Salmon & Feta Pasta

For me, nothing make’s a better midweek dinner than a delicious bowl of pasta. It’s the ultimate fast food. It can be easy to get stuck in a rut of adding the same old ingredients over and over again though (I’m a massive pesto fiend) so I try as much as possible to mix it…

Mushroom Lasagne

Had enough of the meat feast that has been holiday season? Eaten more turkey, ham, goose and sausage rolls than you can possibly contemplate and need a break?  Here’s a great way to start your New Year on a lighter note. My mushroom lasagne is a good substantial meal that provides a lighter option when…

The Loft Bar & Bistro, San Jose

I accidentally stumbled across The Loft one Sunday evening when I was wandering around trying to find somewhere that was actually open, as the Thai and Japanese places I had wanted to try were both closed. The Loft looked pretty quiet but the menu sounded good and everywhere else that was still open was fast…

Quick Creamy Courgette & Broccoli Pasta

Regular readers of the blog will know how big a fan I am of simple, quick and easy pasta dishes. They make great mid week meals and they’re perfect for knocking up something from nothing when the cupboards are pretty bare. I always use pasta dishes as a great excuse to eat as many different…

Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli with Sage Butter

Ravioli, for me, is on if those dishes I enjoy spending the time lovingly making and preparing just as much as I enjoy eating it. Of all the things I love to cook and and/or bake, I honestly don’t think I love any of them more than I love making pasta and to me spending…

Roast Pepper, Crab & Prawn Rainbow Pasta

I’ve been indulging my pasta obsession again and have finally come up with a great recipe to use my rainbow striped pappardelle. These colourful pasta ribbons were the humble beginnings of what is now a fairly moderately sized colourful and unusual pasta collection. I don’t like to hoard them and let it all gather dust…

Hearty Sausage Soup with Pasta

This recipe has been a long time coming on Diary of a Saucepot. It’s one of those dishes that you begin making at a certain time in your life and adapts, develops and ages with you. The original version came from a long since lost student cookbook. It has matured, grown up in it’s own way…

Chilli Squid & King Prawn Black Spaghetti

I was really excited about cooking this dish, mainly because I LOVE pasta with a passion. I have a little collection of interesting pastas including some rainbow striped pappardelle and a selection of multicoloured farfalle. I also picked up some black squid ink spaghetti at a food market a little while back and have been…

Spaghetti & Meatballs

This recipe is such a classic family friendly dinner. Kids love spaghetti, kids love meatballs, if they’re fussy about veggies you can blend up the sauce to hide them, and the flavours are so delicious we all still love this dish as adults. This is a great recipe to use for midweek dinners as well…

Beef Ragu with Homemade Pappardelle

I was cooking for my family and The Boyfriend last weekend and had some stewing steak to use up, I wanted to do something a bit different from the norm as I have served up a Steak & Mushroom Pie so so many times in my house. I remembered seeing The Hairy Bikers make a wild boar…