Provençal Stuffed Apricot & Goat’s Cheese Salad with Edible Flowers Edible flowers seem to be the “New Black” lately, with many top chefs using them in their Michelin Star restaurants; pubs, cafés and even commercial “refectory” kitchens are adding them to dishes for staff, as my daughter confirmed recently, when she sent me a photo of…
Gourmet
Lobster Newberg with Fresh Scottish Lobster
Lobster Newberg with Fresh Scottish Lobster My mum remembers being treated to freshly cooked lobster served with hot melted butter on her sixteenth birthday; my grandmother used to buy fresh lobster straight from the quayside in Sunderland, where they cost only a few pennies each – they were certainly not just for the wealthy and…
Butter Griddled Asparagus with Lemon and Aioli
Butter Griddled Asparagus with Lemon and Aioli British asparagus season is between April and June and with just two weeks left in June, I’m grabbing the opportunity to enjoy as much British asparagus as I can. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to buy locally grown Yorkshire asparagus in the farm shop down the road…….as…
A Sultry Summer Salad: Heirloom Tomato & Chive Flower Salad
A Sultry Summer Salad: Heirloom Tomato & Chive Flower Salad Summer has definitely arrived now, with long days of sunshine and fluffy white clouds sliding around azure blue skies……meals have been taken outside mostly – the barbecue has been dragged from its winter storage place, with a view to an abundance of al fresco grilling. My…
The Guild of Food Writers Awards 2015: Rhubarb and Rose Champagne Cocktails
The Guild of Food Writers Awards 2015: Rhubarb and Rose Champagne Cocktails Today is an exciting day for me, I am travelling to London to attend The Guild of Food Writers Awards ceremony, but unlike last year, this year I am one of the finalists in the Food Blog of the Year category. I am in…
Serrano wrapped Asparagus with Baby Gem Lettuce, Bronze Fennel, Aioli, Chives and Goat’s Cheese
Serrano wrapped Asparagus with Baby Gem Lettuce, Bronze Fennel, Aioli, Chives and Goat’s Cheese British asparagus, a seasonal gem and a culinary treat that I look forward to with anticipation. In my part of the world, namely North Yorkshire, we have numerous asparagus farms, so being able to source locally is not an issue, and as the…
5:2 Diet Recipe: Cauliflower Steaks with Grana Padano Cheese, Olives and Rocket Leaves
5:2 Diet Recipe: Cauliflower Steaks with Grana Padano Cheese, Olives and Rocket Leaves With apologies to my regular readers who have been waiting for my latest 5:2 diet recipe, I have created several since my last one was published, Pork & Fennel with Red Wine & Borlotti Beans, but I have just not had the time to share…
Rhubarb, Rose & Strawberry Syrup for Cocktails and Cordials
Rhubarb, Rose & Strawberry Syrup for Cocktails and Cordials One of the joys of spring is the promise of rebirth in the garden; apart from the burgeoning buds on all the fruit trees and bushes, the delicate blush blossoms bursting forth under gentle rain and sultry sunshine, there’s more treasure to be discovered, usually under…
Baileys Double Chocolate Mousse with Toasted Hazelnuts and Baileys Cream
Baileys Double Chocolate Mousse with Toasted Hazelnuts and Baileys Cream Enter the dessert of your dreams……..Baileys Double Chocolate Mousse with Toasted Hazelnuts and Baileys Cream, a decadent delight that is made with TWO sorts of Baileys Irish Cream, aka Liquid crack! It’s a classic chocolate mousse, notched up with the addition of Baileys Chocolat Luxe and…
Scottish Fish with an Asian Twist: Salt & Pepper Fish Goujons
Scottish Fish with an Asian Twist: Salt & Pepper Fish Goujons So, what is a “Goujon”? Well, the word originates from the French word “Gudjeon” which is a fish, and we seemed to have embraced the term for these fried fishy morsels about twenty years ago, when they became “de rigueur” on every Bistro menu….
Pan-fried Skrei Cod with Scorched Cherry Tomatoes, Black Garlic and Harissa Crushed Cauliflower Mash
Pan-fried Skrei Cod with Scorched Cherry Tomatoes, Black Garlic and Harissa Crushed Cauliflower Mash Today’s recipe is for Pan-fried Skrei Cod with Scorched Cherry Tomatoes, Black Garlic and Harissa Crushed Cauliflower Mash is a new creation by me, that I developed a couple of weeks ago, and that has proved to be a popular dish with…
Award Winning Scottish Fish: Smoked Plaice, Leek & Cheese Gratin with Chervil & Lemon
Award Winning Scottish Fish: Smoked Plaice, Leek & Cheese Gratin with Chervil & Lemon Regular readers of Lavender and Lovage will know of my love of fish and seafood, in fact anything fishy (or in a shell) gets my vote. And, many of you may remember that I always buy my fish whenever I can from…
Braised Ruby Baby Gem Lettuce with Spring Onions, Peas, Bacon and Crème Fraîche
Braised Ruby Baby Gem Lettuce with Spring Onions, Peas, Bacon and Crème Fraîche The lettuces sat provocatively amongst all the other spring greens and seasonal vegetables……some with frilly leaves, some with soft, buttery looking leaves and tender hearts. There were curly leaves, pointed leaves and then there were baby oak leaf lettuces, compact and tightly furled……sitting…
How Cool is your Fridge? Win a Fridge PLUS Old Bay Shrimp Recipe
How Cool is your Fridge? Win a Fridge PLUS Old Bay Shrimp Recipe Just how cool is your fridge, I was asked, and NO, it’s not the temperature, but my “fridge street cred”! Well, my fridge is a trifle packed at present, as I have LOTS of recipe development jobs to do, and it’s very…
“Not Your Usual Potted Cheese” (with Chilli Mayonnaise) for Grown-Ups ONLY!
“Not Your Usual Potted Cheese” (with Chilli Mayonnaise) for Grown-Ups ONLY Christmas and New Year is but a fond and distant memory now, but somehow some of our “festive fare” lingers on, lurking in surprising and sometimes inappropriate places (such as half a Christmas pudding that I found still “cooling down” in the oven) and…
