Squash blossoms are the ultimate in edible flowers. Unlike nasturtiums, borage, violets and other pretty posies consigned largely to salad and ice cube duty, squash blossoms can be stir-fried, frittata-ed, casseroled, gratineed and, most notably, stuffed. If you have loads of blossom knock yourself out with a risotto or casserole, where they will add a …
I pride myself on being fairly adventurous when it comes to food. Within reason. I seriously doubt there would be a circumstance that would see me tucking into witchetty grubs or guinea pig. But funnily enough, despite knowing about coconut bacon for years I had until very recently never tried it, let alone made it. …
Muffins get a bad rap. Paraphrasing a British expression about US GIs – used disparagingly during WW2 – they are over-filled, over-sweet and over here. But muffins don’t have to be the gummy-textured, American-style behemoths beloved of overpriced (and over here) coffee chains. They don’t even need to be sweet. And, dear Lord, they can even be …
This past week or so has been a funny one, food-wise. Normally I am a bit of a texture-head, loving a bit of crunch, a bit of snap (if not quite crackle and pop). But unfortunately a spring cold rapidly escalated into sinusitis, and all that entails. I feel a few of you recoiling – …
“Give her a Chelsea bun, miss! That’s what most young ladies like best!” The voice was rich and musical, and the speaker dexterously whipped back the snowy cloth that covered his basket, and disclosed a tempting array of the familiar square buns, joined together in rows, richly egged and browned and glistening in the sun.” …
Any Southerner looking at the title would be puzzled. You see, ‘vegan’ and ‘southern’ are rarely seen in the same sentence. Not unless one is speaking of raw ingredients – say, a tomato salad. And even this may have a mayonnaisey dressing on it, or at least some chopped hardboiled eggs. Southerners like to provide …
The first weekend of December is suddenly here. Unless you are one of those manically organised and gung-ho people whose festooned and twinkling house is visible on Google Earth, this is the time that many of us are just getting our festive act together: fashioning together door wreaths, attempting to string up tangled-together lights, writing and …
I know it sounds a bit gloomy to pop ‘summer’s end’ into the title, but it does seem appropriate. September is nigh, and unless you are of a southern hemisphere persuasion, autumn is here in all but name. I may be a bit of a weirdo but I quite like autumn. I like its colours, …
When it comes to food, does your inspiration well ever run dry? I must admit that, even though I teach about healthy eating for a living, I am sometimes stumped when it comes to snacks. If I am feeling a bit peckish I am as likely as the next person to be tempted by anything …
“When it comes to food, I’m inspired by the raw vibrancy of fresh produce and food markets, and that wonderful symphony of tastes, aromas, colours and sounds all teasing the senses at once. The tenderness of baby cos lettuce leaves, the perfume of peaches and mangoes in summer, the versatility of pumpkin and sweet potato, …