The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
Earlier this week we saw many households across the country observe darkness in remembrance and reflection of World War I. ‘The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.’ #WW1 #LightsOut pic.twitter.com/u4755PkaUR — Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) August 4, 2014 Britain declared war on Germany […]
Have I ever told you the story of how I became an allotment owner? It was about 3 years ago that I was thinking about a birthday present for my husband. It was the summer before his next birthday and there was a programme on the BBC fronted by Ainsley Harriot. He’d been cooking in […]
I was inspired by a visit to the flower market today. I saw wonderful tulips in all sorts of colours and got very excited about using them again for summer dinner parties. I also came across this amazing infographic which does a lovely job of summarising popular edible flowers. You’ll find this and lots of […]
Would you eat something if you knew it could kill you? We all know there are plants and foods that can cause a lot of adverse and painful reactions. Mushrooms immediately come to my mind. But there are more – many more. Let’s take Green Tea. It’s benefits have been linked with cancer prevention but drunk […]
There is one core quality which I associate with being a mother. Feeding. Aside from cuddling, it’s the very first thing we mothers do. It’s instinctive. It’s primal. It’s raw. It starts with milk Milk is a non botanical which I am completely in awe about. On my very first day of being a mother, […]
I was reading the story of the Bramley Apple this week. Who knew that a little girl’s apple pips would result in such an infamous apple? That tree, planted in 1809, is still there and still producing fruit which I find heart-warming and reassuring. A 60% decline in traditional orchards Sadly this isn’t the case for many […]
Towards the end of the year and the beginning of the next, I get rather lost in thought about events that have happened, that I want to happen or that I really truly want to forget about. 2012 was a pretty busy year for me. I achieved many personal and career successes and learned a […]
I cannot believe it’s been a year already since I took part in The Great British Bake Off. The year has absolutely flown by with some amazing experiences all over the UK. Series 3 returns to our screens in the UK today at 8pm on BBC2. Here’s a little taster in case you haven’t seen […]
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 […]
I was invited on to BBC 3 Counties Radio on Saturday to be a guest on Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen. (Click on that or Nick’s picture below to listen to the show). I also met the lovely Producer Emma, Neil Irvine from No. 2 Pound Street Deli and Mummy Blogger Sandy Calico of Baby Baby. I […]
There has been lots of talk today about New Year’s resolutions. I don’t make them. For many years now I have simply tried to live a balanced life. To me “balanced” means the following: Harmony in the relationships I hold to be important. Truly there are only really three relationships in my life that are […]
The great thing about having young children is that they ask you a lot of questions. Usually these can be explained easily or even answered by themselves with a little return questioning from me. Lately though my girls have been asking questions that need a little research or even an “I don’t know”. Let’s take advent calendars […]