This is a recipe for a vegetarian version of Leopard Pie, or “Timballo del Gattopardo”, a classic but obscure Italian dish that could reasonably be called a “macaroni pie”, though it’s very different from the Scottish or West Indies versions. The original Leopard Pie is described by Giuseppe di Tomasi di Lampedusa in his book, The Leopard, and... read more

I submitted this recipe recently for “Choristers’ Cookbook”, which doesn’t seem to have materialised, so now pushing it up to my blog for Sarah Ward Clavier: this is what meat-eaters need when they go veggie for a month.It’s a Brecon Cathedral take on the famous Turkish dish "Imam Bayildi", which translates as "The Imam swooned". One variant of... read more

With Lois moving into a shared house for her second year at Durham, and Helen starting out in Hereford, both are needing to fend for themselves for the first time. All students need dhal to survive – I ate very little else when at Sheffield and Leicester, as far as I recall. So how is it begotten? Well I’ve not referred to a recipe ever, but I... read more

I've rediscovered the joy of mulled wine over the Christmas period, and thought I'd make a note of my recipe for future reference. I made this up a few days ago, inspired by distant memories, and it turned out lovely (and popular with the ladies of the house). Of course the actual quantities, times and methods can be interpreted with great... read more

For posterity, here is the recipe, or rather the list of ingredients – I can’t remember how I made it, but I imagine “bung it all in the big pot, stir and simmer for an hour or so” should cover it. It is possible I fried the solids for a while first - who knows. Shallots (some) Tomatoes (1 tin ?) Onion (one) Garlic (some) Red pepper (one?)... read more

We are making these yummies this afternoon, after Stewart brought some into work before Christmas and made us happy. The recipe is from the Guardian: Dan Lepard's orange and pistachio stollen bars: A twist on the German Christmas classic. Photograph: Colin Campbell for the Guardian. Very straightforward to make and outrageously good to eat. Be... read more

Here is Helen’s recipe for an alien:

Grind up some special soap, and add some ground up c

... read more

I made the puds at the weekend. Here’s my recipe, developed over the last ten years. NB nut free. We also found the last of the 2011 puds on top of the cupboards – well matured and delicious. For 4 pints of mixture 8oz plain flour 6oz wholemeal breadcrumbs 1 level tsp salt 2 tsp mixed spice 1 tsp ground cinnamon 4oz dates 4 ... read more

Back in June I posted some research into Mountain Marathon cooking kit, in particular the pros and cons of solid fuel versus gas, and foil cartons versus aluminium pots. I was reminded of this because Stewart B is away this weekend doing the RAB, while I moulder at home recovering from the broken patella (another story…). Anyway, since writing... read more

Stewart B has told me he uses solid fuel for MMs, and I remember Mark Rigby saying the same, while I’ve always used my MSR Pocket Rocket + gas. With the Saunders looming in a couple of weeks I thought I’d check this out. Stewart’s claimed advantages: Instead of a pan, you can use those foil containers like you get a Chinese meal... read more