Blog Posts

In the pink. Make elderflower cordial

How to make elderflower cordial

If you want a non-alcoholic drink that is refreshing, what do you choose? I often go for an elderflower option. Did you know it’s easy to make elderflower cordial or syrup at home? It’s the perfect time to go on the hunt and pick elderflowers.

Beautiful pinky purple elderflowers – perfect for cordial

What truly inspire me are the flowers on the purple leaved elder (sambucus nigra) in my garden. Each time I walk past, the flowers zapp their scent my way. I just had to do something with them. Of course, if you’ve not got a purple leaved elder, the standard white flowers will do very well. But as you see, the flowers from the purple leaved elder make a fetching pink hued drink.

Make the most of asparagus

What does it take to create great asparagus? I visit the Vale of Evesham which has PGI status to find out.

Baked coconut doughnuts – utterly delicious

Yearning for something different for breakfast? Try these yummy, easy to make dairy free doughnuts or is that donuts?

Make the perfect coffee ice cream

It’s all about the coffee

The first time I ate a Café Liègeois was in Ajaccio, Corsica. It’s a beautiful town full of grand buildings – blink and you might think yourself in Paris. A fitting place to discover a grown up indulgent dessert.

The Café Liègeois is made with just three ingredients: espresso coffee, coffee ice cream, and whipped cream: the French take on an ice cream sundae. Rather than getting its name from the Belgian city of Liège it was renamed from Cafe Viennoisduring the First World War in homage to the siege of Liège .

Food inspiration: Recipes from Pakistan and India

Mung Been Curry from Mira Manek's Saffron Soul

Cookery Book Review

There is always room for one more book about food especially recipes from Pakistan and India. I love that sense of anticipation. Will I find a recipe that I will cook many times? What ingredients will I need? Will I discover what makes a chef tick?

This month, I’ve been reading about desserts from Pakistan, healthy food from India and a fascinating glimpse of how a Michelin starred chef creates his dishes.

Discovering Cotswolds food and drink

If you visit a new area, where do you choose to eat and drink? Of course you ask people you meet, but with an area as large as the Cotswolds, you’ll inevitably not find all the gems.

The Cotswold Cook Book will help. It celebrates the amazing food and drink in the Cotswold and includes more than 40 recipes. I’ve been reading through and getting very hungry. I’ve also started to plan visits to many of the places mentioned. What better way than to read a recipe and think, “I’d like to visit and try more”.

Cotswold Cider Bread Recipe

My cider bread made with Blow Horn Cider

Using craft cider made from 100% juice gives this bread a great flavour.

An Indian Adventure: Kerala

Sunset over fishing nets in Kochi, Kerala

Do you ever find yourself shouting “Been there” at the TV when the programme is about somewhere you’ve visited? We were shouting rather a lot as we were watching the latest instalment of the Real Marigold Hotel filmed in Kochi (Cochin).

As is so often said, you either love India or hate it, there is no in between. We definitely fell in love.

Spicy Squid Stew – Comfort on a plate

The finished squid stew - doesn't it look appetising?

A warming, tasty recipe

When challenged to create a recipe using new potatoes, I immediately thought of this dish. I know many of you love crispy rings of squid, but have you ever tried squid stewed? Most people haven’t.

Indeed if you’ve ever tried to cook it, you might have said “never again” as the squid turned out rubbery. Not with this recipe. It’s easy to prepare and it’s a dish that you can leave to cook slowly whilst you go off and do other things, the result is amazingly delicious and tender. Spanish inspired flavours including smoked paprika make this dish very special

A selection of vegetables for the squid stew

Simple tasty mango ice cream

One scoop or two? Let's make it three scoops of mango ice cream.

Liven up your taste buds with my exotic mango ice cream that’s so easy to make