The shops are finally re-opening and what better way to celebrate the occasion than a visit the greatest Swedish invention in the world – IKEA!  I have not been struck with the desire to rush out and buy new clothes, my haircut is past redemption but the glorious...

During the week I am often grabbing a quick sandwich in between work, kids and tackling the never-ending laundry pile and I find myself slipping into the monotony of using whatever is in the fridge which is invariably ham and cheese.  Now the lovely warm weather is...

An Australian friend grew up in an incredibly Anglophile household, to the extent that each Christmas her mother would crank up the air conditioning to max power and they would sit around shivering in sweaters, fire crackling away in the hearth and tuck into the full...

There is nothing more fascinating to me than finding out how different cultures’ foods are shaped by the society and environment of the time and vica versa.  I am enthralled reading about how a humble kitchen invention can revolutionise a particular cuisine or indeed...

A tricky cake to name as the word ‘boiled’ never sounds that appetising.  In this instance however, the reality is definitely much more delicious than it sounds.  Rich, mixed fruit is simmered (aka boiled) with sugar, butter and beer to create a super plump, aromatic...

Yesterday was officially a BAD day, as I discovered that my entire crop of garlic, mere weeks from harvesting, had got garlic rust. Whilst this fungus, which infects the leaves of the garlic plant, is totally harmless to humans it has the annoying effect of stopping...

One of the best aspects of working for a cookery school is that I get to experiment in the kitchen!  Sometimes it is having an idea in the middle of the night and spending a happy afternoon playing around with ingredients in an attempt to make it work but other times...

On the hottest day of the year so far, I thought that it would be sensible to go to the garden centre to buy something vital like a new rake.  This was in no way, shape or form an attempt by me to avoid home schooling my daughter, who then decided that she wanted to...

One of the joys of living in my particular rural town is the weekly market, selling the most eclectic mix of French artisanal cheeses, mobility aids, fruit & veg, pet food, and speciality breads.  Now that lockdown is easing the market is back and it has been...

October is the most wonderful month as although Summer is officially, properly over and you can legitimately put the heating on in the evening, your garden can still surprise you with a few last vestiges of sun.Sometime in August I let the children loose with the last...