

From an old writer's block to a new one
At least I now have a title, for today's attempt at a post. And I also have a few ideas buzzing quietly in my head. I took that photo...
Sep 28, 2025


Nice food, nice lady
"I just know that it's possible to eat truly good food that doesn't take eons to prepare (although it does need to be cooked with TLC)" ...
Sep 27, 2025


Defeated by a first recipe
"sometimes the wall is just a wall. There’s nothing to be done but go somewhere else." Margaret Atwood This book has been sitting on my...
Sep 18, 2025


Another Nigel fan
ALL OF 'REAL FAST FOOD': Cooking (Maybe) Every Recipe from the Nigel Slater Classic “Maybe I should work my way through the whole book”,...
Sep 13, 2025


"The existential journey through a bowl of pasta" Wix AI
"In essence, "existential pasta" is a blend of profound feelings and the mundane, showing how the simplest things can trigger deep...
Sep 10, 2025


Thinking about self-publishing
I mentioned this book in passing a little while ago, It was a present from my son - a self-published book by a friend of his. As he...
Sep 9, 2025


It's never been easier
"Many of my most pleasing suppers have been one-off, chucked together affairs made with whatever was to hand. A question of making do. ...
Sep 2, 2025


Cauliflower and chicken - different approaches
This is one of those 'I've got to use up something so what am I going to make?' pieces with some other random thoughts about this and...
Aug 28, 2025


Blog ideas from a weekend walk
"When walking you see things that you miss in a motor car or on the train. You give your mind space to ponder." Tom Hodgkinson You've...
Aug 24, 2025


How to begin a cookbook
"an ode to the food of my childhood, a mash up of food from Bahrain and the surrounding countries, with a slightly Westernised take,...
Aug 13, 2025


Mushrooms and Chinese costermongers
This is a first recipe post - one from Beverley Sutherland Smith in her book simply called Vegetables . In this case, however, I first...
Aug 12, 2025


Mediterraneanism - it's all Elizabeth David's fault
“While I roast as many Mediterranean vegetables as the next person, I worry about what the ‘Mediterraneanisation’ of cooking is doing to...
Aug 11, 2025


Stews, a Belgian one and Jill Dupleix
"Old food. Favourite food. Above all, food that makes people fall in love with us. That's what cooking is all about as it always has...
Jul 28, 2025


Leftovers of leftovers of leftovers
David has more or less insisted I write a blog about last night's dinner because he loved it so much. He also said I should write down...
Jul 24, 2025


'Vegetarian mushroom shawarma pitas' - boring
"Novelty, the most potent of all attractions, is also the most perishable." Andre Maurois Once again I'm repeating myself, and also...
Jul 20, 2025


Do I need this book?
Probably not, but I want it - it's an object of desire Continuing with the pile of books on my desk I have mentioned this one a couple of...
Jul 17, 2025


Rather wonderful but mostly unseen
" Language is a funny thing. Most of us know what good writing looks like, but few of us can actually write good." Ellie It's time for a...
Jul 16, 2025


Number 9
"It represents completion, although not a final ending — more like the fulfilment of one cycle so that you can prepare to initiate the...
Jul 15, 2025


Artichokes begin with A
"The artichoke, like the oyster, is a food that makes an indelible impression on the untried tongue." Bert Greene And because they begin...
Jul 13, 2025


"You just need a starting point"
"If you don't know where you're going Any road will take you there" George Harrison Yet another day of dithering over what to write...
Jul 9, 2025

