~ Seasonal fragrance and flavour from my country kitchens in England and France....celebrating local seasonal produce with traditional feasts and festivals, culinary notes, reviews, recipes and musings from home and abroad....whilst preparing family food with flair ~
My Mum’s “Teacup Apricot and Honey Porridge” Recipe for a Cold March Morning Spring has ebbed away in a slither of ice and snow, and my daffodils and tulips are drooping under the weight of heavy white hoarfrost, whilst the garden birds look slightly shell-shocked as they grapple with ongoing nest-building in Arctic conditions – yes, winter [...]
Five-A-Day Family Supper Recipe: “Sunday Lunch” Chicken, Sausage and Vegetable Hotpot Ahhhh…..Slow Sunday! A day of comparative rest, unless you are cooking a “full on” family Sunday roast that is; a day to turn over in bed for another few minutes or half an hour, a day of “no bills” through the letter box. A [...]
Charles Dickens and London Particular: Ham and Pea Soup Recipe It has been foggy lately, the New Year opened with thick, swirling fog – the sort where drips of moisture are amplified by the close pressing presence of this most depressing of weather phenomena. Rain I can cope with, now and then that is, snow is initially magical before it becomes sludge or [...]
A Family Favourite and Winter Warmer: Traditional Cottage Pie with Cheesy Mash (Recipe) I am a Scotty Brand Blogger – this means every few weeks I receive a lovely package of fresh fruit or vegetables, from spuds to strawberries and raspberries to carrots, I have been lucky enough the receive all of these beautifully fresh, Scottish locally [...]
Day Five on the Advent Calendar: Mini Cheese, Cranberry and Walnut Scones Recipe Day Five on the Advent Calendar: 5th December: Today is day five on the Lavender and Lovage Advent Calendar and what an appropriate window to open, and find a nutcracker, as my recipe today is Mini Cheese, Cranberry and Walnut Scones. I have to admit [...]
Weekly Meal Plan and a Hearty Family Supper Recipe: Sausage and Apple Casserole in Cider It’s been a funny week, as you all know I was living off WW2 rations last week and I have found it quite hard to get back into the swing of things since then! I enjoyed my week in the Wartime [...]
A Bonfire Treat! Sticky Yorkshire Ginger Parkin with Quince and Pomegranate Compote I LOVE sticky ginger parkin, it’s one of my favourite treats at this time of the year, and is JUST perfect for Bonfire night along with treacle toffee aka Tom Trot toffee, tomato soup in cups, chilli, stews, soups and toffee apples…..my recipe [...]
Sunday Lunch: Roast Pumpkin Salad with Pancetta, Grana Padano and Pumpkin Seeds I awoke to a heavy white frost today with flocks of iridescent starlings on the lawn…….my trip to the hen-house was accompanied by crunching footsteps as I made my way over sparkling white grass, and I could sense the eyes of hungry blackbirds watching my [...]
Organic October and Autumn Suppers: ~ Bonfire Chilli with Beef, Chocolate and Pumpkin ~ Autumn means…….. crisp mornings, misty mornings, crackling leaves, vibrant berries, Old Man’s Beard in tangled hedgerows, apples on damp grass, the smell of wood smoke, bonfires, woolly scarves, boots, red mittens, duffle coats, log fires, glistening dew covered cobwebs, pumpkins, candles, piles of books on the bedside table, crumpets, casseroles, dumplings, steamed puddings, the last rose of summer, fireworks, hot chocolate, fluffy duvets, tartan rugs, fireside suppers, Arran [...]
Apple Day, Victorian Orchards and Apple & Dorset Blue Vinny Scone Bread Recipe Today is Apple Day in the UK, a day to celebrate our home-grown apples and cherish them…….the day was first started in 1990 by Common Ground in Covent Garden. The following year it launched nationwide with over 50 events ranging from apple road-shows [...]
Karen S Booth
