Charred gunk on your grill can inhibit performance and lead to a bummer of a burger. Here’s how to fix it.

Cooking is for nerds.

Easy to make, full of fresh flavour and healthy, tomato salads are perfect whether you’re looking for a light side dish, to jazz up your packed lunch or something super simple for dinner. British Tomato Fortnight (29 May-11 June) is a great excuse to try out some of our favourite tomato salad recipes. Putting together a Buddha bowl, which is infinitely adaptable to whatever you’ve got in the fridge, is a great place to start. The one below uses whizzed up cauliflower in place of rice, for an extra health kick. The roasted tomato, asparagus and feta salad is all about quality ingredients and simplicity, which make a real feel-good dish. Lastly, combine roasted tomatoes with some of the freshest flavours of spring to make a warm salad with purple-sprouting broccoli, halloumi and anchovies. Delicious. Tomato Buddha bowl Using fresh Piccolos, we’ve created this deconstructed “fajita” Buddha bowl featuring “rice” made from whizzed up cauliflower. Delicious. Serves: 4 Ingredients: 2 red onions 2 red peppers Olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 x 400g can black beans 2 tbsp cider vinegar Generous pinch smoked paprika 1 red chilli, halved Lime juice, to taste 2 corn on the cob, halved 1 cauliflower, chopped 1 heaped tsp cumin seeds 350g Piccolo cherry tomatoes To serve: 1 avocado, sliced 4 radishes, sliced Small handful coriander leaves Lime wedges Chipotle paste (optional) Method: Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Cut the red onion into wedges and slice the red pepper into quarters. Drizzle with olive oil and roast for 30 minutes. Heat some oil in a pan and add the garlic. Fry for a few minutes over a low heat. Drain the black beans, retaining a little of the water they came in. Add the beans to the pan with the cider vinegar and smoked paprika. Add the halved chilli to the pan. Cook the beans for about 15 minutes, adding a splash of the retained can water if they start to dry out. Add a splash of lime juice at the end of the cooking time. Meanwhile, cook the corn in a pan of boiling water for about five minutes until slightly soft but not completely tender. Drain and dry the corn. Pulse the cauliflower in a food processor until it looks like grains. Dry fry the cumin seeds in a non-stick frying pan and then remove from the pan. Add a dash of oil and the cauliflower and fry until toasted. Add the cumin back to the pan. Keep warm.Heat a griddle pan and griddle the boiled corn on the cob halves until nicely charred. Set aside the corn and then char the Piccolo cherry tomatoes in the griddle pan. Serve the cauliflower in bowls, topped with the black beans. Arrange the red onions, red peppers, sliced avocado, radishes, coriander leaves, sweetcorn, lime wedges and Piccolo cherry tomatoes on top. Serve with a dash of chipotle paste if liked. Roasted tomato, asparagus, and feta salad This salad is all about quality ingredients and simplicity. Roasted Piccolo cherry tomatoes and asparagus flecked with fennel seeds, lemon zest and feta make a real feel-good dish. Serves: 2 Ingredients: 1 small bunch asparagus, trimmed 400g Piccolo cherry tomatoes, still on the vine Extra virgin olive oil 1 garlic clove, finely sliced 1 tsp fennel seeds 2 sprigs rosemary 30g feta 1 lemon, zest of 1 lemon, and dash of the juice Freshly ground black pepper, to taste Method: Preheat the oven to 190C/170C/gas 5. Place the asparagus and Piccolo cherry tomatoes on a baking tray and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Scatter over the garlic and fennel seeds. Lay the rosemary sprigs on the side. Roast for about 10 minutes, or until the asparagus is cooked through. Remove from the oven and crumble over the feta. Add the zest, lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with a dash more olive oil. You may not need to season with salt as the feta will bring salt to the dish already. Warm salad of roasted tomatoes, purple-sprouting broccoli, halloumi and anchovy Combine roasted Piccolos with some of the freshest flavours of spring to make this easy salad with the addition of chopped anchovy in the dressing. Time: 45 minutes Serves: 4 Ingredients: 200g whole Piccolo cherry tomatoes, off the vine 1 whole garlic bulb 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Few sprigs thyme 250g new potatoes, or ideally Jersey Royal, halved 250g block halloumi, sliced 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 4 anchovies, finely chopped 200g purple-sprouting broccoli, broken into small florets Small bunch fresh mint, chopped Freshly ground black pepper Method: Heat the oven to 170C fan/gas 3 (fan). Put the Piccolo cherry tomatoes in a roasting tin, break the garlic bulb up into cloves and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Nestle the thyme sprigs in with the tomatoes and roast for 20 minutes. Drain off the liquid to set aside for the dressing. Once cool enough to handle, pop the garlic out of each clove and set aside. Boil the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water for about 15 minutes, or until cooked through - this will depend on the size of the potatoes. Heat a griddle to hot and griddle the sliced halloumi until nicely browned and cooked through. For the dressing, measure out 2 tablespoons of the reserved Piccolo cooking liquid into a small bowl, add the two tablespoons of vinegar, four tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped anchovies. Whisk together. Heat another tablespoon of oil in a pan or wok and add the broccoli. Cook for a minute, then tip in the drained potatoes, once they are covered in the oil, add the tomatoes and garlic to the pan and stir. Remove from the heat. Arrange the warm salad on four plates, top with the halloumi and pour over the dressing. Finish with a little freshly ground black pepper and the chopped mint. Serve warm. Learn more about British Tomato Fortnight at britishtomatoes.co.uk/british-tomato-fortnight Read More These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days Try one of these pasta recipes this British Tomato Fortnight Uncorked: How do I keep my wine cool at a picnic? Banging brunch recipes worth getting out of bed for Think pink: Three ways with rhubarb to make the most of the season ‘Indian food is so much more than rubbish chicken tikka masala’

