Orange and Pistachio Cupcakes! With a light satisfying texture and delicate orange, raspberry and pistachio flavour: these cupcakes have a distinctly exotic, North African flavour and are very easy to make. This recipe makes 6 buns. Ingredients Set oven to 170C 1 large or 2 small eggs 2 tbsp coconut oil or butter Zest and…
Category: Weekend Matters
Saturday Notebook: Short film of Anne Lamott
So much wisdom and beautifulness in this short TED talk by Anne Lamott. There is an uneasiness in the country this weekend, that has all of us unsettled. Its a good day to view this talk on the “12 truths I learned on life and writing” and to remember this gem: “Grace always bats last”
Book Notes: Chit Happens
This holiday weekend I am loving this book from Narain Ishaya on the graceful art of surrender – what are you reading tonight?
Pavlova with Berries, Kiwi and Cream
Friday night birthday loveliness with my daughter. Snuck out from work early to collect the ingredients and bake the meringue. It was the chewy, sticky slightly toffee type of meringue. Easy recipe and lovely fun to create this with Poppy who turned up just as I was pondering how to pull it altogether… Ingredients: Method:…
Weekend Matters: Grape Cheese Cake
Intro OK, you got me. More of a cake with cheese or possibly (says my husband) a cake of cheese than cheese cake per se, very very retro but kind of beautiful in a 1970s glamourous, Diana Dors way especially if you like cream cheese and apricot jam. Ingredients The recipe instructions are to be…
Weekend Matters: Ruby Slaw
Crunchy and robust, this ruby coloured coleslaw is made for a bright summer tea. We served it with hot peppery watercress and smoky apple pulled pork in wraps, for a great combination of strong flavours. O and made two new friends… Here’s the recipe from Hemsley and Hemsley Good and Simple and – there’s a…
The Weekend Matters: Pork Pies, Hebden Bridge and Me
(In which the writer visits Hebden Bridge and learns to cook a perfect summer pork pie. For readers wanting pork pie info only, please move to paragraph 4, clearly signposted below) Hebden Bridge We spent Saturday afternoon exploring my beloved old mill town of Hebden Bridge, nestled in the Yorkshire Pennines. A creative haven ,…
The Weekend Matters: LouLou Kebabs and Delicious Savoury Crackers
(In which we sample spicy, fragrant kebabs parcelled in pitta bread filled with green leafy salad, smoked mackerel pate and hot salt and pepper crackers with cheese for a light, Armenian themed family Saturday tea) My new favourite go-to cook book for the month of July is this: I like this one because it has…
The Weekend Matters: Summer (Pea) Cheesecake
(Or as my dear friend Julie Middlebrook notes, pea and cheesecake, not two words you would ever expect or necessarily want to hear together). This is a beautiful, light supper dish or summer starter which looked stunning to the eye and tasted even better which surprised me too The recipe uses everything from the pea…
The Weekend Matters: Pink Grapefruit, Lemon and Raspberry Punch
(In which the writer finds Alice Oswald, makes peace with Graham Norton, draws together her family and celebrates the end of the kitchen project) Summer Tea Party Saturday dawned, breezy and bright and we hoped against hope the rain would hold off. Well it’s England and its summer and it didn’t but somehow, it didn’t…
The Weekend Matters: Beef and Bacon Stew with Wraps
(Readers looking for recipes and not fond of Monday morning musing on our ever changing world, please proceed to paragraph 4) It’s been a tough week everywhere, followed by an even tougher weekend. This morning I watched George Osbourne on the TV and was struck by the uncertainty of change (again). The best take I…
Weekend Matters: Lemons, Blueberries and more
Its been one of those indecisive weekends of summer. How was it for you? All I can say is that later, it began to rain, over and over; leaving the ground sodden and heavy underfoot 😦 Cass the Hawk Earth bound and tethered til we can let him fly, Cass the Hawk huddled under the…
The Universe Project 