BUTTER
Butter is unsalted unless stated otherwise. Do buy decent butter; all- (or predominantly) grass-fed, if you can.
DAIRY
The recipes have been tested using full-fat or whole dairy, unless stated otherwise.
EGGS
Eggs are large, unless stated otherwise, and always free-range for preference.
OVEN TEMPERATURE
Ovens run at varying temperatures and most have hot spots. A good, free-standing oven thermometer will do wonders for your cooking, helping you to understand your oven’s habits. These recipes have been tested in both conventional and fan ovens, always using an oven thermometer for accuracy. Temperatures are in degrees Celsius, but please remember that fan ovens run hot, so temperatures will need to be adjusted down by about 20°C: in practice this means that a 180°C temperature printed in this book means turning the dial on a fan oven to 160°C.
SEASONING
In savoury recipes, ‘salt’ refers to flakes of sea salt, such as Maldon; in sweet recipes and baking, it’s usually best to use fine sea salt to distribute it evenly and subtly. ‘Pepper’ refers to freshly ground black peppercorns. ‘Season’ means adding sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
SPOON MEASURES
All spoon measurements should be level, unless stated otherwise.
WEIGHT/MASS/VOLUME
A contentious point: I use scales to weigh ingredients in grams and kilograms and have not tested these recipes using cup measurements. I cannot guarantee accuracy if they are converted into cups by the means of standardised charts without re-testing, especially where baking is concerned.