realfoodie

Home
United Kingdom
Exeter
realfoodie

🎨 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

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.

16/10/2026

Sticky Pork & Carrots with Basmati Rice 👌

I fancied a Chinese takeaway…made this instead. I had some heritage carrots leftover from a shoot - purple, orange and white - that I used in this, but obviously just use any old carrot. Paired with a sticky soy sauce, orange and honey sauce for a deliciously easy dinner that’s ready in under 30mins.

This would also work with different cuts of meat or tofu too; but some very nice native breed bone-in pork chops from Pipers & Co went into this version (my aff code is below for discount!).

Sticky Pork & Carrot: recipe for 2-3 portions, to serve over rice:

2-4 large carrots, cut into batons
2 pork chops, or similar
1 red onion, sliced into half moons
1 large garlic, grated
Juice from 1 orange, zest to garnish
1tbsp honey
3-5tbsp light soy sauce
1tbsp mirin
1tsp sesame oil
1tbsp cornflour mixed with 5tbsp water
200ml chicken stock
1/2tsp white pepper
Sea salt to taste
Small bunch coriander, chopped fine

> get the carrots on to steam, they need about a 10min head-start for an al dente finish. I started the rice at the same time too.

> My pork chops were thick so I seared them hard for a couple mins on each side, then finished in the oven for 8mins. This gave me enough time to make the sauce.

> Fry the onions in a little oil, or the rendered fat from the pork chops (which is what I did) for a couple of minutes, then add the garlic. Cook out for another min, then add the carrots.

> Add all other ingredients, simmer lightly to thicken. Slice the now cooked and rested pork and fold through. Season to taste, adjust as needed, along with the consistency (add a splash of water if needed).

> Serve over basmati rice, with fresh coriander and orange zest.

If you fancy trying something similar for yourself, use my code REALFOODIE for 10% off your first order on pipers.co (aff.)
rtx

13/10/2026

Bangers & Mash, But Make It Pigs In Blankets 🐽

I wrapped some big, fat juicy sausages in smoky streaky bacon, then roasted until golden and crisp. Piled them onto a mountain of buttery mash with sweet, frazzled leeks, plenty of thyme and a generous amount of rich chicken gravy.

More gravy, always 🖤

If you fancy trying something similar for yourself, use my code REALFOODIE for 10% off your first order on pipers.co (aff.)

rf x

12/10/2026

The Cosiest Bowl of the Season, and the Base for Some Epic Arancini 🔥

Cacio e Pepe Risotto with a Sage, Chorizo & Butternut Squash Topper. Essentially a cheese & black pepper risotto, so build on it however you like. Serves 4 as a main, or 2 with leftovers for arancini!

1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tbsp butter
2-3 shallots, diced
3 garlic cloves, grated
500g risotto rice
2tbsp Yondu umami seasoning (or 1-2 veggie stock melts)
Approx. 1.5 litres boiled water, a ladle at a time (or swap some for a glass of white w**e at the start)
Approx. 25g pecorino or parmesan, grated
Sea salt and LOTS of black pepper (I used 2-3tbsp)
Optional (not traditional AT ALL): 3tbsp cream cheese

> On a low heat throughout, soften the shallots in the butter and oil for 2-3 mins without colouring. Add the garlic and rice, stir to coat and give it a min, then add the seasoning.

> Add the water a ladle at a time until the rice is cooked through, about 20 mins. Melt in the cheese, salt, pepper and cream cheese (if using), loosening with more water to keep it oozy.

For the topping:
> Cube and roast a butternut squash with salt, pepper and olive oil, gas 6/200c for about 40 mins.

> Cube 1/2 a chorizo ring and gently fry until crisp, adding 6-7 sage leaves as the oils release. Spoon over the risotto with all the oils.

09/10/2026

Happy Friday Foodies 🙌

Just a couple of delicious little poachies on avocado toast! I use the clingfilm method to cook my poached eggs ~ I can do a few a the same time and they always come out great!

