Bare’s Thai Red (Gaeng Daeng) Curry - with rice in a sweet potato wrap (gluten-free)

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Bare had always wanted to visit and for some time, had been pen pals with his friend Atid.  Atid apparently means the sun in Thai!  Bare had been speaking to Atid for ages but had only seen an old picture of him as a teenager.  Imagine Bare’s surprise, when running towards Bare at arrivals, with a big bunch of flowers, was a beautiful looking woman shouting, “Bare I am the sun!”. 

Well, Bare is a liberal, accepting sort of chap and in person Bare and Atid got on like a house on fire.  After an eye-opening evening in the Soi 4 district, Atid wanted Bare to have his authentic Gaeng Daeng (Thai Red Curry) which Bare absolutely loved - spicy, flavoursome and warming. 

Bare has made this for you with rice in a sweet potato wrap which works beautifully.

Bare’s Cheeseburger - 100% beef burger with tomato and onion relish, Monterey Jack cheese, cucumber pickles and Bare Burger sauce in a crusty ciabatta roll (gluten-free)

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Bare went to see his friend Marcus in Boston and they went for a special weekend in Provincetown, Cape Cod.  Having spent some wonderful times watching the whales, they then popped to Molly’s Diner as they were craving a burger. 

This burger was inspired by that craving: a crusty ciabatta roll with real burger relish, a real beef burger, Monterey Jack cheese, cucumber pickles and burger sauce - moist, beefy and delicious…

Bare’s Chicken Karahi - with rice, in a coriander and garlic naan (gluten-free)

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Aaray, who had such a great time with Bare in Mumbai, asked Bare to come home with him to Karachi to visit his grandma, who was an amazing cook.  Bare was nervous to travel to such a conservative town, but Aaray was his friend and friends are there for you.

So off they travelled.  Aaray’s family were so pleased to welcome them!  Aarays Grandma, Sorina, made a traditional Chicken Karahi “the North Indian way”, she said, with peppers. It was delicious and flavoursome without burning the palate.  Sorina was kind enough to let Bare watch her make it and here he has made it for you, served with rice in a gluten-free garlic and coriander naan.

Bare’s Spiced Falafels served with a dairy-free raitha (gluten-free and vegan)
 
Bare was taking a long weekend break to see his friend Ali who lives in Marrakesh.  Ali used to work in London with Bare, he was also a chef and promised to show Bare a good time in the city and visit some of the souk and have some street food.

Ali and Bare enjoyed a late party night at Comptoir Darna and Pasha, after a very long lay in they strolled into the spice souk and bought some special and unique spices so Ali could make Bare his special falafels.  They are fragrant and moist and wonderful with hummus or raitha of just on their own.  

Bare’s Sanbhar Naan – Indian spicy lentil and vegetable stew in a coriander and garlic naan (gluten-free and vegan)

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Bare loved the sheer mayhem of Mumbai - the smells, the heat, the colour - it was a metropolis.  Aarav, Bare’s friend in Mumbai, was so happy to show Bare round the city, where to get food and where not to!  

After a fantastic night out at Salvation Star, Bare was hungry.  Aaray suggested they try a Sanbhar - a traditional lentil stew.  It was so spicy, flavoursome and satisfying. 

Bare has created this slightly thicker version with rice served in a coriander and garlic naan.

Bare’s Meatballs - cream sauce and Basmati rice in gluten-free wrap with lingonberry jam (gluten-free)

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Bare loved the meatballs when he went shopping for his bookshelves on a rainy Saturday at IKEA.

When he was in Stockholm, some of the boys said he must try some decent balls with proper Swedish cream sauce.  Bare’s special friend Sven shared his own recipe and here Bare has put it in a wrap for you with some vegetable rice, and if you’re lucky, there might even be some lingonberry jam to have with it - a Swede wouldn’t have a meatball without the jam.

Bare’s Minced Beef & Cheese Pie (gluten-free)

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Bare had waited a long time for this trip, to see his friends Hunter and Ben who lived in Wellington, New Zealand. 

Hunter and Bare had worked in a hotel together in London when they were students.  Hunter and his husband Ben welcomed Bare with open arms.  They took Bare out for a fun night in Cuba Street followed by a New Zealand favourite - Mince and Cheese Pie.  Bear said, “you are taking me out for mince?”.  Bare sunk his mouth into the pie and it was a taste revelation: the delicious buttery pastry, the really beefy flavoursome minced beef cooked long and slow with hidden veg, and the strong new Zealand Cheddar.  

