Food, cooking
and growing

Eating in: 1

Some years ago I went on a week long writing course at an Arvon Foundation centre. It wasn't at our local centre at Lumb Bank but at The Hurst, the former home of the playwright, John Osborne. The topic was 'Food Writing'. It was the first time Arvon had done a food writing course and possibly the last. It was quite a boozy affair as everyone was a bit nervous. I was one of two people charged with buying wine, a necessary social lubricant.

The tutors were the novelist Paul Bailey, whose books are well worth checking out, and the food writer Lindsey Bareham, who has published many recipe books, and writes a daily column for The Times. Her books, A Celebration of Soup and In Praise of the Potato are indispensable.

Here is a recipe from her potato book.

Boxty

These little Irish potato cakes are great with a fried breakfast and make a change from hash browns.

8oz raw potatoes
8oz mashed potato
4oz self-raising flour
4 fl oz milk
Oil or bacon fat for frying
Salt and pepper

Grate the potatoes onto a clean cloth and squeeze out all the liquid. Combine with all the other ingredients except the fat, to make a thick batter. Heat the fat in a frying pan and drop in spoonfuls of the batter, squashing them flat. Fry until golden brown on both sides,

Chas Nicholson
Eating with Chas

Friday, 23 January 2026