As the Chinese New Year celebrations come to a close for 2021, I thought I'd share another of my favourite recipes. These homemade pork and prawn fried dumplings are easier to make than you think and are quick and delicious. You can make the dumpling skins from scratch with the recipe below or for a…
Sweet and Sour Chicken with Broccoli
When it gets to the end of a busy week it can be hard to muster up the energy to get creative in the kitchen and so a takeaway tends to be the easy option. But if you're trying to watch the pennies or be a little healthier, this quick and easy Sweet and Sour…
Super Simple Stock
It's a drizzly, grey Monday and maybe I'm just trying to find ways to put off the daily walk but it's feeling like a stock making kind of day. Chicken stock or any stock for that matter is one of those things I was a bit intimidated by at first. I'm not sure if it…
Drink Wine Day 2021: Celebrating English Sparkling Wine
Prosecco, Cava, Champagne, Cremant... whatever your tipple of choice, nothing quite beats a nice glass of bubbles. The buzz about English wine is nothing new and I've thoroughly enjoyed the odd glass bottle of English Sparkling over the years but it's only recently that I've had the chance to spend time visiting and even staying…
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Cheesy Leek and Chestnut Mushroom Pancakes
To celebrate Pancake Day or Shrove Tuesday which is the traditional feast, using up the last of the eggs and fat before beginning the fast for Lent, I thought I'd share one of my favourite Pancake Day dinners - deliciously cheesy Leek and Chestnut Mushroom Pancakes, which of course is always followed by a sweet…
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Hummingbird Cake
If you've never heard of it, Hummingbird cake is the most delicious, spiced banana-pineapple cake with a zesty cream cheese icing, that originates from the Southern United States. It's so easy to make and is a real showstopper as cupcakes, a loaf or a larger centrepiece cake - perfect for Valentine's Day, birthdays, Mother's Day...…
Sustainability: My Top 3 British Brands of 2020
I've worked in sustainability in the corporate world for more than a decade so I'm pretty well read on what the major companies and brands are, or are not, doing to become more sustainable. I try as much as possible to "vote with my pound" and shop with brands and companies - that whilst may…
Continue reading ➞ Sustainability: My Top 3 British Brands of 2020
Allotment: Six things I wish I’d known from the start
I don't suppose there's ever the perfect time to take on an allotment plot but even as an absolute beginner, I got the sense that starting in May was cutting it fine to have any chance of planting, growing and successfully plating something in our first season. At least being in a national lockdown and…
Continue reading ➞ Allotment: Six things I wish I’d known from the start
Allotment: 12 words I learnt in 2020
2020 was a year of new words and terminology for all of us; R rate, self-isolation, social distancing, PPE, Coronavirus..... But 2020 taught me a few other things too and thankfully for a far more joyful reason. Here are twelve pieces of allotmenting lingo that I picked up in my first year on the plot.…
Bruschette al Pomodoro
Tomato Bruschetta Preparation time - l5 mins Cooking time - nothing unless you make your own bread Serves 4 Bruschetta is SUMMER. Its a classic Italian appetiser and sitting in the sun, preferably by a pool, with a cold glass of something - absolutely nothing beats this as a tasty snack or a light lunch.…