Tiramisu…
If I closed my eyes tightly and clicked my heels three times I could almost smell the aroma……… Growing up, tiramisu was always made by my mum and aunties when all our families would come together to celebrate family birthdays and festive celebrations… On reflection a very special pudding indeed. [...]
Carmela teaches in Italy at Hotel Eliseo 26th – 30th MAY 2020 #Romagna
Carmela teaches in Italy.....26th - 30th May 2020!! Come cook with Carmela in Italy and enjoy a fully immersive 5 day cooking experience, you will also discover the secrets of regional Romagna cooking, with Nonna Violante at Hotel Eliseo near Rimini. Do you want to learn the secrets, techniques and [...]
Chickpea balls – speedy, meat free and totally scrumptious.
I love a meatball or 10 but whenever I think of meatballs it always reminds me of that one time I was clearly desperate and on a low after a traumatic shopping trip with my army of small children, yes I was in Ikea and yes I ate a meatball!!! [...]
Black chickpeas milled into flour, what on earth was I thinking??
The idea seemed good, logical, well almost! Buy chickpeas and mill them into flour for some pasta development work I’m currently working on. How wrong was I? My previous experience working with these indestructible black pebbles had clearly been forgotten somewhat, pushed to the back of my forgetful and complex [...]
Summer apple rings..
With an almost instant change of season we welcome a change of produce. My favourite summer vegetable has to be the humble courgette with its stunning edible flower as well as the humble heritage tomato and seasonal fruits. British seasonal berries are now coming in to season and they [...]
From the meadow to the teapot..
Food and drink, flowers, perfume, holidays, photos, these all evoke memories of some kind. Remembering tasks that my parents and I would carry out seasonally on our farm as a little girl are memories that maybe somewhat muted now, but certainly never forgotten. On my father’s birthday last week, I [...]
Thyme to reflect in my kitchen garden……….
My kitchen garden is tiny and I should probably call it my herb patch but the word patch doesn’t have the grandeur I want you to whimsically imagine. So, going back to my kitchen garden and the bounty of edible flowers, soft herbs, out of control rosemary and newly foraged [...]
Courgette, lemon & ricotta fritters…
Even though I surround myself with food daily, I never menu plan for my family. I am known as creator or should I say I tend to wing it at every available opportunity. I just love to open the fridge and say either mushroom risotto for dinner tonight or pea, [...]
Dandelions… Do they really make you wet the bed?
Can picking a dandelion really lead you to wet the bed? I grew up on a small farm in North Bedfordshire. At every possible opportunity you’d find me outside, either making perfume with rose petals for my mum (water with squashed rose petals), fishing for tiny fish with what [...]
Northamptonshire WI Recipe Book
Northamptonshire WI Recipe Book I’ve just picked up a fantastic 3rd edition copy of the ‘Northamptonshire Federation of Women’s Institutes’ Recipe book. Elated is a huge understatement to be honest. Not only is this vintage beauty in great condition but it’s also has newspaper clippings hidden in-between some of the [...]
Polpette, pretty please!
From stale bread to a filling lunch! Bread polpette I use the term ‘stale bread’ very loosely. In my family kitchen bread tends to hide as its consumed at an incredible speed. We all have our own bread preferences, dare I say from the processed floppy sliced white loaf to [...]
Pizza party!
PIZZA DOUGH – Make me, rest me, roll me, flip me! Comfort food can come in many forms. For me it’s a soft baked pasta with crispy edges, slow cooked sticky ribs are right up there too as is pizza. Pizza always seems to be a generally winner in my [...]