I wanted to create a loaf of bread that I don’t feel guilty eating and that doesn’t give me that bloated, gluten-overload feeling. I have been experimenting for while and I really like this one. It is half bread, half savoury muffin and is packed full of nuts and seeds and whole grains so you can feel just a teeny bit virtuous eating it. Although, that does depend on what you decide to spread on top. I will say that the killer combo of Nutella and tahini will put a big smile on your face but you won’t be feeling that smug after it!

I rarely feel like an expat in the States but there are a few things I really miss about the UK. One of them is the cookies I grew up with- or “biscuits” as we Brits call them. There is the Digestive biscuit- wholemeal and semi-savoury, if can be at home with morning coffee and on a cheeseboard; The Custard Cream- 2 thin square biscuits sandwiched by a vanilla-flavoured cream; The Bourbon (nothing to do with the whisky sadly)- 2 rectangular biscuits filled with a chocolate buttercream- and incidentally always the first one to disappear from the biscuit tin.

OK. So I don’t know where you live, but it’s chilly today in Minneapolis. 1F, a whipping wind and not a peak of sunshine to ease the bite. It’s on days like this that I need a hot drink within reach all day until it becomes acceptable for that mug to magically morph in to a wine glass.

There is nothing quite like ricotta. Any ricotta made from the best organic farm milk you can find will hands down beat anything you can buy in the grocery store or deli. The delicate white curds are perfectly poised on the line between sweet and savoury.

It’s midweek and I am craving something healthy but warm and soothing at the same time. Something to counteract some the excesses of the festive season. Plus I’m looking for dinner on the table in half an hour. The best thing about this is that there is about 10 minutes of prepping time and then you can pop the whole thing in the oven and forget about it for 30 mins.

I am a sucker for Ottolenghi. Those larger-than-life seamlessly bold flavours really find a home round here. This salad is from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamini and is a real star. Aside from a bag of baby spinach, some red onion and a few stale pita breads, most of the ingredients can be foraged from the pantry. It makes another great weeknight meal; plus the addition of the pita bread and almonds makes it substantial enough to eat own its own. Which is what we did.