Table of contents for May 2025 in Delicious UK

Hooray for May with its joyful May Day, decorated maypoles and, of course, jubilant and jangly Morris dancers. Seasonal produce abounds – proud asparagus, delicate elderflower, punchy watercress and sweet peas aplenty. Blousy peonies are back. Wisteria is a-creeping. Rhododendrons are rhododendron-ing. And in the UK we're graced with not one but TWO bank holidays. As such we're in a celebratory mood at delicious. We're cooking for crowds, making the most of our bonus time in the kitchen and hoping for the warm weather to continue for al fresco dining. I'm looking forward to hosting many a lazy brunch (check out our elegant spread on p24). It automatically feels less stressful than a dinner or lunch party and it gives an excuse for bread, butter and eggs (my three favourite…

THE FOOD HISTORY BIT In recent years we've seen burgers become cool, thanks to the smash burger (loose textured, made in a ball, then flattened on the griddle and cooked fast to create crispy bits), which took hold in the capital and is spreading across the country. The history of the burger on this isle goes way back, though. The fifth century cookbook Apicius has a recipe that heavily resembles the modern-day burger. ‘Isicia omentata’ uses minced pork, a common meat in Roman Britain, flavoured with wine, pepper and garum (a condiment made from fermented fish, like an early Worcestershire sauce). As with some premium-priced smashed varieties of today, this Roman-British ‘burger’ would have been considered a luxury, served as part of a feast. You wouldn't just grab one as…

When did you get into cooking? On maternity leave I needed something to keep my brain focused, so I started ordering meal boxes and they taught me to cook. Most treasured food memory? My husband, Alex, took me to the Fat Duck for my 30th. The food was weird and wacky but so much fun! What meal always cheers you up? Fish and chips from the chippy with loads of salt and vinegar and the curry sauce with sultanas. Favourite item in your kitchen? My coffee grinder. I use it for everything: pesto, blending spices… Ironically, I've never used it for coffee. What's always in your fridge? Natural yogurt. For cereal, fruit, smoothies, pasta, curries, dips – or it's great on its own with a little honey. Ever had a…

A BIT ABOUT MARK DIACONO If there's anyone more obsessed with growing, cooking, eating and writing about food than Mark, we're yet to find them. His books, such as Sour (2019), have won awards, so he knows a goodie when he sees one. Read his Substack, Mark Diacono's Garden To Table, or follow him on Instagram @mark_diacono BOOK OF THE MONTH FOR THE LOVE OF LEMONS If you have any of Letitia Clark's books, you'll be unsurprised to learn that her latest - a love song to lemons - has sunshine and deliciousness dripping from every page. Written and photographed in Sardinia, where she lives, the book beautifully captures the mutual love between Italy and lemons, and Clark scatters history, stories and personal asides through the book like grated zest. Whether…

I grew up on Jamaican food. Oxtail, stew peas, jerk, fish escabeche, bully beef, curry goat… Both my mum and dad could really cook. They even tried to get us to eat ‘cow foot’, which I refused to do. Just “no”. That's proper old-school Jamaican. For the ingredients you'd go up the market and you knew who to go to. Wolverhampton is so diverse: a huge Sikh community with Muslims and Hindus too. We share similar herbs and spices in our cooking, and things like yams, green banana… We'd go to Mrs Patel, my friend's mum, for goat. When I think of home and growing up, the first thing I think of is my Sunday dinner. It was rice ‘n’ peas, chicken – and carrot cutlets, my mum's invention: grated…

Want to taste some of the best ciders the UK has to offer? These beauties from the excellent thefinecider.company are more like fine wines or champagnes; head there and pick up one of these fancy bottles for sipping. Pilton Pomme Pomme 2022 5.2% The addition of quince gives this wild yeast-fermented cider its beautiful blush colour, with a medium sweetness balancing out the tartness of the fruit. An unbeatable accompaniment for blue cheese – it's like it was made for it. £40 for 3 x 75cl Oliver's Blakeney Red Perry 2023 3.7% A wonderful bottle of wild-fermented pear juice, its clarity of flavour and clean, crisp finish blew us away. It's like you're tasting the Herefordshire meadows and orchards in every sip. £33 for 3 x 75cl Wilding Reasons To…

