Cheating

I’ve been accused by another chef of cheating with some of the recipes I cook. Too right I do!

Look, in the kitchen cheating is good, cheating is smart, cheating is what makes you proficient at what you do and cheating guarantees your result. If you want to spend the back-breaking time making your own puff pastry for instance, fine. I use frozen, pre-rolled sheets (and so do most of the chefs I know).

I use tinned, bottled and pickled stuff, which I then disguise by adding in good quality fresh ingredients. There’s no reason not to, the trick is to shop well and buy smart. Always get the best quality and always bear in mind there are some things you cannot get away with. Like instant mashed potato, for example. It doesn’t much matter what you do to it, it will always be instant mash. (However you could mix it with grated cheese and pepper and use it to top a meat pie!)

The idea is to enjoy preparing great family meals quickly and easily, and to do that you need to cheat a little. If you want restaurant food – go to a restaurant (because chefs never cheat in the restaurant, or do they?)