Max is the founder of Watching the Pot. He’s always loved food and home cooking, and has recently discovered a passion for pickling and fermenting (read: he spends more than he should on Kilner Jars).
If you want to get in touch to ask any questions or pitch any submissions for the site, you can reach him at max@watchingthepot.com.
Latest posts
- Food, community and ceramics: an interview with Lei Yang
“I didn’t want simply to have a shop and sell things. What I enjoyed most about running the shop over the years was the connection with the customers” - Cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen: improvised noodles
A short story about navigating alien fridges and the fun to be found when a light lunch requires creative substitutions. - A thousand little pets: making fermented drinks
What I’ve learned from brewing fizzy drinks at home, finding joy in nurturing colonies of bacteria (and why you should try it). - Making miso soup: a simple guide
How to make miso soup from scratch in 5 easy steps – with no need for any supermarket sachets or pre-bought stock. - What is dashi and how do you make it?
An introduction to making dashi, a central component of Japanese cooking and one of the tastiest stocks in the world. - Fish-fragrant aubergines & dry-fried chicken
Less spicy than it looks: the subtly complex flavours of a Sichuanese meal (and the best aubergines I’ve ever eaten). - Open tahini: what’s hidden in the kitchen cupboard?
All I wanted was some dan dan noodles, now I’m wondering what else is concealed in plain sight. - How to make chapatis
An easy-to-follow guide showing how to turn just two ingredients into one of the world’s best flatbreads. - Eating in a heatwave: pea and leek tart
The perfect lunch for when it’s too hot to cook, and you’re sick of salad. - How to make granola
There is no wrong way to make granola. As long as you have a few key ingredients and know four basic steps, all you need is a spare half hour. - Cooking and conversation: hand-making dumplings
A celebration of imperfectly-formed dumplings, the joy of communal cooking and taking the long way. - Life is like soup and I am a fork: a conversation with Annie Lee
A powerful case for playing with your food, taking joy in the small things and eating in unusual environments. - Tweaking an Ottolenghi classic
How forgetting to buy basil forced me to experiment, and changed my attitude to recipes forever. - How to make sourdough bread
Step-by-step instructions for baking your own sourdough loaves, with a handful of tips and tricks. - What is a sourdough starter, and how do you make one?
A beginner’s guide to making your own sourdough starter: the essential building block of sourdough bread. - Hunting for umesu: an unexpected lesson about food colouring
A story about pickled ginger, food colouring and whether imitation is a form of culinary flattery or trickery. - How to make water kefir
A 10-step guide to making water kefir, explaining what it is and why each step of the process is necessary. Written from personal experience. - Takikomi gohan, miso soup and pickles
A rice bowl, a few pre-prepared pickles and a delicious weeknight dinner.