• 2 whole eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 75g caster sugar [optionally vanilla sugar]
• 350ml whipping cream
• 200ml dessert wine
• 1 vanilla pod [if not using vanilla sugar]

Heat your oven to 150C.

If using a vanilla pod, place it in a pan with the cream and heat, but don’t boil. Remove from the heat and leave to infuse. Then remove the pod from the cream.

Similarly, warm the wine in a pan.

Beat the whole eggs, yolk and sugar together in a bowl until blended. Slowly add the wine then the cream, whisking lightly as you go.

Pour the mixture into a bowl. Place the bowl in a baking tray that is deep enough to allow you to fill it with recently boiled water to a level halfway up the mixture in the bowl. Cover loosely with grease-proof paper or similar.

Place all into the oven for around a hour to cook. Cook to your delight - warm and wobbly.

Serve with dried or poached fruit.

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

From Unhappy Meals by Michael Pollan

To which I’ll add:

Act ethically.

In an attempt to encourage animal welfare and sustainability in food production - high hopes!

• 30+ mint leaves
• White Wine Vinegar - a teaspoon or to taste
• Boiling water
• Sugar (sprinkle)
• Salt
• Lemon juice [optional]

This makes enough to accompany a meal for 4 people who just want a taste of sauce - simply increase in proportion.

Chop the mint finely.

Place in a small deep bowl and just cover with boiling water.

Allow the water and mint to cool then add the vinegar - start with a dash and adjust to taste, then season with sprinkles of salt and sugar.

Add the lemon juice if using and mix well. Keeps well in the fridge for use a couple of days later.

If you fancy cooking some original medieval recipes, like Roo Broth or Ryse of Flesh, you can view images of The Forme of Cury on pbm.com or the text is available on Project Gutenburg.

Watch the programme tomorrow on BBC Four Wednesday 7 May 2008 at 9pm.

His enthusiasm for food is catching, his obsession with ingredients pre-dates the current trendiness for local, seasonal produce - strangely, (for a TV cook) I think he even had a vegetable garden before they became the essential tax-deductible accessory for the celebrity chef. I particularly like his travel programmes, when abroad Ricks passions seem to be amplified and the dialogue and film footage manage to be both evocative and inspirational. I never thought I’d like to travel through France on a barge or drive across Sicily in a Land Rover until I saw RS do it.

Finish all that off with the Seafood Restaurant in Padstow, which is the scene of some of my favourite restaurant meals — one can’t ask for much more from a chef.

If you want a fish cookery book, then I don’t think you can go far wrong when choosing one of Ricks…

To begin with, smear your turkey with butter then clothe in a layer of fatty bacon.

Then in an oven preheated to 220C / 425F / Gas 7, sear the turkey for 50 minutes.

Then baste the bird with the juices from the pan and cover with foil.

Return to the oven, with the heat reduced to 170C / 325F / Gas 3 for the amount of time as follows depending on the size of the turkey:

Baste every 20 to 30 minutes. The end result will be the tastiest, juiciest turkey!

• 300g of sloes.
• 150g to 300g of sugar.
• 750ml of gin or vodka.
• A demijohn with an effective cork or other sealable glass container.

These weights and measures can be adjusted in proportion.

Clean the sloes removing stalks and any remnants of leafs.

Prick each one with a needle 3 or 4 times.

Decide how sweet your tooth is - I prefer a less sweet, less syrupy drink so only use 150g of sugar per bottle of spirit, but you may like more.

Place all ingredients in your chosen glass vessel give it a good shake.

Leave alone for at least six months in a cool and dark place before drinking. You may want to strain the liquid before drinking, but personally I don’t.

I like to evolve my sloe vodka – rather than starting form scratch each time, I add sugar and sloes in quantities proportionate to those given below to existing demijohns of sloe vodka and then allow them to develop.

I’ll happily drink any style of beer so personally, I wasn’t repulsed as some beer drinkers may be and thought I’d give it a go.

This is a light, in both colour and taste lager with a pleasing amber glow, a mild and gentle fizz and a pleasant and not overpowering flavour of hops and malty body. Certainly not as sweet and sugary as many modern lagers (no bad thing) and so it’s a thinner more refreshing drink, albeit still packing a 5% punch.

Nice … roll-on the Summer I think there’s work for magic lagyr to do…

Place the fish in the pan.

Add cold water to cover the fish and add whatever stock ingredients you have to hand or prefer. Any of: Onion (quartered), parsley stalks, chopped carrots, bay leaves, celery, whole peppercorns. Don’t add salt.

Cover & place the pan and its contents over heat.

Bring to the boil then immediately remove from the heat.

Leave covered and allow to cool to almost cold - the fish will be cooked.

Nice hey?….

I’d love to hear of other peoples favourite pieces of kitchen furniture…