Brits woke up to yet more grim news on inflation Tuesday, with new data showing prices in UK stores are rising at a record pace. It's the latest sign of a seemingly intractable cost-of-living crisis that has Prime Minster Rishi Sunak considering drastic measures, including price controls, to keep inflation in check.

In the face of mounting pressure from labour shortages, supply delays and skyrocketing energy prices, celebrating British produce is more important than ever. If you’re in a supermarket during the next two weeks, look out for a British Tomato Fortnight sticker. Running until 11 June, the campaign hopes to shine a light on locally grown varieties and encourage consumers to buy British. Not only is that a boon to your carbon footprint and your health, but also to your plate – juicy and packed full of flavour, British toms are an extremely versatile cooking ingredient. They go especially well in this pasta puttanesca, which takes no more than 30 minutes to get onto the table, as well as the tomato, lemon zest and sage risotto with burrata – ultimate comfort food that’s balanced by the natural sweetness of the whole toms. Lastly, in the saffron chicken, tomato, orzo and squash stew, the toms are left whole and added it right at the end for a delightful sweet note. Get stuck in. Piccolo pasta puttanesca This dish doesn’t take much longer than the 30 minutes needed to roast the Piccolo cherry tomatoes. Perfection. Serves: 4 Ingredients: 750g Piccolo cherry tomatoes Olive oil 300g spaghetti 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 red chilli, finally chopped 1 tsp tomato purée 100g pitted black olives, roughly chopped 8 anchovy fillets in oil, drained, roughly chopped 2 tbsp capers, drained 1 heaped tbsp chopped fresh basil To serve: Freshly grated parmesan Fresh basil, to garnish Method: Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 5. Tip the Piccolo cherry tomatoes onto a baking tray and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes. Cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions. Heat a dash of olive oil in a saucepan, add the garlic and red chilli and cook for a few minutes until aromatic. Add the tomato purée and cook for another minute. Remove the roasted tomatoes from the oven, pour any excess liquid into a bowl and set aside. Add the tomatoes (along with the chopped olives, anchovies and capers) to the pan with the garlic and chilli. Sprinkle over the chopped basil. Add a splash of the excess tomato liquid if necessary. Drain the spaghetti and serve with the puttanesca sauce topped with freshly grated parmesan and extra basil. Tomato, lemon zest and sage risotto with burrata The ultimate in comfort food, this risotto really packs in the flavour, balanced by the natural sweetness of the whole Piccolos. Serves: 4 3 tbsp olive oil 2 shallots, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1½ tbsp tomato purée 280g risotto rice, such as Arborio Knob of butter 100ml white wine 1 litre stock (made with 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube) 1 lemon, zest only 10 sage leaves, chopped 50g Parmesan, finely grated 250g Piccolo cherry tomatoes, left whole, stalks removed if preferred 115g burrata, divided into quarters 1 heaped tbsp toasted pine nuts Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling Method: Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the shallots, stir well then cover and cook over a low heat until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for another minute. Stir in the rice with a knob of butter, continue to stir and cook for another minute. Pour the wine into the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook for a minute for the rice to absorb the liquid. Add a quarter of the stock and cook to allow the liquid to be absorbed – keep adding more stock as it is absorbed. Stir from time to time. Add the lemon zest and chopped sage. Cook uncovered, stirring from time to time, for about 20-25 minutes, or until the rice