I have a friend from the southern region of India of Kerala and she is one of the best cooks I know. Her food is super tasty and always warmly spiced, using a lot of coconut, chilli and  served with dosa when she can get […]

I rarely use a recipe that relies on cocoa, because you’ll never achieve that rich chocolate flavour that comes from melting down a block of Cadbury’s. But this recipe gets a thumbs-up in the flavour department, in spite of the lack of real chocolate. It’s […]

The first time I went to Los Angeles I was about 16 and it was a mind-blowing adventure where I discovered that the world in the television I grew up watching was a real place. Back then we were entranced by Beavis and Butthead and […]

I stand by my outrageous claim that this is the best brownie recipe. Ever. It’s moist, rich and fudgy and delicious hot or cold and satisfyingly chocolatey.  It’s easy to make too. There’s no double-baking and not even a pinch of cocoa or coffee granules […]

This is hot off the press this one. I made this cake last week and it’s already gone down in the family annals as  legendary. I had bought a huge tin of Tate & Lyle’s Golden Syrup for one reason or another, probably just because […]

There are certain meals that don’t belong on a Sunday night. They can’t be too trashy or too healthy, and they have to have a certain excitement; one last hurrah for the weekend that was. AT has taken up dinner duty on Sundays and it’s […]

Pizza has the potential to be incredibly divisive. There’s the pineapple situation. There’s the question of whether you put your cheese underneath or over the toppings. And of course there’s fusion pizza. It seems I’m a bit of a bandit for messing about with my […]

I’ve had this recipe pinned to my kitchen cork board for weeks, waiting for appropriate weather for a cinnamon apple loaf. I got sick of waiting. So I grabbed a couple of apples from the fruit bowl and got busy. Seeing as the ingredients are […]

I recently had my kitchen renovated. Well, it was a couple of months ago now but I’m still tweaking and styling, and a little bit traumatised by the whole experience. The spiritual and practical HQ of our household, I don’t think I was truly prepared […]

I’ve known about the Old Butcher’s Wine Cellar since I moved to Cookham. They’re on the High Street and every now and again their name will come up in discussions with friends and local businesses and producers, and it’s not surprising because they seem to […]

I used to follow a liberal version of the paleo diet, and it was very successful for some time. But I got sick of carb-shaming and I don’t think any diet that excludes anything is one I can get on board with. Everything in moderation […]

Sometimes I think know everything when it comes to food and eating. This is one of those recipes that I thought might not be very tasty, due to the simplicity of ingredients. But I love it when I’m wrong, because it means I’m learning new […]

This is not so much a recipe, but rather a guide to using local dynamo Priya Tailor’s (of Priya’s Kitchen) home-made masala paste. As some of you might know, Priya is the woman behind the pop-ups that everyone is talking about, and the maker of […]

Many moons ago (some time last year, my recollection is hazy), I attended the launch of an exciting addition to the Portobello Rd Gin repertoire, Navy Strength Gin. Like a bolder, more commanding cousin of the flagship London Dry No. 171 blend including juniper, coriander […]

I’ve always wanted to go to Bruges. It’s one of those places with a mystical aura that feels like an essential place to see in one’s lifetime. And then there’s Colin Farrell’s film In Bruges where it’s portrayed as a wonderful, fabled place and he […]

I don’t know if you can relate, but I have to wear a bathing suit in a few short months. It’s bad enough that my skin is winter-pale and scaly but having a few kilograms extra of it laying about isn’t helping. I have 3 […]

So there’s a debate raging in my house. I’ve just made a brownie and it’s different recipe to the one I normally use. This new recipe comes from a friend who used to work as pastry chef under one of Sydney’s well-known chefs. This friend […]

This is no ordinary strawberry shortcake. Perfect for when strawberries are in season when they not only taste great but are cheap too. Fairly easy to make, always impressive and lovely to eat, this almond shortbread and with strawberries served with baby basil leaves and brown […]

I have a little recipe book where I keep all my cuttings and family recipes. Its pages are splattered with flour and other ingredients, and some of the pages are even stuck together. Scattered through out this book are mysterious little post its with hand-written […]

It’s nearly Mother’s Day. In my house this means home made cards from the boys, and an uncertain spouse asking what I want. While I wasn’t blessed with the sensitivity and understanding of little girls, I was gifted with two precious boys who love me. […]

