The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
Sunny skies of late and unseasonably warm weather have seen trees come into bloom earlier this year. Spring blossoms almost pass us by without a second thought. This would never happen in Japan. Over there, it is customary to celebrate trees coming into flower and the season is currently in full swing. It’s ‘Hanami’ time. […]
Last week I received an intriguing parcel from Lurpak. It contained some flour, a bar of dark chocolate, a pack of Lurpak for baking and two leaflets enticing me to go create! The pack is part of a new campaign they have launched called #FoodAdventures which sees some new products designed to speed things up in […]
Have you noticed that alongside the daffodils that seem to be everywhere, there are also bursts of yellow from dandelions? They too are so pretty and brighten up banks of green in our lovely city of London – or the suburbs in my case. Like many, I’ve disregarded these these plants. Sunny and cheerful as […]
I paid little attention to World Book Day before I had children but as they started nursery and now school, it’s become a big thing in or house. They have always worn a costume from their favourite book. We’ve gone from princesses, to wizards, Gruffalos to robots. It’s all a bit of fun. World Book […]
Bananas are my go-to food when I need to eat but don’t have much time, when I’m hungry but not hungry enough for a full meal, when I’m starving but need to exercise first and finally when I want a bit of decadence. In all these scenarios eating a banana simply does the trick. It […]
Cherry season is a long way away but I could not resist buying a small pack at the market last weekend. Goodness knows where they came from but after my run in the wind and rain I thought I deserved a little pick me up. Cherries were also the theme of a recent event I […]
I really dislike sweeteners. I dislike the rubbish E things they contain. I dislike the aftertaste. I dislike the consistency. I’ve therefore always stuck to sugar because at least I know what that contains and can moderate my usage accordingly. That being said, I think I’ve found a sweetener that challenges each of those […]
Life gets pretty overwhelming sometimes doesn’t it? The business of work and school and home merging together too easily. Priorities and pace overlap and the wrong things get prioritised and grumpiness sets in. I’ve started to consciously challenge my grumpiness. Is it worth it? Or rather should I focus on all the little things that […]
I was introduced to this lovely honey at a foodie event last year. I had it on a salty cracker with some lovely manchego type cheese. It was incredibly memorable and incredibly moreish.Pasilla Oaxaca Chillies The honey uses Pasilla Oaxaca chillies from the Oaxaca region of Mexico which is about five hours from the Pacific […]
A few months ago at The BBC Good Food Show, I was invited to meet the Barber family and learn about their cheddar. I’m a sucker for good British produce and even more of a sucker for family businesses so I could not resist. I was greeted warmly by three lovely gents from the Barber […]
I’m starting to feel the excesses of Christmas and all this dreary drizzle has really put me off going outside for fresh air and exercise. I’m inspired by all the raw food posts and detox meals but I still find myself drawn to baking, cups of tea and a good book by the fire. That […]
I always have a clear out of shelves and cupboards on New Year’s Day. It’s a therapeutic ritual before I go back to work to see what I can use up, batch cook and freeze for the busy weeks ahead. Packets of dried fruits and nuts are always hanging around and I usually bake them […]