Courgettes are a wonderful seasonal fruit: yes, a fruit, not a vegetable, but usually found on the vegetable shelves. Summer varieties continue into thicker-skinned relatives such as pumpkins and squashes in the autumn.
I don’t often have quiet afternoons on my own with the chance to have a leisurely few hours doing my own thing, however an opportunity popped up the other week and I seized the chance to take my mum out for lunch. We had heard there was a buzz in…
This post is a response to a request from my lovely friend Cara, who’s having a baby. (Congratulations!) Cara asked for a blog detailing places that serve both alcoholic and a good selection of non-alcoholic drinks, “not just Coke and mineral water.”
We’re a vegetarian household so eating vegan for a week every month shouldn’t be that difficult. I already cook with oil, soya milk and gram flour instead of butter, milk and eggs. We eat vast amounts of pulses – what else is the slow cooker for? – and liven things up with stir-fries…
I really like lasagna, but since we’re a vegetarian household, we don’t make a bolognese version. I’ve had veggie ones that I quite liked – my favourite was a tricolore with gorgeous home-made pesto – but often veggie lasagna is synonymous with soggy bits of courgette and mushroom. To overcome…
Isn’t it odd that we associate eating seaweed with Asian cuisine? After all, we have actually used it in this country for centuries, in fact since prehistoric times. It’s time to change that. When you need a savoury, salty touch use seaweed! I’ve been trying out some samples from Mara Seaweed…
The box of quinoa proudly announces that the United Nations has declared 2013 the Year of Quinoa (pronounced keen wah). This is intriguing, why would this grain be elevated to this status? Before cooking with it, I thought I’d find out more. It’s an adaptable crop even in places where…
The growing demand for Union of Genius soups has prompted the plans for a commercial kitchen where they can increased the amount of soup made whilst at the same time being able to maintain the quality and the personal touch.
I’ve discovered a new store cupboard ingredient. One of those useful things to have when you need something to brighten up a dish and when you’ve run out of fresh ingredients. You might be surprised when I tell you it’s pickled onions, or pickled shallots. I was inspired to try…
Some six or seven years ago I had spinach and artichoke dip for the first time. A friend of mine, then living in Broxburn but originally from the US, served it as snack before dinner. It was creamy, reassuringly green and very tasty. That remains the best spinach and artichoke…