Here's one of my favourite ways to cook salmon and trout to produce a simple yet exquisite dish. I realise that buying fresh fish is an investment, leaving many people – my wife included! – concerned about the final pay-off. I created this recipe after she asked me to come up with a simple way to create a dish of perfectly poached fish and vegetables. The result uses a restaurant technique and finish that's been easily adapted for home cooks – we cook this at ‘Villa Byatt’ on a weekly basis. A BIT ABOUT ADAM BYATT Born in Essex, just before his 16th birthday Adam won an apprenticeship to train with the Royal Academy Of Culinary Arts at Claridge's. After working at some of London's finest restaurants, in 2001 he…

“Food poverty is more than not having enough – it's not having access to the dinner table experience” Have you ever ordered a recipe box? It might relieve the pressure of deciding what to cook – or be a chance to treat yourself. That's what Melanie Vaxevanakis wants to give disadvantaged youth in Bristol: the empowerment and pleasure of good food. Each week, around 90 young people receive a text from The Mazi Project and choose up to three dishes from a menu. On Tuesdays, volunteers pack the ingredients and recipe cards for delivery. The free boxes flip the script on food aid. “It gives people recipes, so they learn how to cook,” explains founder Melanie, a photographer, filmmaker and social activist. “By contributing their own skills and knowledge, they're…

ABOUT ANNA HIGHAM After studying architecture, Scotland-born Anna decided she preferred designing desserts. She worked in top restaurants in London and New York and is the founder of north London's Quince Bakery, which celebrates British baking traditions. Anna is also the author of The Last Bite, filled with seasonal bakes. Follow her on Instagram @quince.bakery GLUTEN FREE “I love Staffordshire oatcakes – they show off the creamy, cereal nature of oats so well. They're simple to make and great with sweet or savoury filings. I love them warmed with melted cheese or with salty butter and honey. Somewhere between a pancake and a crumpet, they sit wonderfully in the British tradition of griddle cakes” “Bedfordshire clangers are a typically idiosyncratic British bake. They're a double-ended suet pastry; one end has a…

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you a trusty regular at your local restaurant or do you prefer to head uptown for an Instaworthy blowout? Let us know on our social channels and at info@deliciousmagazine.co.uk Growing up in my family's small independent restaurant, I got to know a few of the regulars. One in particular, Mike, would often stop by for a simple bowl of pasta on his way home from work. He became a common fixture, always bringing a story along to entertain us. Over the years he became a close family friend rather than a customer. I even did my work experience in his office in my final year of secondary school. Every good pub, café, restaurant or bar has its locals. They add character and become an anchor…

Q You're a podcaster these days. Your show, Intoxicating History with drinks writer Henry Jeffreys, looks at the booze through the ages. What's coming up on it? A All sorts, like Roman food and drinks – which I'm fascinated by. It's nice to sort of natter away with someone who knows so much about booze. We've had some excellent guests, including the queen of the martini, Alice Lascelles. Q Talking of which, what are your favourite cocktails as the weather gets warmer? A Well, one would have to be a martini, because that's a perennial, obviously, but also, a real cliché, Pimm's. When I was growing up, my dad always had the Pimm's Vodka Cup No 6. The key to a good one is plenty of mint from the garden…

Rather, it's a collection of essays covering a wide range of topics from the angrily political – ‘B is for bat soup’ is about the negative stereotypes still attached to Chinese food – to the more light-hearted. ‘R is for rice cooker’, for example, is a humorous excerpt from a ‘diary’ of the much-loved household gadget. Covering a smorgasbord of subjects from educational to cultural, personal to whimsical, there's something in here for everyone.…

In the pretty village of Orford (some say it's Suffolk's prettiest), I got a taste of two of Pump Street Bakery's popular classes: Understanding Sourdough (£195 for a five-hour workshop) and Exploring Craft Chocolate (£95 for a two-hour workshop), both with third-generation baker David Wright. The first class involved learning all about sourdough, then shaping some into a loaf and pizza base, cooking the latter in the outdoor wood-fired clay oven for lunch. The chocolate class taught the attendees the complete process from selecting and roasting the beans to tempering the end product, before we were let loose to create our own chocolate bars. I'd describe my salted-caramel chocolate effort as – well, let's say “unique” – but I was delighted to leave the classes with my own bread, chocolate…

