The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
With all the Seville oranges in season in the shops I’m drawn back to the warmth and heat of the Moroccan dessert. Sounds strange but it’s these wonderful oranges that produce Orange Blossoms which in turn are used to make Orange Blossom Water (or Orange Flower Water) and it was this that I smelled every morning when I awoke […]
On my recent trip to Morocco fitting in a cookery class was at the top of the list. It’s a cuisine I’m not too familiar with and to be honest have not had many good experiences with on previous trips. I did a fair amount of research and found many half day workshops at […]
A few weeks ago I went to Paris for a patisserie adventure as a guest of Eurostar and their new #wheninparis campaign. You can see my write up on their little website. As well as patisserie, Paris is of course well known for it’s ‘chocolatiers’ and ‘confisseries’ – chocolate and sweet shops. And there […]
Once upon a time I reviewed a book called Sweet Paris by Michael Paul. At the back there is a very comprehensive address list of patisseries, cookware shops and pastry postcodes. It has been on my wish list to wander through Paris and discover these well known and hidden gems alike. It started with a map […]
The heavens usually open up on Apple Day at our orchard and this year was no different but we had a brilliant day and the best part was of course tasting the different varieties of apples grown here in the UK. A fantastic range of British apples Our little community orchard won’t bear fruit for […]
Last week I was at The Eden Project for their Harvest Festival. What a great weekend it was. I was in the Harvest Demo Dome talking to people about Baobab and of course demonstrating some dishes to try. This superfruit is cropping up all over the place as its health benefits – long-known in Africa […]
Fish and chips. Marvellous and satisfying are two words that spring to mind immediately. I always fancy a bit of fish and chips on a Friday and am incredibly lucky to have a few fantastic locals to satisfy the craving. Different variations to suit different cravings What I love is the variations of this British […]
Taking some time out for mint tea is a must in Morocco. During my travels this summer I found no rhyme or reason as to the time of day. It was offered ALL the time! There is much ceremony around it and all sorts of rituals across different parts of the country. Four simple ingredients […]
April in New York. Would it be hot? Would there be snow? Our friends had advised us to pack for both but on this particular day walking around the infamous Lower East Side it was gloriously sunny and we peeled the layers of woolies away and wandered in t-shirts. The Tenement Museum, 97 Orchard Street […]
I came across the South West Garlic Farm on Twitter about a year ago. I was fascinated by their beautiful images of garlic at various stages of growth. We’ve been in touch ever since and on my recent trip to the beautiful southern coastline of Britain, I popped in to meet farmer and owner Mark […]
I don’t tend to get picked for school trips. Actually that’s not true. I do get picked but I’m advised at such short notice that I can’t usually take the time off work due to a diary full of meetings. My youngest has a new teacher who is very organised. I like her. I like […]
Samphire – the name itself sounds so precious doesn’t it? So close to sapphire and to me it has the same sense of elusiveness and mystery. It doesn’t always go by this name. The French call it “sampiere” after Saint Pierre, the patron saint of fishermen. It is also called “sea asparagus” or “sea pickle”. […]