The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
Nuts are getting a fair amount of media attention recently. Is it to drive seasonal sales in supermarkets? Have you noticed how the shelves are laden? Is it because we are no longer scared of the saturated fat they contain? Or crave the essential fatty acids, B vitamins, fibre, protein, carbohydrate and a host of minerals […]
A few weeks ago I went to Paris for a patisserie adventure as a guest of Eurostar and their new #wheninparis campaign. You can see my write up on their little website. As well as patisserie, Paris is of course well known for it’s ‘chocolatiers’ and ‘confisseries’ – chocolate and sweet shops. And there […]
Half term week was wet, windy and miserable. Except the day my girls descended on Yeo Valley. It was a gloriously sunny day and we had been invited to have a go at The National Trust’s ‘50 things to do before you‘re 11 ¾’ activities. The collaboration is running until January and you simply pick up […]
I’ve tried a lot of fruit and vegetable box schemes but the challenge of living on a main road and working full time means it’s difficult to always be around for delivery or feel confident my box won’t be stolen by the time I get home. So I’ve resorted to growing my own and using […]
This coconut masala is adapted from the lovely book Mr Todiwala’s Bombay. Please also take a look at the okra. The tomatoes soak up the coconut really well and I’ve added a little extra of the coriander seeds and cumin seeds, garlic and a tarka with curry leaves to give this dish more flavour. A tarka is […]
I am a huge fan of okra. This wasn’t always the case because they can become a huge sticky mess and taste awful! The trick is to make sure they are washed and dried carefully with a teatowel so there is no trace of water when you cut them. The water meets the inside and […]
I have a love hate relationship with Bombay. (Yes I know I should say Mumbai but it’s always going to be Bombay to me). The first time I visited I was terrified! I was eight years old and there was simply too much hustle and bustle for my little head to cope with. The second […]
Last weekend I had a lot of vegetables in the veg basket but not quite enough of one in particular to turn into a dish. Does that ever happen to you? This easy bake is the answer. Super nutritious and comforting too. There are not many measurements in the recipe below. Just use what you […]
I love this basic cookie mix. It’s a good one for using up odd nuts or pieces of fruit. Pour over some custard and you have an instant dessert More apple recipes
Beetroot was a logical thing to plant in our allotment. We love it so let’s grow it. Looks easy enough. My husband and I got totally sucked in by the different varieties but settled for a traditional round one and the one with stripes running through it that chefs love to slice into delicately presented […]
There is something stunning about beetroots in their pickle form. I love the the way they transform a salad or a sandwich into something very cheffy and expensive. I’ve never made a pickle before so this recipe took a few attempts. It’s also not a large batch because I don’t have a big fridge. It […]
Practising for The Great British Bake Off meant making a lot of macarons! My girls are now obsessed and requested these for Halloween. The black colour needs a lot of the food colouring so I use the gel variety so as not to dilute the mixture and make it overly runny. The filling in this […]