– Retro Kitchens and Vintage Kitchenalia – A Little Girl’s Dream Comes True! Plus, Top Tips in the Kitchen Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to watch her mummy and grandmother bake – she sat on a stool in the corner of the kitchen and watched them weigh and sift…
Vegetarian
Down Memory Lane – Knickerbocker Glory, the Ultimate Ice Cream Sundae
~ Down Memory Lane ~ Knickerbocker Glory The Ultimate Ice Cream Sundae Down my memory lane are tall hedges with berries, grassy banks covered with primroses and violets; bluebell woods, babbling brooks and tree houses. Hot summer days with the drowsy humming of bees, sandwiches wrapped in greaseproof paper and bottled “pop” in bottles with pot lids…
Saturday Supper Club – Quick and Easy Mixed Courgette & Cherry Tomato Clafoutis with Cheese
~ Saturday Supper Club ~ Quick and Easy Mixed Courgette & Cherry Tomato Clafoutis with Cheese I often make sweet clafoutis, especially with cherries, but recently I ate a savoury one in a local restaurant, and it was delicious. Much lighter than a gratin or a traditional Quiche and a wonderful, colourful recipe idea for…
Preserves from the Pantry! Apricot & Orange Chutney from First Preserves by Vivien Lloyd
Preserves from the Pantry! Apricot & Orange Chutney from First Preserves by Vivien Lloyd As you all may know, I reviewed Vivien’s wonderful book First Preserves last week, and made some Apple and Ginger Jam from the book; however, I also wanted to make a preserve to accompany savoury meals, so I made a batch of…
Baking for Easter – The History of Traditional Hot Cross Buns and Hot Cross Bun Recipe
Baking for Easter The History of Hot Cross Buns ~ Traditional Hot Cross Buns Recipe ~ Hot Cross buns have quite a history behind them; the idea of marking crosses on baked goods such as bread, cakes and buns goes right back to pre-Medieval times and was a visible sign that the bread was “blessed”…
Traditions on Monday – Traditional Easter Marbled Pace Eggs
Traditions on Monday ~ Traditional Easter Marbled Pace Eggs ~ Pace Eggs is a very old British tradition and method of colouring and dying eggs to be boiled and eaten on Good Friday and throughout the Easter weekend. There are commercial dyes available nowadays, but I still prefer the traditional natural methods of colouring my…
Mothering Sunday and Tea in the Parlour with Little Chocolate & Violet Fancies
Mothering Sunday ~Tea in the Parlour ~ Little Chocolate & Violet Fancies ~ Happy Mother’s Day to my Mum ~ Of all the British holidays, feast days and celebrations, this is one of my favourites – not only does it give me the chance to visit and treat my mum, but it also heralds the…
Spring Flowers and Spiced Red Lentil & Carrot Soup with Frazzled Onions
– Spring Flowers – Spiced Red Lentil & Carrot Soup with Frazzled Onions Spring has definitely sprung at last, but I am not being lulled into a false sense of security just yet, we have had snow and frost in May before now, but whilst the sun is shining and the flowers are budding, I am a very happy little spring lamb. The crocuses are out,…
Herbs on Saturday – English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas
– Herbs on Saturday – English Cream of Sorrel Soup with Peas My herb for today is Sorrel and is one if my favourite herbs; I love it in soups, sauces, salads in with fish. Sorrel is a very old herb that has been used throughout the centuries in England, as well as the rest…
Victorian Spring Posy Cake for Easter or Mother’s Day using Crystallised Violets
Victorian Spring Posy Cake for Easter or Mother’s Day using Crystallised Violets One of my recent cake inventions – a standard Victoria Sandwich Sponge with a few delicious additions. Fresh oranges and lemons, lemon curd, crystallised violets and mascarpone cheese make this basic sponge cake moist and special enough for the Easter Sunday tea-time table,…
Floral Gift in a Jar – Home-made Sweet Violet Sugar for Cakes and Bakes
– Floral Gift in a Jar – Home-made Sweet Violet Sugar for Cakes and Bakes British Mothering Sunday is on the 18th March this year, and over the next week I shall be posting come ideas for this special day; today, I am sharing another violet recipe, Sweet Violet Sugar – a delightful old-fashioned floral sugar…
Scones – Wensleydale Cheese, Leek & Walnut Scones for Tea Time Treats
– Scones – Wensleydale Cheese, Leek & Walnut Scones for Tea Time Treats Okay, as most of you know the tea time treats challenge this month is SCONES. Scones, the mainstay of the tea time table……..sweet ones with dollops of cream and fruit jam, dried fruit ones, cherry ones, buttermilk ones…..and then there’s the savoury…
Who ate all the Pies? British Pie Week & my Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie
Who ate all the Pies? British Pie Week Farmhouse Egg and Bacon Pie I am a pie lover, no, I REALLY mean I LOVE pies! I love making them, creating new recipes, eating them and reading about them. I am quite simple a Pie Fanatic. So, when I saw that next week was British Pie…
The Scented Home, Flowers and Boozy Mincemeat for Let’s Make Christmas
The Scented Home, Flowers and Boozy Mincemeat for Let’s Make Christmas Sun dappled skies enticed me to venture outside sans jumper mid-morning, and as soon as the cold air stole my breath and hung like a cloud in front of me, I knew the time had come, not only to start my festive preparations,…