Meg Walker
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Freelance writer and editor @ The Perfect Word. Contributing features editor @ IMAGE. Love books, food, travel, cats and time with my kin. She/her. Views my own
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Articles by Meg Walker
A Father's Day Essay by Lisa Scottoline
Dear Friends, Please join us in welcoming beloved #1 bestselling author Lisa Scottoline whose new novel This Changes Everything will be released on July 14th. To celebrate Lisa’s upcoming release—and in honor of Father’s Day this weekend—we have a beautiful personal essay she has written exclusively for the Friends & Fiction community. Thank you, Lisa, for this moving tribute to your grandfather and the sacrifices he made to build a better life for his children and future generations.
This fish & chips burger was made for long weekends
Image / Living / Food & Drink by 03rd Apr 2026 Looking for some recipe inspiration this Easter weekend? Try this delicious fish & chips burger. Back in 2003, I used to host a radio show called The Rock Copter for Total Rock. The station was above a pub in South London. Across the road was the best fish and chips restaurant in London, run by these twin brothers.
Kick off your Veganuary with Lucy Watson's vegan pad Thai
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 11th Jan 2026 “Another Asian dish that is a particular favourite of mine. However, I discovered only recently that a lot of places make pad Thai with a fish sauce, so even vegetable pad Thai could be off the table for vegans and vegetarians! The good news is that fish sauce is actually quite easy to recreate by infusing tamarind paste and soy sauce.
Made by Meg Catering
Founded in 2007, we have over 19 years of experience with catering for weddings, special celebrations, and corporate events, along with managing two wedding venues in Los Angeles. We thrive in events both intimate and grand, from in-home to offsite event services. If you have a So Cal event we can help with, contact us today for a custom menu and quote! We're the catering service by foodies, for foodies.
Don't know what to do with your leftover Christmas ham? Here's a recipe to solve that problem
Image / Living / Food & Drink by 26th Dec 2025 For those of you still with mountains of leftovers to work through, James Kavanagh and William Murray's penne pasta made with wild garlic pesto, cabbage, and pickled walnut will help you make good use of your Christmas ham. This is another variation – an elevation, we go so far as to say! – of bacon and cabbage. Leftover ham is one of the most useful things you can have in your fridge.
Crispy fish tacos are the easiest warm weather meal
Everybody loves crispy fish and the secret is in the batter. This recipe uses rice flour, which forms the lightest tempura-style batter while also being naturally gluten-free. Any type of meaty white fish would work well. Increase the amount of paprika to spice things up a little.
Diving through time: South Australia’s flooded caves hide a rich megafauna history Original
Meg Walker studies at Griffith University. The team receives funding from The Australian Research Council. She is affiliated with Cave Divers Association of Australia. Joseph Monks, is an industry fellow at Griffith University. The team receives funding from The Australian Research Council of which he is a Partner investigator. He is an advance cave diver and the liaison to the Cave Divers Association of Australia. Julien Louys works for Griffith University.
Supper Club: Fearne Cotton's haddock burrito, punchy salsa and homemade guacamole
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 24th Mar 2025 My last meal on earth would go a little something like this. I love the whole ritual of wrapping up the creamy avocado, punchy salad, and beautifully cooked fish, and messily devouring in one big mouthful.
Sinéad O’Shea: 'Edna O’Brien is one of the great lives of the 20th century'
I first interviewed Edna O’Brien nine years ago for Publishers Weekly and ahead of meeting her, I read The Country Girls and the book she’d just published, The Little Red Chairs. I’d never read her work before, even though I’d studied English literature at college, so I had this false impression of her writing and when I finally read those books and met her, it was a huge revelation. From then on, I began to look at her as the literary great she really was.
