Artichoke Bruschetta

Having passed my viva in November, I'm turning over a new leaf - or perhaps simply reclaiming old habits - to discuss good tucker again! Which starts with what's in my fridge at the moment: artichokes. I could eat them by the bucketload. I stare enviously at them in WholeFoods and other supermarkets I can't afford. I sometimes pick them up and wonder what life would be like if I could casually splash out and lay down big bucks for these crinkly green beauties. In my imaginary life I'd have a dog too. And heck, a car parking space. And a garden. I'm living the London dream.

"Spanish" Paella

Not having set foot on Spanish soil, my experience of paella so far hasn’t been that great. A market stall in northern France does shine through in my memory; heaving with onlookers all ogling a steaming pan the width of a double bed, we fought our way through the crowd for a family-size portion of the stuff, studded with spindly langoustines, peppers and tomatoes. But of course that was good; I was ten for god’s sake and it was the holidays!