It was one of the food highlights of the trip for Bare.  Here, Bare has recreated that pie and hopes you’ll love it just as much!

Bare’s Gluten-free Churros – with chocolate sauce (gluten-free)

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Bare was on his annual holiday and met up with his friends Jose and Miguel who have a fabulous apartment overlooking the sea in Sitges, where many of the bears come together to hang out and catch some rays. 

They wanted to go into Barcelona and see the beautiful Gaudi architecture whilst enjoying Churros, the long cinnamon and sugar doughnut with chocolate sauce.  

Bare loved to chat with the street vendor who was kind enough to share his family recipe which Bare has created here for you, to dip your very own churros into the rich chocolate sauce!

Bare’s Vietnamese Bahn Mi - pork pâté, sliced pork belly with secret Vietnamese sauce and pickled vegetables in a rice flour baguette (gluten-free)

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Liem and Tai, Bare’s friends from Vietnam who used to live in London, invited Bare to Hanoi for a holiday.  They were so excited for Bare to visit and to show him the sights and sounds of the city. 

Liem and Tai lived modestly in a tiny apartment with just the one bed which they all had to share - it was a squeeze at first.  They were both very accommodating and couldn’t have been better, more receptive hosts.  After a couple of days sightseeing and visiting the many food markets that embrace the city, and a particularly fun night at Savage, they all went to have a Bahn Mi - the famous pork sandwich.

There are so many types but this one was Bare’s favourite; pork pate and sliced pork belly with secret Vietnamese sauce and pickled vegetables in a rice flour baguette. “YUM!”

Bare’s beet and chickpea burger with sriracha v’mayo, tomato relish, roasted red pepper and pickled cucumber (gluten-free and vegan)
 
Bare was in LA at a work conference and whilst there he met up with his good friend and the very glamorous Leila. Leila (formally Len) was an actor friend from London who has had a whole change of life and loves life in LA.  

Bare had been at the conference all day so Leila decided to take Bare to Flaming Saddles. It was great fun and whilst there they had the most delicious veggie burger:  That fun night of great food and laughter was Bare’s inspiration to create his delicious beet and chickpea burger.

Bare’s Burrito - refried beans, spicy beef barbacoa, avocado, Pico de Gallo and coriander rice in a corn tortilla, served with salsa (gluten-free)

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When Bare was in Mexico City, he liked things spicy.  Whilst visiting Zona Rosa with his friend Perez, he loved the sights, smells and spicy tastes that surrounded him.  After a long night partying in the Plaza Garibaldi, Bare was tired and hungry.  Perez suggested a real Mexican burrito and Bare just loved it - he thought it was huge and struggled to eat it all!

When Bare was back in Blighty, he decided to recreate his own, albeit slightly more modest version, which is every bit as tasty, reminding him of that fun evening with Perez.

Bare’s Lamb Souvlaki - with rice in a Gluten-Free pitta and tzatziki (gluten-free)

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Bare loved the sunny Greek island of Mykonos - he felt as home there as Shirley Valentine herself.  The sight of the windmills in the distance bathed in the warm sunshine was a sight to behold as was Georgios, Bares friend who lived on the island for the entire summer. 

Georgios owned a little taverna, serving the best lamb souvlaki Bare had ever tasted.  The unique taste of Greek olive oil, garlic, oregano and lemons that marinade the meat then cooked on the smokey coals was so unique.  Bare and Georgios loved to cook together and here Bare has created that just for you, served with rice in a pitta with tzatziki.

Bare's Croque Madam Monsieur - eggy bread bottom with béchamel, ham and gruyere cheese (gluten-free)
 
Henri and Zavier were Bare's chef friends in Paris who lived in a glorious apartment in the heart of the Marias. Bare got the Eurostar over to Gare du Nord and made his way across town, where he met Henri for an afternoon tea at Mariage Freres.

Afterwards they went for a little drink at the Wolf bar just down from their apartment and met with Zavier.  After a little rest they went out to the Raidd bar where they partied until the wee small hours... 

The next morning or late morning, Bare was famished so Henri suggested they all go for a croque.  It was just what the doctor ordered and inspired by that brunch, Bare has created his croque madam monsieur for you, with eggy bread on the bottom half, it makes it even more decadent!

