World Baking Day……Cakes Galore and my Vanilla, Strawberry & Rose Victoria Sandwich Cake Are you brave enough to Bake Brave tomorrow, Sunday 19th May 2013? Just ONE more day to go, and you can choose from 100 wonderful cakes to make on the World Baking Day website here: World Baking Day 19th May – The…
Formal Party
The Coffee Challenge with De’Longhi: Italian Coffee Mocha Kisses and Brandy Snaps
The Coffee Challenge with De’Longhi: Italian Coffee Mocha Kisses and Brandy Snaps There is nothing as nice as afternoon tea, unless it happens to be afternoon coffee. I am a bit of a tea and coffee snob, and only drink the best stuff, made in a tea-pot for tea and in a cafetière for coffee. So, when…
Hot Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Terrine for the Le Creuset Cast Iron Challenge
Hot Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Terrine for the Le Creuset Cast Iron Challenge I have had a life-long love affair with cast iron cookware, probably since I was old enough to lift a casserole lid, and Le Creuset tops my cast iron cookware list. I am an avid collector of new and vintage Le Creuset,…
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Asparagus,Spring Vegetables,Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry Recipes
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Asparagus, Spring Vegetables, Gooseberries & Cape Malay Beef Curry Recipes Core May Ingredients: Beef, Asparagus, Broad Beans, Peas, Gooseberries and Jersey Royal Potatoes May Menu: Two Cheese Asparagus Tart Broad Bean and Pea Medley with Feta Cheese Jersey Royal Potato Salad with Three Herb Mayonnaise Cape Malay Beef & Fruit…
SousVide Supreme Chicken Three Ways! Chicken Cordon Bleu, Lemon Thyme Chicken Kebabs & Chicken with Beans
Review: SousVide Supreme Chicken Three Ways! Chicken Cordon Bleu, Lemon Thyme Chicken Kebabs & Chicken with Beans I have been on a bit of retro kick lately and have been rediscovering recipes from the 1970’s – those famous restaurant staples of many a restaurant or bistro, such as steak and chips, prawn cocktail, chef’s salad…
Weekly Meal Plan and Two Day Diet Recipes: Salmon Niçoise Salad (5:2 Diet)
Weekly Meal Plan and Two Day Diet Recipes: Salmon Niçoise Salad (5:2 Diet) I was a little naughty last week, the weekly meal plan with my two-day diet went out of the window and I enjoyed much feasting with gusto and without one guilty thought! MY daughter Hannah was visiting and we embraced the warm…
Quince Blossom and a Lazy Saturday Salad Recipe: Strawberry and Mint Fruit Salad
Quince Blossom and a Lazy Saturday Salad Recipe: Strawberry and Mint Fruit Salad Today has been a lazy day for me, for a change! My daughter has gone back home and I have just pottered all day – in the garden as well as in the kitchen. It’s all about strawberries today, and I have…
Fromage Friday! A Simple French Cheeseboard for Al Fresco and Summer Dining
Fromage Friday! A Simple French Cheeseboard for Al Fresco and Summer Dining Now, I know regular readers will be expecting a “Fish on Friday” post today, and indeed I will be posting one a little later or tomorrow, but for now I want to share a simple idea for a summer cheeseboard, a bit if…
“Scandi” Friday with Hot Pickled Herrings and a Dill Pickle Potato Salad Recipe
“Scandi” Friday with Hot Pickled Herrings and a Dill Pickle Potato Salad Recipe It’s a bit of an IKEA post today…..blonde and bleached wood, candles, white plates, sleek cutlery, dill pickles, coriander, lemons, SAAB convertibles, red and white enamel pans, herrings, dill pickles and potato salad, yes, it’s my regular Fish on Friday post but…
Spring Green 5:2 Diet Recipe: Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad with Feta Cheese (200 calories)
Spring Green 5:2 Diet Recipe: Moroccan Roasted Vegetable Salad with Feta Cheese (200 calories) I am a salad eater, a sort of veggie lotus eater but with more rustic charm! I like a green leaf or two and never more so than when I am “watching my weight” (such a funny euphemism for I’m too fat and…
Win a Baking Party Pack for World Baking Day 19th May 2013
Win a Baking Party Pack for World Baking Day 19th May 2013 Bake for fun, bake with friends and Bake Brave – that’s the message to everyone for World Baking Day 2013. The global event happens annually on the third Sunday in May – and everyone’s invited to join in the fun, from beginner to…
French 5:2 Diet Fast Day Recipe and Monday Meal Plan: Provençal Chicken and Fennel Braise
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…
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…