What's for dinner? Vegan one-pot black bean and lentil chilli
Ingredients For the stew 300g dried black beans 1 tsp salt 300g dried beluga (black) lentils 2 × 400g tins chopped tomatoes 2 yellow onions, finely chopped 500g assorted mushrooms, roughly chopped 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped 20g coriander, leaves and stalks, finely chopped 1 large red pepper, finely chopped 1 courgette, finely chopped 2 tbsp tomato paste 2 tbsp Magical Mushroom Powder (see recipe below) or vegetable bouillon 200g spinach, chopped To serve cooked grains,...
What to bake: Pecan praline brownies recipe
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 27th Oct 2024 Toasting glossy pecans in the oven before combining them with caramel and blitzing them into a praline brings out the distinctive buttery flavour of the nuts and works brilliantly with deviously dark, gooey brownies. You can use any nut you like, but I think pecans are particularly indulgent and have a sweet richness that other nuts struggle to match.
What to eat tonight: Ricotta and aubergine pasta
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 03rd Apr 2024 In Catania, this is called pasta alla Norma in honour of the operatic masterpiece by Catania’s favourite son, Vincenzo Bellini. Others call it spaghetti alla coppola (spaghetti with a hat on). My Vincenzo calls it pasta con le melanzane, so I do too. It is a favourite (along with all the other favourites), especially in the summer, when it is made with vegetables that are full of sun.
Supper Club: Chicken satay skewers with peanut dip
Skip to content Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 11th Apr 2024 There are many different types of marinade, and this is one of the simplest, giving the chicken a smoky caramelised flavour with a hint of lemongrass, cumin and turmeric. For a complete satay meal, it is served with peanut sauce, cucumber wedges, red onion slices and, if you want to be really authentic, cubes of pressed rice.
What to eat tonight: Nori-crusted salmon with soba noodles
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 20th Feb 2024 I’m a huge salmon lover, so I’m always looking for new ways to prepare and serve it. Here, I’ve teamed it with nori, and its salty sea flavour works perfectly with the succulent rich fish. It’s served on a fresh, ginger-flavoured bed of soba noodles as the smart carb and a gorgeous mix of veggies.
What to bake this weekend: Neven Maguire’s brown soda bread, the bread that goes with everything
Image / Living / Food & Drink Otherwise known as wheaten bread, this is a recipe that’s close to my heart, as it has taken me years to perfect. It’s a great bread for novice cooks to start with, as there is no proving or kneading – the bicarbonate is responsible for the rise when it reacts with the buttermilk. If you don’t have any buttermilk in the house, sour ordinary milk with the juice of a lemon or 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, which gives the bread a little more tang, will work too.
What to bake this weekend: Lavender shortbread
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 16th Jun 2024 Shortbread is one of the simplest biscuits to make. The key to keeping it short–- that is, crumbly and not tough – is not to over-mix the dough or overwork it when rolling it out. For a stronger lavender hit, use more lavender flowers or lavender sugar in place of the caster sugar (simply add a teaspoon or two of flowers to a jam jar of sugar, seal, shake and leave to infuse).
Vegan recipes to get you through January: Crispy crabless cakes
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 08th Jan 2024 The first time I had a vegan crab cake I was shook. John and I were eating at Lakeside (Wynn Hotel) in Las Vegas and devoured chef Tal Ronnen’s crab cakes in seconds. There was no way I could get access to his secret recipe, but I carefully examined every bite so I could figure it out at home.
What to eat tonight: Gnocchi and tomato bake
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 25th Mar 2024 This is one of my guilty pleasures and makes for a great meal on a workout day. It’s a tasty dish with a range of different textures and flavours to enjoy, from the crunchy cheese on top to the al dente gnocchi and its delicious tomato sauce.
What to bake this weekend: Sophie White's chocolate pots
For this recipe, inspired by my dad, I couldn’t not include something chocolatey. Chocolate was like his life force. Ordering dessert in a restaurant was no hardship for Kev – he would just scan the list for the word “chocolate” and, without further investigation into the dish, would simply point and order. I get my embarrassing penchant for hiding bars of chocolate from him also.
