Cook's Tidy, Nottingham (2026)

17/10/2026

Christmas prep has officially started 🎄✨

My Mum made her Christmas cake 2 weeks ago, and today it was time for its second “feed”… so we unveiled it and my Dad gave it a generous drizzle of brandy.

I love this moment every year — the cosy rituals, the quiet traditions, the things we do to prep for the festive season. It’s the start of that slow build towards December… warm spices, dried fruit, brandy, and all the familiar smells. I’m basically the Bisto kid with the aroma of this cake… it gets me every time 🤍

Has anyone else made their Christmas cake yet? Or started mincemeat? 👇

15/10/2026

Using up ingredients is one of my favourite things — and this rarebit was born from the leftover Stilton I had after making those supersized burgers.

I softened finely chopped shallots, then mixed a beaten egg with Dijon mustard, black pepper, a tiny squeeze of sriracha, dried sage + thyme, Worcestershire sauce and crumbled Stilton… it turns into the most gorgeous gloopy paste.

Toasted one side of sourdough, flipped it, spread the mixture on top and grilled it until golden, bubbling and lava-like.

Simple, cosy, full of umami… absolutely delicious as brunch, lunch, a snack, or with a little salad for friends or family.

Real-life cooking, using what you already have 🤍 Are you a blue cheese fan and would you try this? 👇

12/10/2026

Some meals are just spoon‑suckingly good… and this chicken, lentil & nut curry is one of them 🤍🍛

It’s a proper mid‑week comfort bowl — thick, hearty and full of flavour. The red lentils break down into the sauce and give it that gorgeous, rib‑sticking texture I love. If you prefer a looser curry, you can add a splash of water or use fewer lentils… but I like mine with a bit of substance.

It’s built on ginger, garlic, lime juice, shallot purée, smoked paprika, garam masala, turmeric, chilli flakes, yellow pepper, sweet potato, crushed frozen spinach, light coconut milk and unsalted peanut butter for that warm, nutty depth 🥜✨

The chicken stays tender, the spices warm everything through, and the lentils make the sauce thick, cosy and incredibly satisfying.

Served with brown basmati rice… it’s the kind of bowl you keep going back to for “just one more spoonful” 🍚🤍

Would you make this one? ✨👇

06/10/2026

Some autumn recipes just happen naturally 🍁 — this one started with a bowl of Bramleys and Cox’s apples and turned into one of my favourite bakes.

I cooked the apples and raspberries first, then stirred in a little cornflour mixed with water and cinnamon to thicken the juices. It gives the fruit a lovely soft texture and stops the custard from turning watery.

I didn’t follow a recipe — just an idea I had in my head — and it came together into the loveliest autumn tart ✨

The pastry was a sweet lemon‑zest dough made with egg yolk and icing sugar, blind‑baked until crisp. Then I piled in the fruit and poured over a bay‑infused vanilla custard made with milk, cream, eggs and extra egg yolk for richness and that suitably wobbly setting 🍋🥄

I should have left the pastry overhanging the tin instead of trimming it — it shrank a little in the oven, so I couldn’t fit quite as much fruit and custard as I’d planned. But even with the shallower bake, it turned out beautifully.

It baked into something soft, fragrant, fruity and a little indulgent — the kind of tart you can't wait until it's cool enough to eat 😌🥧

I took a couple of slices to one of the teachers at my son’s school (she teaches cookery and loves baking at home) and she immediately asked me for the recipe, which made me smile. It’s always lovely when someone who really enjoys food tastes something and wants to make it themselves 💛

A simple autumn tart… but with a few quiet twists that make it feel special.

Would you have a go at making this? ✨👇

01/10/2026

Some dishes just belong to this time of year — cosy, smoky, full of flavour… and this chicken & chorizo pasta is one of our favourites 🍂🍝

I cook down shallots and chorizo first so all that paprika‑rich oil coats everything 😌

Then in goes the chicken, smoked paprika, garlic, herbs, chilli flakes and a tin of tomato pulp (I prefer it to chopped — it gives a smoother, richer sauce).