You can make these meatballs with whatever mince you fancy, be it turkey, beef or pork but do take care to buy 5% lean mince where you can. I can never really tell the difference between lean mince and full fat (20%) so this is […]

If you’re looking for a tried and tested chicken stir-fry, this recipe will tick all the boxes. It’s easy to prepare, easy to make. It tastes amazing and it has that pan-asian appeal that is neither strongly Thai or Chinese and yet, satisfies a hankering […]

I’ve always known that there was a boutique hotel and restaurant tucked away in Cookham Dean, but I’d never bothered to seek it out; it either seemed too fussy or hidden away. So, when I’d heard about The Mole and Badger opening up at the […]

As you know, I went to Russia. And I loved it. The food was surprisingly varied and the quality was always good from the smallest cafe to the largest restaurant. When ever I travel I endeavour to make good food choices and so I was […]

Our trip to St Petersburg started off well with perfectly cooked scrambled eggs and a glorious sunrise. I would recommend splashing out on Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food in Terminal 5, if not for the teriffic views and relative peace and quiet, then for the quality […]

Puddings. Not even a whisper of autumn and I’m already looking for excuses. Speaking of putting on the pounds, this recipe comes to you after a period in my life that I now refer to as ‘The Pudding Years’. I was newly married, scratching around […]

Seasonal recipes are the bane of the digital media provider. Bloggers, journalists and marketing folk are always looking for fresh and fabulous seasonal ‘content’ to hurl at readers each month. I struggle with this because I tend to eat what I like, when I like […]

The first time I had French onion soup was in L’Entracte brasserie on 1 Rue Auber, opposite the Opera Garnier in Paris. I wrote about it here. The last time I ate French onion soup was this weekend, as the rain and wind swept away […]

Can you imagine how Stephen Hawking must have felt when the concept for the expanding universe dawned on him? Or how Tesla might have felt when he first realised the potential of wireless technology? That’s kind of how it was for me when I bit into some […]

On a drizzly weekend in September the boys and I headed out to make the most of our National Trust membership. We’ve been exploring the immediate area and have visited Grey’s Court, Cliveden, Runnymede and most recently Benjamin Disraeli’s country home, Hughenden Manor. It was […]

The ancient Syrian city of Damascus has given us many gifts over the years, giving its name to a number of wonderful and unusual things like damask fabric, the decorative inlay of metals called damascening, a type of fancy pigeon, moments of revelation called “Damascene […]

I don’t know if it’s the same in your neighbourhood or backyard but our neighbours have an apple tree on our fence line that’s bare but for the green baubles that occasionally drop and roll across the yard. I have no idea what kind of variety […]

To an Aussie – the word ‘fatballs’ could only have one possible meaning, and it’s not until I moved to the UK that I encountered the use of this word in relation to wildlife and birds. If you want to be the envy of all […]

When you make and eat food like this, you realise why the western world is getting fatter and hungrier. Dhals are ugly, they’re really easy and cheap to make and they are nutritious and filling. Not much room for profit here is there? When you […]

Bliss bowls, Buddha bowls, poke bowl or just plain ‘bowl food’. I’ve been thinking about it for some time, way before it was on the menu at Harry’s wedding. I only just found about that out. Over in the United States, bowl food has been […]

Sydney-siders will know all about him, and some hip city folk might have heard him; I’m talking about Bill Granger. That man-child food-wizard who has made his career on sensational scrambled eggs. Of course there are a more strings to his bow, but his eggs […]

This recipe explores all four corners of the taste world: sweetness, spice, salty and sour. This Hoisin Pork recipe is another Kylie Kwong classic. I can’t praise her recipes enough, they are fresh, simple and always on the money. I love this recipe because it has a lovely […]

This post has been the most clicked-on photo from my Feeding Time Blog Pinterest board GREATEST HITS  – so I thought I’d bring it to the front page of the blog. The recipe comes from The Steading cafe in Keith, Scotland where I tried their […]

It’s salad mayhem here. This will be the last one for the season. I promise. This raw broccoli salad is the jewel in the crown. The first time I tried it was at my turkey-carving masterclass at Copas Turkeys last year. They had put on a […]

I recently tried Applewood Cheddar for the first time and while I don’t make a habit of eating cheese unless it’s mouldy, I couldn’t resist seeking out a recipe for this much-loved British cheese. With its subtle smokey flavour and creamy texture, this white cheddar is […]