What to bake this weekend: Lemon and blueberry cheesecake
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 05th May 2024 Lemon and blueberry cheesecake Serves 10 Ingredients melted butter, extra, to grease 375g cream cheese, at room temperature, cubed 3 eggs, at room temperature 185g sour cream 125ml thin (pouring) cream 165g caster sugar 1 tbsp finely grated lemon zest 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 200g fresh or frozen blueberries icing sugar, to dust For the biscuit base 100g plain sweet biscuits 60g butter, melted Method Preheat oven to...
Try this zest lemon basil pasta dish from Laura Santtini tonight
A popular choice on the terrace at my restaurant Santini, this lemon basil pasta dish only requires a handful of ingredients and is sure to be one you’ll make again and again.
What to eat tonight: Creamy tahini lentils with boiled eggs
Quick, simple and packed full of protein. This is a great portable recipe for eating after a workout and will give you loads of energy for the rest of the day. I also like this with some fresh spinach leaves or rocket to fill it out a bit and get in some extra greens! Delicious with chargrilled broccoli on the side.
What to eat tonight: Smoked monkfish with Parma ham and rosemary
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 15th Mar 2024 Smoked monkfish has a delicate flavour and it tastes wonderful when it is wrapped in Parma ham and roasted. These parcels make an easy and impressive Friday night dinner.
What to eat tonight: Healthy midweek Sri Lankan cashew curry
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 10th Apr 2024 I was lucky enough to travel to this beautiful and exotic country for the first time a couple of years ago; however, I’d fallen in love with the food long before, when my good friend introduced me to the cuisine while at medical school. One of the first dishes I tried was this gorgeous cashew curry. Rich in flavour, this bowl of goodness pairs beautifully with simple brown rice but also tastes fantastic on its own.
What to eat tonight: Pulled pork chilli
If you substitute minced beef for homemade pulled pork, you’ll get the best chilli ever. And by slow-cooking the chilli, the flavour gets to develop for much longer; you’ll certainly notice the difference. Don’t be tempted to leave out the crème fraîche either – it plays an important part in balancing the flavours as it gives a fresh zing to a very earthy and hearty dish.
Supper Club: Vegan tofu stir-fry
Danai Kougiouli’s vegan tofu stir-fry Ingredients For the tofu and vegetables 1 medium package firm or extra firm tofu 150g green beans, chopped 150g carrots, diced 300g baby corns 70g kale, chopped 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil (or peanut or coconut) For the sauce 60ml low-sodium, gluten-free tamari soy sauce 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated 2 tbsp brown sugar (or coconut sugar) 1 tbsp agave nectar To serve Brown rice to taste Method Preheat oven to 200°C/gas mark 6. Remove tofu from package.
What to eat tonight: Speedy 'Pot Noodle' soup
For those of you who just might be addicted to Pot Noodles, this is your healthy answer and it’s almost just as quick to make! Its lovely thick texture makes this a super-hearty meal, plus mangetout contains 128% of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C per cup. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps the body develop resistance against infection.
Supper Club: A garlic and spinach pasta recipe that the whole family will love
Making a pan sauce can be a bit of a trick, but the more you do it, the easier it will be. If your sauce breaks (the solids separate from the liquid), add a bit more butter to bring it back together. I always end up doubling the amount of garlic in any cookbook recipe I’ve ever made. This pasta has a real garlic punch. If you want a tamer dish, feel free to cut the amount of garlic in half. This dish with green garlic is one of my favourite foods. Garlic and spinach pasta Serves 4
Simple Saturday dinner idea: Roast fennel, squash and chorizo frittata
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 28th Oct 2023 Fennel takes on a whole new world of flavour when roasted: gone are the brassier aniseed notes, and in their place comes an altogether more rounded and buttery deliciousness, sure to win over even the most ardent fennel-phobe. A simple baked frittata is an incredibly easy and satisfying way to put dinner on the table and is ideal for anyone with an aversion to making pastry.
