Orange, miso and honey chicken traybake

With shmaltzy potatoes, butter beans and red onions

Every couple of weeks, I invite myself to one of the best houses in the world. It belongs to Sam and Sandy, whose history is steeped in the creeks and crags, rocks and sand of West Cornwall.

I met Sam, a professional longboarder, academic, surf commentator, curator, documentary filmmaker, editor and author, when I was working for Finisterre. Sam was (and still is) an ambassador and I was always so curious about his life - a surfing life brought up in West Cornwall, and one that’s taken him from brilliant corners of the world (Brilliant Corners happens to be the name of his film series, where he explores lesser-known but vibrant surf cultures in places like Papa New Guinea, Madagascar and Zanzibar). Sandy, a true beauty in all sense of the word, hails from South Africa, but has been kicking about West Cornwall for decades and is as well known in the community as their beloved Gwenver beach, which their house overlooks. A massage therapist, model and absolute riot of a human, Sandy has that uncanny ability to make you smile in any and every possible moment.

Every time I visit, I’m overcome with excitement for a future family – and so I cook meals for their family. Sometimes it’s for the kids. Sometimes Fuzz and Sue, Sam’s parents who live next door, come around. Lily, their perfect little spaniel, is usually wagging her tail at our feet.

A few weeks ago, armed with a bowl full of marinated chicken legs and some Cornish potatoes that needed eating up, we ate together watching the sun set, talking about the afternoon’s flurry of activity (a red flagged beach not fit for swimming and a family friend whose eye had been slightly gouged by the tip of his surfboard). It’s one of those meals I can cook in any kitchen (not always the easiest thing for a homebody like me).

For four people you’ll need…