Traditions on Monday ~ Traditional Easter Marbled Pace Eggs ~ Pace Eggs is a very old British tradition and method of colouring and dying eggs to be boiled and eaten on Good Friday and throughout the Easter weekend. There are commercial dyes available nowadays, but I still prefer the traditional natural methods of colouring my…
Pre-preparable
Mothering Sunday and Tea in the Parlour with Little Chocolate & Violet Fancies
Mothering Sunday ~Tea in the Parlour ~ Little Chocolate & Violet Fancies ~ Happy Mother’s Day to my Mum ~ Of all the British holidays, feast days and celebrations, this is one of my favourites – not only does it give me the chance to visit and treat my mum, but it also heralds the…
A Random Recipe – Finkadella: Scottish Meatballs with Carrots & Leeks
– A Random Recipe – Finkadella: Scottish Meatballs with Carrots & Leeks Finkadella: Small meatballs made with ground meat and seasoning. Many of Scotland’s recipes reflects its past links with France. Mary of Guise and her daughter Mary, Queen of Scots influenced cooking in the Scottish courts. The name of this recipe is thought to…
Spring Flowers and Spiced Red Lentil & Carrot Soup with Frazzled Onions
– Spring Flowers – Spiced Red Lentil & Carrot Soup with Frazzled Onions Spring has definitely sprung at last, but I am not being lulled into a false sense of security just yet, we have had snow and frost in May before now, but whilst the sun is shining and the flowers are budding, I am a very happy little spring lamb. The crocuses are out,…
Herbs on Saturday – English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas
– Herbs on Saturday – English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas My herb for today is Sorrel and is one if my favourite herbs; I love it in soups, sauces, salads in with fish. Sorrel is a very old herb that has been used throughout the centuries in England, as well as the rest…
Fish on Friday – Old-Fashioned Fish Pie with Cheesy Mash
– Fish on Friday – Old-Fashioned Fish Pie with Cheesy Mash It’s FRIDAY and that can only mean one thing, FISH! And, as it is British Pie Week, I decided to treat us all to a comforting old-fashioned style fish pie……with a cheesy mashed potato topping, just like mum’s. As a fish fanatic, I recently…
Victorian Spring Posy Cake for Easter or Mother’s Day using Crystallised Violets
Victorian Spring Posy Cake for Easter or Mother’s Day using Crystallised Violets One of my recent cake inventions – a standard Victoria Sandwich Sponge with a few delicious additions. Fresh oranges and lemons, lemon curd, crystallised violets and mascarpone cheese make this basic sponge cake moist and special enough for the Easter Sunday tea-time table,…
Floral Gift in a Jar – Home-made Sweet Violet Sugar for Cakes and Bakes
– Floral Gift in a Jar – Home-made Sweet Violet Sugar for Cakes and Bakes British Mothering Sunday is on the 18th March this year, and over the next week I shall be posting come ideas for this special day; today, I am sharing another violet recipe, Sweet Violet Sugar – a delightful old-fashioned floral sugar…
Who ate all the Pies? British Pie Week & my Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie
Who ate all the Pies? British Pie Week Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie I am a pie lover, no, I REALLY mean I LOVE pies! I love making them, creating new recipes, eating them and reading about them. I am quite simple a Pie Fanatic. So, when I saw that next week was British Pie…
The Scented Home, Flowers and Boozy Mincemeat for Let’s Make Christmas
The Scented Home, Flowers and Boozy Mincemeat for Let’s Make Christmas Sun dappled skies enticed me to venture outside sans jumper mid-morning, and as soon as the cold air stole my breath and hung like a cloud in front of me, I knew the time had come, not only to start my festive preparations,…
Pies, Simple Simon Met a Pieman ~ Raised Chicken and Ham Pie
Pies, Simple Simon met a Pieman and ~ Raised Chicken and Ham Pie ~ Simple Simon met a pieman going to the fair; Said Simple Simon to the pieman “Let me taste your ware” Said the pieman to Simple Simon “Show me first your penny” Said Simple Simon to the pieman “Sir, I have not…