After dabbling in dining room supper clubs locally and in London, self-taught cook and mother-of-one Priya Tailor, decided that it was time to launch her first pop-up restaurant in Maidenhead. With 24 guests seated at the rustic timber tables of Saint’s Cafe, starters from the […]

In this heat, the old stalwart sides ilke steamed vegetables or sauted leek and cabbage don’t quite cut the mustard. In summer, we want celebration sides to match the excitement of holidays, the promise of sunshine and those long balmy evenings. Sometimes I stall a […]

Like a fool, I planned regular meals for this week, so as a result I spend each evening roasting in my kitchen which catches the burning rays of hell from the late afternoon sun. I sweltered at the hob making fish curry last night and […]

Having grown up with Mediterranean dishes frequently served at the dinner table, Susie Theodorou’s latest book Mediterranean feels a bit superfluous in my kitchen. But for you, it should probably be the first book you buy on the subject as it’s one of the most […]

I had a coffee at the new Saints Cafe on St Marks Rd in Maidenhead earlier this week. It was good; very good. In fact it was the finest coffee I’ve had in Maidenhead in the 6+ years I’ve lived here. It’s no surprise really […]

I may have written about fried rice once, a long time ago. I don’t cook as much Asian food as I used to because it’s more difficult to get the ingredients here. Granted, I did live in a Korean/Chinese neighbourhood back in Sydney – it […]

I’d always wanted to visit Whitby; it’s the birthplace of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, it’s got the Abby ruins and all the charm of the sea-side but whatever you do – do not visit this wonderous town on a Bank Holiday. I made that mistake last […]

I thought I’d better set the scene for you. Of course a half a can of Guinness should never go to waste so I gave it a good home while I baked. I found this recipe on twitter, as it had featured recently in a […]

Look away now if you’re hoping for a healthy, nutritious recipe to help you shed pounds for a sensational summer bod. But stay tuned if you’re interested in a light, chocolatey snack and have always wanted to make your own version of the Mars Bar […]

One third of all landfill is food. That’s a total of 18 million tonnes of food that the UK throws away each year. With the food recycling programmes here in the borough, you have no excuse to let organic matter contribute to land fill. Now, excuse […]

There’s a change in the wind and a whisper in the streets of  Taplow. It wasn’t until I visited the home, tiny beer-garden and micro-brewery of Margi and Id, founders of  Moog Brew that I realised how incredible their enterprise really is. Trading for 2 […]

When the Beast of the East strikes and I am trapped in the house with various deadlines and two tweenaged boys, what else is there to do but bake? I’m grateful that I haven’t been stuck on a motorway for hours, that I haven’t had […]

There are people who ‘love curry’ and then there are people who actually love Indian cuisine. I’d had two recommendations to try the Royal Virundhu on Queen St in the last few months – which is usually enough for me to try something out for […]

Last year I broke my knife. I’d had it for going on 10 years and I was faced with the formidable task of buying a new one. There was no joy in this virtual shopping trip because, as with so many things these days, there […]

I don’t know how it is with you at approximately first day back to work in early January, but for me, it feels like a long goodbye to the things that I love the most like Blackbomber Cheddar, Christmas lights, Neal’s Yard Dairy Stichelton and […]

I rediscovered a Martha Stewart Christmas Cookie magazine in my recipe book cupboard on the weekend. I flipped through the pages undecided about what to make…and yet unable to make anything. Most of the recipes contained various nut manifestations which I don’t keep in the […]

We’d been dreaming of whisking the kids to Vienna for a slice of Sachertorte to teach them the art of cultural and culinary indulgence. The moment finally happened, we booked our flights many months in advance and the lead up to our trip was long […]

I’m stuck in a cycle of baking the same old recipes because everyone loves them, and eats them which isn’t so bad really. But things can get stale – so I’ve been branching out. It’s not always successful as I discovered with the Lumberjack Cake. […]

OK so this is not really a curry, not as you might know it, but it caught your attention nonetheless. Growing up in Australia, we get exposed to a huge range of Asian culinary influences but, here in the UK it’s very much focused on […]

It’s been all pumpkins, cobwebs, candles and autmunal pickings from the garden this week. As usual, we were overly ambitious with our jack-o-lantern designs this year and we spent most of Sunday afternoon carving pumpkins, listening to Jonny Trunk’s 50p vintage Halloween tunes and drinking […]

