In The Kitchen With… Alice Levine

Alice Levine, radio presenter and one half of supper club duo Jackson & Levine, loves nothing more than a cup of tea. But, whatever you do, don’t forget the milk!

LOVES

GARLIC

I love it in any form, and in large quantities. Nothing beats roasting a whole head, then popping the cloves out of their skins and spreading them on grilled sourdough. Wild garlic, picked in the spring and blended into a pesto, is also wonderful, as are shallow fried slices placed on top of a curry.

BUTTER

Laura Jackson [Alice’s supper club partner] and I recently made some butter for an event using the most amazing double cream and we served it with salt and radishes. To be honest though, any good quality salted butter is fine with me, especially when slathered on a doorstep of warm bread.

BLOOD ORANGES

The blood orange season is so short that I go in all guns blazing when it finally comes around. The flame-red flesh is so beautiful in a salad with Ricotta, or turned into a syrup and added to a G&T – the options are endless.

CHOCOLATE WITH SALT

I’m such a sucker for sweet and savoury together. Maldon smoked salt, sprinkled on top of brownies, is a sure fire way to make me eat the whole tray.

HATES

WOBBLY EGGS

There’s something about a loose egg that makes my stomach turn. If the white is a bit slimy and translucent, I just can’t cope!

MINCE

There’s no way of cooking mince so it doesn’t taste just a little bit gritty. Even in the best lasagne (aka my mum’s) I feel like it’s letting the side down a little.

BLACK TEA

There’s nothing finer and more comforting than a strong, milky cup of Yorkshire Tea. But a black tea? To me, it’s bitter and uninviting. When someone has run out of milk and asks me if I’m happy to have it as is, I immediately have to reassess our friendship. Are they happy to have a roast without gravy? No, I didn’t think so.

SWEETS

When I say sweets, I mean sweet shop sweets, as in fried eggs, cola bottles and Love Hearts. They hurt my teeth and taste like long car journeys.

Alice Levine and Laura Jackson’s new cookbook, Round to Ours, (£26, Quadrille) is out now.