green apple sorbet

sugoi sushi

16 July 2010

If you’re a regular reader, you will be aware of my love of sushi. Some health problems I’ve had this year have meant I have had to cut all kinds of foods out of my diet – but thankfully not rice or fish – so I have relied on Japanese-style eating more than ever. My […]

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Nigella’s birthday custard sponge

15 July 2010

Last weekend a birthday cake was called for, and where better to turn than to the Domestic Goddess herself? Sometimes the occasion just demands a butter/sugar/syrup/chocolate-laden splurge of a recipe. This is a celebration staple that I return to again and again as it never fails to delight the recipient. Birthday Custard Sponge, from Nigella […]

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perfect porridge

14 July 2010

There are days when this is the only breakfast that will entice me from my bed. It proved the perfect antidote to this morning’s lacklustre sky and sombre drizzle. (Yes folks, it’s summer in England…) Perfect Porridge 0.25 cup jumbo porridge oats* 0.75 cup soya milk* (Marks and Spencer own-brand is my current favourite) golden […]

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muffins filled with rubies

13 July 2010

I had two overripe bananas languishing in a bowl in my kitchen, and there are lovely jewel-bright raspberries in the shops right now. A moment’s googling later, and hey presto, I had found a suitable way to combine them. One of the best muffin recipes I have tried, these two flavours just work. The addition […]

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chocolate and almond cake

9 July 2010

Now that I am beginning to find some semblance of order amongst the kitchen chaos in my new home, I felt it was time to check out the local library – or, more specifically, their food and drink section. Anything that might help to reign in my (possibly slightly out of hand) spending habit where […]

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Wimbledon cupcakes

1 July 2010

Today I went to watch the tennis. Awesome day on Centre Court, especially the champagne before midday. We took homemade sushi for lunch and some of these cupcakes, which were actually something of an experiment – a successful one, fortunately. If strawberries are out of season, or if you can’t get to the shops, or […]

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drunken pasta

23 June 2010

For the past few months, I have been teaching a friend to cook. He wanted to learn some simple recipes and asked if I would show him the basics. It sounded like a fun project – and let’s face it, there’s nothing like being made to feel knowledgeable to boost one’s ego – so of […]

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back to (YO! Sushi) school

21 June 2010

At the weekend I went to another sushi making course. You may remember how much I enjoyed the first class I attended, and I’m pleased to say that this one did not disappoint. This time it was held at the Poland Street branch of YO! Sushi, and the subject was ‘Rice and Rolls’. Our excellent teacher […]

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setting sail

19 June 2010

If you grew up in Britain during the 80s, chances are you went to at least one birthday party where you ate something from the Sainsbury Book of Children’s Party Cooking. Traffic light biscuits? Jelly boats? Marshmallow mousse? They’re all here. These were unworldly pre-Nigella days; we called a baguette a ‘French loaf’, there was no […]

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teapigs

1 May 2010

After tasting teapigs peppermint tea on a recent visit to the Foyles café (where I navigated the complex and multifarious temptations of the adjoining cookery section with pleasing restraint), I proceeded to go a little crazy on their very nice website and ordered some for home consumption. Four days later, a cardboard box of satisfying […]