Journal

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Then cook it.

Practical, opinionated writing on the things that make food taste better: pairings, dressings, texture, presentation, hosting and the seasons.

A notebook-style flat lay of lemons, herbs, a whisk and a bowl of dressing on a butter-coloured table

Latest Technique · 3 min read

Warm Meets Cold: The Temperature Trick for Better Salads

Hot roasted vegetables on cold yoghurt. A warm dressing over crisp leaves. Temperature contrast is the secret to salads that feel like proper meals.

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More from the journal

02 Seasonal · 3 min read The British Salad Calendar: What to Buy and When Cook with the calendar and everything tastes better and costs less. A month-by-month guide to the best salad ingredients grown in the UK.

A flat lay of seasonal British produce on a pale surface: rhubarb, tomatoes, beetroot, apples and chicory in four colour groups

03 Hosting · 3 min read Hosting Without the Hovering: A Make-Ahead Mezze Plan The best hosts are in the room, glass in hand. A mezze table is the easiest route there. Here is a countdown that does most of the work in advance.

A relaxed dinner table with guests reaching for flatbreads and dips while the host pours drinks, in warm natural light

04 Presentation · 3 min read How to Plate a Big Salad Like You Meant It A salad piled in a bowl is a salad hidden. A few simple choices about platter, height and placement make the same ingredients look stunning.

Hands placing the last torn herbs on a large salad arranged on a wide cobalt platter with space between the ingredients

05 Dressings · 3 min read Why Dressings Split (and How to Bring Them Back) A split vinaigrette is not ruined. Understand what an emulsion is and you can rescue almost any dressing in under a minute.

Two jars side by side: one with a split, separated dressing and one with a smooth, creamy emulsified vinaigrette

06 Flavour pairings · 3 min read Five Flavour Pairings That Always Work (and Why) Tomato and basil are famous for a reason. Here are five other combinations that reliably taste better together, with the logic behind them.

Five small groupings of ingredient pairs on a chalk-white surface: tomatoes with basil, beetroot with orange, carrots with tahini

07 Textures · 4 min read Texture Is the Fourth Flavour Salt, acid and fat get all the attention. But crunch, cream, chew and juiciness are why a dish keeps you coming back for another forkful.

A close-up of a salad with toasted seeds, crispy shallots, creamy cheese and glossy leaves in a cobalt-blue bowl

08 Dressings · 4 min read The Acid Test: How to Balance a Dressing by Taste Forget the ratio for a moment. The best dressings are balanced by tasting, adjusting and tasting again — here is the loop we teach in the studio.

A hand holding a small spoon of glossy vinaigrette over a bowl of leaves, lemons and a jar on a butter-coloured table

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