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🎨 Recipe Developer, Tastemaker
🍴 Everything in Moderation
⚖️ Balanced, Never Boring
📍 Devon | About realfoodie

Welcome to realfoodie.

The realfoodie blog is a foodie inspiration website hoping to tempt your taste buds one forkful at a time through award-winning home cooking from Devon Life Home Cook of the Year Winner Emy Mordue 🍽

About Emy

I’m Emy, a content creator by day and a keen foodie by night. Along with help from my partner Matt Sanders, we founded realfoodie in 2016 after I won the Devon Life Home Cook of the Year competition. Winning the competition elevated my cooking confidence, it’s one thing to have your friends and family say your cooking is great… but when Michelin star chefs not only eat your food, but say it tastes good… well what can I say, it was an amazing experience! Through realfoodie, my aim is to inspire you to produce delicious food at home using everyday ingredients. There will be the occasional foodie find and tips on how to elevate the everyday dinner to the ultimate dinner party dish. The recipes that influence me and meals I create are inspired by the things I like to eat and the ingredients that are in our cupboard that week. I’m a real savoury cook at heart and I love to experiment with different flavours and ingredients as I go along – this is real food cooked at home in my own kitchen, and yes i use butter…sometimes even cream! About Matt

Matt handles all things technical, the realfoodie website is currently being developed by him. He’s also the baker in our home, so some of the more constrained recipes will be borrowed from him (think pizza dough, focaccia…). Plus he has the role of first-taster, providing that all import constructive criticism to support the development of my recipes!

“Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colours, there are only so many flavours – it's how you combine them that sets you apart”
– Wolfgang Puck

04/11/2026

Pesto Smashed Spuds. You’ll eat them ALL, so be careful! 👀

Why smash them? For EXTRA crispy bits… i.e. the best bits. I use quite a chunky pesto to get nice bites of pine nuts and herby goodness all the way through.

Serves 3-4 as a side (depending on how greedy you are):

750g potatoes (I use baby new potatoes)
2-3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp sea salt (more to taste after cooking)
3-4tbsp green pesto
Fresh parsley or basil, to serve

> Boil the potatoes until basically done, drain and tip onto a sheet pan. Squash them well, it doesn’t matter if they break up a bit.

> Add the olive oil, salt and pesto and rub it all over the spuds.

> Roast for 45mins to 1hr at gas 6/200°C, jiggling them about now and then so they turn golden and crispy.

01/11/2026

Smoky Chorizo, Crispy Chicken & Butter Beans 🔥

In case you hadn’t noticed, I love a good beany dish topped with something delicious, I’ve made versions of this a few times but this one’s inspired by a recipe in Abby Allen’s book, The Farm Kitchen.

Serves 2.

Ingredients
100g cooking chorizo, roughly chopped
1 small onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp tomato purée
150ml chicken stock
1 jar Bold Bean Co Queen Butter Beans (570g, including bean stock)
2 Pipers & Co skin-on chicken thighs, boneless
50ml double cream
1 tsp red w**e vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh herbs, to finish

Method

1. Heat a deep frying pan over a medium heat and add the chorizo. Fry for 3–4 minutes until golden and releasing its lovely smoky oils.

2. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir through the grated garlic, smoked paprika, oregano and tomato purée. Cook for another minute.

3. Pour in the chicken stock, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the butter beans with their bean stalk. Stir gently and leave to simmer over a low heat for 15–20 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce and thicken.

4. Meanwhile, pat the chicken thighs dry and season generously. Heat the olive oil in a separate frying pan over a medium heat. Add the chicken skin-side down and cook for 8–10 minutes, without moving them too much, until the skin is beautifully golden and crisp.

5. Turn the chicken and cook for another 5–7 minutes, or until cooked through and the thickest part reaches 75°C. Remove to a board and leave to rest for 5 minutes.

6. Stir the double cream and red w**e vinegar through the beans. Pour in any resting juices from the chicken and give everything a final stir. Taste and season with plenty of black pepper. Salt if needed.

7. Spoon the beans into shallow bowls, slice the chicken and arrange over the top, keeping the crispy skin facing upwards. Finish with fresh herbs and a little extra virgin olive oil.

If you fancy trying something similar for yourself, use my code REALFOODIE for 10% off your first order with Pipers & Co (aff.)

rf x

29/10/2026

Leftover risotto has one job in my kitchen… 😌

Cacio e Pepe Arancini. Still one of my all time favourite things to make, and arancini is pretty much the whole reason I cook risotto in a big batch.

How I make them:

> Roll chilled leftover risotto into balls
> Push a cube of mozzarella into the middle of each and seal it in
> Dredge in seasoned flour, dip in egg wash, then coat in breadcrumbs
> Deep-fry until deep golden and crisp all over
> Serve on a simple marinara with LOTS of freshly grated parmesan 👌

Which do you guys prefer ~ risotto or arancini?

