She says she knows tips and shortcuts, and “things that work for me as a mum cook”, but explains,“I’ve cooked forever, but I think that we work [well] together, because I’ll go ‘Can I put that and that in?’ It’s usually about quantities and mass that I’m asking John.”
But Faulkner’s ideas of combining ingredients are often winners with her husband, and their audiences, too.
Torode says:“This series, Lisa came up with an absolute ripper. She said,‘Oh, I like French onion soup. I like sausages and gravy. I love Welsh rarebit – so let’s put those together.’ “So we’ve got sausages in a French onion soup gravy mixture, and on top of that, bits of bread covered in Welsh rarebit, and the whole thing’s baked in the oven.You’ve got bread, cheese, onions and sausages all together on one plate.”
Faulker chips in:“It’s a really lovely thing,”
She’s also managed to bring her husband around to a more realistic way of approaching home-cooked food. His acceptance of quick-and-easy recipes being a prerequisite for modern family meals is illustrated in the wonderful, yet slightly bizarre, recipe Fish Finger Katsu Tacos. He says:“Years ago – had it been my recipe – I would have insisted that people make their own fish fingers, but actually that would become a scary recipe.” So the recipe includes shop-bought frozen fish fingers and tacos, in a homemade katsu curry sauce, with perhaps a grudging acceptance that even the sauce can be bought from a supermarket if necessary, to speed things up. “So this is what I’m saying about Lisa,” says Torode.“She’ll go ‘No John, people aren’t going to make their own fish fingers, mate, they’re just not gonna do it.’ “Fish finger taco – it’s inspired! Chuck that in the middle of the table and everybody can choose what they want.And everybody loves a fish finger.” Torode says they’re “very, very proud” of their new cookbook, but adds:“We hope the book isn’t for somebody just to sit there and read the recipes line by line, but actually, just be inspired to give it a go. “And – this is my biggest tip to everybody out there – you’re allowed to put your own spin on it. If there’s something in the recipe and you don’t like it, then don’t put it in, that’s fine.” John & Lisa’s Kitchen by John Torode and Lisa Faulkner is published by Quadrille, priced £25. Photography by Dan Jones. Available now.
Recipe - John Torode and Lisa Faulkner’s roast chicken and braised chipotle cabbage recipe on page 56 Recipe - John Torode and Lisa Faulkner’s chorizo and broken yolk smash recipe on page 58 Recipe - John Torode and Lisa Faulkner’s burnt Basque cheesecake recipe on page 60
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