Not that I mind. These are the days my knitting skills come in action and I get to do a bit of showing off with the scarves and jumpers I’ve spent all year making! But more on that another time.

When I think of autumn, I think of Halloween treats, bonfire night goodies and that amazing pumpkin soup Adam and I had at Gregg Wallace’s do last year (it was served inside the pumpkin it was grown in! Brilliant). I have considered trying to recreate the soup, but I don’t seem to have the ability to make reasonable portions and end up with tonnes of it which I end up wasting. But when you’re always cooking for one (saaaaad…prefer it though) you often end up with a fridge full of left over veg to use up, especially if you’ve been down to Brixton Farmers Market for your stuff. So I’m making A LOT of lamb stew. You never get sick of that when its cold and you can use up all of that gear almost rotting in the kitchen. And when you share a fridge and cupboards as teeny as mine, you can’t have a sack of taities sitting there for that long.

Potatoes (cubed – I like them to look mishaped, and with the skin on… Let’s keep this ‘rustic’ i.e lazy), carrots, leeks, onion, string beans, frozen peas. Anything goes really. I’d prefer to get my meat from the market because supermarket packs can get a bit tough when cooked, but you can’t be too picky in Brixton midweek after work in Wembley, can you. Anyway, make sure you dust the meat with plain flour before you stick it in the oily pan and after a high heat for two minutes, take it out and replace with the veg (except the peas and beans). Soften it a bit then throw in some hot chicken stock. When the veg is almost cooked, put the lamb back in with the frozen peas. And don’t forget the spoonful of mint sauce. Perhaps you didn’t need all that explaining to you but sometimes the most simple and traditional recipes can provide inspiration when the seasons change.

(Apologies for the awful photography, I’m on my Blackberry and the camera isn’t the greatest for foodie pictures!)

Autumn has already brought some nice things. Mainly new friends and new challenges, as well as lots of positivity. Maybe my duffel coat is magic.

Continental Deli has reopened! Lordamercey. Feels like it’s been shut for a year rather than a couple of months. No other shop in Brixton has the smell this shop has and it inspires me to try new foods I might not have considered, which is what a deli should do isn’t it?

So to celebrate a new season, I bought some of the deli’s pots (a bargain at £1.70 each) and made baked eggs with spinach and tomato. Mixing chopped tomato with chilli flakes gives them a good old kick, and dipping fresh bread in makes it a nice weekend brunch kind of thing. I hate the word brunch probably just as much as I hate hummus but it’s quite a fitting word in this case!

Some would say I’ve overbaked these but I hate underdone eggs so would rather them like this than soggy and runny, OK.

The recipe is just wilted, squeezed spinach put into a small ovenproof bowl with chopped tomatoes (mixed with chilli flakes), then make a well in the middle to which you crack your egg into. Stick in oven at 200 for at least 10 mins or until the egg looks done. Don’t forget your dipping materials of course.

I’m off work for a week and going back to the north east for a few days. To celebrate I clouded the flat with holiday smoke signals and set the fire alarm off like a rave horn in a warehouse party. Nothing illegal mind, just a few carrot and sweetcorn fritters.

I made this Rosie Lovell recipe about a year ago but I didn’t chop the coriander properly and burned the whole thing so much, they weren’t really fit for human consumption. I filed under B1N. After trying the fritter at Honest Burgers and not finding it crispy enough, I tried this again thinking I could make the fritter that my heart so desired.

Firstly, I know they look like little sicks. Secondly, use an oil with a high smoke point or else you’ll need a torch to get to the other side of the room (vegetable or peanut is good). Thirdly, chop your coriander finely, chewing through leaves of the stuff kills the crispy vibe (in my opinion). Lastly, make sure you have loads of sweet chilli sauce in. Drenching these things in it will blow. your. mind.

