Category Recipes
Beef, bacon and ale stew
Before I talk about the stew, I need to have a rant. About those expensive shops that purport to be selling the notion of comforting nostalgia, fine craftsmanship and warm, old fashioned values…at a whacking great price. Yes you, SCP. Yes you, Labour and Wait. And others that I can’t be bothered to mention, but […]
Tom Yum Noodle Soup
So my dear friends A and P are moving back to Australia. It’s a real toughie for them – A’s from England, and P’s from Oz, and every six years or so, they find themselves moving from one side of the world to the other. They start all over again from scratch, get new jobs, […]
Making apple juice
Holy smokes, we’ve had a lot of apples this year. We’re the proud adoptive parents of three gnarled apple trees, and as opposed to last year, when the harvest was limited to just ONE apple on a twig, we’ve been inundated with bounty this autumn. But the thing is, life’s too short to be peeling […]
Mussels with Breton cider
I just had a holiday in Brittany where by the end of my 10-day stay, salted butter was pumping through my veins. The Bretons make the BEST butter. I did feel I would explode if I ate any more French bread. Or cream/cheese/pastries. Dear Gawd, by the last-but-one day, I went into a sort of […]
Sugar free banana & marrow muffins
Sugar free muffins? Sugar free? Yup, that got your attention didn’t it. Well, it’s true – it is actually possible to have a delicious teatime muffin that doesn’t taste like pappy diet food, has no added sugar and is REET GORGEOUS. Ok, so purists among you might point out that having dried fruit and mashed […]
Amazing almond butter
I snuck off to the cinema on my own last week (shhhhh! was meant to be working) to catch an early afternoon matinee. That, to me, is total bliss. I’ve been going to the cinema on my own for years. I saw the new Woody Allen film, Blue Jasmine, which I loved. I used to […]
Souffle cheese on toast
Summer has truly snuffed itself out, and most evenings you’ll find me snuggling under a blanket being controlled by Paul Hollywood’s piercing eyes on The Great British Bake Off or watching Series 2 of Breaking Bad (I know, I’m very behind, but I went into labour watching the first series*, so, uh, it’s been a […]
Penguin cake
If I went on the Great British Bake Off, my showstopper cake would be a massive replica of Paul Hollywood’s face. I would emulate his lovely year-round tan with butterscotch frosting and stick on silver spray-painted chocolate Matchmakers to get his spiky grey hair just right. I would probably win the whole thing, for sure. […]
Marrow frittata with pesto and yoghurt
I found a beast of a marrow at the side of the road a few days ago. Well, it was actually in a cardboard box on a neighbour’s wall, hanging out with several other pumpkins, with a sign saying ‘please take’. So not liking to miss out on a freebie, I popped the marrow in […]
Let’s crumble!
Now that there’s a touch of chill on the night breeze, my thoughts turn to steadying puddings for approaching autumnal afternoons. I am an absolute whore for fruit crumbles, but ONLY if there is enough of the satisfying topping. So often I have been saddened by meagre bowls of stewed fruit covered in thin crusts […]
Toast & Butter 