

Cheating at cassoulet
"Sometimes in life, we have to make a choice: Idealized fantasy or achievable reality." Adina Steiman/Food and Wine I've been thinking...
Sep 16, 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


A supermarket label
A comment from my sister sort of inspired this post. Well I suppose it was barely a comment, just a statement that she hated shopping in...
Sep 7, 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


A question about shepherd's pie
On Sunday we had shepherd's pie for dinner because I had leftover lamb from Friday. Whenever we have a roast and have leftovers we...
Aug 26, 2025


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