2 medium eggs
3 tablespoons cornflour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 spring onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
a small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
1 x 285g tin sweetcorn, drained
1 carrot, grated
3 tablespoons oil

Beat the eggs with cornflour and baking powder. Then add spring onion, garlic, coriander and then fold in the sweetcorn. Then add the grated carrot. Heat the oil in a frying pan then drop a few dollops of the mixture in there. When they look done and crispy, it’s best putting them on a piece of kitchen roll to remove the excess oil. Eat them well hot with loads of sweet chilli sauce on them.

A while ago everyone harped on about strawberries and balsamic vinegar. M&S even advertise that on their bottles of ‘balsamic glaze’. I took it to the next level when I went nuts over marinading chicken the other week. Mangoes were going cheap in Brixton market – 3 for £1 at good old Nour Cash & Carry. Had to use them up and they happened to go perfectly with the savoury chicken and the balsamic side salad. Errr brainwave.

I’m such a fucking maverick sometimes.

Many of the recipes are family sized, but this is a problem I usually have with most cookbooks. A few recent releases have clicked onto the single London eater, which is encouraging but when I try a recipe for the first time I tend to stick to it and end up with huge portions until I’m confident enough to adapt them.

I’ve never been too adventurous with chicken. I have bad memories of grilling the shit out of tasteless supermarket bought pieces during my University years. And since I’ve moved to Brixton, I’ve taken a liking to fried chicken. It’s all those discarded chicken bones outside my house that sets me off. So I’m challenging myself to step away from the breadcrumbs and create the perfect sauce. A marinade if you will. I’ve just bought some fresh Borstall chicken drumsticks from Brixton Farmers Market and I’m setting about creating the perfect sauce.

Obviously jerk seasoning is on its way, but I’m starting off with Delia Smith’s ‘Devilled Chicken Drumsticks’. The dressing has to be prepared in advance for the chicken to absorb the flavours properly, so we’re advised to pierce the drumsticks and cover with sauce for at least three hours prior to cooking. By the time I’ve travelled from Wembley to Brixton, I’m starving when I get home so I prepared this the evening before and kept it in the fridge overnight.

It tastes amazing. And the recipe is so easy and it’s made up of stuff you’d already have in the cupboards. We seem to have more herbs and spices than Sainsbury’s at the moment, so any chance to use these up are very welcome.

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp tomato puree

1 tbsp tomato ketchup

2 tsp mustard

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp oil

Seasoning

You mix all this up together and when you’ve pricked the drumsticks with a skewer, pour over the mixture and keep in a cool place for at least three hours before grilling for around 25 minutes. Turn half way through to stop it from burning.

I ate too many stuffed peppers and then I started to look like a stuffed red pepper with my awful sunburn. But after the weekend I felt healthier than I’d done in a while. Running around a festival site like a headless chicken sorted me out on the exercise, the free fruit on site worked the 5 a day front and my two meal tickets a day stopped the silly snacking. Unfortunately the only place I’m going to get back on the meal ticket diet before next summer is probably prison.

Trying to stick to the routine isn’t easy during the back to the office comedown when all I want to eat is chocolate mousse. I’m attempting to make salad exciting by experimenting with seeds, herbs and bulgur wheat. I recently found Ravinder Bhogal’s ‘Cook In Boots’ in Oxfam, Herne Hill, for the bargain price of £4,99. She does a mean tabbouleh. I also bought Delia Smith’s ‘Frugal Food’ in there for £3.99 but I think this summer I’m more likely to be taking tips from Ravinder than Delia. I can’t see myself tucking into faggots and peas any time soon, although I’m sure Mrs Smith means well.

Ravinder has replaced Rosie Lovell at the top of my foodie heroes list for now (well until her next book is released), so I’ll be singing her praises in future posts no doubt.

Tabbouleh

100g bulgur wheat

1 bunch of flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

4 ripe tomatoes, finely diced

1 cucumber, finely diced (the original recipe calls for Lebanese Cucumber but I haven’t had time to seek this out)

1/2 bunch of fresh mint, chopped

Juice of 2 large juicy lemons

1 tsp ground cumin

60ml olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

Freshly ground pepper (I don’t like this so I left it out)

Put the bulgur wheat into a bowl, cover with plenty of cold water. Cover the bowl and leave for about 20 minutes to soften. Drain it in a sieve and squeeze out as much excess water as possible.

