French 5:2 Diet Fast Day Recipe and Monday Meal Plan: Provençal Chicken and Fennel Braise Many people will have read “A Year in Provence” by Peter Mayle, it was the book that launched a thousand moves by Brits to France during the late 80’s and 90’s; the book is packed with idyllic “long French lunches”, pâté terrine, idle…
Birthday Party
Vintage Blue and White on Sepia Sunday: Farmhouse “Teacup” Spiced Fruit Loaf Recipe
Vintage Blue and White on Sepia Sunday: Farmhouse “Teacup” Spiced Fruit Loaf Recipe It’s Sunday, a day of baking and relaxing by the fire, well it IS a cold spring day! And, I have been washing some of my “food photography props” that I have arranged on an old dresser, as they get so dusty…
Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart
Recipe: Low-Calorie Moroccan Cod Parcels for the 5:2 Diet and a Healthy Happy Heart As Lavender and Lovage regular readers will know, I love fish! I eat it at least twice a week – it’s easy to cook, tasty and extremely healthy, as well as being low in calories. I have been working with Fish…
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Salmon with Herb Mayonnaise, Spring Greens & Orange Cream Cheese Cake Recipes
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Salmon with Herb Mayonnaise, Spring Greens & Orange Cream Cheese Cake Recipes April Core Ingredients: Oranges, Spring Greens, New Potatoes, Cream Cheese, Herbs and Salmon April Menu: Whole poached salmon with Herb mayonnaise Spring Greens with Citrus butter Minted New Potatoes Salmon & Vegetable Cheesy Bake Potted Salmon & Herb…
Easter Gourmet 5:2 Diet Recipe: Scallop and Prawn Platter with Chilli Herb Vinaigrette
Easter Gourmet 5:2 Diet Recipe: Scallop and Prawn Platter with Chilli Herb Vinaigrette Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday, also known as Holy Thursday, it commemorates Jesus Christ’s last supper and the initiation of the Eucharist, which is observed in many Christian churches. It’s also the day that the Queen presents special ‘Maundy money’ to local pensioners, last year…
Colombard Wine, French Bread and Mussel, Onion and Parsley Chowder Recipe
Colombard Wine, French Bread and Mussel, Onion and Parsley Chowder Recipe In another life, not that long ago actually, I remember one evening when we (my husband and I) took some American guests who were staying at our B and B in France to a local vineyard for a nocturnal “dégustation”. The vineyard in question was Domaine…
Quick and Simple Pasta Pronto! Swiss Chard and Walnut Pesto Recipe
Quick and Simple Pasta Pronto! Swiss Chard and Walnut Pesto Recipe Pasta, that easy to prepare mid-week meal, or a weekend indulgence with wine and maybe half an acre of garlic bread – it comes in many guises and it’s astonishing to think that we only really embraced this “foreign” ingredient about forty to forty-five years ago. Many an…
Seductive Salmon! Salmon, Sorrel & Cream Cheese Parcels (Recipe)
Seductive Salmon! Salmon, Sorrel & Cream Cheese Parcels (Recipe) I remember a time when salmon was a luxury fish that was usually only seen (and served) at special times of the year, such as Christmas and Easter; it’s VERY accessible to all now, and I happen to think that’s a good thing. However, for me, the seduction of salmon is…
TV Pizza Night! Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Onion and Chorizo Pizza Recipe
TV Pizza Night! Sun-Dried Tomato, Red Onion and Chorizo Pizza Recipe With winter returning to the landscape via shed loads of snow and cruel Easterly winds, my evenings have reverted to fireside suppers whilst watching the TV again…….mainly cooking programmes, much to my husband’s disgust! And, with these cosy evenings comes the desire for comfort…
Recipe: Pink Grapefruit Marmalade and The Lavender & Lovage Marmalade Awards Results!
Recipe: Pink Grapefruit Marmalade and The Lavender & Lovage Marmalade Awards Results! National Marmalade week is over, as is the World’s Original Marmalade Awards, and I am left with dozens of jars of assorted marmalade, as well as a big surprise – THREE certificates from my three entries into the Marmalade Awards! Along with Sue and…
Mothering Sunday and Blue & White China: Little Victoria Lemon Daisy Cakes Recipe
Mothering Sunday and Blue & White China: Little Victoria Lemon Daisy Cakes Recipe Forgive me, but this is an indulgent post today, a sort of virtual Mothering Sunday card for my mum, with daisies and beautiful china………so, there will be very little chat and lots of photos, as well as the recipe for these pretty…
Posh Jam Biscuits! Jammie Daisy Dodgers (Biscuits/Cookies) Recipe
Posh Jam Biscuits! Jammie Daisy Dodgers (Biscuits/Cookies) Recipe Jammie Dodgers: Jammie Dodgers are a popular British biscuit, made from shortbread with a raspberry flavoured jam filling. They are currently produced by Burton’s Biscuit Company at its factory in Llantarnam. In 2009 Jammie Dodgers were the most popular children’s sweet biscuit brand in the United Kingdom, with 40% of the years’ sales consumed by adults. A buttery…
Say Cheese! Cheese, Onion and Potato Pie Recipe for British Pie Week
Say Cheese! Cheese, Onion and Potato Pie Recipe British Pie Week Everyone knows the old English rhyme “Simple Simon” and his pies, and I have to confess to being a bit of an extreme pie addict! There are extreme sportsmen (and women) as well as other professions where extreme comes into play, but an extreme…
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Persian Lamb, Aromatic Cauliflower & Chocolate Truffle Cake Recipes
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Persian Lamb, Aromatic Cauliflower & Chocolate Truffle Cake Recipes March Core Ingredients: Lemons; Cauliflower; Leeks; Eggs; Chocolate and Lamb MARCH MENU: Persian Roast Lamb with Aromatic Rice Spiced Cauliflower Spicy Shepherd’s Pie with Cheesy Leek Topping Chocolate Truffle Cake with Crystallised Violets Welcome to my second Thrifty and Organic Meal Planner post!…
Red Nose Day: Do Something Funny for Money! Red Nose Bunnies (Biscuits/Cookies) Recipe
Red Nose Day: Do Something Funny for Money! Red Nose Bunnies (Biscuits/Cookies) Recipe Red Nose Day is nearly upon us – in about two weeks time, we will all be able to wear red noses to work, meet friends for lunch wearing them, as well as sleep in them if that’s what floats your boat! Red…