He never warms the jars, so why doesn’t my son’s marmalade go mouldy?

When my son makes marmalade, he never warms the jars or uses circles of baking paper and cellophane – he just puts the lids on. It never goes mouldy, so am I wasting my time doing it the “proper” way?Dagna, Berkhamsted, HertsYou can’t get much sweeter than marmalade, and this is most likely the reason for both Dagna and her son’s success, despite their differing strategies. “The chance of mould developing is low because there’s so much sugar to balance the bitterness of the orange peel,” says Camilla Wynne, preserver and author of All That Crumbs Allow. “Mould needs water to do its thing, and sugar binds to water.” She recalls a former student who, like Dagna’s son, simply ladled her marmalade into jars and closed the lids

Kenji Morimoto’s recipe for miso leek custard tart with fennel slaw

This savoury custard tart celebrates some of my favourite flavours (and dishes): jammy miso leeks, savoury-sweet chawanmushi (a Japanese steamed custard flavoured with dashi) and toasty sesame seeds, all enveloped in flaky pastry. It feels decadent, so it’s best served with a simple fennel salad, zingy with apple cider vinegar and mustard. It’s excellent eaten while still warm from the oven (be patient!), but even better as leftovers, because I have a soft spot for cold eggy tarts.Shop-bought pastry can, of course, be used, but making it from scratch is what makes this dish that much more special.Prep 30 min Chill 1 hr 15 min+Cook 45 min Serves 6-8For the pastry185g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1 tsp salt 100g cold unsalted butter, cubedFor the leeks2 tbsp vegetable oil 350g leeks, trimmed, halved lengthways and cut into 3cm segments Salt 2 tbsp red miso 2 tbsp honeyFor the egg mixture 5 eggs 150ml whole milk 1 tbsp dashi granules 1 tbsp sesame seeds Chives, thinly sliced, to garnishChilli oil, for servingFor the slaw300g fennel, trimmed and thinly sliced or cut using a mandoline 2 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, tender stems and leaves chopped 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp dijon mustardFirst make the pastry: in a food processor, blitz the flour, salt and butter into a breadcrumb-like consistency

Nine easy swaps to reduce ultra-processed foods in your diet: it’s not an ‘all-or-nothing approach’

Modern western diets are full of ultra-processed foods, but experts say we need to reduce our intake. Here they offer achievable alternativesMy week avoiding ultra-processed foodsGet our weekend culture and lifestyle email“It’s not poor willpower,” says Mark Lawrence. The ecological nutrition professor from Deakin University is a global expert in ultra-processed foods, a beacon of knowledge in the proliferation of UPFs. “It’s really difficult to avoid them.”Australia, alongside the US and UK, has one of the world’s highest consumption rates of ultra-processed foods which have been linked to “multiple diet-related chronic diseases”, according to a global report of which Lawrence was a co-author

Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for harissa-spiked orzo with chickpeas and pine nuts | Quick and easy

This is my favourite store-cupboard dinner when faced with the pre-shop complaints that “there’s nothing in the fridge”. The cherry tomatoes provide a welcome fresh note, but otherwise it’s a happy cupboard raid. An old Nigel Slater recipe first put me on to the idea of using yoghurt to finish a pasta dish, and it works brilliantly here to balance the harissa. Excellent for a work-from-home lunch, too.Prep 10 min Cook 15 min Serves 230g pine nutsFlaky sea salt 200g orzo 1 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated200g cherry tomatoes, halved400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed (see my review for the best brands)2 heaped tbsp jarred rose harissa paste (I like Belazu)Juice of ½ lemon2 heaped tbsp Greek yoghurt, to serveFresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped to finish (optional)Put a large frying pan on a medium heat, then add the pine nuts, turn down the heat and toast, stirring and watching constantly, for three to four minutes, until evenly golden brown all over – do not leave the pan unattended, because they will burn

My week avoiding ultra-processed foods: ‘Why is it this hard?’

I’ve been eating ultra-processed foods (UPFs) all my life. Breakfast as a child was often Coco Pops, Rice Bubbles or white toast slathered in spreadable butter. Dinners usually involved processed sauces, such as Chicken Tonight or Dolmio, and my lunchboxes always contained flavoured chippies or plasticky cheese.I don’t blame my parents for this. Now I’m a parent too, I have cartons of juice and flavoured yoghurt as part of my parenting arsenal

How to make mapo tofu – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

Mapo tofu is a Chengdu favourite typical of the “spicy generosity” of Sichuan food, Fuchsia Dunlop explains, though it’s perhaps better not translated as “pock-marked old woman’s tofu”. It may even convert you to the joys of tofu itself, should you still be on the fence about the stuff, because its creamy softness is the perfect foil for the intensely savoury, tingly seasoning involved here. It’s also ready in mere minutes.Prep 10 min Cook 7 min Serves 22 garlic cloves 1 small knob fresh root ginger 4 spring onions Salt 250g plain tofu (I like a soft one, but see step 3)2 tsp cornflour, or potato or tapioca starch 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns 2 tbsp neutral oil 40g pork mince, or beef mince, or a plant-based alternative1 heaped tbsp Sichuan chilli bean paste (also called spicy doubanjiang or toban djan, see step 8)½ tbsp fermented black beans, drained1 tsp chilli flakes, drained if in oil (drizzle this on top, if you prefer)85ml waterIf serving this with rice, which is how it’s generally eaten (though you could have it with noodles instead), put that on to cook. It’s also nice with some steamed green vegetables or a cucumber salad on the side