Eat Out To Help Out

August 13, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

I’d heard about the government’s ‘Eat out to help out’ scheme to encourage people back into restaurants but hadn’t thought through whether and when I might actually take advantage of it. Then I found myself participating twice by accident yesterday! It started in Richmond in the morning. I’d taken my two little grandsons (5½ and […]

When ‘Drinks’ Became the New ‘Dinner’

August 11, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

If ever we doubted the importance of social interaction, then the last five months of pandemic living has highlighted our basic need to connect and meet with others. From the grim early days of isolation within our houses, we’ve slowly stepped back out towards our more social selves. But we’re still a long way from […]

The Sunday Barbecue

August 9, 2020.Reading time 10 minutes.

I like the heat, I like the sun; I was born under the sun sign of Aries and put my love of the sun down to that. I promise you would never want to be out and about with me on a wet, cold and windy day because my mood takes a nosedive. However, even […]

Now We Are Nine!

July 26, 2020.Reading time 14 minutes.

It was as I was publishing my last post with the red mullet recipe that I noticed a message from WordPress congratulating me on my blog’s 9th anniversary. Yes, it the blog’s birthday!! I was too busy to cook the blog a birthday cake (and in truth, there’s no one around at the moment to […]

Red Mullet with Orange, Capers & Pine Nuts

July 26, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

It was a spontaneous buy. I stopped off at the local fishmonger’s to buy some salmon and prawns and saw fillets of red mullet. I remembered it’s one of Rick Stein’s favourite fish and so decided to get some. I’ve cooked red mullet before, but long ago, and wasn’t sure what to do with it […]

Little Blueberry Cakes for a Picnic

June 30, 2020.Reading time 12 minutes.

A picnic was promised. I’ve been booking weekly slots to go to Kew Gardens since it reopened. I do miss just being able to go there spontaneously on a nice day since the gardens are local to me, just a couple of miles away, but I’m grateful they’re open again and I can once more […]

Dreaming of Travelling

June 24, 2020.Reading time 10 minutes.

Like many people, I’m really missing making travel plans during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic. I’m fortunate that in normal times I get away four or five times a year. Usually for short breaks and rarely longer than a week. I like to always have something to look forward to in the fairly near […]

Linguine with Tuna, Tomatoes & Olives

June 21, 2020.Reading time 9 minutes.

It turned out to be a perfect supper plan. After my lovely afternoon with the family at Wisley Gardens, a simple, easy-to-prepare supper was ideal. It was really a store-cupboard meal, even though the idea of just rooting around to see what I had in store wasn’t the inspiration. The inspiration was Donna Leon’s Unto […]

A Family Outing to RHS Garden Wisley

June 20, 2020.Reading time 9 minutes.

Wisley gardens are one of my favourite places to go. Just a 20-minute drive from my home, they’re a regular destination. Normally – not in lockdown times – they have a terrific schedule of events and exhibitions and I’ve been there a lot with the family – to see an exhibition of life-sized safari animals […]

Cooking with Freddie: Olive Focaccia

June 18, 2020.Reading time 9 minutes.

Well it’s been a long time since I’ve been able to cook with Freddie, my gorgeous 5½-year-old grandson. With the pandemic lockdown, for weeks we couldn’t see each other and then only at social distance, which Freddie was very strict about! ‘The virus’ is part of his new vocabulary. One has to hope there won’t […]