Ella Risbridger

Ella Risbridger · The Kitchen Book

We tend to think of lamb as a spring thing — Easter, etc. — possibly because that is when the lambs are hopping and leaping about. It is obvious with even a tiny bit of thought that this makes no sense: the lambs, in spring, are very small. They are hopping and leaping about. They are not the large hefty boys one needs for a leg of lamb. The leg of an actual little lamb is very small, and probably not nearly as nice to eat. Also, while it is possible to feel bad about eating little-lamb-qua-little-lamb because of the small hopping and leaping of it all, I have no real feelings about eating a big hefty autumn boy. This is because when I was a child we had a lot of these autumn boys and they were extremely violent: large mean lads who guarded the garden gate with all the indiscriminate vigour of a drunk bouncer. They were also then, as they are now, extremely delicious. They are especially delicious when you cook them like this: lots of spices, lots of garlic, and anchovies for classic

Ella Risbridger · Midnight Chicken (& Other Recipes Worth Living For)

I do not have many principles, as a cook, but chief among those I do have is this: I will go to the wall for pre-prepared ingredients. Cooking is not a contest or a virtue test, and it is not only for those with plenty of time. Cooking is for everyone, or it should be. And anything — anything — that makes that more likely (pre-chopped vegetables, ready-rolled pastry, a stock cube or pot) is to be applauded, wholeheartedly. You can’t always do everything, and you should know that even people who make a living from cooking do not always start from scratch. Prepping is work, and it takes physical strength sometimes, and mental strength sometimes, and energy always, and if it’s easier on you to buy pre-prepared ingredients, do it. Consider this permission, if you need it. You do whatever you need to look after yourself. This does not make you any less of a cook. This does not make the success of your meal any less your success. Carl Sagan once said that you couldn’t make an apple pie fro