1. GADGET WE LOVE We're big fans of ProCook's pots and pans, so we were excited to learn of their new, reasonably priced coffee machines. Not only do they look swizzy and come in various sizes – a must if they're to take up prime worktop real estate – but they also make proper coffee at home a breeze. There are three models: a simple Espresso Coffee Machine (£199), a Barista Bean To Cup (£399) and a Barista Elite Bean To Cup (£599, pictured) for real coffee geeks. The mid-range machine suits my needs – it grinds beans, has a steam wand for milk and customisable programmes so you always get the perfect brew. procook.co.uk 4. JOIN THE GREEN LATTE CULT If you've ever been curious to try the vivid…

What a spread! The salmon is cured using flavours taken from the classic brunch cocktail, bloody mary: celery seeds, black pepper, lemon zest, horseradish and vodka. It's then served with tangy Tabasco pickles and creamy soft-boiled eggs with dipping salt, plus Worcestershire sauce butter for spreading on good bread Bloody mary cured salmon with Tabasco pickled cucumber and soft-boiled eggs Serves 10 Prep time 30 min, plus 24-48 hours curing and 1 hour pickling Specialist kit Butter mould (optional) MAKE AHEAD This is a dream brunch as you need to make the salmon 1-2 days ahead, and the butter can be made the day before. On the day, you just need to start the pickles 1 hour before serving and cook the eggs. BE A BETTER COOK Curing fish by burying…

HOW UK WINEMAKING GOT FIZZING We're often portrayed as a nation of beer drinkers but we love our wine too – the UK is the fifth biggest wine-drinking nation behind the US, France, Italy and Germany. But despite two thousand years of growing vines, we've only become any good at making wine relatively recently. The UK's wine success is largely thanks to a pioneering American couple, Stuart and Sandy Moss, who were the first to plant the classic champagne grapes – chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier – on England's chalk-rich soil (similar in geology to France's Champagne region) in 1988. Their West Sussex-based vineyard, Nyetimber, put England on the wine-making map. English sparkling wine is now respected internationally and regularly beats French champagne in blind-tasting competitions – indeed some…

Make this instead of a birthday cake for a party Dreams are made of a gigantic jiggly pannacotta with strawberry coulis This spectacular symphony of favourite treats is a glorious dessert to feed the masses Banoffee eton mess tower Serves 8 Prep time 30 min, plus cooling Cooking time 1 hour 15 min MAKE AHEAD The meringues, sauces and crumb can all be made 1-2 days ahead – but you'll need a large airtight container for the meringues. To serve, whip the cream and slice up the bananas, then assemble. BE A BETTER COOK Muscovado sugar is unrefined, which means it's wetter and heavier than caster sugar, but it also means it has a deeper, richer flavour. Using it to make meringues gives them a lovely creamy brown colour and a toasted, caramelised flavour.…

If you thought steaming was just something for vegetables destined for the side of your plate, the food team's Pollyanna Coupland has news for you: it's actually one of the most versatile, exciting techniques in cooking. Polly's beautifully colourful, flavour-packed recipes will have you raring to go full steam ahead A year ago a friend of mine came over and cooked me Chinese steamed eggs, seasoned simply yet perfectly with just a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil, then sprinkled with sliced green spring onions. The pure flavour and light, silky texture were heavenly, and got me thinking - I've been seriously neglecting my steamer. It may not have the high-tech appeal of a sous-vide machine or the wow-factor of live fire cooking, but the speed, ease and pure…

A BIT ABOUT MARTHA COLLISON Aged 17, Martha charmed the nation as the youngest ever GBBO competitor. She's since released three books, with these recipes coming from her latest (see p94). She's also appeared on TV's Saturday Kitchen and is an ambassador for the charity Tearfund, which helps alleviate poverty in developing countries. Check out Martha's baking blog, bakingmartha.co.uk “A meat-free meal that's spicy, rich and satisfying. Intensely flavoured gochujang and peanut butter add body to the sauce, and the pulled crispy mushrooms will soon become your new addiction” Pulled crispy mushroom udon noodles Serves 2 Prep time 10 min Cook time 25 min • 175g king oyster mushrooms • ½ tbsp sesame oil • 1 tbsp vegetable oil • 1 tbsp tamari or dark soy sauce • 125g green beans, trimmed…

