The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
The Chocolate Festival returned to Southbank Centre to celebrate all things chocolate. It was a lovely event in a beautiful part of London and there were lots of opportunities to get stuck into all sorts of chocolatey delights AND see me do a demo of delicious chocolate canapés ready for the festive party season. I was there on Sunday 11 December at 3pm – which […]
About the author Laura Santini won the Guild of Food Writers’ Jeremy Round Award for Best First Book in 2010. She describes herself as a Cognitive Cook because her work explores links between flavours and feelings recognising ingredients that flavour life in and outside of the kitchen. I’m really inspired by all the things she […]
A whole 3 days dedicated to tea and coffee? How fabulous I thought and indeed it was! Tucked away on London’s Southbank was a maze of boutique coffee and tea companies all with their stories to tell. First off, the gorgeous light, nutty coffee from The Ethiopian Coffee Company which I used in my Hazelnut and Coffee Biscotti. (Sssssh don’t tell […]
Have you ever had a little pipe dream about running your own restaurant? Or opening your own deli or tea shop? I have these dreams every day in some way or another but I know now is not the right time for me and my young family to start on this path. One day…. In […]
About the author This book is by Diana Henry who is one of my favourite cookery and food writers. She writes for so many publications but most notably The Sunday Telegraph. My review This book is as much a travel memoire and a poetry collection as it is a recipe book. It is the perfect […]
About the author This book is by Thomasina Miers who visited Mexico at the age of 18 and then returned to live there, set up a bar in Mexico City and travel the country. The setting up a bar in Mexico City must have taken some ‘balls’ so that itself gets my admiration but on […]
About the authors Hilda Leyel was an expert in herbalism and founded the Society of Herbalists which later became the Herb Society in 1927. She opened a chain of herbalist stores called the Culpeper stores, became a fellow of the Royal Institution as well as an officer of the Academie Francaise. Olga Hartely was Mrs Leyel’s […]
About the author This book is by Linda Collister who is an experienced cook and baker. She trained at L’Ecole de Cuisine La Varenne in Paris and the Cordon Bleu in London. There are also forewords from the judges of the BBC TV series – Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. My review Mary’s foreword starts […]
About the author “Valentine Warner is a cook, forager, fisherman, and a culinary adventurer. He spent five years working in London’s restaurant kitchens before setting up a private catering company”. My review The introduction of this book is incredibly poetical. Valentine sets out to explain how The Good Table is his ‘heart on a plate’. How […]