is tender and very creamy. Finally, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Meanwhile, heat another pan with a dash of olive oil and cook the tomatoes over a high heat until softened. Divide the risotto among four plates, topped with the Piccolo cherry tomatoes, a quarter of the burrata for each serving, some toasted pine nuts, and a drizzle of olive oil. Saffron chicken, tomato, orzo and squash stew Piccolo cherry tomatoes are left whole and added right at the end of this stew to retain their shape and add a delightful sweet note. You will not be disappointed! Serves: 4 Time: 40 minutes Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, sliced 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks (about 400g total weight) 1 small butternut squash (about 600g/1lb 4oz), peeled and chopped Generous pinch saffron 500ml chicken stock 150g orzo400g whole Piccolo cherry tomatoes Salt and freshly ground black pepper Small handful roughly chopped flatleaf parsley, to serve Method: In a large pan, heat half of the olive oil, then fry the onion for five minutes, or until the onion is softened. Add the garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. Remove from the pan. Add the chicken to the pan and cook on all sides until nicely browned. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper Add the chopped squash and cook for a further few minutes. Add the saffron and chicken stock and return the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook at a simmer for about 5 minutes. Increase the temperature to a boil, tip in the orzo and turn the heat back to a simmer. Cook for a further 10 minutes, adding a splash more water if it starts to dry out. Tip in the Piccolos and cook for a further few minutes to soften. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and serve garnished with parsley. Learn more about British Tomato Fortnight at britishtomatoes.co.uk/british-tomato-fortnight Read More These recipes will keep you hydrated on hot days Uncorked: How do I keep my wine cool at a picnic? Banging brunch recipes worth getting out of bed for Think pink: Three ways with rhubarb to make the most of the season ‘Indian food is so much more than rubbish chicken tikka masala’ This vegetarian kebab won’t have you missing meat

By Steve Gorman In the 2015 sci-fi film "The Martian," Matt Damon stars as an astronaut who survives

Instead of snagging dinner reservations, pinickers are snagging spots in the park to dine al fresco.

By Blake Brittain Motif Foodworks told a Delaware federal court that plant-based meat rival Impossible Foods improperly hired

I don’t own an ice-cream maker, as I have no space in my kitchen to store one,” admits Maunika Gowardhan, author of Tandoori Home Cooking. “It’s probably the reason why I have always aimed to come up with a no-churn ice-cream recipe that really works. This cheat’s ice cream is made with double cream and condensed milk flavoured by green cardamom, rose water, dried rose petals and pistachios. Easy to mix, freeze and serve, and delicious to eat.” No-churn rose and cardamom ice cream Serves: 4 Ingredients: 8 green cardamom pods (seeds only) 280ml double cream 2 tbsp rose water 1 x 400g can condensed milk 1 tbsp dried rose petals 20g pistachios, roughly chopped Method: 1. Grind the green cardamom seeds in a pestle and mortar to a fine powder. 2. In a bowl, whisk the cream with the rose water and cardamom powder until soft peaks form. Next, lightly fold the condensed milk, dried rose petals and most of the crushed pistachios into the whipped cream. 3. Transfer the ice-cream mixture into a freezerproof, airtight container. Scatter the remaining pistachios over the top of the ice cream and place in the freezer for six to eight hours, or preferably overnight. 4. When ready to serve, let the ice cream stand at room temperature for five to 10 minutes to soften slightly, then scoop into individual bowls. Recipe from ‘Tandoori Home Cooking’ by Maunika Gowardhan (Hardie Grant, £25).

