Cooking: Simply and Well, for One or Many

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While it is all about the way we eat now, it is also a ledger of memories and nearly forgotten pleasures, peppered with Lee’s tales of the Laigh Bakery and Coffee House in Edinburgh where politicos and artists used to gather for a coffee ‘and the considerable pile of shortbread sitting beside a bowl of whipped cream’ or reminders that ‘Salmagundy (aka sallet magundi, solomongundy or salmagundi) has as many variations in its spelling as it has ingredients and thus makes good use of an ashet [the old Scots word for a dish].

Loved by the London food world since making his mark at Terence Conran’s Blueprint Cafe, it seems like an oversight that Lee has not published a cookbook until now. His incredible dedication to British produce is apparent in his simple, delicious food, coming out of the kitchen at the beloved Quo Vadis in Soho. The driving force behind Home Food is the sense of connection – to family, friends, community ­– that cooking can bring in times of hardship, and it thoroughly deserves a place on every cook’s shelf. Holding the mould with a cloth in each hand, and exercising great care, cautiously swirl the caramel around the bottom of the mould until it is evenly covered.I like the salmagundi, an amazing salad incorporating fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, and was a favourite in the Renaissance court. When I went to The Blueprint Café I was given free rein which was remarkable, especially as Terence was such a well-known businessman and it was an incredibly rare opportunity for a chef,’ says Jeremy. Open the book at random and you’ll find sentences such as ‘I like the Presbyterian forthrightness of leek pie’ or ‘It is near miraculous how much water is released from the chard but perseverance pays a fine dividend’. Place the tart on a wire rack over a tray to catch any butter that may fall from the tart while baking.

To make the mincemeat, peel and core the apples, cut them into small randomly shaped pieces and toss in the lemon and orange juice to avoid browning. A striking dish with the pale green sauce pooled in the plate, contrasting with the delicate silvered skin of the hake. But it is worth, now and again, just sitting at a table, in a rare quiet moment, looking once more at a book, even without photographs, which might have inspired the mother of a cook to tap-tap-tap at a recipe and set to in the kitchen. Put the tart in the preheated oven and cook for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 160C/325F/gas mark 3 for a further 50 minutes. The food world was still starched and traditional: high hats, an implacable kitchen hierarchy and Escoffier was God.Their partnership was advertised by the endless runs of ‘butterfly’ paintings that lined the walls, a suitable testament to the voguish style of the end of the millennium.