The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
There is something rather therapeutic about baking pastry. It’s the stages I think. Making the dough, chilling the dough, rolling out the dough and finally baking. The stages fit rather well with my running schedule. I’m running for Action Against Hunger in the 2016 Virgin London Marathon. I’ve started training now because I’m a slow […]
Have you ever thought about why you can’t taste anything well when you have a cold? I had never really thought about it before because I just assumed that the brain switches off certain functions when we are unwell. However last week I was invited to a sensory experience with Haagen Dazs Ice Cream with […]
I think the sun is staying out now. It’s been a bit hit and miss in London. It always is as the school holidays start but I’m watching it go down over the rooftops as we speak knowing it’s going to be another glorious day tomorrow. This is a good thing for my diet. A […]
I’m not normally a gadget person in the kitchen. Sure I like to save time like everyone else but rather than some whizzy gizmo for peeling garlic for example, I prefer to get stuck in and peel it with my fingers. Having said that I do use a few machines to help get big jobs […]
As I grow older I find myself getting more and more irritated at New Year’s resolutions. I tend to review and set myself goals monthly because things move on so quickly so I find waiting once a year to kick start something is a little late. But that being said, all the detox hype in the […]
Aspall is one of those brands that you see everywhere and think they must be a huge corporation. The branding is just so slick. They’re at a lot of festivals, they’re in ‘those’ trendy pubs, do cool stuff on social media etc etc. They must have a lot of people behind them making all that […]
This week I have been experimenting with Lurpak Cooking Liquid. It’s a blend of butter and rapeseed oil that comes in a handy squeezy bottle that sits nicely in our fridge door or lies sideways without dripping all over the place. I’ll be honest I wasn’t sure at first. Why do I need a liquid […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
I received a lovely box of fruit and veg last week at work. My postroom chaps were not best pleased as it was rather large. They were soon pacified with a friendly smile and a promise of cake. The box was from Wholegood – a new fruit and veg wholesaler that has started delivering to […]
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 […]