Not just for jack’o’lanterns or soup, pumpkins are so much more than we give them credit for. Yes, their innards don’t smell particularly pleasing when carving & gutting them out, & yes, there are much easier gourds to chop, dissect & cook with than our giant orange friend. But, how many of those can say …
As is usual during the first few weeks of September, it has been busy! Bowls & baskets full of fruits & vegetables line the kitchen floor, counter tops piled high with jars of preserves, a sink constantly covered in mud, roots or peelings, a fridge bursting with colourful odd shaped bits & an oven that …
Is there anything more summery than a fruit tart? (well other than the healthy alternative of simply fruit that is). As temperatures rise, nights draw longer & (hopefully) the sun begins to shine we are blessed with a plethora of colourful fruity offerings. It’s the season of preserving, foraging & green fingers. This year I’ve even …
September is a month we rarely spend at home, it’s when we’d usually plan our Italian travels for but since Covid it still seems like a far away dream at the moment. Instead of dwell on the disappointment of several cancelled trips though, I’m reminiscing in the way I know best, with food! I’m pretty …
What to do when you have an abundance of chillies (besides chilli jam that is)? Like with other ingredients, obviously, you start putting them into anything & everything, plus I do love an experiment, so nothing sweet or savoury is off limits in my kitchen. Besides, you’d be quite surprised at just how many foods …
June & July are blackcurrant season in the garden. Harvesting actually does span over two months for me because our blackcurrant bush is very old, very big & its fruit continues to ripen at different stages in early summer. It’s one of the few nice things that I actually inherited with my house. The previous …
It’s July, the weather’s naturally gone a bit grim & there’s nothing but tennis on the telly, our saving grace right now are the bountiful strawberries. It’s been a bumper year for them in the garden this year & they’re available to buy quite cheaply right too. Seeing at it’s Wimbledon season, even if you …
Stone fruit season is finally here which means summer desserts are now an essential part of my baking again. Apricots are always the first to come into season, small, bright & mighty, they pair well with so many flavours. Whilst they might be considered a bit of a bland fruit by many, apricots truly come …
Although it may not feel as though spring has really arrived yet here in Wales, thankfully the damp & colder weather hasn’t had too much of an impact on our seasonal favourites. The market is still awash with colour & as we wait for the warmer sun of summer & the rainbow that it brings, …
Each year it’s difficult to let the summer go but with the autumn bringing me such tempting delights as apples, grapes & figs, I can almost forgive it for abandoning me (almost). Each gorgeous fruit has it’s own appeal but none quite compare to the dusky-skinned, luscious fig. Thought to be one of the oldest …