Some classics are hard to resist,” says Maunika Gowardhan, author of Tandoori Home Cooking. “This tandoori chicken tikka has been a constant in my cooking repertoire for as long as I can remember. I use the double marination technique here. “Of course, you can grill the skewers without doubling up on the marinade to coat the chicken at the end — it will turn out just as tasty.” Tandoori chicken tikka Serves: 4 Ingredients: You will need wooden skewers soaked in cold water for 30 minutes 640g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces Butter, for basting and cooking Juice of ½ lime Generous pinch of chaat masala For the marinade: 3 garlic cloves 2.5cm ginger root, peeled 6 tbsp Greek yoghurt 2 heaped tsp chickpea flour 1½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder. ¼ tsp garam masala 2 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp saffron strands, crushed 1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), crushed Pinch of sugar Salt, to taste Method: 1. To make the marinade, grind the garlic and ginger with a splash of water in a blender to a smooth paste. In a large mixing bowl, combine the yoghurt with the chickpea flour. Mix well to get rid of any lumps and form a thick paste. Add the ginger and garlic paste, chilli powder, garam masala, coriander, cinnamon, saffron, dried fenugreek, sugar and salt. Stir well, mixing everything to a smooth consistency. 2. Put two tablespoons of the marinade in a small bowl and set aside. 3. Add the chicken to the bowl and mix well to make sure each piece is coated in the thick marinade. Cover the bowl and leave to marinate in the fridge for two to three hours, or preferably overnight. 4. Preheat the grill to a medium heat. Line a baking tray with foil and place a wire rack over the tray. 5. Thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked wooden skewers and place them on the wire rack. Place the tray under the grill and cook for 17-18 minutes. Turn the skewers halfway through the cooking time and baste with the melted butter until the chicken is lightly charred around the edges and cooked through. 6. Meanwhile, transfer the reserved marinade to a small frying pan. Place over a medium heat and cook, stirring continuously, for five minutes until the marinade reduces and thickens. Add two teaspoons of butter and turn off the heat. Transfer the cooked marinade to a bowl. 7. Take the chicken off the skewers and add it to the bowl with the marinade along with the lime juice and chaat masala. Stir well to make sure the chicken is evenly coated. Serve warm with salad and naan or roti. Recipe from ‘Tandoori Home Cooking’ by Maunika Gowardhan (Hardie Grant, £25). Read More Banging brunch recipes worth getting out of bed for Think pink: Three ways with rhubarb to make the most of the season ‘Indian food is so much more than rubbish chicken tikka masala’ This vegetarian kebab won’t have you missing meat Love wine but can’t afford it? Here’s how to drink luxury for less Three meat-free dishes to try this National Vegetarian Week