Bare’s Gluten-free Liège Waffle (gluten-free)

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Bare was very excited to go to Brussels!  So many things he loved in the city, his old friend Louis being at the very top of that list!  Louis was a tall, charismatic, striking man, standing at almost 6’6”, he was hard to miss.  When he met Bare at the Eurostar station, he almost picked him up, he embraced him so hard. 

Louis, as you might imagine, spent much of his time at the gym, and even made sure Bare had quite the workout during his stay.  Bare said to Louis, “after all that sweating I really need a waffle”, so they set out to find one at Louis’ friend Bernard’s waffle stall in Rue du Marché au Charbon, where they had spent many a fun night before.  Bare was feeling quite naughty and smothered the waffle in thick chocolate sauce, thinking he deserved it after all that spent energy. 

Here, Bare has created a special Gluten Free Lèige waffle just for you, with or without chocolate sauce!

Bare’s pepitas, sunflower seed, coconut, raisin, apricot Baklava –  with rose, orange blossom and cinnamon (gluten-free and vegan)
 
Bare was in Istanbul for a little 'self-maintenance' and was being hosted by his friend Yousef - an Istanbul native, whilst having his work done.

Bare wasn’t feeling up to much for the first couple of days.  By the third day he was feeling more himself and looking fresher than ever, so Yousef said let’s have a night out in Taksim Square.  The next morning Bare was feeling it and ask if there was anywhere in this city where we can get a gluten-free baklava - it’s been so many years since he'd had one!  Yousef was quick to oblige and they went to Karakoy Gulluoglu,which had several that Bare scoffed with sheer joy.  Bare’s baklava is every bit as delicious, sticky and sweet.

Bare’s Breakfast Eggy-Bread sandwich - tomato and chorizo relish, with smoked bacon (gluten-free)

Bare loved being on home turf. After a big night out in Soho with his friends, Adrian, Dan and Matthew, Bare and the boys were all so hungry.  As all the boys were on a sleepover at Bare’s place, a late night/early morning snack was in order.  Bare had some of his homemade tomato and chorizo relish in the fridge so decided to crack a few eggs and together the boys dipped the white sliced loaf into the eggy mixture and fried it with a little butter. 

Meanwhile, Adrian, also a dab hand in the kitchen, grilled the smokey bacon, then Matthew and Dan assembled the eggy-bread, Bares sauce and Adrian’s crispy bacon with another slice of eggy-bread.  They sat, they scoffed, they loved it!

Bare’s Margherita Pizza - he also makes a delicious vegan pizza too (gluten-free)

Bare loved Italy - so much fun and sightseeing to be had - but most of all, he craved pizza. What he loved about the pizza was its simplicity, the sweet sun-ripened sauce using San Marzano tomatoes and the creamy rich mozzarella.

Whilst on his trip, Bare met Giuseppe, who was a master at dough. He knew just how to pound the dough to make it submit, so its stretchy crust shone through. Bare has worked tirelessly to create this slice of heavenly pizza. What’s more, it just happens to be gluten-free.

Bare’s cauliflower, potato, chickpea and pea samosa with spicy chutney (gluten-free and vegan)
 
Bare was having a food trip of India, being a huge fan of regional Indian cuisine and his friend Vavaan (Viv for short) also a chef, wanted to show him the flavours to be had.  They started the evening with a great dinner and Karaoke at Chez Jerome Café Q. The next day Viv wanted Bare to try his friend Zazi’s samosas on the street-food market very close to his home.  They were hot, spicy and delicious - you could tell the spices had been cracked and cooked out properly.  

Zazi inspired Bare to create his samosa which are every bit as tasty, maybe even better than the ones at the street market.

Bare’s Onion Bhaji with raitha – these aren’t just any Bhaji (gluten-free and vegan)
 
Bare was continuing his food trip of India, with his friend Vavaan (Viv for short) also a chef, who wanted to show him the flavours to be had.  They took a flight together from New Delhi to Raipur. Bare had told Viv he wanted to try the best onion bhaji India had to offer. Viv said Raipur is where it’s at, and Bahu who makes them is a eunuch (hijra) Bare said that’s a new on him... 

They made their way straight to the train station and there was a plethora of street food right outside and low and behold, there was Bahu singing away whilst tossing the balls that were frying away.  They were fragrant and almost gold in colour.  They tasted delicious and were so worth the journey.  Bahu let Bare have the recipe and now he has created them here for you.