

May Day
"As full of spirit as the month of May". William Shakespeare It's May 1st. May Day. The heralder of Spring. Well not here in Australia....
May 1, 2021


"The past is always present"
Alan Garner wrote those words - the title of today's piece - in a wonderful very short children's book called The Stone Book. The...
Apr 20, 2021


Bring a plate
"Yes, bring a plate is an Aussie thing, but what does it mean? According to the Australian National University’s ‘Meanings and origins of...
Mar 30, 2021


Pork pies - uniquely English
"The thing I can't resist is a pork pie. That's my idea of a lovely treat." Delia Smith My granddaughter and grandson, who both go to the...
Mar 16, 2021


High tea and other in between meals
"The high tea is a meal that must be eaten and the afternoon tea is one we have because we can." Helen Razer That picture above is sort...
Feb 25, 2021


The spice loving English - first recipe
"these oriental and Arabian and Mediterranean flavourings are no longer status symbols; they no longer possess the charm of the...
Feb 24, 2021


A wonderful incongruity = dinner tomorrow
"Ingenuity and incongruity always cheer me up." Terry Pratchett So there I was sitting in the doctor's waiting room, not exactly feeling...
Feb 23, 2021


New is old, old is new
and sometimes old is old and new is new and what do old and new mean anyway? I was very struck by Elizabeth David's quote about food...
Feb 7, 2021


Portuguese custard tarts - evolution
"The Portuguese pastel de nata are so wonderful that it is almost pointless trying to replicate, let alone better them." Jeremy Lee -...
Jan 30, 2021


Waffles
"a culinary gilded lily that is impossible to resist." Felicity Cloake "If you love someone, you make them pancakes. If you really love...
Jan 25, 2021


Palamitha plaki, kakavia or psarasoupa?
"It was traditionally made from the smallest fish caught by fishermen, along with olive oil, onions, and saffron." The Essential...
Jan 13, 2021


Chop suey and Immigrant food
This is the inspiration for today's post. It's a painting called Chop Suey by the American artist Edward Hopper, recently sold for...
Jan 6, 2021


Pigs in blankets or pig in a blanket - not the same
Still on Christmas - sorry still a couple more things to say about Christmas. Maybe it's not having cooked the Christmas turkey for the...
Dec 31, 2020


Marzipan and Eccles cakes
I have made a list of topics to write a post on - currently mostly with a Christmassy bent even though Christmas is now done and dusted...
Dec 29, 2020


Saying goodbye to leftover turkey
"All that leftover turkey traditionally calls for curry" Felicity Cloake Now when did that tradition begin, if indeed it is a tradition?...
Dec 28, 2020


Bread sauce
"everyone loves bread, even in a conceptually questionable form such as a goo." Ruby Lott-Lavigna - Vice I seem to have started a mini...
Dec 22, 2020


Brandy snaps
" the name brandy snap has no reference to brandy, the spirit. The name "brandy" is related to "branded" (as in burnt)." Wikipedia When...
Dec 21, 2020


The Christmas ham takeover
"always surplus to requirements given the 6kg of cold poultry sitting in the fridge" Felicity Cloake I know I've said it before but it...
Dec 14, 2020


Gingerbread
"An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy ginger-bread" Shakespeare Following on from my Christmas hamper idea...
Dec 9, 2020


Antipasti - a first recipe from Elizabeth David
"Among Italian antipasti (hors d'œuvre) are to be found some of the most successful culinary achievements in European cooking. Most...
Nov 27, 2020