What to eat tonight: Indian griddle chopped chicken salad
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 29th Aug 2023 Indian griddled chopped chicken salad Serves 1 Ingredients 1 large skinless chicken breast 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large garlic clove, finely grated 1 tsp roast and ground cumin seeds good fistful of chopped coriander, finely chopped 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste 1/2 medium-large tomato 1/2 ripe avocado 1/4 red onion, finely chopped or sliced handful of chopped lettuce, such as...
What to eat this evening: Chicken and chorizo pasta bake
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 26th Mar 2024 Ireland has a love affair with chicken. Chicken is a quick and easy protein choice, but make sure it doesn’t take over from other protein options. Although chicken is often looked at as a cheap option, as with everything in life, you get what you pay for. When possible, choose local, outdoor-reared/free-range chicken for the best quality.
What to eat this weekend: Elly Pear's sweet potato, lentil, kale and coconut curry
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 14th Oct 2023 A lentil and kale curry? This might be the hippest curry ever (hell, chuck some hemp seeds on top and give it a crown), but it’s also one of my favourites. Like all curries, it’s even better the next day. It’s nutritious, filling and delicious and you can just as easily make it for ten as you can for two, so it’s a great one for informal suppers with family or mates.
Supper Club: Rachel Allen's healthy Asian-spiced sticky pork salad
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 12th Mar 2024 We’ve recommended marinating the pork for 30 minutes, but if you can prepare a little more in advance and marinate for longer, you’ll be rewarded with a stronger flavour.
Try Miguel Barclay's yummy vegetarian Goan cauliflower curry
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 16th Jan 2024 You wouldn’t believe it, but this vegetarian Goan cauliflower curry actually has no cream in it. By using just flour and milk, you can create an amazingly rich and creamy sauce with a fraction of the calories, without compromising on eating the food you love. Substitute cow’s milk for a plant alternative to make it fully vegan.
This no-waste cauliflower soup will become your lunchtime staple
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 24th Oct 2023 This creamy yet ethereally light soup makes use of the cauliflower florets, stems, and core, while anise notes from the fennel ground it, and a small amount of saffron adds a golden hue, floral flavour and otherworldly aroma.
What to eat this week: Kerala vegan cauliflower curry
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 05th Sep 2023 Cauliflower makes a fantastic curry ingredient, as its gentle flavour allows for all the spices to infuse through it, so every bite is as delicious as the next. This dish has a delicate blend of spices, which you can adjust to your own preferences. You can find cooked Puy lentils in ready-to-use packs available from most supermarkets, making them a super-speedy addition to this flavoursome curry.
What to eat tonight: Steak, seaweed and soba noodles
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 12th Dec 2023 Don’t be thrown off by the seaweed in this recipe. It’s not only super easy to cook with and store, but it’s also very good for you. Seaweed and other water plants like kelp are highly nutritious, they contain large amounts of vitamin A, which is needed for good eyesight, can help to prevent dry eyes and night blindness, and generally improves your vision. Seaweed is also a great source of magnesium, which is essential to eye health.
Sunday bake: Croatian blackberry crumble
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 01st Sep 2024 Prep Time 15 minutes Cooking Time 50 minutes Ingredients For the pastry 150g plain flour ¹ tsp baking powder 170g cold butter, diced 110g caster sugar 2 egg yolks For the blackberry filling 2 egg whites 110g caster sugar 500g blackberries seeds from ½ vanilla pod 1 tsp lemon zest 1 tbsp icing sugar Method Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
What to eat tonight: Traditional chickpea falafel pockets
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 09th Apr 2024 Surely you have tasted, or maybe even prepared, one version of this classic falafel recipe? An intensive 24-hour soak makes the chickpeas properly soft, which gives a lovely moist yet light mixture that is easy to digest.
What to eat tonight: Goan coconut cod curry
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 27th Feb 2024 Fresh fish and rich-tasting coconut take up spices beautifully in this fragrant broth. This recipe has a traditional Goan edge with the additional sour ingredient, sometimes tamarind but in this case vinegar. Eat from a deep bowl fresh with the final flurry of coriander leaves and a squeeze of lime juice.