He doesn’t know it, but in the last few months I’ve developed a co-dependent relationship with Gordon Ramsay. At first I watched for the explosive drama and classic Ramsay expletives, but then I got hooked on the catch phrases of surprise and expressions of disgust. […]

It could well turn out that I develop a whole range of crisp-flavoured pizza toppings but for now, let’s just stick to this one. It’s not really crisp-inspired, it just turned out that the flavours I threw together one night tasted deliciously familiar. Of course […]

It’s corn season. I hope you’ve been grabbing those husked cobs on the shelves because now is the time to enjoy. The best way to eat fresh corn in season is of course to simply throw it in the oven – husks and all – […]

I don’t know if anyone else finds it hard to get a good dipping sauce for dumplings, but on the occasion that I’ve either made or (more likely) bought dumpings to steam at home – the experience is not complete without a strapping good sauce […]

Sometimes, on a Saturday morning, I watch a whole lot of The Pioneer Woman episodes as I finish my breakfast. Being in a family, this means that someone is usually in earshot of Ree Drummond’s twang as she waxes lyrical about cowboys and ‘life on […]

A hero, in every sense of the word for me, Karen Brymer of Cookham Bakehouse deserves the spotlight this month at Feeding Time Blog. With the Real Bread Campaign kicking off #SourdoughSeptember – now is the perfect time to highlight the quiet revolution Karen has […]

So many blackberries, so few recipes. I had to toss up between a pie or a crumble because I’m not interested in baking blackberries any other way. Whether you’re scrumping them from the side of the road or picking them off your neighbour’s rampant bush, […]

For our growing community of writers, growers, eaters and influencers, the Royal Oak pub at Marlow hosted an evening of fun, food and fizz to celebrate their new garden teepee. Spacious yet intimate, chic and casual, the luxe and laid-back tent is decked out with plenty of seating, suede […]

I say the same thing every year, “it’s too hot to cook” and it’s still true. Mainly because my kitchen faces the slowly setting sun that makes cooking about as comfortable as working in a roasting dish on Sunday. You’ll notice there’s been a lot of reviews lately because, […]

I grew up watching my dad catch and cook snapper on barbecues made with cypress pine which smelled divine as it burned. He’d brush on his special mix of lemon juice and olive oil that would splatter onto the white-hot ashes sending smoke up through the […]

It’s almost that time of year when lucky Brits are jet-setting to all corners of the world in search of summer fun. For me, the holiday starts as soon as I set foot inside the airport; that meal before the flight sets the tone for good times […]

“Elder be ye Lady’s tree, burn it not or cursed ye’ll be” so says the Wiccan Rede. If you want to cut an elder you must ask permission of the Elder Mother, the spirit said to inhabit the tree, “Old girl, give me some of thy […]

I recently had the epiphany that for me, there’s no point in buying a recipe book from a restaurant chef. I don’t want to cook like a chef and when I’m at home I don’t want to eat like I’m at a restaurant. When a […]

I’ve always wanted to enjoy paneer but have found the paneer dishes at restaurants to be… not so great. It’s an unusual cheese, sort of like cottage cheese in flavour – which is to say incredibly mild – but it’s dense and closer to tofu or halloumi […]

To be precise, this meal, in today’s terms would be called ribbed penne with a beef ragu. But my mum never called it that, she called it macaroni and it was a regular on the menu in our house. It is a simple dish, something mum no […]

In China, each region has its culinary speciality. Changzhou is famed for their fried rice and it’s always bought at the end of the meal, almost like dessert. I don’t know why they do this because when fried rice is done properly it is truly […]

This is another recipe from Maria Elia, a chef I came across in my work for Foodepedia. I also got the Aubergine Mull recipe from her book which has proved to be a welcome addition to my kitchen. These meatballs are a nice alternative to […]

I was lucky enough to get a personal tutorial for this Kadala curry from a friend of mine who hails from the south Indian region of Kerala. My friend makes hers with soaked and pressure cooked chick peas, but I just used tinned. If you find […]

This recipe has been buried deep inside my memory for many years and found it’s way out of the rat’s nest last weekend. When you remove things pasta, rice and large wallops of mashed potato from your weekly repertoire, recipes like this sink to the bottom […]

