The humble cucumber is often regarded as just another minor ingredient to salad but nothing could be further from the truth! Yet another of these natural foods that are packed full of healthy nutrients, the cucumber’s greatest strength is its concentration of – WATER! Cucumbers are 96% water – which…
It’s difficult to believe but tomatoes have not always been popular! Historically tomatoes were considered to be a fruit (not a vegetable) not to be eaten as the plant leaves are poisonous. How our tastes have changed over the years!
I was at a vegetarian restaurant in Vienna the first time I came across seitan. It was the main ingredient in a couple of the mains and I had never heard of it. I asked, got the wrong end of the answer stick and thought it was a type of…
The humble lemon (part of the citrus fruit family) is a classy, essential (and compact) natural cook’s choice in the kitchen. Lemons have a high concentration of vitamin C conferring a wide variety of health benefits. With potassium to prevent heart problems, natural citric acid to improve digestion and antioxidants…
Many vegetables become fashionable – they just as quickly fall out of favour – but the simple truth is that all vegetables are healthy and nutritious and all vegetables should be included in your daily diet. A typical example is the not-so-humble carrot. Packed full of nutrients, carrots are the…
Make the festive period a little less stressful with some batch cooking and with a little help from Spice Pots, things really couldn’t be easier. When you’ve had enough of turkey and pigs in blankets, what could be more comforting than a curry served with fluffy rice? The only thing…
Who doesn’t love a curry? I certainly do. I’m not talking takeaways but a home-made version, thanks to a fantastic cheat product from Spice Girl. It really is as easy as 1, 2, 3 steps to a versatile curry dish that is different every time. So simple are the kits…
OK, so the weather is decidedly cool again but this year’s recent hot Scottish summer has produced a bumper crop of delicious Scotty Brand raspberries. To celebrate their bumper crop, the lovely people at Scotty brand sent me a berry hamper to create my own Very Scotty Berry cocktail, which…
The Beast from the East inspired me to revisit a recipe from warmer climates and thanks to some spices from the Seasoned Pioneers, I’m going to transport you to Knysna, South Africa reliving flavours and memories of somewhere I spent six months in 2003.
Pancake day and Valentine’s day both happened earlier this week and we celebrated a significant anniversary. Today is Friday and although we’ve celebrated plenty already, I want to make something nice for after dinner. I’m thinking buckwheat pancakes with chocolate sauce.
