The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
I’ve been living in a work bubble over the last few weeks but today is a rare day off and I’ve been enjoying some cooking time alone in my kitchen. No children’s chitter chatter. No husband playing loud music. Just me and my pots and pans. Blissful. I have just made myself an enormous bowl […]
It’s a freezing, wet, windy day in North London. I tried various things to get properly warm this morning and had countless cups of tea but nothing seemed to hit the spot. There was much paperwork to be done but I sought refuge in the kitchen instead of the office. It’s the warmest place in the house. […]
I haven’t spent much time on the allotment this year. What with opening up a cafe, settling into a rhythm of freelance work and just general family life it’s been hard to get there on a regular basis. My crops have suffered as a result but if there’s one veg that never lets me down it’s […]
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 a sucker for cheese. It’s my absolute vice. As soon as I get the nibbles I reach for the cheese. In restaurants, I find myself pondering skipping the mains and going for the dessert and cheese courses instead. My palette has developed from the mild Cheddars and Bries to the oozy Camemberts and even the […]
We didn’t plant any nasturtiums at all this year. Totally forgot. But the beautiful blooms have come up all on their own in the same place and randomly across the patch. They seem to know what needs company as a little bloom appeared right next to the Firestorm Runner Beans last week and a little sprout […]
This recipe was inspired by Gennaro Contaldo’s recipe in The Two Greedy Italians Eat Italy book. I couldn’t find any chestnut flour and so tried it with the vacuum packed or tinned variety by Merchant Gourmet. It worked rather well but you might want to add the vacuum packed chestnuts to the potatoes at the […]