Put the wheat into a salad bowl and then mix in the parsley, spring onions, tomatoes, cucumber, mint, lemon juice and cumin. Pour in the olive oil, add the salt and pepper to taste and give it a hefty final mix. Serve.

It should look like a little bit like this picture I nicked from Wikipedia:

I’m not a burger snob, I never will be. I love Big Macs, and even those urber cheap ones you get from roadside kiosks. Sometimes I’d take one of those over these monster creations that are taking over London lately. My mouth is too small for them for a start. I want to be able to bite it, taking in a bit of bun, burger and anything else packed into it. Whats the point in having to deconstruct the thing?

I’m a fan of Byron Burger, which seems to have new sites popping up everywhere over the past few months. And I’m dying to try #Meatwagon, so I expected this to be a cross between the two. And it was really. I was desperate to try the sweetcorn and cauliflower fritter.

It was ok. Not sure I’ll choose it again. I expected the fritter to be crunchy and was surprised to find it wasn’t. And I don’t think it worked in the bun. The bread tastes quite sweet and has a kind of glaze over the top of it. Looks great. It’s just not my favourite kind of bun.

The chips are included in the price, you don’t have to buy separate like at Byron, which is a bonus. I’m not keen on burned food (a patch of black on my toast and its in the bin – and don’t say scrape it off, I can still taste it), and these look burned but are actually really good and a nice change from straight cut fries. Not too many of them though, so walked away feeling nicely full and ready to party. I’m only fairly small though, so not sure what my Dad would make of the portion size. It’s not as if it’s cheap either. I think the Honest Burger with bacon weighs in at around £8, whilst my vegetarian option came to just over £6. But it’s worth bearing in mind that the staff are great, and it’s a very welcome addition to our growing market.

After that we went to The Brick Box for a crepe and a cup of tea. I went for plain old lemon and sugar. Really lovely, even though the outside seating can be a bit awkward if you’re sat on the end having to get up every so often for people from further down the bench to come and go.

And I was still hungry (this is what living in Brixton does to you). We stopped off at Ettas Seafood for a bit of ‘Caring and Sharing’ – 3 dishes for £12. Two portions of crab fritters (MMM) and calamari. I could eat that all day every day. Amazing.

Usually, the smugness of home made bread bakers grates on me. Despite mother and Sophia baking a lot by hand lately, I get mildly amused by those who harp on about their bread machines. I know that in 6 months time it will have been demoted from kitchen star to dusty loft fixture. I often recall an auntie buying one, telling us that it was an investment, how fantastic it was that you could time it to have your bread ready when you wake up and how lovely it was to walk into a nice smelling kitchen in the mornings.

The same happened when she bought a ‘rice maker’. Although both contraptions are confined to their original boxes, the rice cooker is rendered as her most useful. It was good for party buffets apparently. The bread maker didn’t mix fruit in properly if you wanted a change from a plain loaf, and most of the time it took up too much room. This machine of convinience soon became an inconvenience.

So I’m not going to preach about how great baking your own bread is. For around £1 in Brixton you can get a good piece of quality artisan bread. I’m sitting in The Breadroom right now and have my eye on a nice piece of focaccia. I’m partial to the occasional bag of Warburtons white medium sliced Toastie Loaf, but Continental Deli’s round thin sliced sesame loaf is divine. When I worked round these parts, I used to take one of these in on some mornings and make everyone on our floor odd shaped pieces of toast. It was almost biblical the amount you got out of it. Then the Deli closed for their summer holidays and I was gutted. My colleagues silently were too probably, it signalled the end of the toast train. I couldn’t find the same kind of bread anywhere, not even in other Portuguese delis. Luckily, Kredens opened in Streatham and they sold slightly cheaper and smaller versions of the Continental loaf. Hoorah.

