French Sunday Lunch: Guinea Fowl with Apples, Prunes and Armagnac Mustard Sauce (Pintade aux Prunes) Dawn breaks, sending fiery rays of blood-red rays through the old lace curtains……it’s a Sailor’s (or Shepherd’s) warning morning, and then I hear the patter of rain as it hits the window, driven by blustering winds. The duvet clings to…
Gourmet
Chocolate Orange Curd with Godiva Chocolates and Clementines
Chocolate Orange Curd with Godiva Chocolates and Clementines I love making preserves of all kinds and regular Lavender and Lovage readers will know that I share recipes for jam, marmalade, pickles, chutney, relish and curds regularly. One of my most popular recipes, both with my readers and with my family (and me!) is my mum’s recipe for Lemon…
A Romantic Continental Breakfast with Thorntons Chocolates!
Review: A Romantic Continental Breakfast with Thorntons Chocolates! I took the journey recently, as a test drive for Valentine’s day and in the interests of the masses, I tested some lovely Thorntons Chocolates that arrived for me…..in readiness for Valentine’s day and other special occasions – I hope you will all thank me for my…
A Countdown to Christmas Recipe: Frazzled Kale and Frisee salad with Pomegranate, Persimmon and Walnuts
A Countdown to Christmas Recipe: Frazzled Kale and Frisee salad with Pomegranate, Persimmon and Walnuts Welcome to recipe two in my mini festive recipe series, A Countdown to Christmas! Today’s recipe is a lovely salad, full of Christmas cheer and packed with all that is wonderful this season…….walnuts, persimmons, pomegranates and delicious curly kale – it looks…
Christmas Eve Comfort Food – Christmas Carollers’ Casserole: Elizabethan Spiced Beef Stew
Christmas Eve Comfort Food – Christmas Carollers’ Casserole: Elizabethan Spiced Beef Stew Christmas Eve is often a very busy time, with last-minute present wrapping, and even buying in some cases, plus all the preparations for the big day with mounds of potatoes to peel, sprouts to trim and “pigs in blankets” to make. For us,…
Festive Fun and Frivolity! Tea Cup After Eight Chocolate Mint Mousse
Festive Fun and Frivolity! Tea Cup After Eight Chocolate Mint Mousse Who doesn’t love chocolate, and especially chocolate puds and desserts! So, when I was approached by After Eight Mints, the Rolls Royce of the chocolate after dinner mint world, I was pleased to accept their challenge to design and create a recipe using their…
Paleo 5:2 Diet Recipe for Pepper Steak with Pan-fried Onions, Tomatoes and Spinach
Paleo 5:2 Diet Recipe for Pepper Steak with Pan-fried Onions, Tomatoes and Spinach Although I enjoy my meat-free days and we do eat a lot of fish too, both of us (my husband in particular) hanker after a big juicy, red steak now and then, and so when I received a sample hamper from the…
Spanish Seafood & Chorizo Skewers and Spicy Pepper Stir-Fry Recipes with La Plancha
Spanish Seafood & Chorizo Skewers and Spicy Pepper Stir-Fry Recipes with La Plancha Just a little while ago, at the end of summer and beginning of autumn, my daughter came to see us in France for a little holiday, and we managed to grab the late summer sunshine whilst we still had it! One of the…
Sous Vide Poached Eggs: Posh Bacon & Eggs, Smoked Haddock & Eggs and Basic Poached Eggs
Sous Vide Poached Eggs: Posh Bacon & Eggs, Smoked Haddock & Eggs and Basic Poached Eggs Several months ago I was sent a Sous Vide Supreme water bath machine to trial and review; in return for my wonderful machine, and I have loved using it on many occasions, I committed to creating several recipes and…
Autumn Still Life: Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle (Recipe)
Autumn Still Life: Figs stuffed with Blue Cheese and Lavender Honey Drizzle (Recipe) Although I have enjoyed the amazingly hot and sunny summer we have had in Europe this year, I do look forward to the cooler months, especially autumn, which is my favourite season. I’m not a huge fan of the darker mornings and…
Your Sunday Best! A Fabulous Steamed Raspberry & Whisky Sponge Pudding Recipe
Your Sunday Best! A Fabulous Steamed Raspberry & Whisky Sponge Pudding Recipe Remember when Sunday’s was a day for getting dressed up in your “Sunday Best”? It’s not that long ago and I clearly remember visiting family on Sundays, as well as going to Sunday School in my best Sunday Best frock! We may not…
A Mediterranean Meze Lunch with Loire Wines: Food and Wine Pairing
A Mediterranean Meze Lunch with Loire Wines: Food and Wine Pairing Having lived in Cyprus and run a restaurant there for several years, I am well versed in the Mediterranean Meze lunch; at the restaurant I used to co-host and run, we had a fabulous meze menu, of which I prepared and cooked many of…
Blue on Blue! Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe
Blue on Blue! Blue Blossom Salad: Blue Cheese, Borage & Grilled Chicken Salad Recipe Salads feature a lot on my weekly menu, both in winter and summer, but never more so than over the last two weeks since the heat wave hit the UK and most of Europe; instead of moaning in the rain, we…
Bastille Day, Picnics and Fireworks: Vegetarian Stuffed Picnic Sandwich Recipe
Bastille Day, Picnics and Fireworks: Vegetarian Stuffed Picnic Sandwich Recipe Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale (French pronunciation: [la.fɛːt.na.sjɔˈnal] ; The National Celebration) and commonly Le quatorze juillet (French pronunciation: [lə.ka.tɔʁz.ʒɥiˈjɛ] ; the fourteenth of July). While the date is the same as that of…
The Smell of Summer with a Floral Salad Recipe: Egg and Tomato Salad with Marigold & Chive Flowers
The Smell of Summer with a Floral Salad Recipe: Egg and Tomato Salad with Marigold & Chive Flowers I can officially declare that it is summer! The mercury has been steadily rising over the last four to five days and I am wearing shorts and t-shirts, so, it MUST be summer. My herb garden and…
