The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
If you’re a bit sick of mince pies and stodgy pastry at Christmas, this is a nice light version is super easy to rustle up for unexpected guests. You’ll need About 8 sheets of filo pastry 100g mincemeat/mince pie filling 1 apple – grated Zest of 1 orange 50g melted butter Icing sugar for dusting […]
I used to be put off by making madelines because many recipes call for leaving the batter to rest and I never usually have the time or I am never organised enough. This recipe is quick to rustle up and makes a nice gift too. I’ve paired these mini versions with Caramel Dipping Sauce. You […]
I have a love hate relationship with Bombay. (Yes I know I should say Mumbai but it’s always going to be Bombay to me). The first time I visited I was terrified! I was eight years old and there was simply too much hustle and bustle for my little head to cope with. The second […]
I love this basic cookie mix. It’s a good one for using up odd nuts or pieces of fruit. Pour over some custard and you have an instant dessert More apple recipes
Practising for The Great British Bake Off meant making a lot of macarons! My girls are now obsessed and requested these for Halloween. The black colour needs a lot of the food colouring so I use the gel variety so as not to dilute the mixture and make it overly runny. The filling in this […]
When we first got our allotment, we thought the wisest thing to do would be to grow a little at a time. Let’s not over exert and plant every bit of land. Let’s sit back, learn and take things easy. At the beginning of the summer we looked upon our allotment after yet another afternoon […]
One of the reasons I started growing strawberries was because over the last few years, strawberries no longer taste like strawberries. They look like strawberries. They smell like strawberries but they don’t taste of anything. Bland watery popsicles. Often not even juicy and indeed sometimes crunchy. Worst of all, they’re not grown in the UK […]
Strawberries are one of those fruits which work exceptionally well in savoury dishes. This flavour combination is one I first came across at The East India Company. I’ve gone for a very peppery finish but you can play around with the right balance for you by simply grinding a little pepper and then adding more […]
This is the ultimate dessert cum snack on a hot and sultry summer’s evening. You really don’t need to make the biscuits or the ice cream either for that matter – Good quality, thick set shop bought ice cream and Oreo Cookies with the filling licked out works well. You’ll need For the biscuits 125g […]
All the elderflowers around at the moment have me in the mood for cordial. Elderflower cordial is a staple on my kitchen shelf – I don’t have cupboards lest I forget what’s in them. My brand of choice has always been Belvoir. It’s just lusciously syrupy and perfect for baking with. I used it on […]
I really love millefeuille but I find the shop bought versions and even patisserie versions just far too sweet. I don’t like the iced topping and I also don’t tend to have time for the steps involved to make these perfect. So here is an easy recipe that you can throw together very quickly. I’ve […]
Every now and then I do crave a cupcake. A nice hot cup of tea, my latest issue of Red magazine and a cupcake. Just perfect for a lazy Saturday afternoon. This recipe uses frozen strawberries so as not to make the mixture curdle and you could substitute with any fruit. I’ve topped this with […]