Trusted British chef recipes, tested at home
James Martin’s beef ragu with linguine builds a rich sauce of beef mince and smoked bacon lardons on a soffritto of onion, carrot and celery, simmered in tomato and red wine with basil, tossed through homemade ’00’ egg linguine. The ragu simmers for 45 minutes, the pasta is rolled fresh on a machine, and it …
James Martin’s sticky toffee pudding bakes a moist date sponge, made with demerara sugar, golden syrup and black treacle, in individual moulds, then drowns each one in a muscovado toffee sauce. The whole thing comes together quickly in a food processor, bakes at 200°C (gas 6) for 20-25 minutes, makes six, and is served with …
James Martin’s ultimate macaroni cheese builds a béchamel sauce loaded with three cheeses (mild gorgonzola, cheddar and Caerphilly), stirs through crisp pancetta and macaroni, then tops it with mozzarella, breadcrumbs and Parmesan and grills it golden. Served with a sharp mustard-dressed romaine salad, it serves four to six as a substantial meal or a side …
James Martin’s lobster thermidor folds cooked lobster meat through a rich sauce of white wine, fish stock, double cream and Dijon with chanterelles, enriches it with egg yolks, then piles it back into the shells under a Parmesan and breadcrumb topping and grills it golden. Served with a pile of matchstick fries, it takes under …
James Martin’s beef bourguignon slow-braises flour-dredged blade of beef in Burgundy with pancetta, brandy and a bouquet garni, then finishes it with baby onions and chestnut mushrooms, served over creamy mash with a bacon and mushroom garnish. The beef browns, gets flambéed in brandy, then braises for two hours until meltingly tender. It serves four …
James Martin’s apple charlotte encases a chunky, apricot-glossed apple filling in a case of butter-soaked white bread, baked until the outside is golden and crunchy and the inside stays warm and appley. It uses 1kg of cooking apples and 12 slices of bread, bakes at 180°C (160°C fan, gas 4) for 30 minutes, and serves …
James Martin’s coq au vin is a streamlined take on the French classic, braising skinless chicken pieces in red wine with shallots, streaky bacon and button mushrooms. There’s no overnight marinade and no flour, so it’s naturally gluten-free, the whole thing simmers in about 25 minutes, and it serves four with olive oil mash or …
James Martin’s chargrilled T-bone steak is seared on a searing-hot griddle, rested, and served with charred banana shallots and figs in a lemon-balsamic dressing, alongside a spiced tomato chilli chutney made weeks in advance. The steaks cook in about 8 minutes, the chutney simmers for 20-30 minutes but improves over 2-3 weeks, and it serves …