take it to work in a Thermos flask […]
Here’s some of the photos from my book launch party on the 3rd March – there are literally hundreds of photos so here are a few of my favourites! Top to bottom: 1. Signing a book for Mora Mclagan at Oxfam. 2. Genevieve Willis, me and Mora Mclagan. 3. Lindsey Evans, my editor at Penguin, and me, saying a few […]
On a recent trip to Tanzania, I came across dagaa in almost every household I visited. We’d often eat tiny fish with stewed greens, home-ground peanut butter and ugali (soft maize), served in small bowls, with our fingers. Here is my British take on it… (Serves 2) 48p a portion 150g rice, 6p 2 tbsp oil, 6p 200g sprats, 40p […]
Is Jack Monroe a saint or a martyr? A bit of both probably, but there is no denying the impact she has made in a relatively short time. It is just two years since she began writing her blog, agirlcalledjack.com, which started out as local political commentary about her home town of Southend and, thankfully, blossomed into something much more […]
What do you do when you have an abundance of oranges in the house and a Saturday morning to kill? Christened ‘Love Marmalade’ – it certainly was a labour, but of the sticky, delicious, giggly variety. Here’s the recipe we loosely worked from, loosely meaning we talked about it for a week, then eventually halved and gutted and sliced the […]
COOKING ON A BOOTSTRAP