Live webchat with Josceline Dimbleby Weds 7 Nov 1-2pm

CariGransnet

Celebrated cookery writer Josceline Dimbleby joins us at GNHQ on 7 Nov for a live webchat. Her best-selling book, Marvellous Meals With Mince, was first published in 1982 and has now been completely rewritten and updated.

She has written over 20 other cookery books (selling more than 2 million copies) and was food columnist for the Sunday Telegraph for over 15 years. She has also published a memoir, Orchards in the Oasis, which combines recipes with tales from her extraordinary upbringing and which won The Guild of Food Writers Award for Work on Food and Travel.

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rosiemus

I buy a lot of mince for reasons of economy but I am rather bored of all the things I make with it - meatballs, spag bol, lasagne - so please can you inspire me?!

Well Rosiemus I might have written Marvellous Meals with Mince just for you as you will find all sorts of different and original ideas for mince of all sorts in it - not only beef but lamb, pork, chicken, turkey and even fish. There are pies, soups, lots of stuffed things - a bit of everything in fact, and lots of new flavours too. So I hope that's helpful!

sorrel

Are your children keen cooks?

Yes sorrel - nice name - they all cook well having been brought up in a household where food and food chat was very important. My son Henry has even made a business of it - he started the healthy fast food chain Leon - when in London try one - delicious - and make you feel good!

flopsybunny

How do you collect your recipes, in both senses - where do you find them and how do you keep them so you can put your hand on them and remember them?

Hello Flopsybunny - I didn't start out as a cook -I trained as a singer but when I started to cook after marriage I wanted to bring back the tastes and smells of my travelling childhood (my parents were diplomats so we went all over) and began experimenting with ideas of my own. So my recipes are very personal or else twists on classic things like Shepherd's Pie - I have never been able to follow a classic recipe - I have to create something myself. And when I've tried out the ideas and written down what I've done plus the ingredient amounts etc they slowly become a recipe which goes into one of my books. Quite laborious but worth it!

kacey

Please forgive me for asking a very personal question but it's something so often discussed on here. I wondered how you coped with the break up of your marriage - particularly when it was all so high profile. Did your work help? I have learned many coping strategies from reading the experiences of many wise gransnetters on here but would love to now how you got through such a difficult period.

As everyone who's been through it knows it's hard but I think the most important thing for both partners and the children is to work hard to remain friends so I think I can say I didn't make mince meat out of my errant husband! And time does heal. Plus now we have grandchildren we have more in common than just the past.

threesugars

Josceline, do you have grandchildren? Were your kids/grandkids easy to cook for? Did they eat everything or were they fussy? My granddaughter (one) loves mince (beef) thank goodness!

My three children were slow starters but now I have 7 grandchildren of 7 and under who are all very different and an increasing joy. When my children were very young they would eat almost anything I gave them including my spicy experiments but when they went to school they asked for fish fingers etc. But they always loved mince - I think both children and grandparents love it because they don't have to chew too hard!

applepie

Hi there. I shop around a bit and go to various supermarkets, but I've noticed when I've bought mince from Asda, there is a lot of excess oil in the pan. This doesn't happen with mince from Morrisons. How do I know whether the mince I buy is good meat?

AnneMaria

Hi, Continuing on the mince theme, I use mince for pasta, pies, hot pot etc and find chicken a nice alternative for lasagna or other pasta dishes. I like to try to use good quality mince but what's the best way to tell that it is what it says on the packet so to avoid excess water and fat?

You've both asked the same thing and its a bit hard. On the whole the paler the mince the more fat it has in it. And you may have to experiment with different stores to see who do the best mince. Best of all is to get a good butcher to mince meat or chicken for you so you see it before its minced - you can ask for it either fine, minced twice or coarse, which I like best for meatballs, pies - in fact most things.

cleopatra

My mother used to make meatballs with minced chicken and they were light and delicious. But I can't find chicken mince anywhere. Turkey - yes, but I am less keen on that. Any ideas? I really can't face doing it myself.

Cleopatra - I love minced chicken and turkey and have plenty of recipes for it in my mince book. I saw minced chicken in Sainsburys the other day - but you can always ask your butcher to mince some skinless thigh (the nicest chicken meat I think, and cheapest) fillets for you, or if you have a food processer you can simply chop them up in that in seconds.

threesugars

What is it with kids and fish fingers?! Speaking of which, do you ever just have fish fingers yourself for tea? Or toast? Or a bowl of cereal? Or is it always a 'proper' meal?

