

Beetroot mezze - well small things?
"For me, a mezze dish has to be completely self-contained - fully flavoured and ready to go without needing anything else to make sense." Yotam Ottolenghi Ok - this is not really a small thing. It's Beetroot and red onion tarte tatin by Elena Silcock on the BBC Good Food website and I'm in the process of making it - or something like it now. Why? Well it's our last local book group meeting tonight, for which we all bring a plate. I'm hosting, and my particular challeng
Dec 3, 2025


In praise of bland
“You can't smell a hug. You can't hear a cuddle. But if you could, I reckon it would smell and sound of warm bread-and-butter pudding.” Nigel Slater This week I have had a couple of bouts of a stomach upset. No big deal - we all have these from time to time, and this time at least there was no vomiting. But it occurred on a couple of separate days, so I took myself to the doctor just in case - who confirmed what I thought - just a mild viral infection that would go away.
Nov 22, 2025


So proud
Last night we were invited to dinner - yet again - by my younger son. I think it was because David is going into hospital tomorrow for...
Oct 6, 2025


A photograph and a quote - Picnics .......
" The main principle of all outdoor eating stays the same: Logistics trump almost everything else" Yotam Ottolenghi on picnics...
Sep 20, 2025


Recent eating - from the thrown together to the sublime
They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and I guess that's what I have been trying to do for almost 60 years now. So I...
Jun 21, 2025


The nostalgia of mundane meals
"Mundane nostalgia refers to the sentimental longing for ordinary, everyday aspects of the past." Google AI The title of this particular...
Jun 16, 2025


Breakfast in bed
"a timelessly contentious issue." Snack Stack Every morning my loving husband brings me breakfast in bed. If I was a cynic I could say...
Feb 25, 2025


Lunch - one word, many meanings
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." Douglas Adams I think this particular painting - just snatched from Google Images - probably...
Feb 19, 2025


Valentine's Day on Melbourne's river
"There will always be ladies who lunch. Always. And apparently they live a long time." Elaine Stritch I think I may have used that quote...
Feb 15, 2025


That other problem
"Of course, you could wait to eat until after the sun goes down, if you have the backbone." Zoe Williams/The Guardian This is a problem...
Jan 30, 2025


Seasonality - over there and down here
"Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own." Charles Dickens On the left is the first picture in my new diary for...
Jan 3, 2025


The cheese board
"When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?" George Carlin The inspiration for this particular post, although I have thought...
Dec 11, 2024


Roast pork with Robert Carrier
I'm not really proud of this picture, because apart from my poor photography skills when it comes to photographing food, I had, of...
Nov 4, 2024


Tonight's dinner - me or Ottolenghi?
It's one of those fridge challenge days, and I also haven't been able to tick off my new recipe challenge this week as yet. The...
Oct 25, 2024


Celery and pasta? A tour of the blogs
"That could be anything from very good to quite terrible. It’s hard to tell.” Diane's Cookbooks The opening quote was a given for one of...
Sep 13, 2024


The daily decision
"I don't believe in taking right decisions. I take decisions and then make them right." Ratan Tata Recently I wrote a post on planning...
Aug 18, 2024


Ambience over food
"I don't go to restaurants, I go to tables." Langdon Winner It was that time of year when the females of the extended family get...
Jul 29, 2024


Inertia
"Nothing happens until something moves." Albert Einstein "Inertia: a property of matter by which it continues in its existing state of...
Jul 20, 2024


75 years ago - the food view from here
"We're Keele and we're different. Founded 75 years ago to meet the demands of a new kind of society, economy and world, our principles...
Jun 29, 2024


Stephanie's idea of 'simple'
"A lot is said about simplicity in modern, Fench-influenced cookery. I find it very difficult to find a suitable definition of a simple...
Jun 28, 2024