Finally. Long days, gentle rain, warm soil. These are the idyllic times we vegetable growers yearn for; shirt-sleeved gardening days when wellies don't need washing and the greenhouse door is left open. The vegetables are happy about it too. The risk of frost is past by mid-May, so tender vegetables can be planted outside and the patch starts to fill up as I plant out young courgettes, french beans, runner beans, sweetcorn and lettuce. This is only possible thanks to the spring sunshine increasing the temperature of the soil. I was once told by the legendary plantswoman Jekka McVicar (also a former prog-rock musician, which might explain things) that you should never plant seeds in the soil unless you can sit bare-bottomed on the earth without feeling a chill. To…

SEASON'S EATINGS PEAS I'd almost always suggest using frozen peas over fresh, unless you're picking them yourself – after as little as a day off the plant they start to lose their sweetness. If you have a fresh pea pipeline, however, they're fantastic raw, dressed with a vinaigrette. And if the barbecue is lit, throw some in a metal sieve and sort of stir-fry them over the coals for a smoky flavour. Check out Kathy Slack's pea know-how on p112 ELDERFLOWER Growing in creamy flourishes across the UK right now, elderflowers are simple to find. The easiest way to enjoy them is to drop some into a jar of sugar, then forget about them for a week or two. You'll be rewarded with elderflower-scented sugar to bake with for the…

What will food look like in the future? A new exhibition in London's Kings Cross, Taste Of Tomorrow, has an optimistic answer. Showcasing 12 innovations in agriculture and lab-developed foods, the exhibition looks at the ways in which our food production could shift towards a system that's resilient in the face of climate change and fosters a healthier, more sustainable society. The innovations include using biotechnology to lock in water so crops can survive drought while improving soil health. Meanwhile the next-generation food on show includes bacterial crops that turn waste carbon dioxide into protein, coffee made without coffee beans and upcycled flours produced from farming ‘waste’. The exhibition is small enough for you to dip your toe into these new ideas without feeling overwhelmed – and there's a shop…

STAR EMAIL Subject: There's something fishy about it From: Simon Rostron The April issue didn't disappoint, and I look forward to making Roopa Gulati's mussels [p19]. Adam Byatt's recipe, however, took me back to my school days – and not in a good way. I'm sure his confit cod with watercress velouté is outstanding, but ever since those school lunches I've held the view that fish shouldn't be presented as a rectangular block – particularly not coated with and served on green. It's a dish out of Blackadder! Not to worry – balance was restored by rushing through the next pages until I reached the one-pot sausage lasagne. Phew. To paraphrase the Duke of Wellington after the Battle of Waterloo, “That was a damned close-run thing.” STAR PRIZE This month's…

1. THE TIMESAVER Porcus Marvellous Italian Meatballs These meatballs in an Italian-style tomato sauce surprised me – they're tender and rich-tasting and made with rare-breed freerange pork. The traditional jar-storage method means they're made without preservatives too. A top quality meal with no effort. £8 for 500ml, porcus.co.uk 2. THE STAPLE SWITCH Wildfarmed Plain Flour A pioneer in making regeneratively farmed food mainstream, Wildfarmed makes flour from wheat that helps reduce carbon and river pollution and increases biodiversity and soil health. Changing the plain flour you use to Wildfarmed is an easy way to contribute to a better food future. £2.25 for 1kg, Waitrose 3. YOUR NEW TOP SNACK Brave Sea Salt & Vinegar Crunchy Peas I'm a big fan of the push towards eating more legumes, which have a…

A BIT ABOUT ROSIE MACKEAN A chef, food stylist and dinner party revivalist, Rosie trained as a chef before spending two years working in London kitchens. Obsessed by cookery books and TV programmes, she turned her passion into a career working on cookbooks and shows such as Nadiya's Family Favourites. She has a popular Substack, The Dinner Party, and published her first book, Good Time Cooking (Pavilion Books £26), in 2024. Follow Rosie on Instagram @rosiemackeanpastaqueen ROSIE'S RETRO MENU FOR 6 Leeks vinaigrette Sour cherry ham, egg and proper oven chips Clotted cream cheesecake with roast strawberries Leeks vinaigrette Serves 6 Prep time 15 min Cook time 20 min • 4 large leeks, cut into thirds or halves widthways • 1 tbsp dijon mustard • 2 tbsp cider vinegar •…

