Olivia Potts

Olivia Potts is a former criminal barrister who retrained as a pastry chef. She co-hosts The Spectator’s Table Talk podcast and writes Spectator Life's The Vintage Chef column. A chef and food writer, she was winner of the Fortnum and Mason's debut food book award in 2020 for her memoir A Half Baked Idea.

The secret to making great oysters Rockefeller

19 October 2024 9:00 am

There’s nothing more intriguing than a closely guarded secret recipe. Coca-Cola and KFC are two famous examples, with the precise…

Potato crisps and the British character

12 October 2024 9:00 am

Pickled fish. Lemon tea. Cucumber. Doner kebab. Stewed beef noodles. Salted egg. Soft shell crab. Coney island mustard. Smoked gouda.…

The joy of tarte Tatin

5 October 2024 9:00 am

When it comes to traditional recipes, there are few things we love more than an unlikely origin story, ideally one…

Give vitello tonnato a chance

21 September 2024 9:00 am

I am sure there are beloved British dishes that inspire horror in those from different cultures, that are truly unappealing…

The no-bake bliss of icebox cake

7 September 2024 9:00 am

Standing in the biscuit aisle of my local supermarket, I’m overwhelmed by possibilities. This isn’t unusual for me, but normally…

American salads are weird – but an egg salad is perfect

24 August 2024 9:00 am

The Americans are weird about salad. I’m sorry, but somebody had to say it. Really, their use of the word…

Yorkshire curd tart: a well-kept, delicious secret

10 August 2024 9:00 am

There are many old dishes in the UK that are hyper-regional, whose reach has never extended beyond geographical boundaries but…

My shameful shortcut to perfect pesto

27 July 2024 9:00 am

Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been… too long since my last confession. Picture the scene. I…

How to make perfect scones

13 July 2024 9:00 am

I am evangelical about scones as a gateway bake – they are the perfect entry point for the nervous baker.…

You shouldn’t be afraid of steak tartare

29 June 2024 9:00 am

Whenever I think of steak tartare, I can’t help but remember a heartbreaking passage in Nigel Slater’s memoir Toast. Slater,…

The pleasure of reliving foreign travel through food

22 June 2024 9:00 am

Russian hand pies, Polish chlodnik, Turkish fruit compote and a Latvian trifle are among the many dishes recreated in Edinburgh by the globetrotting Caroline Eden

How to make elderflower cordial

15 June 2024 9:00 am

I have a complicated relationship with elderflower cordial. I love taking ingredients that have short seasons, preserving and squirrelling them…

The not-so-French roots of chicken cordon bleu

1 June 2024 9:00 am

We all have our quirks when it comes to cooking. I have clear mental blocks over what is and is…

‘Terribly chic’: how to make chouquettes

18 May 2024 9:00 am

I have become obsessed with the French idea of goûter, the time in the afternoon when French schoolchildren have a…

How to make ham and parsley sauce

4 May 2024 9:00 am

Poor old parsley sauce. As someone who writes regularly about old-fashioned food, it often feels that we are living through…

How Linzer torte stood the test of time

20 April 2024 9:00 am

Linzer torte has quite the claim to fame: some assert that it’s the oldest cake in the world; others that…

Tricky but delicious: how to make the perfect pretzels

6 April 2024 9:00 am

My husband is obsessed with pretzels. The joy that a slightly warm, soft baked pretzel brings him is disproportionate. And,…

You are what you don’t eat

16 March 2024 9:00 am

In the past, the ability to preserve food depended largely on people’s means, making Eleanor Barnett’s history of food waste also a history of changing attitudes to poverty