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…
Casual 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…
Weekly Meal Plan, 5:2 Diet Recipes and Curried Carrot Soup (85 calories)
Weekly Meal Plan, 5:2 Diet Recipes and Curried Carrot Soup (85 calories) I have been a bit lazy with my meal plans lately, as things have been a bit upside-down at home……but, this week I am pleased to be able to share a meal plan with my readers, as well as a new 5:2 diet recipe, for Curried…
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…
Healthy Happy Hearts: Low-Calorie Spicy Mexican Fish Wraps Recipe
Healthy Happy Hearts: Low-Calorie Spicy Mexican Fish Wraps Recipe I think that one of the reasons I love fish (and seafood) and eat it regularly, is because my mum used to cook it at least twice a week when I was growing up. She used to make fish cakes, fish pie, pan-fried fish fillets, oven…
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…