VegNews.com is currently running my interview with vegetarian chef Rachel Demuth. I met Rachel earlier this year at her fantastic Fast and Delicious Cooking Course in Bath, England (click here for photos). Rachel was kind enough to share some advice with me on how to gain more speed and confidence in the kitchen, plus a delicious recipe for Slow Roasted Red Peppers with Smoky Chickpeas (reprinted below).

I can vouch for this recipe, as I’ve made it myself for a dinner party a few weeks back. The peppers were as delicious as they were simple to prepare and made the perfect compliment to my Muhammara Kebabs and Tim’s spiced couscous. I can also vouch for Rachel’s cookery school. I had so much fun and I’m still making the recipes we learned in class (just yesterday I made her roasted butternut squash and beetroot salad).

If you’re ever in Bath, and don’t have time for a whole cooking lesson, definitely check out Rachel’s restaurant. The first time I ate at Demuths, I was so wowed I bought the cookbook, visited the website, subscribed to the newsletter, and even emailed Rachel to ask how she made her phenomenal salad (yes, she wrote me back personally, with the recipe and all!). Now I consider Demuths one of the best restaurants in all of England. It’s really superb. But if you can’t get to Bath, she also has two excellent cookbooks: Green Seasons and Green World, both of which I own, and both of which have provided endless inspiration for fresh, seasonal vegetarian dishes.

Now, on to more immediate gratification: a recipe!

And don’t forget to check out my interview with Rachel in Vegnews: England’s Vegetarian Cookery School.