The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
Once upon a time I reviewed a book called Sweet Paris by Michael Paul. At the back there is a very comprehensive address list of patisseries, cookware shops and pastry postcodes. It has been on my wish list to wander through Paris and discover these well known and hidden gems alike. It started with a map […]
The heavens usually open up on Apple Day at our orchard and this year was no different but we had a brilliant day and the best part was of course tasting the different varieties of apples grown here in the UK. A fantastic range of British apples Our little community orchard won’t bear fruit for […]
Yum Yum Thai in Stoke Newington has been around for a long, long time. The restaurant is now very well established in this trendy corner of North London in an old Georgian building. I was invited to taste dishes from the summer menu by owner, Atique Choudhury. On arrival we were greeted with a light […]
I was invited to the Harvest Festival at The Eden Project to talk to people about Baobab and take up the challenge to create some recipes. This was my savoury offering which worked really well. The baobab powder brought out the citrus of the lemon and gave the bhajias a light tang. You’ll need 300g […]
Last week I was at The Eden Project for their Harvest Festival. What a great weekend it was. I was in the Harvest Demo Dome talking to people about Baobab and of course demonstrating some dishes to try. This superfruit is cropping up all over the place as its health benefits – long-known in Africa […]
I’ve had a glut of courgettes this summer and so it’s been great experimenting with them vs simply chargrilling which is what I usually do. They are lovely on their own with sea salt, fresh herbs and olive oil but I rather love this easy soup because the colour on a grey, rainy day is […]
These are virtuous and easy to make. You would never know these have courgettes in them. They are chocolately and you feel no guilt in eating them. If you don’t fancy the frosting, you can serve these with warm baobab and blueberry sauce. I’ve given a recipe for this below too. You’ll need 3 […]
When we first got our allotment, we thought the wisest thing to do would be to grow a little at a time. Let’s not over exert and plant every bit of land. Let’s sit back, learn and take things easy. At the beginning of the summer we looked upon our allotment after yet another afternoon […]
I never thought I would accept an offer to review a book which is essentially from a steakhouse – one in Australia to boot. I was assured that there would be lots of veggie dishes and fish based food and indeed there is. It’s written by Neil Perry who shares his trials and tribulations of […]
Fish and chips. Marvellous and satisfying are two words that spring to mind immediately. I always fancy a bit of fish and chips on a Friday and am incredibly lucky to have a few fantastic locals to satisfy the craving. Different variations to suit different cravings What I love is the variations of this British […]
We planted radishes in our allotment just before the start of the school holidays and within weeks we had a lovely crop. We bought a cheap packer of multi-coloured radish and each colour seemed to vary in taste It was also interesting to experiment with the development of that spicy taste these little fireballs are […]
I cannot believe how tasty nasturtium leaves are. I’ve had them in salad before and rather love the peppery taste but in this simple pesto they have an intense flavour that reminds me of mild watercress. You’ll need 100g nasturtium leaves 3 large garlic cloves 70g Parmesan cheese 70g almonds – roughly chopped 160ml extra […]