food, reviews & life in my kitchen
With its beautiful deep colour and sweet flavour, beetroot is a versatile vegetable to cook with. The results are always comforting and full of flavour, as well as attractive; thanks to the pink kiss it gives to everything it touches. Having planted an entire pack of beet seeds this year (thanks to an incident on… Continue reading Beetroot, potato and ricotta tart recipe
When October arrives, the days are shortening, a cold wind is creeping into the air and the trees are turning rich shades of gold and red. I can’t help but look forward to cosy evenings, and the promise of the festive season to come. (Probably not helped by the increasingly early sale of Christmas decorations… Continue reading My Top 5 Autumnal Recipes
Created for St Patrick's day, this pie is filled with a rich, hearty steak and mushroom mixture with a savoury Guinness gravy. Slow cooking the filling for an hour before putting it in the pie helps make sure that the beef is soft, and the gravy is at its best. All of this delicious flavour… Continue reading Steak and Guinness Shortcrust Pastry Pie Recipe
There are few things more delicious and satisfying to eat in the summer than a slice of warm homemade quiche with a crunchy side salad – and maybe a buttery new potato or two!
I don’t often eat desserts at home, so they always feel like a treat. They are reserved for meals out, occasions, dinners at home shared with family and friends. My favourite desserts are generally the ones I associate with nostalgia and home cooking, and it’s a tribute to my Mum’s amazing cooking and baking that… Continue reading Comforting Autumnal Apple Pie Recipe
As the cold nights of October loom ahead, I can’t help but look forward to warming food served hot from the oven in steaming bowls of comfort. When you slow cook food in an oven, the rich scent of dinner wafts from the kitchen as it cooks, filling the house with a familiar scent that… Continue reading Slow-cooked curry sauce recipe
It was Sunday morning, I was considering what to bake and as usual, didn’t really know what I fancied. I wanted to try something different, and when the thought occurred to me that if you can have a lemon drizzle cake, why not other fruit drizzle cakes, I immediately settled on an orange one. I love… Continue reading Orange drizzle cake recipe
When anyone asks me what my favourite cake flavour is, it’s a difficult choice between lemon cake, chocolate cake and a classic Victoria Sponge. Actually, it’s a difficult choice between all cakes, but sometimes simple is best. These little Victoria Sponge fairy cakes make the most of the simple, timeless combination of vanilla sponge, vanilla… Continue reading Victoria Sponge Fairy Cakes Recipe
A review of Cotswold Pizza Flour. I love pizza – who doesn’t? The comfort in that delicious combination of tomato and cheese in every mouthful is really hard to beat. And really hard to resist. (Hence my long history of pizza related cheese burns on the roof of my mouth…) But despite this, it’s really… Continue reading Cotswold pizza flour review and cheddar & tomato pizza recipe
This lemon drizzle cake is perfect for an Easter celebration, and I always associate it with spring and summer. As with most of my favourite baking recipes, this is one I’ve inherited from my mum, and it reminds me of hazy afternoons spent eating freshly baked scones and lemon cake in the garden, watching insects… Continue reading Lemon drizzle cake recipe