We have joked before about how these days you’re more likely to be coshed over the head with a baguette than anything else in Brixton – contrary to popular belief. Wild Caper do a lovely sourdough, Breads Etc and The Breadroom focus their whole market unit on the stuff and Rosie’s always have a few fresh and interesting looking alternatives in the window. Round here there’s not much need to bake your own other than out of interest. And that’s just what I did a few weeks back (lack of ‘internetz’ has hindered blogging somewhat).

It was raining and I was pleased I wasn’t at a festival. Download, Isle of Wight, Rockness and Parklife were on. If I’d gone to any of these I would have definitely been standing by a main stage, wishing I was watching it on telly. What can I say, I’m getting old.

Anyway, perfect baking weather. After briefly leaving the house to do a few laps of Max Roach Park, a visit to Brixton Farmers Market, and an excellent, yes – excellent, Cottage Pie (hello comfort), I followed Mother’s favourite recipe from Paul Hollywood. This one doesn’t include sugar like a lot of others and you get the satisfaction of watching the dough double in size over the course of one hour. That’s before you get it in the oven. I think I played around with it too much for it wasn’t as light as it probably should have been. I stared intently through the oven window for nearly 30 minutes watching it bake, quickly ran off to the loo to return to a burned loaf. HOW ANNOYING.

Suppose it wasn’t too bad for a debut. If you ignore the top crust. I still prefer someone else’s homemade effort to my own though.

So the only other option was to get some proper stuff I can dress myself.

Dagons in Brixton Village is always busy – a good sign. The only time I’ve seen it quiet is at 8am when I sometimes run past it on my way to Brockwell Park before work. I’d been reading Rose Prince’s ‘The New English Kitchen’ and was fully prepared to have gut the insides of a squid myself. Apparently their insides are in something that feels like a plastic bag? Lovely.

Luckily, this is one of the Village’s most banterous of units and they offered to sort it out for me and cut it into rings saving me a lot of mess and hassle. For just under a fiver I got a full squid prepared and two good meals out of it. They even told me how to cook it. Washed, then in flour, then fried very briefly and served with garlic butter. I definitely need more practice with it, but looking forward to going back for other fish. Might get one of those live crabs next time.

The picture looks like a bag of intestines but it was beautiful. They even threw in the tentacles! Mmm. Better than testicles, I’m sure.

I like cabbage, and it’s in season so it’s especially nice on roast dinners. Reminds me of being little and attempting to help (but not really helping) Nana make the Sunday Dinner when Worzel Gummidge finished and Little House On The Prairie or The Waltons had started. I preferred to sit in the kitchen and generally getting in the way to the sound of Gary Puckett on the radio when that old shit was on.

In between twitching the blinds to giggle at the young theatre group practising outside my house, I revisited my old recipe books last weekend and decided to make something along the lines of a summery lasagne. Jamie Oliver does one in his 30 Minute Meals, but there’s quite a few ingredients in it that I didn’t have stored in the cupboards so I ended up going with a dish from Rosie Lovell’s ‘Spooning With Rosie’. It’s proper title is ‘Lasagne, with Chestnut, Pancetta & Cabbage’ but I left out the chestnuts. I’m not exactly nuts about nuts. And I used cubes of pancetta rather than slices (it was the best Acre Lane Tesco could do). As someone who doesn’t like bacon I was a bit hesitant to try it, but it was really good in the thick creamy mix.

It’s basically boiling spring cabbage for a little bit, laying it on the bottom of an ovenproof dish, pouring over bechamel sauce (containing your pancetta), then your dried lasagne sheets, repeat to fade, etc etc. Shove some parmesan over the top of it, bake for around 25 mins.

Not sure if I’d use dried lasagne sheets next time. Not that I’d make my own (tried that at Jamie Oliver’s Recipease last week and it did not turn out well), but maybe use supermarket fresh and cut the oven time down a bit. It was awesome though and I’ll probably make it again. I prefer to make my own lasagne these days. Lately, the ready made ones in the supermarkets make me feel like one of those poor buggers at the end of ‘Dinner Date’ when they’ve not been picked and are filmed picking at a miserable looking meal for one.