Celebrating the crisp, delicate flavours of cider, this simple yet cheffy-looking fish dish is served with a butter-enriched reduced cider sauce for effortless elegance Gooey rarebit is a cheese sauce made with ale. Cider makes a brighter version in which the acidity cuts through the richness of the nutty cheese. Pouring it over new potatoes and grilling it creates the best kind of fondue for a spring evening Cider rarebit new potatoes Serves 4-6 as a side Prep time 10 min Cook time 40 min • 750g jersey royals or other new potatoes, halved if large • 500ml medium or dry cider • 30g unsalted butter • 30g plain flour • Splash Worcestershire Sauce or Henderson's Relish • 1 tsp English mustard • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper • 100g mature…

A chef's day usually begins with checking produce deliveries before starting prep, but for Dan Cox of Crocadon in St Mellion, Cornwall, it can just as easily begin in a field, lambing. Having spent his career in Michelin-starred kitchens, including time at Simon Rogan's farm-to-table focused restaurants in Cumbria, Cox decided his own restaurant would start with the foundation of food – the soil. Cox took on a 120-acre organic farm in 2017 and, before opening the restaurant, spent five years developing a vegetable market garden and managing rare breed sheep on the pasture. Farming gave him a new level of control. “I was owning that process. My intention was to delve into it as deeply as possible to find the best possible ways to do things when it comes…

TEAM TRAD There's something magical about a good Cornish pasty. Its basic components are so simple: onion, swede, potato and beef, seasoned with salt and pepper, encased in pastry and baked. The filling ingredients aren't browned first and there's not even a hint of a herb. So how has it become one of the UK's favourite classic dishes? The answer is the pastry. It's soft on the inside and flaky on the outside, offering a deliciously rich counterpoint to the simple filling. Comfort food at its absolute peak – it's perfect just as it is. HEAD OF FOOD TOM SHINGLER RESPECTING TRADITION A Cornish pasty isn't merely something to be honoured – it's protected by law. Everything sold as a ‘Cornish’ pasty has to follow strict rules and methods and,…

“PAO BHAJI is India's most beloved street food, consisting of a thick, spicy vegetable curry served with pao – a soft bread roll spread with butter” A BIT ABOUT MEHAK KANSAL Growing up in the English countryside in Wiltshire, Mehak developed a great love of growing (and eating) vegetables, but it was during summer visits to her grandmother in India that she learned to cook food from her Indian heritage. Back in the UK, unsatisfied with her career and struggling with depression, Mehak found an outlet with a food blog and started hosting sell-out supper clubs. Afterwards, a successful pop-up in Westfield London encouraged her to pursue her food dream. Now she has a Bindas Eatery in Mercato Mayfair with more outlets planned. “THIS SPICY LAMB and pea curry is…

DELICATE ELDERFLOWER lifts tart gooseberries in this elegant Englishflavoured riff on a tarte au citron ELDERFLOWER CHEAT SHEET • Elderflowers are the delicate blooms of the elder tree; they flower from late May to mid June. The autumn berries were once popular for homemade wine • Only pick elderflowers after at least a few days of dry weather – rain washes away the flavourful pollen • Give them a good shake to evict any insects that might be lurking • Use them as soon as possible so they don't lose their flavour and fragrance • Elders have been associated with witchcraft in folklore, and a magic wand made of elder is a key element in the final book of the Harry Potter series • The flowers and berries of the…

Across 1 Rolled up Italian-American turnover usually filled with cheese and salami (9) 8 Enzyme used to curdle milk to make cheese (6) 9 A cereal grain or seed (6) 12 To trim or cut off outer skin (4) 13 Small silvery fish from the herring family (5) 14 Classic white cheese from the same country as 22 down (4) 17 Wild garlic by another name (7) 18 This is the chemical you smell when fish goes bad (7) 19 Prized crustacean (7) 22 A cool, soft drink or a fizzy, sugary powder (7) 24 Japanese seaweed (4) 25 Gastropod popular on menus across the Channel (5) 26 Vital mineral found in red meat, beans and green veg (4) 29 Expensive type of caviar (6) 30 Suitable for growing crops (6) 31 Small green bean – an immature haricot bean (9) Down 2 The prong…