Supper Club: This fish and grains tray bake is the perfect midweek supper
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 21st Feb 2024 We’ve used cod in this recipe but other fish fillets such as hake or salmon would work equally well.
What to make for lunch: A toasty, nutty raw artichoke salad
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 15th Apr 2024 A toasty, nutty salad with raw artichoke Serves 4 Ingredients 12 rashers streaky bacon 1 tbsp duck, goose, bacon or chicken fat 4 slices of sourdough bread, roughly torn into crouton-sized chunks 100g walnuts 2-3 firm young Jerusalem artichokes juice of one a lemon 1-2 tsp raw honey 1 x quantity Velvet Dressing recipe (see below) made with cold-pressed sunflower oil 120g rocket leaves, rinsed and patted dry 80g watercress leaves 200g...
What to eat tonight: Smoked sweetcorn fritters
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 02nd Apr 2024 Smoked sweetcorn fritters Makes about 16 fritters Ingredients 150g self-raising flour 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp paprika 1 large egg, beaten 400g smoked corn kernels – about 2-3 cobs (see method, below) 3 spring onions, thinly sliced 2 tbsp sunflower oil Method Sift the flour, salt, cumin and paprika into a large mixing bowl. Add the beaten egg and 125ml water and whisk to form a thick batter.
What to eat this week: Pickled beetroot melted goat's cheese sandwich
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 21st Mar 2024 Ingredients 1 tbsp butter, at room temperature 1 tsp thyme leaves 2 slices white sourdough bread 3 tbsp soft goat’s cheese 1 medium pickled beetroot, sliced small handful of rocket sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Method Try pickling the beetroot yourself for the best flavour, otherwise, simply use one from a jar.
This Basque-style chicken dish is everything we want right now
By Meg Walker 26th Feb 2024 This is a really good simple supper – everything you need in one pot. I like to make it with chicken legs, as they are more flavourful than breast and less likely to be dry. This is a dish that’s even better when made in advance and then reheated.
What to bake this weekend: Matcha and raspberry cake
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 30th Jun 2024 Matcha, a finely ground, vibrant green powder made from the leaves of a special type of green tea, is such an extraordinary ingredient; versatile and with a very particular flavour. And delicious paired with chocolate.
What to Bake: Summer peach crumble
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 23rd Jun 2024 In the summer of 2015, I introduced a limited edition peach crumble to the Livia’s Kitchen stores. It did so well, and customers were so sad to learn it was only available for a short period of time, that I’ve decided to share a slightly altered recipe here. This crumble topping is nut-free, which makes it slightly lighter. Since the topping is predominantly made from oats, this crumble has become one of my favourite breakfasts of all time.
What to eat tonight: Creamy sautéd greens (perfect with pasta or quinoa)
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 16th Apr 2024 The original version of this recipe was created over a decade ago, in the tiny apartment in Rome that was my temporary home. It was one of the first dishes I cooked for Luise and I like to think that it was then and there that she fell for me (and not watching my drunk feet trying to seduce her on the dance floor a week earlier).
This noodle bowl takes less than 10 minutes (and the flavours don't disappoint)
Image / Living / Food & Drink By Meg Walker 04th Mar 2024 This is probably the meal I make most often when I’m home on my own. It takes less than 10 minutes, and for something with so few ingredients, it is well tasty. It does rely on you having my addictive roasted chilli oil in the cupboard, but it’s worth having to pimp up most dishes. Having a cracking chilli oil recipe up your sleeve is a must.
What to bake this weekend: Pecan cinnamon rolls
Image / Living / Food & Drink Brad McDonald's cinnamon rolls have the added crunch from the pecan nuts with a finger-licking cream cheese frosting to top it off. Cinnamon rolls are one of those things that are at their very best when they’re just out of the oven – cream cheese frosting oozing as the steam rises when you tear away the layers.
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