“Smorgastarta” (Swedish Savoury Sandwich Gateau) for National Sandwich Day November seems a funny time of the year to be celebrating National Sandwich Day, but as an avid sandwich lover I am keen to participate in this day of crusty bread and enticing fillings! We, in the UK, have already marked British Sandwich Week in May,…
Casual Party
Loaded Potato Crustless Quiche with Bacon, Cheese & Onions
Loaded Potato Crustless Quiche with Bacon, Cheese & Onions By the time you read this, I will be snoozing on the TGV on my way up to Lille to catch the Eurostar back to the UK……..but, all is well, as I will still be benefiting from an extra hour in bed, as the clocks went…
Bacon Chilli Popcorn in the Microwave or a MultiCooker
Bacon Chilli Popcorn in the Microwave or a MultiCooker Chilli and bacon popcorn? Hello……yes please! This is a combination made in heaven and one that I will be repeating again. This was the recipe I made as a snack one day last week, when the fog was as thick as porridge and the rain teemed down the windows…
Pie, Pie, Pie…..Chocolate Chilli Pie with a Cornbread Crust
Pie, Pie, Pie…….. Chocolate Chilli Pie with a Cornbread Crust I am a PIE LOVER – pies are the ultimate comfort food for me, whether they be the light, fragrant pies of summer, or the rustic, rich pies of winter, anything with a crust gets my vote of approval. The crust can be flaky, hot water,…
Bonfire Bangers and Barbecue Bean Casserole for Crocktober
Bonfire Bangers and Barbecue Bean Casserole for Crocktober Here we are half way through October……it’s been a funny old month with some very cold, wet days, and then today the sun has decided to show its face again and I am hankering to get out and have a long walk…….the sort of autumn walk where…
A Show-Stopping Chocolate Cherry Cake for Chocolate Week!
A Show-Stopping Chocolate Cherry Cake for Chocolate Week! There is nothing as nice as a BIG home-made chocolate cake on the tea time-table and although I am primarily a savoury person (cheese, bread and pies are my downfall) I do love a slice of chocolate cake now and then. And, as it is Chocolate Week…
Cast Iron Recipes! Cooking with “Le Creuset”: Comfort Chicken Casserole
Cast Iron Recipes! Cooking with “Le Creuset” Comfort Chicken Casserole What could be better than a comforting plate of chicken casserole as autumn leaves begin to fall in their hundreds and aromatic wood smoke spirals around brick chimneys……….pearl grey mists greet me on my way down to open up the chickens every morning and the Robin is sporting…
Thrifty & Organic October: Pork & Apples with French Style Lentils and Salted Chocolate Brownies
Thrifty & Organic October: Pork & Apples with French Style Lentils and Salted Chocolate Brownies Core Ingredients for October: Pork, Pumpkin, Apples, Lentils, Cabbage and Chocolate Menu Plan and Recipes for October: Meat Free “Garbure” Soup with Cabbage and Pumpkin Pork Steaks with Apples, Sage and Cider Apple Vinegar French style Braised Lentils Sea Salt…
Autumn Beckons: Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Elderberry Glaze and Port Jus
Autumn Beckons: Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Elderberry Glaze and Port Jus Autumn really is beckoning, the mornings are misty and cool and the evenings are “drawing in” with darkness falling by eight thirty now……..I’m sad to see the summer go, but I love autumn and all it brings. It’s a season of harvest festivals, crackling…
An Autumn “Summer Pudding” Recipe for Sunday Lunch
An Autumn “Summer Pudding” Recipe for Sunday Lunch A British classic, a Summer Pudding is a thing of sublime beauty – swathes of gently poached berries and currants encased in a shell of soft bread, it’s an easy recipe to make and makes good use of excess berries (and currants) you may have throughout the…
A Random Great British Bake Off Technical Challenge: Ciabatta Bread
A Random Great British Bake Off Technical Challenge: Ciabatta Bread Over the last few weeks, I have attempted to make the technical challenge from the Great British Bake Off every week, but with the onset of a late Indian summer and friends and family visiting over the last few weeks, that project has been unavoidably dropped by the…
Sel la Vie Tomatoes and Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin
Sel la Vie Tomatoes and Twice Baked Potato, Cheese and Bacon Gratin This last week has been a glorious late summer holiday, with my daughter visiting, and the weather in SW France being positively balmy with temperatures in the late 20’s and clear azure skies, it’s been like the late birthday gift you never expected, and…
September Thrifty & Organic Meal Plan: Spiced Plums, Pulled Beef & Hidden Veggie Cheese Muffins
September Thrifty & Organic Meal Plan: Spiced Plums, Pulled Beef and Hidden Veggie Cheese Muffins Core Ingredients for September: Beef, Carrots, Leeks, Shallots, Oats and Plums Meal Plan and Recipes for September: Pulled BBQ Beef Brisket Wraps (for a “back to school” midweek or weekend supper) Carrot, Leek and Oat Cheese Muffins (for breakfast on…
Hot Chocolate Fudge Sundae
This is my slightly adapted recipe for Hot Chocolate Fudge Sundae as taken from her book, Summer Collection, which still remains one of my very favourite cookbooks. Delia has the ability to bring the unusual and unique to the table but with simple, easy to follow instructions which makes all of her recipes appear achievable…..and…
The Moose is Loose! Newfoundland Toutons with Butter & Maple Syrup Butter
The Moose is Loose! Newfoundland Toutons with Butter & Maple Syrup Butter I love bread, and I also love butter and maple syrup as well as pancakes, so when all of these ingredients come together in a fabulous breakfast, brunch or snack dish, I am a very happy and well-fed bunny! Regular readers of Lavender…
