Sage and thyme calves' liver with wild mushrooms and pancetta

Shot for BBC Good Food Magazine, April '13 issue
Recipe: James Martin
Prop styling: Polly Webb-Wilson
Food styling: Jane Hornby

Garden herb trout

My son Rafferty was born a week ago today. He's a beautiful but somewhat nocturnal soul; in these sleep-deprived times the cooking is being kept quick and simple at Appledrane HQ. Heat an oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Wedge two large bay leaves, a few sprigs of thyme, parsley and some wild fennel fronds into the inner cavity of a rainbow trout, season well, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 2o minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice, buttery Jersey royals and steamed asparagus spears. Time for an early night...

Goats' Cheese, Onion and Potato Bread with Thyme

Recipe >>> Here <<<
Recipe: Delia Smith
Food styling: Selma Jeevanjee 

French onion soup

Why has it been so long since I've made this oniony wonder? The inclination to throw everything into the soup pot at this time of year is a strong one; especially when there's a wealth of wintry root veg in season. Lest we forget that often, simplicity is best.

A small knob of butter
5 Large brown onions, thinly sliced
2 Bay leaves
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
2 Garlic cloves, finely chopped
A splash of dry sherry
500ml Beef or vegetable stock
2Tsp mustard powder
Salt and pepper
1 ciabatta loaf, sliced
Finely grated gruyere cheese

1 Melt the butter in a pan, before adding the thyme, garlic and bay. Stir gently for a few minutes, then add the onions. Soften gently on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
2 Stir the mustard powder into the onions, add the sherry and then pour in the stock (I used vegetable stock in this instance - prefer beef though). Simmer on a relatively fast bubble for about 20 minutes.
3 Toast the ciabatta slices, then top with grated Gruyere. When ready to serve, spoon a portion of soup into a bowl, float a ciabatta on top and then grate in a bit more cheese for good measure. Pop under the grill for a few minutes, then serve.

Good Food Magazine September '11 Cover

Wild mushroom tarts

Makes 4

300g Wild mushrooms

375g Pack puff pastry

1 Garlic clove, finely chopped

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp Creme fraiche

20g Parmesan, finely grated

A large knob of butter

1 Egg, beaten

A few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Sprinke a little flour onto a work

surface and roll the pastry out to about 1/2cm thick. Use a small

saucer to cut out 4 pastry discs; transfer onto a lined baking sheet

and use the blunt edge of a knife to score a border on each (inset of

about 1cm).

Melt a knob butter in a hot pan, stir in the garlic, then add the

mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes, then take off the heat.

Mix the mustard, creme fraiche and Parmesan together in a bowl. Spread

a thin layer of the mixture into the centre of each tart, taking care

not to spoon over the border line. Divide the mushrooms between the

four tarts, brush the pastry borders with beaten egg and bake for 20

minutes. Season, sprinkle with some fresh thyme leaves and serve.