Blog
Notes from my kitchen
What I cook, how I cook it, and what I have learned working in catering in London.
Książulo’s pizza: why a frozen pizza divided Poland
Poland’s best-known food YouTuber launched his own frozen pizza in Żabka. What is in it, why it is made in Slovakia and why fans are split, from a cook’s point of view.
Read the post →Food hygiene in 10 minutes: my mini course
Six short lessons on food safety from a working chef: bacteria, temperatures, storage, personal hygiene and pests, plus a quick quiz.
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Meet Pani Halinka, my AI kitchen storyteller
Meet Pani Halinka, a 68-year-old village cook created with AI, who will share real Polish regional recipes on this blog.
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Cabbage is finally cool. I could have told you
Food writers say 2026 is the year of cabbage. In Polish kitchens it never went out of fashion. Here is why, plus five dishes worth knowing.
Read the post →Meet my new kitchen helper
A Czech chef and his cat explain, in Czech, why stuffed cabbage rolls beat every other dish. Hard to argue with a cat.
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What I cooked on Friday, 2 October 2026
Week 3 of the menu cycle: fish and chips, a Chinese vegetable stir fry, vegan mango cheesecake and more, with calories next to every dish.
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Menu planning
A sample week of mixed lunches
Polish food on some days, English on others. Here is a five-day mixed menu I put together for a team of thirty.
Read the full post ▾Monday starts with żurek and a kotlet schabowy with mash. Tuesday is roast chicken with potatoes and seasonal veg. Wednesday brings pierogi ruskie with fried onion. Thursday is steak and ale pie, and Friday ends the week with fish and chips.
I plan the week so heavier and lighter days take turns, with a vegetarian option every day. The full menu goes out on Monday morning, with the allergens next to every dish.
Any dish can be swapped for one from the other kitchen, which keeps the week interesting for the people eating it.
Hospital catering
The 14 allergens and how I label them
In the UK, food businesses have to tell customers about 14 allergens. On a hospital ward that list matters at every single meal.
Read the full post ▾Every dish I send out carries a label with the allergens it contains. These are the 14 I check for:
Celery
Cereals containing gluten, such as wheat, rye and barley
Crustaceans
Eggs
Fish
Lupin
Milk
Molluscs
Mustard
Tree nuts
Peanuts
Sesame
Soya
Sulphur dioxide and sulphites
Because I cook from scratch, I know exactly what goes into each pot. A shop-bought sauce can hide mustard or celery somewhere in its ingredients. When I make the sauce myself, nothing is hidden.
Christmas
Wigilia, the Polish Christmas Eve supper
Wigilia is the Polish Christmas Eve supper. Here is how it works and what I put on the table.
Read the full post ▾The supper starts when the first star appears in the sky. Tradition says there should be twelve dishes on the table and none of them should contain meat. Fish takes the place of honour, usually carp or herring.
My Wigilia menu has barszcz with uszka, pierogi with sauerkraut and mushrooms, fish, and kompot made from dried fruit. The next day it is time for an English Christmas dinner, with roast turkey and all the trimmings.
Most of these dishes can be made a day ahead. If you would like any of the recipes, write to me.
How I cook
Why I don't cook from jars
Ready-made sauces save time. I still make every sauce myself, and here is why.
Read the full post ▾The tomato sauce for my gołąbki and stuffed peppers starts with onions, tomatoes and stock. The gravy for a roast comes from the roasting tray. Żurek gets its sour taste from fermented rye.
It takes longer, but I always know what is inside. That matters for allergens, for the amount of salt, and for taste.
It is also why the food tastes like home cooking.