Purists look away now! Avert your eyes and block your ears because I’m about to plunder and pimp the sacred, doughy idol you call pizza. I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of fusion food but I will bend the rules now and then when […]

It’s not everyday you can make someone emotional with a sandwich. On the weekend I had some left over steak and offered to make steak sandwiches for the boys. So far, so what right? Everyone has their own take or secret to make the best […]

I’m a bit late to the party on this one. Kiwi chef Peter Gordon’s boiled orange and almond cake has been floating around the interwebs for some time now. I only found out about it from my visit to Rex Bakery last year where I […]

Cheese is a funny thing. The way we appreciate a fine cheese rather goes against the grain. Mould makes it more marvellous and the worse it smells the better it is. That’s how I knew the Cygnet cheese from The Marlow Cheese Co. was going to be a […]

Is it that time yet? If you’re not quite ready to get your blender out just yet, then this is the perfect soup for you. This recipe is not overly thick or rich and is in fact the perfect mid-season option if you’re looking for […]

This recipe started life out as an omlette. I copied it from a little French cafe we used to go to back in Sydney called Bitton where it was served with slivers of toasted Turkish bread and monkey-nut chutney. I’m not great at making anything […]

My dad is from a little island on the Dalmatian coast and the food they eat in those parts is very simple and yet superbly delicious. Mostly the locals eat grilled meats and fish accompanied with bread, salad and a dish they call blitva. Blitva […]

I stole the idea for this dish from a restaurant in Notting Hill called Pizza East. A fairly amazing establishment, and not just because I saw Mark Strong there. They serve up pizzas and delicious cured meats but it was their vegetarian offerings that I became […]

I found this recipe in the Waitrose magazine of all places. Created by grain & gluten-free bloggers Hemsley & Hemsley, this salad combines a few of my favourite things, one of those being halloumi cheese. Wilted lettuce is another feature that doesn’t get much press but […]

Those in the my inner circle know and accept without opposition, the title I’ve bestowed upon myself in the privacy of my kitchen. But now it’s time to share it with you. It all began many years ago when I transformed a £4 piece of […]

This here is the only way to eat banana bread. Toasted, buttered and preferably with a coffee, first thing in the morning. I can’t remember where or how I first ate banana bread this way, but it was likely at a cafe back in Sydney […]

Many years ago, back in the day when we could go out for breakfast in relative peace and quiet, we used to visit a little tiny cafe in Drummoyne (Sydney) called the Bowen Island Bakery. We would order a coffee and these incredible choc-chip and […]

The ingredients for this classic Australian slice are simple, as is their preparation. The skill in this dish though, lies in the technique. Unlike some other recipes where you might have a generous mistake buffer, if you over cook any of the components of this recipe or […]

Maybe you’ve noticed, but I’ve not written a post for a few weeks. It’s because I caught a virus which was bad enough, but then I went ahead got myself a nasty chest infection. The doctor calls it pneumonia. I haven’t baked for weeks and […]

There’s not much that needs saying with this recipe. It’s hummus. Who doesn’t love hummus? But before you scoff and think about your off-the-shelf variety,  it’s not like that. Grocery store hummus is a grainy, grey goop compared to the silky, subtle flavour of the […]

Finally. Finally it’s beginning to feel like spring. On May Day we went to see the Ellington Morris Dancers perform their first dance for the season. Based in the Maidenhead area, this gang call themselves the Ellington troupe because Ellington was the name of Maidenhead in […]

Everyone once in a while when the wind blows in a certain way and the stars align, my sister and I will get together for dinner and drink wine and watch a DVD. Over time it came to be known as Nacho Night, because while at first we might […]

I had no faith in this recipe. First of all I’m not a huge fan of quinoa, and second, I didn’t really think the combined ingredients were exciting enough to turn quinoa into something palatable. But I admit, that I was dead wrong. These quinoa […]

I don’t make panzerotti very often and if I still lived in Sydney I never would have even tried. You could buy them in a little Italian cake shop in a place called Haberfield – and I was always glad for an excuse to go into this Italian […]

You feel healthier just looking at the photo of this pot of vegetables. If only it were that easy. While it not be as easy as moving your eyeballs across a computer screen, this recipe for curried vegetables is simple enough for even the most inexperienced cook […]

I’ve written about pizza before on this blog, but it feels like something that needs sharing every once in a while. If only the world knew how easy it was to make pizza at home, then I’m certain more people would get on board. If […]

