A blanket on the floor, a spread of mismatching nibbles and treats, and a chilled glass of wine…all in the comfort (and warmth) of your own home – the indoor picnic is the ultimate in faux al fresco dining. It’s a bit like watching outdoor tennis on Centre Court at Wimbledon with the roof closed. Whatever … Continue reading
Tag Archives: gluten-free
Gluten-free chocolate cakes with whipped rum creme fraiche
Another sweet treat today! It was one of my best friends’ birthday a couple of days ago and I’m baking him a cake. This is usually an excuse for me to bake something new that I’ve been plotting or to use a flavour combination that I’ve been craving but the slight twist in this tale … Continue reading
Scandi supper: Hot new potato, beetroot and caviar salad
With the arrival of this year’s Jersey Royals, there has already been many a variation of the humble potato salad in my flat. Hot and cold, minted and parsley-ed, with bacon and without, buttered and naked. And it has to be said, this variation is the least humble of all! Caviar is one of those … Continue reading
Peruvian supper: Sea bass ceviche
Raw fish scares a lot of people and makes them miss out on some truly inspired dishes. This (I am ashamed to say) is the reason that during three whole months in South America a few years ago, I did not once try ceviche. We were offered it, we saw it, we feasted on it … Continue reading
Pimm’s o’clock: Blackberry & Elderflower Pimm’s jellies
Wibble wobble. Jelly is fabulous. Wibble wobble. It’s silly and tasty and goes perfectly with ice cream. And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like it. It’s definitely jelly season so I decided to christen my new rabbit-shaped mould that I found a couple of weeks ago in my local charity shop. I’m not sure … Continue reading
Mexican supper: Spicy fajitas and pico de gallo salsa
My boyfriend has a serious love of fajitas. You know, the ones where you buy the kit and you get the overly sweet tomato ‘salsa’ and (annoyingly) moreish smoky spice mix that would make lego taste good. I can’t really ban my boyfriend from buying them but I can definitely create fierce competition! So the … Continue reading
Spanish supper: Quick cod, butter bean & tomato stew
I hope you all enjoyed the long weekend and made the most of the sunshine while it lasted. It was a weekend of extremes in Cornwall – on Saturday and Sunday we had scorching sunshine with hardly a breeze or white horse in sight; on Monday we battled against horizontal driving rain in our windbreakers … Continue reading
Chocolate beetroot brownies – the original red velvet?
Happy Bank Holiday weekend! I’m in Cornwall for the weekend and the weather is a tad chilly to say the least. That said, I have already spotted quite a few people sporting low-cut thigh-grazing pneumonia-inducing summer frocks, complete with sandals and goosebumps. I’m in a leather jacket, a large scarf and my winter boots so … Continue reading
Ricotta-stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in Parma ham
Sometimes simple is best and I feel my midweek supper posts would be missing something if there wasn’t a stuffed chicken breast rolling around somewhere. Whilst not wildly adventurous, this dish is so quick, (almost embarrassingly) easy and darn tasty – you could serve it to last-minute guests and you’d have clean plates and smiling … Continue reading
Middle Eastern supper: Spiced turkey & courgette meatballs with lemon yoghurt sauce
In spite of the recent raincloud firmly placed over England, I am going to stick to sunshine food for the next few months – fresh fare with crunch and zing and a lightness that winter’s offerings can lack. I’m spring-cleaning my diet mainly because this is my kind of food but also because it’s time … Continue reading