I normally crush in some frozen spinach right at the end, but I completely forgot this time… and it was still absolutely delicious 🙈💚

A splash of balsamic glaze adds depth, and grated parmesan plus a splash of cream adds a creamy saltiness which finishes it off 🧀✨

I also did a keto version — the chicken & chorizo sauce with tenderstem broccoli, then for my son I used a high‑protein chickpea pasta cooked straight in the sauce so it absorbed all that smoky tomato flavour. So good.

It’s simple, hearty and full of flavour — the kind of pasta you twirl straight from the pan.

My son absolutely hoovers this up… sauce all over his face by the end, which always makes me smile 😄🍝

Would you make this one? ✨👇

28/09/2026

This time of year… harvest season 🤍

I always think of my Nana’s kitchen. It was a tiny space, but the things she’d produce… wow. I can see her there with her apron on, flour on her hands as she made her legendary bakewell tart. Her freezer was always piled high with fruit and veg from the garden — apples from her tree that she’d stew and bag for winter.

Her pantry had a wonderful, familiar smell. It was always stacked with jars — dried corn ready to make us popcorn, pickled onions, chutneys, preserves — all made with her love.

My Mum still makes piccalilli using her Mum’s recipe, and nothing bought from the shops comes close to its taste.

I love making things like that too… marrow & stem ginger chutney, chilli jam… all those warming, comforting autumn preserves.

Do you have a food memory or autumnal habit for preserving? 👇

19/09/2026

Warm smoked‑garlic chicken salad tonight… and honestly, this flavour combo is so good 🤍

Red grapes & cherry tomatoes roasted with olive oil and rosemary, toasted pine nuts, pickled shallots, goat’s cheese, cucumber, rocket & baby leaves — all layered up and finished with a dressing made from the roasted tomato/grape juices and spiced fig balsamic.

My son isn’t a massive salad fan, but he loved the warm chicken, grapes, tomatoes, goat’s cheese and pine nuts — all the best unctuous bits 😌

Simple, warm, late‑summer / early‑autumn vibes on a plate 🍇🍅

Any salad‑hesitant eaters in your house too?👇

16/09/2026

Smashed Avocado on Sourdough with a Fried Egg 🤩✨

A simple little plate — quick to make, tasty to eat, and one of those meals that always hits the spot.

I smashed ripe avocado with salt, white & black peppers, crushed garlic, lime juice, and chilli flakes, then piled it onto toasted sourdough.

A fried egg 🍳 on top, a sprinkle of seasoning and a little chilli oil, and that’s it — nothing fancy, just really good textures and flavours.

It’s the kind of breakfast‑brunch I love at the weekend… and a quick weeknight tea when time’s short ✨

Would you have this for brunch or a speedy tea? 🤩

13/09/2026

Supersized Stilton‑Stuffed Burgers 🤍

If you want a juicy, flavour‑packed burger with a molten cheese centre… this is the one.

I mixed 500g minced beef (10% fat) with cooked shallots, Worcestershire sauce, white & black pepper, salt, and ½ tsp dried thyme. Mulched it together with my hands, then weighed out 125g portions and flattened them between greaseproof paper.

For the filling, I crumbled stilton and mixed in about 20g cream cheese — it helps the stilton melt smoothly. Half the mixture went into the centre of two patties, then I sealed them with the remaining patties and shaped them into rounds.

They chilled in the fridge until firm (cold fat melts slowly so it helps keep the cheese inside), then fried in olive oil until golden.

The cheese oozing out at the end is exactly what you want 🪄.

Save this for your next burger night 🤍👇

10/09/2026

If you’re a busy parent planning meals now school’s back, my website makes it easy to save what you actually cook 🤍

With school back and routines settling in, Cook’s Tidy gives you one place to save the recipes you actually cook 📚🍽️

Built for the messy, busy, real‑life routines that make up family cooking — and to help keep things organised ✨

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