I made some Chilli Con Carne last night. Well, when I say some I mean a whole vat of the stuff. I used a Jamie Oliver recipe which was really easy to do, even if it did take 2 hours from start to finish!

I think everyone that wants to learn to cook should start with a Jamie Oliver book. He may get a lot of stick for his early work and his style of presenting, but anyone who has done any cooking using one of his books has got to admit, he knows his stuff. What Jamie Oliver does that no other chef has done is make cooking easy…er. Recipes aren’t over complicated with techniques and ingredients that only few have encountered, instead they teach you the basic flavours and textures of what a lot of dishes should be. It may be rustic, but refined cuisine comes from experience and practise and Jamie’s recipes give you the confidence to try more and learn more.

OK, back to my chilli. It was a lot less spicy than my flatmates and I were used to, but it was tasty nonetheless. Leftovers are great for lunch (which I’ve just eaten) and I’m even thinking of using as a pasta sauce tonight…. Versatile stuff.