The best caprese salad uses the freshest ingredients What better way to get the most fresh ingredients than growing them yourself (obviously not the mozzarella), but basil and tomatoes are a must! Tomatoes ripened by warm sunny days make them so sweet. The flavours are better than any bought tomato in the supermarket. Grow your… Continue reading Classic Caprese Salad
Delicately Poached Rhubarb with Orange & Ginger
A lovely and simple recipe for rhubarb This easy recipe blends the coppery, savoury flavour of rhubarb with hints of orange and very gentle ginger. Delicious as soon as your rhubarb is ready to pick. Either cut the cleaned rhubarb stems into pieces or long thin strands (maybe a third of the thickness of the… Continue reading Delicately Poached Rhubarb with Orange & Ginger
Herb-crusted lamb cutlets
A lovely recipe for Easter Sunday lunch. We’ve taken to visiting our local butcher every Thursday (who incidentally we totally recommend as he does mail order – see The Thoroughly Wild Meat Company) and asking for his week’s recommendation for a treaty Sunday lunch. We have had some seriously delicious meals as a result, one… Continue reading Herb-crusted lamb cutlets
Victoria Sponge Cake
The Perfect Victoria Sponge Cake and A Superb Strawberry Or Ripping Raspberry Jam Filling An age-old recipe taught to us at our grandmother’s knee with a few extra tricks to turn into a perfect Platinum Jubilee celebration pudding or tea-time cake. Add our easy-peasy strawberry or raspberry jam sensation to create the perfect filling. The… Continue reading Victoria Sponge Cake
Silver Leaved Plants
Why Silver Foliage is a Winning Formula in Your Garden There’s nothing second rate about silver in the garden, whatever the season. In winter that sparkly foliage chimes spectacularly with frost and sub-zero temperatures, creating scenes of dazzling dynamism. In summer, bright sunlight glances off silver leaves, cooling and providing a shimmering foil to the… Continue reading Silver Leaved Plants
Dark Chocolate Truffle Torte
Decadent and delicious, a slice of this wonderfully luxurious, yet relatively cheap and easy-to-make dessert, is great for Valentine’s Day – and every other day of the year too! They say dark chocolate has several health benefits: it is highly nutritious, is a great antioxidant and can reduce heart disease. If so, then give us… Continue reading Dark Chocolate Truffle Torte
Ham Hock Terrine
The shelves in the supermarkets seem to be full of ham this time of year, and especially when it’s discounted, as a family, we stock up on it throughout January. Our family eats a lot of ham throughout the winter months. It’s a great alternative than your ‘standard’ winter stew, it works well with bubble… Continue reading Ham Hock Terrine
Baked Camembert, Olive & Straws
The perfect food for your Christmas dinner party, New Years Eve, or all to yourself! Baked Camembert is both fancy and so simple to prepare with olives and pecorino straws: all your guests will be asking for the recipe. Ingredients: 1 sheet puff pastry 1 large egg 1/3 cup grated Pecorino cheese 1 cup finely chopped… Continue reading Baked Camembert, Olive & Straws
Spicy Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
Warm your cockles and calm your wockles with some homemade butternut squash and sweet potato soup. As the weather chills, recipes in the kitchen heat up from salads and summery stirfrys to soups and stews: after being outside on a wet and wintry day, there are few things as revitalising as some homemade soup. With… Continue reading Spicy Squash & Sweet Potato Soup
Why I love hazelnuts. Or cobnuts?
What is the difference between a cobnut and a filbert? Are they the same thing, with regional variations of nomenclature? Is a filbert the fancier version of a cobnut with a longer husk? And how do they relate to hazelnuts? There must be a kernel of truth in there somewhere… Kent is where you’ll find… Continue reading Why I love hazelnuts. Or cobnuts?