Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
I was delighted to see there was a new series of Rick Stein’s Cornwall on BBC2 last week: 15 half-hour episodes over three weeks. I really enjoyed the first series last year and it gave me some great information for my holiday in Cornwall last September, especially leading me to Jack Doherty’s pottery in Penzance […]
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It was a late celebration for my birthday last month. My daughter Nicola couldn’t be with me then due to Covid restrictions (she lives in Worcestershire; I live in London) and this weekend was the first time I’d seen her – and her 2½ year old son Rufus – in over five months. Definitely celebrations […]
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I hadn’t planned to do any serious cooking today but when I received a message from my Italian friend Antonio this morning wishing me a ‘Buona Befana’ I couldn’t resist finding out more. I had heard of La Befana but have always celebrated Epiphany before French style with a Galette des Rois. But clearly it […]
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This is an adaptation of a Rick Stein recipe in his Long Weekends book. I’m particularly attached to this book (and the accompanying DVD of the TV series) at the moment, not only for its great and reliable recipes, but its subject: Long Weekends. Pre-Lockdown I’d become well practised at making the most of a […]
Read MoreI’m really enjoying watching Rick Stein’s Secret France on TV and couldn’t resist buying a copy of the accompanying book when I saw it on offer in Waitrose. Neither could I resist trying his ‘Rotisserie-style chicken’ for the family Sunday meal yesterday. Rotisserie chicken brings back many happy memories of holidays in France when my […]
Read MoreI’ve often claimed in these pages that I don’t bake much, yet in truth, like many people, I started off as a ‘baker’ and there has definitely been a lot of baking in my life, even if less now than years ago. Baking cakes if often where we start with cooking. I used to make […]
Read MoreI’d been looking at a recipe in Rick Stein’s Long Weekends book of shallots stuffed with lamb, cinnamon and pine nuts and thought it sounded wonderful. So, with plenty of time to cook today, I decided that’s what we’d have for supper tonight. I also decided to cook some vegetables stuffed with rice, tomato and herbs for […]
Read MoreI loved Rick Stein’s TV series earlier in the year, Rick Stein’s Long Weekends (click here for review), so was delighted to see a book accompanying the series has just been published, and of course I had to buy it. There are many things I love about this series but I suppose above all it […]
Read MoreWe’re experiencing an unusually long heatwave in London. It normally only lasts a day or two but this one has been going on for at least a couple of weeks. I’m not complaining. I love it. And it’s interesting how it affects one’s appetite – not only how hungry (or not so hungry) you feel, […]
Read MoreI’ve made apple strudel many times before, although not for a long time. But I’ve been wanting to make it again ever since enjoying the wonderful version I had at Cafe Landtmann in Vienna a couple of months ago – said to be the original. It was gorgeous. Traditionally it’s served with cream, vanilla sauce (never called […]
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