

Happy days
"Happy days roll onward leading up to golden years." Alfred Lord Tennyson Every now and then I change my computer desktop wallpaper - I think that's what they call it - from a photograph picked from my photo libraries - almost at random. This is what I chose the day before yesterday - such a happy picture - of a holiday in France 20 years ago, when I was a mere 62 years old. A baby, with many of those golden years still to come. The group consists of two sets of university
Jan 6


Coq au sauvignon blanc
“This popular dish may be called coq au Chambertin, coq au Riesling, or coq au whatever wine you use for its cooking.” Julia Child Based on, based on, probably ad infinitum is the story of tonight's proposed dinner. And for want of a better description I'm calling it Coq au sauvignon blanc - or 'sav blonk' as some would say.. But of course it's not coq at all, so let's begin there on this tiny ramble around a classic french dish. For every group of chickens that actually ha
Dec 17, 2025


Living the dream requires money - lots
"For mum, who taught me how to dream, and Pete, who makes my dreams come true." This is the Chateau de Bosguet in Normandy - otherwise known as The French Table - a gourmet getaway in a tiny village in Normandy where you can take cooking classes, or just simply relax. It is run by a Melburnian couple who, in 2003 began to dream of a life in France and a new business venture - a residential cooking and French village life focussed stay. And so in 2005 they bought this somewh
Dec 7, 2025


The mysterious invisible cake - France, Russia, Japan?
"It seems to me that invisibility is the required provision of elegance. Elegance ceases to exist when it is noticed." Jean Cocteau Tuesday is the day that Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen newsletter arrives in my inbox. Today - seeing as how it is autumn - well fall - over there in the US of A - she was focussed on apples, and amongst the many delectable recipes on offer was this Invisible apple cake, which she likened to Apple sharlotka - a Russian cake that she had wri
Oct 21, 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


Old-fashioned asparagus
"No good will come from matching asparagus with anything that might overshadow its gentle nature. Any accompaniment needs to know its...
Oct 2, 2025


Sorrel - from weed to haute cuisine
"Sorrel bridges the divide rather splendidly between herb and vegetable." Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall This is one of the photographs I...
Sep 26, 2025


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


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


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


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


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


Genteel eggs
Coddled, baked, shirred, en cocotte, moulded eggs, egg-in-a-cup - not poached - but I'm confused This all began with this rather lovely...
May 27, 2025


Tartiflette
"That alpine dish of tartiflette, whose layers of potatoes, onions, smoked bacon and reblochon cheese helps to thaw out skiers and...
May 19, 2025


Thank you Donald
"a mare labor - from the sea, work" Official motto for St. Pierre et Maquelon Yes thank you, because the Donald's maniacal tariffs have...
Apr 7, 2025


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


"Potatoes cooked in olive oil or butter"
"Because they absorb a good deal of whatever fat they are cooked in, it follows that the fat should always be the best possible." ...
Oct 19, 2024


An Elizabeth David recipe - some thoughts
"It is her recipes that I am grateful to have found as they are not traditional and they are not precise" The Simply Luxurious Life...
Oct 17, 2024


Napoleon cake - layers of meaning
"as each family makes it their own way, you’d be pressed to find two recipes that agree on what makes a perfect one." Deb...
Jul 14, 2024


A decor book
"It's not just what's inside them that counts – books are also the underrated heroes of home décor." Bed Threads This is my next Lucky...
Jul 3, 2024

