It’s that busy time of year again, when it seems like you are endlessly preparing for Christmas. It’s one day, but it always seems to consume most of December with the shopping, planning and preparing. Continue Reading…
It’s coming to the end of summer, and I can’t believe those balmy summer days are nearly over. I’m stocking up with as many great summer vegetables as I can, before the onslaught of kale and beetroot begins again 😉
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We recently had very enjoyable afternoon tea in Reid’s hotel in Madeira. The tearooms are ideally situated on a balcony, overlooking a tropical garden and the glistening blue sea. The whole experience was idyllic and felt a little like walking back in time, to an age where afternoon tea was all the go. Our table was covered with pristine starched linens and we were presented with shiny silver teapots, fine bone china cups and tiered plates of delights. We nibbled on delicate prawn sandwiches, pillow soft scones with clotted cream, and a whole array of sweet pastries and cakes. It was such a relaxing afternoon and we savoured every bite. Continue Reading…
For many people St.Patrick’s Day is a day of drinking, gaudy parades, lurid green leprechauns and shamrock shakes. There are a lot of great things about Ireland and very little of these are ever celebrated on our national feast day. Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time in a beautiful unspoiled part of Ireland, on Inchydoney Island in West Cork. It got me thinking a lot about Ireland and made me appreciate some of our real hidden treasures. Continue Reading…
Thanks to my OH’s work colleagues, we’ve recently been getting a lot of great home grown organic produce as gifts. Kevin Cooke gave us some lovely courgettes which, as I mentioned before, are not the OH’s favourite food. So, once again, I was faced with the challenge of glorifying this great vegetable. I created some delicious courgette, chive and cheese scones. The courgette in these scones make them deliciously moist and they’re a perfect lunch box filler. Continue Reading…