26/10/2026

Make Better Cauliflower Cheese 🔥

I like to use a mix of cheeses (parmesan for umami, cheddar for cheesiness and mozzarella for texture), plus I add a little soy sauce over the top for a salty finish, which also helps with browning.

Make extra, you’ll want some for an indulgent pasta sauce the next day too!

rf x

25/10/2026

Is there anything better than a proper roast as the evenings draw in? 🍂

I’m actually cooking roast chicken today but by the time it’s all come together, I’ll have lost the light. So here’s my blushing roast beef with all the sides.

What’s on my plate?

Roast Beef
Sausage & Chestnut Stuffing
Roast Potatoes
Yorkshire Puddings
Cauliflower Cheese
Carrot & Swede Mash
Curly Kale
Brussels Sprouts
Beef Juices Gravy

Happy Extra Hour Sunday Foodies ⏰🍂

23/10/2026

Greek-ish Pulled Lamb Picky Plate 🔥

A mix of homemade and shop-bought, because life’s busy and that’s absolutely fine.

What’s on my plate?

Slow cooked pulled lamb
Extra virgin olive oil potato wedges
Lemony salad
Tzatziki
Ajvar
Warm flatbreads
Stuffed vine leaves and olives
Hummus

Happy Friday Foodies 🖤

22/10/2026

I like my orzo saucy, my tomatoes jammy and my halloumi golden 🫰

So that’s exactly what I made! Here’s the recipe for my Roasted Tomato Orzo with Halloumi Croutons, serves 2:

400g cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, grated
Pinch of sea salt
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
250g orzo pasta
400ml vegetable stock, or similar
1tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-5tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Small handful fresh tarragon, chopped
Sea salt & black pepper, to taste
Block of halloumi, cubed

> Heat the oven to 200°C. Toss the tomatoes and garlic with olive oil and sea salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes until jammy and bursting.

> Once the tomatoes are nearly cooked toast the orzo in olive oil for a min or two, then add the vegetable stock, adding a splash more water if needed to keep it oozy (using a separate pan on the hob). Once tender and all the water is pretty much absorbed (about 8mins) stir through the roasted tomatoes and all their lovely juices.

> Add with the balsamic vinegar, Parmesan and most of the fresh tarragon. Give everything a good stir until glossy and saucy. Season to taste as you like.

~~~

> For the topping: add your cubed halloumi into a bowl of freshly boiled water for 1–2 minutes. Drain, pat thoroughly dry and fry in a hot pan with a little olive oil until golden on all sides (this little trick softens the cheese, helping it stay tender rather than turning rubbery and squeaky!).

> Spoon the orzo into bowls, scatter over those golden halloumi croutons and finish with more fresh tarragon and a little extra virgin olive oil as you like!

rf x

21/10/2026

This is one of the most underrated steaks out there 🔥

Bavette is a big on flavour, budget friendly cut that I like to cook in a screaming hot pan; give it a good rest and slice against the grain for the best bite. I cooked this on a little Cornish getaway this week and it was perfect!

What’s on my plate?
Bavette steak, sliced thick against the grain
Chimichurri-style dressing, with shallot, red onion and lots of fresh herbs
Crispy roasted new potatoes
Tenderstem broccoli
A dollop of aioli for the potatoes

Fancy trying it? Use code REALFOODIE for 10% off your Pipers & Co order (aff) 🖤

20/10/2026

Leek & Potato Soup with Crispy Sage, Smoked Sausage & Seeds 🍂

Soup season, but make it interesting. Silky leek and potato soup, made with crème fraîche and a crispy, smoky, buttery topping that makes the whole thing that much more delicious.

RECIPE | SERVES 4

For the soup:
2tbsp butter
3 large leeks, washed & finely sliced
2 garlic cloves, grated
500g potatoes, mostly peeled & diced
750ml vegetable stock (I use Yondu)
150g crème fraîche
Sea salt, to taste
White pepper, to taste

For the topping:
1tbsp butter
150g smoked sausage, diced
2tbsp mixed seeds
Handful of fresh sage leaves
Crispy onions
Extra virgin olive oil

> Melt the butter in a large pan and gently soften the leeks for 10 minutes without colouring. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

> Add the potatoes and stock. Simmer for 15–20 minutes until tender.

> Blend until silky smooth, stir through the crème fraîche and season generously with salt and white pepper. Loosen with a splash of water if needed.

> Meanwhile, fry the smoked sausage in butter until golden. Add the sage and mixed seeds, cooking until everything is beautifully crisp. 4-5mins.

> Ladle the soup into bowls, pile on the crispy sausage, sage and seeds, scatter over crispy onions and finish with a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

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