

Un mélange
Mélange: a mixture, or a group of different things or people" Cambridge English Dictionary time for some oddments, and it's amazing how...
Aug 25, 2025


A lot of fuss - but maybe worth it
"as I'm a pastry cook at heart, I've been making all sorts of herb-laden tarts, including this lovely tomato one. It's very simple." ...
Aug 21, 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


Nuggets
" nugget - a small piece or lump, especially of gold in its natural state" or "something small but valuable or excellent" Cambridge...
Aug 5, 2025


Lessons from a recipe
Yesterday we celebrated my older son's birthday here with the now almost traditional and compulsory spaghetti and meatballs - and a cake...
Aug 4, 2025


Fusion or confusion? - two dinners
"a twisted kind of sense" Jay Rayner This is last night's dinner - simply called Fried beef kerala from my other The Food of ... series...
Jul 27, 2025


Sugarless desserts
My sister and her husband have regular lunch dates with friends. They take it in turns. However, the male half of the other couple is a...
Jul 21, 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


Fear in the kitchen
"The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." Julia Child I was looking...
Jun 17, 2025


Lunch party decisions
"Please all, and you will please none." Aesop I haven't hosted a lunch party for ages - well I sort of don't count my occasional family...
Jun 11, 2025


Coles' new look
As with almost every topic I choose to write about on this blog, I discovered bits about today's topic that hadn't occurred to me. Even...
Jun 8, 2025


Shopping, the fridge and the freezer
Why do I do what I know I shouldn't? We are eating leftovers for dinner again tonight, which is OK, if a little boring. But there are...
Jun 1, 2025


Aargh! Technical problems
"Technology…is a queer thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other." C.P. Snow I sat...
May 29, 2025


Nigel's spicy sausage pasta step by step
"I couldn’t get over how lush it tastes; creamy and luxurious and comforting" A Muse Bouche You may remember that I decided to try to...
May 21, 2025


Baked oats
"Everything looks like cake, but is not in fact cake." Emily Gerard/Today This is one of those posts that began with me thinking I was...
May 17, 2025


In old age, life is a holiday
"Hopes, dreams, your favourite cuisine?" Siri The title and the quote are two interrelated nudges to write about something vague - I...
May 11, 2025


Boredom leads to an idea and to teenagers
“Anyone who likes to eat, can soon learn to cook well." Jane Grigson I get bored. Frequently. Always have and am currently going...
May 6, 2025


There's nothing new about one pot pasta
"A traditional spaghetti dish may be a two-pan recipe, but one of those pans contains only boiling water, salt and spaghetti. It’s not...
May 2, 2025


Cuba
"Cuban recipes share spices and techniques with Spanish cooking, with some Caribbean influence in spice and flavour. Food rationing,...
May 1, 2025


Jollof rice - a quickie
“at home and in the diaspora, we will take up arms to defend anything and everything about it – its origin, preparation and by God, how...
Apr 30, 2025

