The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
I really can’t get enough beetroot at the moment. We’ve harvested so much over the summer and I still have about 30 growing away nicely on the allotment. I’ve roasted it, eaten it raw, mashed it, boiled it and pickled it. We’ve even put it in chocolate truffles which were very lovely I might add. […]
I was inspired to grow a little garlic after a visiting Mark at South West Garlic Farm last year. My garlic will never be as good as his and I won’t ever be planting the volume he does but I like the idea of my allotment being busy doing something over the winter. A few tips on planting […]
I think September really is the best time to visit New York. The first time I ever went that side of the Atlantic was about eighteen years ago and it was in September. What I remember most was walking. I loved the block and grid system. So easy to get around. Street level was fascinating. There […]
As a working mother I am always on the lookout for innovations in the food industry that will help me get a healthy evening meal on the table quickly. 30 minutes is usually my target timeframe. I do not have an army of choppers, peelers, washer uppers and handy hangabout preparers so it all has […]
Patra is one of my all time favourite Gujarati dishes. My Baa (maternal grandmother) used to make them for breakfast when I was little using fresh colocasia leaves and her own spice mix. I was too little to really appreciate her or her patra which makes me so incredibly sad. However, I wasn’t so little that […]
Is there something you add to your shopping basket every week? For me it’s avocados. I chose a few ripe ones and a few to leave on the windowsill to ripen over the course of the coming week. I know they are ready when the little stalk at the base pops off easily. They are […]
This review is long overdue. I’ve had this book since it launched earlier this year but it’s so unbelievably comprehensive that it’s taken me this long to writing up my thoughts. Katie and Giancarlo are a wonderful couple. They told me it took a long time to write this book. It’s a book about preserving […]
It’s been decidedly warmer over the last few days in London. Here’s me prepping myself up with porridge in preparation for Autumn setting in but as my daughters have gone back to school, the sun has come out. Of course it has. It’s England. This always happens. Well … if the weather is going to […]
Last year I planted a three different varieties of beetroot. This year I chose just ‘Beetroot Boltardy’ but with lessons learned, I thinned and replanted my little beets so I’d get nice, fat ones for roasting. There’s no space in my fridge for pickles this year with all the lemon and elderflower marmalade! I must admit it has […]
I’m very fussy about tomatoes. I love the sundried variety but not in pesto. I like the raw variety but only paired with basil and mozzarella and in a ‘cachumbar’ (salad) with sliced onions, red chilli powder and salt. But I love cooked tomatoes. Especially in curry. It’s my go to dinner when I am […]
It’s getting decidedly chilly in North London. Oh yes it starts off all sunny and warm through the window but as soon as I open that kitchen door in the morning it’s a little bit nippy. Porridge is what that signals. Porridge. There are a myriad of different types of grains or cereals you can use […]
With the recent weather we have been having in England it’s perhaps more apt to call this post ‘Summertime Slipping’. It really does seem like those summer days have drifted away. But one thing has been constant for us at home this summer. A little Friday night tradition we’ve started. Cocktails and canapés. The tradition […]