eat the right stuff featured in scotland on sunday

hello and welcome to any readers of scotland on sunday who've discovered eat the right stuff through the "dinner with" feature in last sunday’s paper. i hope you enjoy exploring the blog and find some recipes you'd like to try. and if you see something that piques your interest, let me know what you think - comments are hugely welcome!

below is a copy of the interview.

what’s the best meal you’ve ever had?

it was at commerc 24, in barcelona. their playful and luxurious approach to food and service was unlike anything i’d previously encountered. the chef, carles abellan, is heavily influenced by molecular gastronomy.

what’s the worst meal you’ve ever had?

i’m often underwhelmed by restaurants that are heavily hyped and fail to deliver an experience that lives up to the billing. it’s even more disappointing when this happens at a place run by well-established chefs – as i have found with two of gordon ramsay’s restaurants.

what’s in your fridge?

countless jars: harissa, pesto, mustard, olives, chutney, jam. a few cheeses – parmesan, feta and halloumi are always in there, as is my current favourite, fresh buffalo mozzarella. i like posh italian butter too, for the occasional pieces of toast.

what’s your hangover fix?

on the way to work i’ll pick up a latte and a ham-and-cheese croissant. at weekends i’ll opt for a lie-in (sleep always helps), several cups of tea and a lunch trip to a local thai restaurant.

what’s your most useful kitchen utensil?

my mini food-processor: big enough to blitz a tin of chickpeas into hummus but small enough to cope with finely dicing chilli, garlic and herbs if i’m feeling lazy.

what’s your classic stand-by recipe?

crab linguine: mix together a tin of white crab meat, a chopped red chilli, one chopped garlic clove, the juice and zest of a lemon plus enough olive oil to balance the flavours. toss this with fresh parsley and enough cooked linguine for two.

who would you invite to a fantasy dinner party?

leonard cohen has to be top of my list and tracey emin would be fun. the foodies i’d want to share my table with include nigel slater and skye gyngell – their approach to cooking really inspires me.

which food says “home” to you?

my boyfriend and i regularly make homemade pizza with meats and cheeses from our local italian deli, washed down with a bottle of wine.

have you ever been on a diet?

i occasionally follow a one-month detox, avoiding wheat, meat, dairy products, booze and junk. after a week the cravings are minimal; after a month my energy levels have received a significant boost.

which food always makes you feel better?

risottos are therapeutic to create, with all the stirring, as well as being delicious to eat. they are also easy to adapt to what’s in season – roasted butternut squash in the winter; peas, broad beans, mint and lemon in the summer.

do you have a guilty pleasure?

a jar of salsa and a bag of tortilla chips – i can easily demolish one of each in a single sitting.

do you eat aeroplane food?

i do, but i always pre-order a vegetarian meal, as the meat dishes usually smell so bad. if i could afford a first-class ticket, i’m sure the offerings would be more palatable.

do you buy organic?

i buy plenty of organic produce. that said, i think that buying local, seasonal and ethically produced food is more important than blindly choosing something that’s labelled organic.

how tidy is your kitchen?

my kitchen is small so i need to carefully manage a whole range of jars, tins, bottles, books and gadgets.