Sensational Summer Strawberries Strawberry “Clafoutis” (Custard Bakes) “Strawberry fields forever” is my current mantra and as far as I am concerned there should be more strawberry fields, not just near me but all over the countryside, although, we are the proud “parents” of many strawberry offspring this year, and the luscious red orbs just keep…
Valentines day
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner for July: Peas, Roast Fennel, Cheese Pie and Cherry Cake
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner for July: Peas, Roast Fennel, Cheese Pie and Cherry Cake Core ingredients for July: Cheese, Spinach, Peas, Tomatoes, Fennel and Cherries Menu Plan and Recipes for July: Pea and Mint Pesto Roast Fennel, Tomatoes and Onions Cheese, Spinach and Dill Filo Pie Fresh Cherry Loaf Cake Welcome to July’s Thrifty…
June Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Salmon, Watercress & Strawberry Delights!
June Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner: Salmon, Watercress & Strawberry Delights! Welcome to June’s Thrifty and Organic Meal Planner; this month I have created three simple recipes that won’t break the bank or take up too much time in the kitchen; and, one of the component parts of the salmon recipe, the watercress and spring…
The Little Black Dress of Salads! New Potato & Radish Salad in a Creamy Truffle Oil Dressing
The Little Black Dress of Salads! New Potato & Radish Salad in a Creamy Truffle Oil Dressing Sometimes in recipe development, a recipe is created that seems so simple and yet is “the little black dress” of the culinary scene; it’s easy to make, has simple ingredients, BUT with one special “string of pearls” ingredient…
Better with Brita: Watercress Soup with Chives (5:2 Diet)
Better with Brita: Watercress Soup with Chives (5:2 Diet) Welcome to my SECOND Better with Brita recipe post! When I was deciding what to make for my next recipe, I thought of soup straight away, as soup is made with water and what better way to showcase Brita filtered water then with a soup recipe. And,…
Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce
Pan-fried Smoked Cheese & Ham Stuffed Chicken Breasts in a Creamy Herb Sauce Next Monday, on the 19th of May 2014, marks the start of Yogurt Week, the UK’s first celebration of all things yogurt! Whether it’s for breakfast on the go, a delicious snack or to use in your favourite recipes, yogurt contains a…
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner for May: Chicken, Exotic Spices and Floral Fruit
Thrifty & Organic Meal Planner for May: Chicken, Exotic Spices and Floral Fruit Hello and welcome to my FIRST Thrifty and Organic Meal Planner for 2014! As regular Lavender and Lovage readers will know, I worked with Organic UK throughout last year with a series of special menus based around key seasonal organic ingredients, and…
St George’s Day & A Spring Salad Recipe: English Apple and Walnut Salad
St George’s Day & A Spring Salad Recipe: English Apple and Walnut Salad Salad days…….hot, balmy days with fluffy white clouds and the drowsy distant buzz of bees……the early morning translucent light that awakes me along with birdsong and the pale warmth of early sun beams that dance along the old oak beams and form…
For your Easter Table: Cream Cheese & Cheddar Spread with Bacon and Herbs
For your Easter Table: Cream Cheese & Cheddar Spread with Bacon and Herbs Time to forget all that chocolate, as well as any cakes, biscuits and scones that are kicking around, we are on a cheese mission today, and it doesn’t get cheesier than this recipe, as Greg Wallace (of Masterchef) might say; it’s packed…
A Good Friday Pie: Wild Garlic and Blue Wensleydale Tart
A Good Friday Pie: Wild Garlic and Blue Wensleydale Tart Tomorrow, the 18th April, is Good Friday; or, Hot Cross Bun day as I used to call it when I was little! Although many Christians observe a “no meat Friday” every week of the year, it’s probably true to say that most people regardless of their religion also adopt a…
Organic Easter Menu: French Herb & Garlic Lamb and Pots au Chocolat
Organic Easter Menu: French Herb & Garlic Lamb and Pots au Chocolat It’s with great pleasure that I announce my continuing collaboration with Organic UK throughout 2014 – more about that to come in May, but for now I wanted to share some great indulgent recipes for people to enjoy with their family over Easter weekend,…
Easter Eggy Bread: Raspberry & Vanilla “Pain Perdu” (French Toast)
Easter Eggy Bread: Raspberry & Vanilla “Pain Perdu” (French Toast) Thank goodness it’s Friday! I’ve had a really busy week and I am looking forward to a bit of “down time” over the weekend. Today’s post is all about getting ahead however; in just a little over two weeks it will be Easter Sunday and…
Saturday Breakfast and Brunch Memories: Smoked Salmon “Egg in a Basket” (Egg in a Hole)
Saturday Breakfast and Brunch Memories: Smoked Salmon “Egg in a Basket” (Egg in a Hole) Saturday and Sunday mornings used to be a treat for me when I was little; when we lived in Shatin (Hong Kong), every weekend, if my dad wasn’t working, we would get up late and have breakfast together. Sitting at…
Floral and Flavoured Butter: Rosemary Flower Butter with Grana Padano Cheese
Floral and Flavoured Butter: Rosemary Flower Butter with Grana Padano Cheese Sometimes an idea comes to me in the middle of the night, when I am tossing and turning, reflecting on events that have happened, or worrying about things that may not happen……..the night is still and my thoughts seem to hang in the darkness…
French Sunday Lunch: Guinea Fowl with Apples, Prunes and Armagnac Mustard Sauce (Pintade aux Prunes)
French Sunday Lunch: Guinea Fowl with Apples, Prunes and Armagnac Mustard Sauce (Pintade aux Prunes) Dawn breaks, sending fiery rays of blood-red rays through the old lace curtains……it’s a Sailor’s (or Shepherd’s) warning morning, and then I hear the patter of rain as it hits the window, driven by blustering winds. The duvet clings to…