Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
It might seem crazy to be making a thick, hearty soup in the midst of Christmas madness, but I have the advantage that I’m not actually ‘doing’ Christmas until Boxing Day. It all came about because I couldn’t resist buying a bundle of cavolo nero (black cabbage) at the farmers’ market yesterday, where I’d gone to […]
Read MoreI drove up to Worcestershire yesterday to stay with my daughter Nicola for a couple of days. As Hurricane Ophelia gasped its last violent breath across Ireland, causing havoc and putting the whole country on Red Alert, the wind picked up during my drive up the M40, M42 and M5 and on into the smaller […]
Read MoreFoodwise, I’ve had a lifelong love affair with tomatoes. Tomatoes all ways: raw sprinkled with sea salt; tomato sauce for pasta or to tuck little meatballs into; slow roasted for antipasti; stuffed Greek style. Is there no end to the wonders of tomatoes. Perhaps my least favourite is tomato juice, even with the addition of […]
Read MoreWell just the title tells you all about the weather in London! Summer has gone back into hiding and we have rain and a chill in the air. I took the Tube to South Kensington this morning; an umbrella to hand. I wanted to buy some coffee pods from the Nespresso shop in Knightsbridge; supermarket […]
Read MoreI imagine some of you are thinking, that doesn’t sound much like a winter soup when at last, some semblance of winter has arrived in UK. But then, I’m not someone who likes winter: all that cold and wet, long dark days. I’m a summer person; perhaps I was longing for summer when I decided […]
Read MoreIt’s definitely a day for soup. Storm Desmond is howling outside; winds of more than 40mph make the relatively mild December temperature feel bitterly cold. I ventured outside this morning but when I arrived back home, making those carrots and parsnips sitting in my fridge into a warming and comforting soup for lunch seemed too […]
Read MoreSometimes I get a bit carried away when I’m food shopping and forget there’s generally just me to cook for or that I might be going out a few times in the week ahead. So there I was with a beautiful organic cauliflower I bought a few days ago sitting in my fridge and I thought […]
Read MoreI had to work all weekend. There are pros and cons to freelance work. The flexibility means I can take time off for short breaks away, or an outing into central London, midweek when places are often quieter and it’s cheaper to travel. But sometimes a rush job means I have to work over the […]
Read MoreInspired by the menu at Brula on Saturday evening and that three of our party chose chestnut soup, I decided to make some for lunch yesterday. Chestnuts are in season at this time of year – from about October through December. Originally from more southern climates, Sweet Chestnut trees were brought to England and planted extensively […]
Read MoreAfter months of eating healthy salads at lunchtime (most particularly my Sensational Alkalising Salad), I now want a nice bowl of warming soup when I take a break from work in the week. It’s not very cold for the time of year but it’s definitely colder. And it feels like winter anyway with too […]
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