Chicken tikka masala is a much-loved dish, but it’s only scratching the surface of delicious food cooked in a tandoor. The tandoor – a clay oven used in a lot of Indian cooking – offers a world of possibilities, and that’s something chef Maunika Gowardhan is keen to uncover. It’s not like there’s just one type of chicken tikka. From murgh malai to reshmi tikka, the options are endless – and Gowardhan, 44, had the best exposure possible growing up in Mumbai. “I grew up on really, really good street food – India is such a vibrant, diverse space. In every region you find some sort of street eat somewhere, and every corner of the country will have some sort of kebab or tikka,” she says. “Sometimes, books can have one or two of those recipes – you can’t have a whole book on just that” – and that’s what Gowardhan has set out to change in her latest cookbook, Tandoori Home Cooking. She wants people to recognise the history of the tandoor: “What really sets it apart, for me, is that it’s a cooking technique that is dated back to the Indus Valley [from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE]. It’s something that is so historic, that has so much of a rich heritage – it’s such a vital part of how we eat, not just in the streets of India or in restaurants, but even in our own homes.” Even though most homes in India don’t have a clay oven, there are plenty of techniques to replicate that smokey flavour. “When you have a look at the way a clay oven works, essentially it’s heat that’s 360 [degrees],” Gowardhan explains. “In our domestic kitchens, the endeavour is to replicate that – conventional ovens provide heat in an encapsulated space. So they are similar, but they’re not the same.” The main difference is the coals at the bottom of a tandoor – when fat drips from any meat or anything else you put in the clay oven, it drips onto the coal and the smoke that is produced gives the food that “charred, grilled smokey flavour”, she says. But how can you get that at home? One of Gowardhan’s genius tips is making smoked butter. “You can store it in the fridge, and when you start basting your food with that smoked butter, you’re getting the charred, smokey flavour that you’re really yearning for in tandoori dishes.” Not that Gowardhan has been perfecting smoked butter from a young age. “I’m going to put my hand up here and say when I first came to England [25 years ago], I didn’t know how to cook Indian food,” Gowardhan, who now lives in Newcastle upon Tyne, confesses. She came to the UK for university, during which she was “thrilled” to be away from her parents with that “sense of freedom”. But after moving to her first house and getting a job in the city of London, Gowardhan says: “It slowly creeps up on you – when you go to an unfamiliar place, what you really miss is that familiarity.” That’s when Gowardhan started to learn how to cook Indian food, because “I craved it and yearned it all the time”, she says. She would ring her mother back in India and ask for simple recipes – daal, rice, green bean dishes. “I cooked not just for sustenance, I cooked because I missed home and I missed good food,” she reflects. Since then, Gowardhan fell in love with food and made her way into the industry, and this is her third cookbook. She now deems it her “calling”, saying: “I knew food was something that was a leveler on every aspect of my life. “When we did really well, my mother would say, ‘Can I make you something?’ If we were really upset she was like, ‘Let me cook for you’.” Gowardhan also suspects some of it comes from her grandmother, who was an “avid cook”. “My grandmother was the hostess with the mostess. In the 1950s in the city of Bombay, a lot of film stars and Bollywood film stars in India would actually come to my grandmother’s house to eat her food. To be a fly on the wall at my grandmother’s dinner parties…” Gowardhan’s grandmother passed down these recipes, and her mother’s passion for food “gave us this effervescence for cooking and eating good food”, she adds. After dedicating the past 20 or so years of her career to Indian food, there’s a major thing Gowardhan would like people to know about the cuisine. “People tend to forget it’s actually a subcontinent. Because it’s a subcontinent, you realise there is so much more, and every community has so much more to say about the food they cook. “Of course, it’s blurred boundaries as you go through every space, but I feel like every 20 or 30 kilometres you’re travelling, the food changes – because the crop changes, because the climate changes, because the soil changes. All of that makes a huge difference.” So, when people ask her to sum up Indian food, Gowardhan says: “It’s like saying, ‘What is your favourite European food?’ Impossible.” ‘Tandoori Home Cooking’ by Maunika Gowardhan (Hardie Grant, £25). Read More Banging brunch recipes worth getting out of bed for Think pink: Three ways with rhubarb to make the most of the season Love wine but can’t afford it? Here’s how to drink luxury for less Three meat-free dishes to try this National Vegetarian Week How to make TikTok’s viral whole roasted cauliflower Gordon Ramsay: ‘I’m going off the beaten track to become a better cook’

