So many changes…not just in the UK but in my life also. One month ago I was living with my father in Suffolk discussing the cost of the heating bill and whether Liz Truss might survive and now, here I am in 30 degrees complaining about the heat!

I love living here in Spain which was my home for over 8 years, although I do sometimes miss my friends and clients in the UK and I also naturally, miss my family very much. I also miss Cambridge which was my home for many years. But when I walk down the streets here in La Cala, on the Costa Del Sol, I feel very much at home and as an emotional man, feeling at home really matters to me. Almost everyone stops me and says hello and how they miss my food. They all say that the Geranium has been such a massive loss to them over here, that they would love to see it back, everyone seems to want to help me find another restaurant as fast as possible and they appear to look at me as some kind of super star — which of course I am —  LOL.

Also, after a long while of tough relationships, I am, for the first time in a while,  feeling appreciated and am ready to set the world on fire! Those of you that have experienced similar situations, will relate to mine. My new partner gives me the confidence that I need to be able to do my job to my full potential and whilst none of that needs explaining, it gives me strength sharing it, so thanks reading,  listening and understanding.

I am consulting here for Elliot Wright (from TOWIE) for his celebrity restaurant group called Olivia’s in La Cala ( they also have one in Alicante) Elliott is well known not just from TOWIE but a face that’s often on TV and as I write this article he is opening Hamley’s store in Oxford Street London. With over 650K followers on Instagram he is what is called ‘an influencer’.

Olivia’s is a busy restaurant with live music every day. It is more like a live show serving food rather than a restaurant with live music, but it’s my job to make it a food experience.

Even in the ‘winter months’ here we still like to enjoy more slow cooked , full of flavour dishes. and like the famous Rabo De Torro (Oxtail) which I adore.

Which brings me on to one of my favourite chicken dishes of all time from this area. Not many people know about it but it’s called Chicken Marbella and it’s a comfort classic that can be produced at home incredibly cheaply because it uses the chicken legs.

It’s actually really on trend right now since Chef Ottolenghi released his recipe for it recently.

Whilst we all want to make sure that our shopping lists are affordable, we also want to feel the quality of great food, I get that. My partner and I eat out a lot but when we eat at home we always say it’s the best meal ever — well we should shouldn’t we? I think the recipe on these pages ticks all the boxes and could be your best home cooked meal ever, so please have a go at cooking it. My version of Chicken Marbella is very simple and that is what makes it, not just affordable,  but absolutely fantastic!