Better than Heinz? How to make your own tomato ketchup
Whether using tomatoes from your own kitchen garden, or from the shop, nothing beats home-made.
Food and Drink
Discover the latest in food and drink news, try our delicious and easy recipes using fresh seasonal produce and read our pub and restaurant reviews.
Here at Country Life we love to cook and we love to eat. Seasonality is important, whether you’re growing your own or visiting the farmers’ market for your ingredients – but we love to cook seasonally. Whether it’s our brilliant collection of elderflower recipes in the summertime, our ultimate sloe gin recipe in autumn or gorgeous roast goose recipes in the winter, we have collected the best seasonal recipes by ingredient on dedicated pages
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The ultimate starter: Tempura courgette flowers stuffed with smoked salmon and ricotta
A little something to impress the eyes and the palate of your friends and family.
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How to make the ultimate posh chicken and chips
Melanie Johnson's recipe for spatchcock chicken is a marvel.
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Greatest recipes ever: Heston Blumenthal's chips
Tom Parker Bowles chooses Heston Blumenthal's chips as one of his greatest recipes ever.
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Bay watch: Why laurel leaves have done everything from crown emperors and Olympic champions to flavouring stews
Not many plants can claim a place both on the haughty brow of an emperor and in the humble stew pot, says Ian Morton, as he looks at the laurel tree.
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How to make cherry and pistachio cake that's perfect for a summery afternoon tea
Our kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson provides a recipe using some of the best fruit of the season.
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How to eat seasonally in August, by Tom Parker Bowles
'August may mark the end of summer,' says Tom Parker Bowles, 'but it’s a time to revel in the moment.' Especially when it comes to enjoying the best foods of the height of summer.
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Tom Parker-Bowles on the BBQ: 'Cooking over coals is both empirical science and blessed art, as well as mastery, albeit temporary, of that naughty Titan’s greatest gift'
Sausages are all well and good (unless simultaneously raw and burnt to a crisp), but the primitive art of barbecuing over charcoal lends itself to far grander fare.
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The Legacy: Thomas Twining, the man who made such good tea, not even the Boston rebels would toss it in the harbour
Arriving in London as a young boy, Thomas Twining saw a gap in the market, and made his name as one of Britain's first tea sellers.
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Victoria sponge: The ultimate test of every baker and a favourite of the nation
Thanks to the Women's Institute and wartime rationing, this sweet spongecake is now the bedrock of tea-time treats.
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Curious Questions: What is mock turtle soup? And did it come before or after 'Alice in Wonderland'?
Martin Fone delves into the curious tale of an iconic Victorian delicacy: mock turtle soup.
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The sacred, the profane, the chaste and the lascivious: The secrets of the best strawberries according to Tom Parker-Bowles
Sack off the chocolate and savour them pure and unblemished, save for a 'slick of cream and sprinkling of sugar'.
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'The Swiss Army Knife of foods': Untangling the truth and lies around milk
Milk's reputation has seen plenty of ups and downs in recent years, but the farmer, chef and writer Matthew Evans is trying to put the record straight. Scottish farmer — and regular Country Life columnist — Jamie Blackett takes a look at Evans's new book, 'Milk: The truth, the lies and the unbelievable story of the original superfood'.
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How to make gooseberry and ginger custard tart
Melanie Johnson shares her recipe.
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The dish that's as simple as it is brilliant: Tom Parker-Bowles on omelettes, and his ultimate omelette recipe
On omelette takes minutes to make, but a lifetime to master — and practice may eventually make perfect, hopes Tom Parker Bowles.
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Country Life's Little Green Book: The eco-friendly companies making the world a better place
Country Life's pick of the people, places and products, from garlic chutney to laundry capsules, that are making waves with their green credentials. Compiled by Madeleine Silver and Rosie Paterson.
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How to grow your own botanicals and impress at cocktail hour
Once associated largely with gin, there is a host of easy-to-grow botanicals that will enliven both drinks and mealtimes, advises Natasha Goodfellow.
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A summer scone recipe with apricot, chamomile and honey, as imagined by the creator of a royal wedding cake
Claire Ptak shares a deliciously summery summer scone recipe.
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A taste of The Season: How to make Pimm's Pavlova
It's the time of the year where strawberries take centre stage — use this 'thoroughly British' recipe to celebrate this succulent red fruit with our favourite summertime drink.
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A game of two halves — how the sandwich went from humble fare to a country-wide lunchtime obsession
What started life as a way to eat and play cards at the same time (so the story goes) is now the lunch of choice for the working world.