Clingfilm method: line a small dish with heat-safe clingfilm, leaving plenty over the edges. Lightly oil, crack in an egg, season as you like, then gather and twist the clingfilm tightly to form a little parcel. Twist together securely and lower into gently simmering water for 4–5 minutes, until the white is set and the yolk is runny!

08/10/2026

French Onion Gnocchi Poutine 😏

Ummm GUYS… this is amazing. French onion soup meets crispy golden gnocchi with a load of melty little cheese curds mixed in. Recipe serves 2 (with two more portions of the soup for another day):

2 red onions, finely sliced
2 brown onions, finely sliced
2tbsp butter
1tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
250ml white w**e
500ml beef stock
1tsp Worcestershire sauce
6-8 fresh thyme sprigs
500g gnocchi
150g (ish) cheese curds, or similar
Sea salt & black pepper

METHOD

> Slowly cook the onions in 1tbsp butter and a little olive oil with and a pinch of salt for 25–30 minutes until soft, sweet and caramelised.

> Add the garlic, followed by the w**e. Let it bubble and reduce before adding the beef stock Worcestershire sauce, a few sprigs of thyme, and a bay leaf. Simmer until rich and glossy (10mins or so). Season to taste, then turn off. Remove half for another day.

> Meanwhile, roast the gnocchi until crisp on a sheet pan ~ drizzle them with olive oil, and pop in the oven for 20ish mins (gas 6/200c).

> Toss the gnocchi through 2 portions worth of onion soup, scatter over the cheese curds and pop under a hot grill for a couple of minutes until just melted.

> Finish with fresh thyme and plenty of black pepper.

06/10/2026

Don’t you just love the way the shells catch those garden peas? 😅

This is SUCH a simple recipe, it’s almost embarrassing! Recipe for 2-3 portions:

250g conchiglie pasta (shells)
1 garlic clove, grated
1 greens mix*
1/2 lemon, zest and juice
1 tub of ricotta
100ml pasta water, extra as needed
1/2 veggie stock melt/cube
3tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
1/4tsp white pepper
Sea salt to taste

> get the pasta on to boil and cook as per instructions. Meanwhile, make the sauce in a separate pan:

> fry the garlic in a little cooking oil for a min or so first, then add the greens and a splash of water. Steam-fry for a couple mins then add the lemon zest and juice. Remove from pan and set to one side.

> using the same pan, melt in the ricotta along with the pasta water, stock melt/cube. Add the parmesan and seasonings.

> toss back in the greens and the now cooked and drained pasta. Add more liquid and seasonings as you like to get a good consistency and flavour. Serve with more parmesan as you like!

04/10/2026

Tandoori Masala Spiced Chickpeas with Grilled Paneer 🔥

I had a very hungry baby boy when I got back from the aquarium today so needed to make something super quick!

This was ready in 20 mins from getting the rice on (baby boy picked at chickpeas whilst I cooked).

Makes 2-3 portions:

1 block of paneer, sliced into cubes
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, sliced into half moons
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5tbsp tandoori masala spice blend
1 jar queen chickpeas, plus stock
400ml roasted tomatoes (or 1 can of tinned tomatoes)
1/2 veggie stock melt/cube/bouillon
5tbsp double cream
Sea salt to taste
1tbsp butter
Fresh coriander, to serve as you like

> rub the paneer with a little olive oil and any spices as you like, pop under the grill (on a piece of tin foil) and cook for 5-10mins until lightly crisp and golden. Turn regularly as they start to char.

> meanwhile add the onions to a pan and fry out until soft, add the garlic and spice blend. Cook out for a couple of minutes then add all other ingredients in turn (except butter and fresh coriander).

> Simmer for 10mins to thicken, taste and adjust seasonings as you like before stirring in the butter. Serve over rice with fresh coriander and breads as you like (I like those paratha you cook from frozen in like 2 mins!).

Address

Exeter

Website

http://www.realfoodie.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when realfoodie posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to realfoodie:

Want your business to be the top-listed interior service in Exeter?