~ 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 ~
St Lucy’s Day, The Twelve Days of Christmas and A Pomegranate in a Pink Apple Tree Mocktail Recipe! Day Thirteen on the Advent Calender 13th December ~ Hannah’s Birthday! Happy Birthday to Hannah, my daughter, who sometimes guest writes for me on my blog, today is her birthday, and, it is also Saint Lucy’s Day or [...]
~ Wine and Food Pairings ~ Pairing Wine with…….Pudding? Red wine with chocolate and strawberries People generally pair red wine with roasts and white wine with chicken and fish, keeping the stronger wines for later in the meal. However, there are so many finer details once you consider the spices and sauces, and there’s [...]
Wine Tasting Notes from a Jubilee Party Stowells Light Wine for Ladies who Lunch! When I was asked if I would like to taste some low-calorie and low alcohol wine from Stowells Wine Merchants, I have to admit to agreeing fairly rapidly! Why would I want a low-calorie and low alcohol wine to try you may ask, especially as [...]
May Day, Foraging and a Prelude to Summer ~ Old Fashioned English Elderflower Cordial ~ The first of May is a special day in my family, it was my maternal grandfather’s birthday and it is the prelude to a month of many family birthdays and anniversary celebrations, of which one is mine. It’s also a [...]
Old Fashioned Sweet Violet Syrup for Easter & Mothering Sunday Cakes & Bakes It’s violets all the way……..I seem to have hundreds of these beautiful, highly scented flowers in my garden this year – they are delightful and make me smile when I open the front door. And to think that just two weeks ago [...]
Gifts in a Jar, Day Ten on the Advent Calendar and Christmas Eve Hot Chocolate 10th December 2011 Window number ten is Angel Chimes The gentle ting, ting, ting of the angel chimes and the hiss and spit of a log fire……..the heat making me drowsy, whilst carols play in the background……the smell of hot wax [...]
The Snowman, Day Eight on the Advent Calendar and Snowman Soup for Children! (Gift in a Mug) 8th December 2011 Window number eight is a Snowman A frivolous and fun post today and a Christmas activity for busy mums (or dads and grandparents) to do with their wee ones ~ something easy to make as a gift [...]
Gift in a Jar, Day Four on the Advent Calendar and Christmas Morning Tea 4th December 2011 Window number four is a Festive Holly Mug December the fourth already and the day was blown in by a cold Easterly wind, bringing the last of the leaves down and causing the bustles on my Coronation chickens [...]
~ The Second of December ~ Opening the Second Window in the Lavender and Lovage Advent Calendar, Mulled Wine with Sloe Gin December 2nd 2011 Window number two is a Glass Peacock Mulled Wine with Sloe Gin (from BBC Good Website) An easy mulled wine recipe for the festive season, brimming with Christmassy spice and [...]
A Chocolate Frenzy with Chilli and much Cocoa! We Should Cocoa and Mexican Hot Chocolate A veritable frenzy and fest of chocolate and cocoa…..all blended in a mug of hot milk for my afternoon pick-me-up, or more like an afternoon boot up the derrière! This Chilli Hot Chocolate for a Chilly Day was divine darlinks! [...]
Karen S Booth
