Ricky Robinson

I'm Ricky Robinson, originally from Belfast but now based in Co. Tyrone where you'll probably find me organising my next dinner party.

My cooking journey started as a teenager when I came across Nigella Lawson's "How to Eat". That book became my starting point, and I've been building up my collection of cookbooks and trying out recipes ever since.

I won Season 2 of BBC Farm to Feast, Best Menu Wins which was filmed at Crom Castle near Enniskillen. The show was hosted by Eamonn Holmes and judged by Michelin starred chef Danni Barry and food critic Joris Minne.

Seven amateur cooks competed, and it all came down to a dinner party in the castle's grand dining room with guests including the Earl of Erne.

Coming out on top felt special, and it's opened up opportunities I hadn't expected.

My cooking is straightforward. I'm not interested in complicated techniques or fussy presentations.

The recipes you'll find here are about getting good flavour from quality ingredients without spending all day in the kitchen.

I take inspiration from different places I've travelled, so you'll see a mix of traditional home cooking and dishes with influences from other cuisines. But it's all adapted to be practical and doable in a regular home kitchen.

The thing about dinner parties is that the host needs to actually enjoy them.

The recipes here reflect that. They're designed so you can do most of the work ahead of time, and they don't require special equipment or hard-to-find ingredients.

Since winning the TV show, I've had recipes published in the Belfast Telegraph and the Irish News, and I've been on BBC Radio Ulster talking about food. I did a series of demonstrations with Libraries NI that ran for five weeks, focusing on cost-effective and simple cooking.

I've also done live cooking demonstrations at events including the Moira Food Fair and the Omagh Eats food festival, organised cook-along events, and hosted pop-up restaurant nights.

I love hearing from people who've tried out my recipes.

What's especially rewarding is when people who don't usually cook from scratch give my recipes a go. I've had parents mention their children trying new ingredients after watching the demonstrations, which is always good to hear.

This site is where I put the recipes I make regularly and the ones I serve when people come over.

Everything here is something I've cooked multiple times, so I know it works. You won't find anything overly complicated or recipes that need you to be an experienced cook. The instructions are clear, and I've tried to include the kind of details that actually help when you're standing in your kitchen wondering if something's done or not.

I post regularly to my Instagram account, Tantrums and Saucepans, where you'll see what I'm cooking day to day. I'm one of those people who photographs their dinner, so if you want to see what a recipe looks like before you make it, that's where to look.

Cooking should fit into your life, not the other way around.

The recipes are written the way I cook, which is to say they're flexible. If you don't have an ingredient or want to swap something out, that's fine.