I don’t really want to add much to this post, because frankly, I don’t want to distract you. You might already know this if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time but I’m on the search for the perfect carrot cake. I know it’s out […]

I’ll let these photos speak for themselves. As much as I’d like to recall, these buttermilk, Cheddar and Christmas Chutney scones didn’t just happen spontaneously because unlike chutney and cheese, it’s not often I have buttermilk in the fridge. And you really need buttermilk for […]

There’s no use fighting it. Party season has arrived, it’s upon us, we’re boarding the train to Christmas Town and I’m going to get that ball rolling with this amazing recipe, that until now – I’ve kept to myself. Buffalo wings; they’re not made of […]

It’s not often that I post a recipe while I’m eating it. That’s why the photo is so utilitarian but it’s hot off the press folks and it’s a keeper, and while I have written in the past about ‘Sweet Chilli Pumpkin Soup….that recipe is more of a lazy-man’s […]

Proper Thai fish cakes. I can guarantee you’ve never had them before, because since moving to the UK, neither have I, despite the fact that they abound on pub menus all over the nation. I’m going to throw you a bone here and share a […]

In the lead up to Christmas, I get the opportunity to try new products and sample foods being launched for the festive season. It is a rare occasion that I’ll turn down the chance to try cheese or chocolate and happily I had the good fortune […]

I want to call this paleo lasagne, but the truth is that I cheated and put a little mozzarella cheese on the top. However – if you’re strong enough to forgo the cheese, then yes, this would be a paleo meal, which means free from […]

This time last Monday I was in Paris; walking into the Latin quarter to see where Earnest Hemingway and James Joyce lived, to see Paris’ Pantheon and soak in the atmosphere of student life. But really, honestly, I was there for some noodles. If you […]

There was a time that I played cook in a cafe we used to own and run. It was called On a Roll. I didn’t like it much. The mornings were very early, usually before sunrise, and the work was repetitive, lots of shredding chicken, […]

This is the fifth time in six years that we’ve been to Croatia for the summer holidays. But before you decide that I’m unimaginative, you have to realise that it’s not just a random beach on some random island that draws our family back year after […]

Let the photo set the scene; Father’s Day, Pineapple Margaritas made with reposado tequila and chipotle-chicken tinga served with tostadas, guacamole, and limes. This is the second Mexican feast we’ve had at the Cory house this year and I’m hoping that my experiments will become […]

This is what a lamington looks like. It’s pieces of sponge cake that have been dipped in a thick chocolate glaze and then covered with desiccated coconut. They’re very popular in Australia. Popular enough that you can buy them pre-made in little packets at every […]

After the excitement of Berlin, pasta hacking and winning a Lurpak hamper for my Bad-ass toastie for #freestylefood month – this post feels rather boring in comparison. I’ve been so busy working on promoting Animal Music that I’ve got no stories to tell about this […]

I was in Berlin for a few days last week. While I usually like to write about the food I ate while I was away, my affair with food abroad this time was a little bit… different. I was travelling alone and this meant that I […]

Ok, so I burnt the outside a little bit. I don’t make toasted sandwiches much these days but when I do, they tend to be pretty amazing. This one even has a name, we used to call it the ‘Dolce’. We named all our sandwiches back when […]

I love the look of beetroot. I like the way the dirty root bulbs belie the firm, bloody flesh inside. Beetroots are another one of those vegetables that we don’t each much of but are packed with bioflavonoids and other fun things that we’re told […]

I celebrated my 14th wedding anniversary recently and as you might guess, for such an ordinary number and because it was karate night, we did nothing. Well, we said we’d do nothing but AT bought me some lovely long-stem roses, and I made him some […]

You probably don’t know what pozole is. I didn’t until recently. In fact I’ll admit that I’m embarrassed at how little I know about Mexican cuisine – despite the fact that I love Mexican-style food so much. Note I’ve used the word ‘style’ because it’s not […]

Here are the rules. Think of it like Fight Club but instead of fighting to escape spiritual somnambulance we’re fighting to escape the disappointment of below-average chocolate muffins. We’re fighting to make a chocolate muffin that rises above the ordinary, sets the bar, goes beyond… This is […]

So you probably won’t be surprised to learn that the person who crossed 3 borders and drove for most of a day over rough terrain to eat cevapi in Sarajevo, also travelled for 6 hours in a train and spent 3 nights in Edinburgh to […]