Actually I rather love fish fingers - I don't cook them for myslef but when I give them, on clear demand, for my grandchildren I always steal one or two and dip them in garlic mayonnaise.

antheaj

I just saw this webchat advertised on twitter and wanted to ask a question. I have heard people talking about FISH mince. Does such a thing exist? Where would you buy it? And what on earth would you use it for?

I don't think fish mince as such exists but I wanted some fish recipes in my very varied mince book to make delicious things like fish sausages and there are some luscious quenelles in saffron sauce - but you just have to chop the fish fillets or whizz them really briefly in a food processor.

nonnanna

So thrilled to find this thread as 'Marvellous Meals with Mince' is still on my kitchen shelf. Along with 'Curries and Oriental Cookery' which was also written by Josceline Dimbleby. Other cookery books have been and gone but these two have stayed with me through five house moves and two ex other halves. Thank you Josceline for providing these constants in my life for over thirty years. My children absolutely adored two recipes from MMwM. They even ask for them now when visiting with the grandchildren. 'Little Meatballs in Rich Cheese Sauce' and 'Piglet Pie'. This was a favourite on Mondays using up Sunday's left over roast pork in place of fresh pork mince and adding a little stock or left over gravy in place of frying oil. In these frugal times could we make more use of meat left over from a joint and minced to use in some recipes? From CaOC we can recommend 'Meatballs cooked in Yogurt'. Maybe this could be incorporated into the new mince recipe book? I just love how so many mince recipes can be prepared in advance and popped into the oven when you turn on the veg. Perfect for allowing you to spend time with visitors or when you come home after a busy day out.

What a nice message Nononna - thank you. In fact at many literary festivals I have talked at over the last few years - sometimes not about a cookery book - at least someone in the audience has either mentioned Marvellous Meals with Mince or brought an old stained copy for me to sign. The new edition is more glamorous looking and I've revised all the recipes and added a few so as many people also told me their copy was stolen years ago I hope it will be useful! And yes, I wish I had added Meatballs cooked in Yogurt this time.
You can certainly use left over meat for may of the recipes such as the pies.

Grannygee

I too was given Marvellous Meals with Mince by my lovely husband Pete when he went shopping one day for me to Sainsbury's. I have Cooking with Herbs and Spices and your Desserts one too Josceline. Pete adulterated the title and crossed out 100 and put 1000 on the mince title! Quite right he was too as we were mostly quite hard up at the beginning of our married life so it was a real boon to me to have the recipes. So much has changed since then. Good mince isn't what I would describe as 'cheap' anymore! I still do lots of recipes using it though and it is in part with thanks to you that my love of cookery 'lifted off'. Thank you.

And thank you too Grannygee - glad you like the books and that they have survived so long.

ursulaminor

Hi Josceline - my family likes meatballs - and I have always made them by adding egg, seasoning and breadcrumbs to the mince. But my new SIL is a coeliac so I am not sure what I can add instead of the breadcrumbs?

Hi Ursulaminor - who is Ursula senior! - I hardly ever use breadcrumbs or egg in my meatball recipes as you'll see in my book. The Italians always put breadcrumbs in their meatballs as it makes them softer but I don't think its necessary so no problem for your SIL if you make some of mine!

milliesmum

My youngest DD has just gone off to university and seems to be living off pasta and chips. I am going to buy your book for her but wondered what tips and suggestions you might have - must be low budget and low effort!!

In fact my mince book has been apparently been given to countless children off to university so I think she'll find a lot of low budget and low effort, but tasty, recipes there. One woman told me that her son was a puny boy who hated most food - she gave him my book to go to university with and after 3 years he emerged a fine figure of a man who adored cooking!

eGJ

Hello Josceline. I have a non mice related query! I seem to remember a recipe of yours for a frozen pudding with banana, meringue and I think chocolate. Everyone adored it, but the book fell apart and I failed to copy down the recipe. Help!

I may not be right as I have written so many pudding recipes in different books but do you mena Banana and White Chocolate Mousse which was in a Sainsburys book called Sweet Dreams? If so I checked on Amazon and they still have some copies which you can buy for almost nothing - and its an ambrosial pudding even if it isn't the one you mean!