About Us – Ainsley Harriott Recipes

Hi, I’m Emily Carter — a home cook from Leicester, UK, and the person behind every recipe on this site.

I’ll be honest with you: I’m not a trained chef. I’m someone who grew up watching Ainsley Harriott on Ready Steady Cook after school, writing down ingredients on scraps of paper before the next round started. That habit never left me.

Why I Built This Site

For years, I kept a battered notebook of recipes I’d adapted from Ainsley’s TV shows and cookbooks. When friends asked me for a jerk chicken recipe or a Caribbean fish curry, I’d flip through dog-eared pages looking for my notes.

In 2024, I decided to put it all online — properly. Not just the recipes, but the real notes: what went wrong the first time, what I changed, which shortcuts actually work and which ones ruin the dish.

I searched for a site that did this already. I couldn’t find one. So I built it myself.

How I Test Every Recipe

Every single recipe on this site has been made in my own kitchen — usually more than once.

I cook on a standard electric hob with no fancy equipment. If something doesn’t work in a normal home kitchen, I don’t publish it. Simple as that.

My notes include:

What I changed from the original and why
Common mistakes I made so you don’t have to
Ingredient swaps for things that are hard to find outside London
Storage tips based on how my family actually eats leftovers

My Cooking Background

I’ve been cooking seriously for over ten years, with a focus on British dishes with Caribbean flavours — the style Ainsley made accessible for millions of home cooks.

I’ve cooked through all of Ainsley’s major cookbooks: Meals in Minutes, Friends & Family, Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen, and Ainsley’s Good Mood Food. I’ve watched every series I can find and spent time understanding the techniques behind his style, not just copying the ingredient lists.

I’m also a mother of two, which means every recipe has to pass the real test: would my family actually eat this on a Tuesday night?

What This Site Is (and Isn’t)

This is an independent fan website. I am not affiliated with Ainsley Harriott, his team, or his publishers in any way. I’m simply a fan who loves his cooking and wants to make it easier for other home cooks to try it.

All recipes are inspired by Ainsley’s style and publicly available works. I always credit the original source.