Kitchen Confidential

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Entertaining is a doddle if you’ve got a huge budget – I think anybody can be a good cook if money is no object. Gosh, you could just buy oysters on the half shell or even a bucket of crayfish and an eye fillet of beef. I’d go crazy at the greengrocers or probably some fancy little farmers market with loads of gorgeous salad greens and punnets of every kind of sweet delicious berries.

Hardly anything needs to be done with fabulous ingredients like these – just a minute under the grill or on each side in a hot pan, a splash of olive oil, a squeeze of fresh lemon and dusting of icing sugar and, hey presto, dinner is served.

However, real life has dictated that I need to be more the kind of cook that’s quick, smart and economical. A cook who can rustle up a tasty dinner from seemingly nothing at all.

I call this entertaining on the “loaves and fishes” principle, which is feeding a crowd by making the most of what you’ve got available and to hand. I’m not talking magic tricks here, just a bit of clever supermarket shopping, planning ahead, having a well-stocked pantry and, yes, if possible, a little garden space – these are the ways I cope with the challenge. And, no, this ability isn’t found in your DNA. Smart cooking is a learned skill, you’re not born with the ability to do it, and like all good things, practice makes perfect. Over the years I’ve done enough faffing around in the kitchen to refine this ability, and I’m always happy to share a few of my tips and tricks for both entertaining and for feeding the family.