I was recently made aware of #mancrushmonday. I’m in the process of creating a Top 10 list to share with my sister and yes; Gary Oldman, Mark Strong and Mads Mikkelsen if you’re reading this – you will make the cut. And speaking of hash […]

When I originally thought of posting a recipe for split pea and ham soup, I knew it was going to be problematic. Like dhal, pea and ham soup is not pretty, but worse, it’s not textured like dhal. In reality it’s one of the ugliest meals […]

As you know I recently had a friend from Australia visit me here in the UK. She spent a few days in the area with her partner, but mostly came to spend time with me and the boys. We met when I was pregnant with […]

Remember when I said I was looking to post more exciting, healthy recipes this year? I thought I might start at the bottom end of this aspiration and work my way up. I’ve been busy with some visiting friends and looking to try some fresh, […]

I was looking for something special to cook last Saturday night. Not because I’m a domestic doyen but because I needed to make up for the sausages and fish-fingers that I threw around like proper food last week. The great thing about this recipe is that […]

It gets harder to be enthusiastic about salads when the weather turns. Fresh, raw vegetables suddenly don’t seem as appetising or satisfying when there’s a chill in the air. But don’t let a craving for comfort food be an excuse not to eat healthy, nutritious […]

If you ever wanted to cunningly plot the demise of an enemy with a cake-induced-heart-attack, this recipe would be your weapon of choice. It is one of the most supernaturally seductive slices I’ve ever tasted and contains a whopping one and a half blocks of butter, […]

I love scrappy dinners. Maybe it’s that break from routine that signals something exciting, something different. For us, Tuesdays have become our night for scrappy suppers. We used to enjoy garlic mushrooms on sourdough at a French bistro near where we lived in Battersea. Whether […]

I could never bring myself to pay over £20 for a garlic press. Even £11 seems steep to me, and this is because I’ve owned expensive garlic presses in the past and they’ve never been very good. I have one criteria for the perfect press […]

I think we’ve spent enough time making up for the sins of the summer holidays. Can we all agree that’s it time, once again, to enjoy sweet treats with our cup of tea? It’s become cold all of a sudden and the trees are turning and I […]

Whether you’ve got an allotment, a patch in the garden or you’re the recipient of surplus from a friend or neighbour, chances are you’re enjoying the bounty of harvest time. At the end of summer vegetables and fruits are ripening and ready for the pickings. […]

I’ve become one of those people who holidays in the same place each year. I didn’t think I was that sort of person, but it turns out I am. I love to explore the world and embrace new and challenging holiday destinations, but when it […]

Village life can be frustrating. You know by now how I feel about the limitations when it comes to food, but there are other basic services that life outside of the city simply cannot provide. Namely sharpening services for kitchen knives. I’ve tried everything. I’ve called […]

  When I lived in Sydney dumplings were never too far away. They could be bought at an Asian grocer and cooked up at home or found in a nearby Chinese restaurant in one of the many Chinese hubs around Sydney. Since moving to the UK, […]

I’ve made loads of lemon tarts… but I’ve never felt moved enough, confident enough to share a recipe. It’s all been a bit hit and miss. Sometimes grainy, sometimes too tart and often too flat. But, I made a lemon tart the other day – […]

When I moved to Britain I wanted to make sure my blog also felt like it had moved and changed to reflect my life here. So many things are different about life here compared to back in Sydney. Surprisingly the availability of food, equipment and services […]

Sweet dips for fruit is always a popular search on my blog, and so I thought I’d share this recipe just in time for those super summer strawberries. So often the sweetness of a perfect strawberry needs nothing else, but after dinner or perhaps when you’re […]

The secret to making good bread at home is all about the one thing that people had in the past that we don’t have today; time. Making bread at home is a habitual practise, not a spontaneous thing like making a cake or a batch […]

I am of the mind that home made ice cream is best left to those with ice cream machines. I’ve eaten my fair share of pathetic home-made crystallised ice-creamery in the past and I’m not really interested in making something that I can buy fairly […]

This pineapple upside down cake has an unusual texture that makes it somehow very luxurious. The recipe isn’t exactly easy but it isn’t exactly hard either. If I hadn’t eaten one of the pineapple halves, there would have been the perfect amount in one tin. So […]