The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
If you received a beautiful bunch of roses for Valentine’s Day, they should still be going strong. If they are starting to wilt, re-cut the stems on a diagonal and then pop them back into a squeaky clean vase with freshwater. You only need about 2 inches worth of water. Any more than this will […]
I met Rosalind Rathouse late last year. She kindly invited me to lunch at her Cookery School just off Oxford Circus. I liked her right away. She was infectiously enthusiastic about quality food and teaching people to cook great meals. Two areas I am passionate about myself. Rosalind started teaching in her native South Africa where she […]
If you are as old as me and grew up in England you will be very familiar with the phrase “through the square window”. This was the time of day I loved. Just home from school, sitting with a snack in front of our tiny TV watching Play School on BBC1. Every episode you […]
Matcha Chocolat was founded 2010 by former biologist, Katie Christoffers. Following six years of biology research Katie turned her attention to chocolate making. She started with pairing fine teas from Japan, China and India with chocolate but her range now encompasses other wonderful botanicals including spices, herbs, fruits and flowers. I spent a day with […]
As some of you may remember I contacted Pipedream Restaurant about being a Chef for a day and holding my very own afternoon tea. Well it all took place last Saturday and here’s an overview….. I was very nervous because I was stepping into the kitchen where Masterchef winner Tim Anderson and his fellow contestants […]
I was sent a couple of children’s cookery books a few months ago and to be completely honest I was a bit wary about trying them out and reviewing them. I don’t really believe in “kid’s food”. My daughters, aged 7 and 9 now, have eaten what more or less what I eat since they […]
About the author Sabrina Parrini has a background in early childhood teaching and launched Australia’s first organic cooking school and party venue. She now demonstrates her skills and recipes at food fairs and plans to revolutionise the way that people look at children’s health and wellbeing. About this book This book is aimed at 8 – 12 […]
Now I am a BIG fan of tapas. Mini meals. Perfect for mini/petite people like me. There used to be a great tapas place near me but it’s been closed for some time now. It’s a shame because I think it’s such a great concept. Thankfully I live very close to London and there are […]
This is a super quick recipe that I invented today when I was in a bish-bash-bosh kinda mood! We had this with some plain boiled rice and wilted spinach. You’ll need 1 small cod fillet 1 teaspoon brown rice miso – I used the Clearspring brand readily available in Sainsbury’s 1 spring onion 1 tsp […]
The Chinese New Year begins today. It’s a time for dusting away the cobwebs of the old year, buying new clothes, paying your debts (and collecting what’s owed!) and for new beginnings. Sounds much like the Indian New Year. 2012 is the year of the Dragon – The Black Water Dragon to be precise. The dragon […]
This is a really easy Austrian cheesecake recipe that a friend of mine gave me at University. There is no biscuit base like the American style cheesecakes. If you can try to get Quark cheese as it has a sour taste which gives a nice flavour to the cake. I’ve used apricots in this recipe […]
No botanicals in these. Just a bit of fun for Chinese New Year! They were my first attempt and really rather fiddly! Despite working quickly some did crisp up before I had the chance to put the notes in! So worth the effort though if you have children. My girls were obsessed with reading the […]