Hot Cross Bun Bread – Not just for Easter
Last Easter I made Hot Cross Buns for the first time as they are one of my favourite Easter treats that I miss now that I live in Italy, home to the equally delicious but, not quite the same, Easter Colomba (think Panettone but with candied fruit). Having painstakingly rolled out 20 or so buns last year it … Read more
Coconut Boobies. A fairly healthy sweet treat!
So it’s a new year and a new start for many as new year resolutions and diets are top of the agenda. My own resolution is to pick up where I left off on my exercise regime and continue eating healthily. I’m not a fan of diets and as such could never willingly give up … Read more
Rice and Peas…
Rice and Peas, and no not the caribbean kind, but good old fashioned long grain rice and green peas make for a great autumn-winter rice salad as you can cheat and use tinned or frozen peas together with other ingredients easily sourced all year round. I can’t manage to say “Rice and Peas” without affecing … Read more
My love affair with Feta continues – Stuffed chicken with feta, tomatoes, olives and thyme
Having been pregnant for a large part of this year I spent a lot of time having to think about which foods I could safely eat and Feta has been my pasturised go-to cheese of the year. I love it’s taste and texture and it works well in so many recipes that I have used … Read more
At home with the builders (again!) et voila, un Pear Clafoutis…c’est tres bon!
I’m a bit of a francophile having spent a lifetime holidaying in the south of France and also living in Le Mans during my university years, and I regularly butt good humoured heads with my Italian friends over who has the best wine and cuisine. The Italians, as indeed are the French, are extremely proud … Read more
Chestnut and Chocolate Cake
Chestnut season has officially arrived! How do I know this? Because last week my friendly neighbours kindly bought me a basket big enough to feed a small army which left me with the challenge of what on earth to do with so many chestnuts. After boiling and roasting a few I decided to scour the … Read more
A few jars of tomato sunshine to brighten the winter months ahead
Our fledging vegetable patch went from strength to strength this year and it is safe to say that we’ve been well and truly bitten by the self sufficiency bug of eating our own fresh produce for as much of the year as possible. Despite having only a small crop we’ve still been able to preserve … Read more
Sponsored Recipe – Alibert Pasta Fresca – Ravioloni with sautéed courgette and mint
Over the course of the last couple of months I’ve been testing various fresh pasta products from renowned producer Alibert, experts in luxury fresh pasta that can be cooked traditionally in boiling water or more innovatively directly in the pan with sauce. I’ve loved the flexibility of having these two cooking methods as it not … Read more
Pastry Cutter Pear & Rhubarb Flan
Last christmas my good friend CJ brought me a pastry cutter for creating a lattice effect after we watched a cookery show with baked apples in lattice pastry and I’ve spent the entire year feeling guilty for not using it. That is until now of course. With a tree full of pears in the garden … Read more
Fridge-raiding Cheese on Vege for supper
After 2 weeks in the UK I have alas come home to an empty fridge complete with one mouldy cucumber and a pear on the verge of exploding! Having spent the best part of my two weeks doing morning coffee, lunch, tea and cakes and dinner with various friends and family my waistline could really do … Read more