No one likes mornings. Whether you’re having a slow start to the weekend, nursing a hangover or need a midweek pick-me-up, easing yourself in with an indulgent brunch is perfectly acceptable. You heard it here first. That’s why we asked Tasos Gaitanos and Alex Large, the old school friends behind London brunch institution Brother Marcus, for some flavoursome, summery recipes to get our days going. Celebrating vibrant Mediterranean cuisine, these recipes are worth getting out of bed for. Baked omelette and halloumi “Omelettes are an all-time favourite at Brother Marcus. We’ve given ours an Eastern Mediterranean touch by adding halloumi and baking it in the oven so it comes out golden in colour and light and fluffy in texture. This is best cooked in a skillet that can then be transferred to the oven for baking, but an ovenproof dish will also work.” Serves: 4 Ingredients: 30ml olive oil ½ a red pepper, diced 2 spring onions, chopped 100g spinach 12 eggs 230ml double cream 30g halloumi, grated Salt and freshly ground Black pepper Method: Preheat the oven to 200C fan. If using an ovenproof dish, place it in the oven to heat up. Heat the olive oil in a skillet, then add the red pepper and spring onion and saut. until softened. Add the spinach and season with salt and pepper, then saut. until wilted. Put to one side to cool. In a bowl, beat the eggs thoroughly with the double cream and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir in the grated halloumi and the cooled veg mix. If using the ovenproof dish, take it out of the oven and quickly brush it with a little olive oil. While it’s still hot, pour in the egg/veg/halloumi mix and put it back into the oven. Alternatively, pour the mixture back into the skillet and return it to the oven. Bake for 10 minutes until the eggs are puffy and golden. Garnish with some more grated halloumi and serve with buttered toast. Rhubarb and cherry porridge “Early spring sees the arrival of the first forced rhubarb, and adding it to this porridge is a delicious way to enjoy it for breakfast.” Serves: 4 Ingredients: For the porridge: 200g oats 500ml whole milk 1 star anise Pinch of ground cinnamon Pinch of ground nutmeg For the rhubarb: 300g forced rhubarb 120g caster sugar 1 sprig of rosemary Juice of a ¼ lemon To serve: 4 tbsp maple granola 4 tbsp sweet preserves 4 tsp finely chopped pistachios Method: Place the oats in a pan with the milk, star anise, cinnamon, nutmeg and 500ml water and stir while slowly bringing the mixture to a boil. Stirring is the key to getting the perfect porridge consistency! Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring all the time, then take off the heat once it is thick. If you need to loosen it further just add a splash of water. Wash the rhubarb and trim the ends off, then slice it diagonally every 2cm to make diamond shapes. Bring a pan of water to the boil and drop the rhubarb into it, boil for a couple of minutes, until just tender, and drain. Place the blanched rhubarb back in the pan and add the sugar, rosemary, lemon juice and 230ml water. Bring to the boil and immediately take off the heat and cover – the idea here is to keep the rhubarb nice and firm while also dissolving the sugar in rhubarby juices. To serve, divide the warm porridge between four bowls and top each with a tablespoon of the granola and a tablespoon of the cherry spoon sweets and their syrup. Arrange some rhubarb pieces on top and pour over some of the juices, then scatter over some finely chopped pistachios. Brother Mary “The Brother Mary is our very popular twist on the classic Bloody Mary, using flavours from countries all around the Eastern Med: Egypt, Syria, Greece and Turkey. It’s a brunch essential.” Serves: 2 Ingredients: 300ml tomato juice 100ml vodka 60ml lemon juice 30ml Worcester sauce 10ml ouzo Pinch of molokhia leaf Pinch of cayenne pepper Pinch of celery salt To garnish (optional): 1 tbsp Aleppo chilli 1 lemon wedge 2 small Turkish green peppers 2 x 300-400ml glasses Ice Method: Take the large Boston shaker and measure in the tomato juice, vodka, lemon juice, Worcester sauce and ouzo. Add healthy pinches of molokhia, cayenne pepper and celery salt, then pour from the big Boston into the little Boston and repeat five or six times. This will break up the molokhia a little. Put the Aleppo chilli onto a small plate. Wet the rim of your glasses by sliding the lemon wedge round them, then dip or roll your lemony rims in the chilli on the plate. Fill the glasses with ice, then pour over the Brother Mary mix and pop a green Turkish pepper on top! Recipes from ‘Brunch with Brother Marcus’ by Tasos Gaitanos and Alex Large (Kitchen Press, £25).