SH*T ON TOAST

BY WHATWILLYCOOK

Reviewed By Despina Mina

I’m here to discuss a man called Will Hughes. I found him on Instagram last year, under the name of @ WhatWillyCook. Why did Will stand out from all the other foodie social media kids? He posts videos of himself cooking the kind of food that we could all cook, but just need a little guidance and confidence to do so. He breaks it down in a way that’s achievable, fun and has a sense of humour that tickles my funny bone. The videos, all edited by Will himself are short and sharp, filmed in his real-life kitchen. His whimsical accent for the voice overs reminds me of the deadpan Mathew Holness from ‘Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace’, very tongue in cheek.

His ‘Non-Stresipes’ listed on his website are exactly as they sound and are genuinely simple to follow. Will comes across as a charming joker who’s having a bit of a laugh and I’m sure he is all of those things. But don’t be fooled, it takes some serious skill, dedication and a love for this job to pump out content that remains relevant, fun and most importantly delicious. All of this hard work was spotted by the Mob Kitchen team, a social media platform whose target audience are students and young professionals who are looking for affordable meals that aren’t intimidating to cook (and he’s now a media partner). I don’t think it will stop there; this social media foodie kid is going places.

This issue of CIBARE is all about stuff on toast. You can be as boujie or as frugal as you want with this method - from foie gras to baked beans, as long as it’s tasty the choices are limitless. It’s a fail-safe way to eat - cook something tasty and stick it on toast. As luck would have it, Will occasionally drops in quick fire videos titled ‘Sh*t on Toast’, with its own catchy theme tune. These are the three that caught my eye

First up are the ‘Mega Shrooms on Toast’ - it’s like a creamy mushroom stroganoff, cooked in soured cream. With shallots

and garlic, it’s rich and unctuous, but it’s the added saltiness from the grated pecorino and the hint of aniseed from the fresh tarragon that makes this a bit special. I’ll be making this again and with a bit more time on my hands, I’ll swap the toast for buttery mashed potatoes. It’s worth getting your hands on some fancy mushrooms (Trumpet and King Oyster in this case) as this deserves a little love.

The very next day I made the ‘Chilli & Lime Bruschetta’ - this is a belter and makes me yearn for the sun to shine and to hear the clinking of beer bottles. It tasted like a fresh Mexican salsa with a nod to the classic Italian bruschetta - ripe tomatoes with a kick of chilli, a squeeze of acidic lime, a squirt of sweet balsamic vinegar and the aromatics of fresh basil. Oh and let’s not forget the raw garlic, it doesn’t smell as long as you’re all eating it, right?

The final toasty delight was the ‘Nduja Butter Fried Egg on Toast’. Nduja paste is made from pork, fat, herbs, spices and local Calabrian chillies and makes everything delicious - there are no quantities given as it’s such a simple idea. I went heavy on the Nduja and mixed it in with a generous portion of butter, which is then melted in a hot frying pan so that your cracked egg can swim in all its spicy goodness. I loved the addition of smoked salt which now makes a regular appearance in my food. Get some good quality Nduja and eggs and make this post haste, I promise you won’t be disappointed.