The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
This recipe uses ground pistachio nuts instead of almonds. It works just as well as long as you grind the nuts quite finely and remove any unground flakes. I’ve used a simple chocolate flavoured double cream filling but you could also use white or dark chocolate ganache, a buttercream or even Nutella. If you prefer […]
I love making macaroons. I did make one bad batch which put me off for a while. I got really frustrated until I retraced my steps and worked out that I had used too much liquid food colouring and disturbed the balance of liquid in this recipe. It’s really worth trying to find food colouring […]
As I am sure you’ll know by know I was one of the 12 contestants in Series 2 of the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off. I learned so much from the other bakers and of course the judges and have gained some great baking buddies. I also had such a great time during the […]
I made this quiche for Episode 2 of The Great British Bake Off. I hadn’t really made much quiche til I started recipe testing for the show because I’ve never been a huge fan. I am now a convert. Quiche is such an easy meal. Served cold or warm it’s filling and nutritious and there […]
This is probably one the my favourite recipes from The Great British Bake Off. It got a a lot of airtime and the recipe below also got published on the BBC Food website! I’m really proud of that achievement! Honeycomb is brilliantly versatile. I use it to top these tarts but you can also dip […]
These bread rolls are a brilliant alternative to naan bread or chappattis when eaten with dhal based recipes. They are also great with one veg soups like tomato or broccoli. They also go well with hummus. I made these rolls in Episode 3 of the Great British Bake Off. Paul commented that you couldn’t taste the […]
These bread rolls are a brilliant alternative to naan bread or chappattis when eaten with dhal based recipes. They are also great with one veg soups like tomato or broccoli. I made these rolls in Episode 3 of the Great British Bake Off. Paul commented that you couldn’t taste the halloumi because of the chilli but […]
I love pepper. Day to day I do use a lot of black pepper and you could substitute the peppercorns in this recipe for crushed black pepper kernels as this works equally well. I have used green and pink peppercorns in this recipe though because they have a bit of a tangy taste which […]
I am a big fan of frangipane because it’s quick to make, keeps in the fridge for a few days and tastes great. This tart recipe is based on using frangipane and I made it for Episode 2 of The Great British Bake Off. One tip I got from the judge, Paul Hollywood, was to […]
These cupcakes are a great choice if you like citrusy flavours in cake. As you may have seen on Episode 1 of the Great British Bake Off I am not a huge fan of sugar flowers – well I am a fan but I’m just rubbish at making these tiny things! So I use fresh […]
Sakura is the Japanese name for a cherry blossom. These gorgeous pastel pink flowers are so abundant in Japan in the springtime that there is a festival dedicated to their viewing – Hanami. It’s a beautiful time of year where there are many parties and picnics held under the cherry trees and people even queue […]
This is a lovely creamy baked cheesecake which is based on an Indian rose flavoured drink called ‘Falooda’. It’s like a milkshake and knickerbocker glory rolled into one. Rose flavoured milk, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, jelly chunks and a sprinkling of nuts. I like a thick crumb crust but if you prefer a […]