We test out recipes from Mr & Mrs Wilkinson's new cookbook

Earlier this week we roadtested different recipes from Matt Wilkinson and Sharlee Gibb’s new cookbook, Mr & Mrs Wilkinson’s How it is at Home, and invited Matt and Sharlee to come in and select the best one. Here are the results of our office cook-off…


Anthony Shaw made ‘Zucchini & feta fritters’ (pg. 40):

The combination of flavours and the ease with which the recipe is put together make these fritters a winner. Basically you grate and drain some zucchini, add an egg and feta and mix, then toss in the dry ingredients and fry – what could be simpler? Yogurt, mint and grated cucumber is the perfect zesty dressing to accompany the fritters.

Simple, quick and tasty – Mr and Mrs Wilkinson’s fritters are perfect for a spring picnic or to accompany lamb on the barbie.



Chris Gordon made ‘Flatbreads with salads & spreads’ (pg. 64):

As I leapt out of bed, full of vigour for the day ahead, I found myself almost disappointed that it would only take me 20 minutes to create three dishes from the grazing pages of this very pretty and practical cookbook. (Almost…) What, I thought to myself, I have time for more coffee? Perfect.

The two salads I tried were both tremendously easy, smelled delicious, and could quite seriously be made in five minutes flat. You slice, dice and mix: truly simple and innovative recipes. I’ll be making both again. The hummus was also very straightforward. It involved frying up the chick peas with the garlic and then pulsing those peas with a generous spoon of tahini, lemon juice and salt. Delicious.

I’m always grateful for a cookbook that gives you a no-nonsense approach to eating well – with friends, family and, of course, excellent work colleagues.


Lian Hingee made ‘Pea mint and ricotta filo tartlets’ (pg. 112) + ‘Raspberry and lemon verbena cordial’ (pg. 233):

I’m a sucker for mint in savoury dishes, so the tartlets were an obvious choice. These little parcels were lovely and light with fresh flavours. I loved the combination of mint and pea. The recipe is quick and fuss-free, and considering the total lack of skill and effort needed, the resulting filo tartlets looked pretty fancy. They’re a great item to take to a family BBQ.

I also wanted to make the cordial. I had a bit of trouble finding lemon verbena so I replaced it with a stalk of lemongrass, and the result was a sweet and slightly complex cordial that paired really nicely with sparkling mineral water. It made a bit less than the recipe said, and next time I might add a bit of water during cooking to thin the mix a little, but it was a delicious, grown-up alternative to shop-bought cordials – and a great mixer for summer cocktails!



Bronte Coates made ‘Pumpkin scones’ (pg. 49):

I love scones but I’ve only ever made plain ones myself before, so I decided to try my hand at pumpkin. I also loved the simplicity of this recipe – what could go wrong? Of course, I may have forgotten to weigh my pumpkin… (I guesstimated the amount before steaming and mashing the vegetable but then forgot to check it before adding it into the mixture.) So they did come out a bit flatter than I expect they’re meant to but I still thought the flavour was delicious: sweet and perfect when paired with a good slathering of butter.


Kara Nicholson made ‘Zucchini bread, salami, cheese & pickles’ (pg. 113):

I love that this book has a picnic section as transportability is key for me. I chose the this recipe as I wanted to have a go at pickling vegetables and marinating feta. The zucchini bread was sweeter than I expected and more like a cake in texture, but it went really well with the salty feta and the vinegar from the pickled fennel and carrot. We chose to marinate the feta in turmeric-infused olive oil with fennel seeds, garlic and black pepper corns which all sounds very fancy but was seriously easy to throw together.


Judi Mitchell made ‘Chocolate and fennel cookies’ (pg. 89):

I love fennel in all its guises. In winter I’ll use it in soup or as a gratin, make refreshing salads in summer and I always have fennel tea in the house. However I’ve never thought to use it in sweet dishes. When I saw this cookie recipe I was instantly attracted to the chocolate and fennel combination – two bittersweet flavours which seemed a great match. The instructions were simple to follow and the results were outstanding – chewy, chocolatey goodness with a delicious fennel hit.

I’ve also made the ‘Lemon, polenta and almond cake’ and the ‘Chocolate brownies’ from this book, both of which were a hit with family and friends.


Jan Lockwood made ‘Strawberry frangipane tart’ (pg. 107):

I never ever make dessert, let alone bake one, so I thought I’d challenge myself this time. I thought that shopping for vanilla bean paste was going to be the hardest part… until I went into Woolies and it was there on the shelf, and on special. I don’t have an electric mixer so my beaten sugar and butter couldn’t really be described as light and fluffy, but after mixing those two ingredients by hand until, um, mixed, it really was a cinch just to add and combine the egg, vanilla paste, almond meal and cornflour and pour into the greased pan.

Strawberries are definitely coming into season and were pretty reasonably priced and, after I’d arranged them very artistically on top, it was into the oven. It’s worth checking how brown the top is turning during the bake time. My oven managed to brown the top very quickly while failing to actually bake the centre, but I was prepared for that and put some foil over the edges part way through.

The final result took a little longer than the 40 minutes but it looked a treat. The combined aromas of almond, strawberry and vanilla coming from the kitchen were delicious.


And the winner is…

Zucchini bread, salami, cheese & pickles for savoury.
Chocolate and fennel cookies for sweet.

Plus, a highly commended for the raspberry and lemon verbena cordial!


We have signed copies of Mr & Mrs Wilkinson’s How it is at Home available online, only while stocks last.

Cover image for Mr & Mrs Wilkinson's How it is at Home: A cookbook for every family

Mr & Mrs Wilkinson’s How it is at Home: A cookbook for every family

Matt Wilkinson,Sharlee Gibb

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