The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
Making cake pops is a really good way of using up leftover cake or cake that maybe didn’t turn out to plan. I made a chocolate loaf using a different recipe than I usually do. It tasted amazing but really didn’t look too pretty. Usually I’d cut it up into square chunks, pipe swirls of […]
I’m warning you. These are decadent. I mean really, really decadent. I’ve added an extra layer of caramel to the version below because I made these for my girls as a ‘well-done-at-school-treat’. The caramel balances the bitterness of the chocolate really well. For an adult version leave the caramel out and serve with a dollop […]
I’ve been to a few Gala Dinners and Drinks Receptions for work recently. It’s that time of year. I know I should be enjoying the dressing up part and the celebration itself. Don’t get me wrong, I love wearing an evening gown and heels and jewellery and being all girly. But ‘networking’ is soooo scary isn’t it? […]
Every now and then I have a canape craze – especially when we have people over for dinner. I make mini food. ‘Pick-up-and-pop-me-in-your-mouth’ food. I suppose it’s an extra challenge to my patience but it’s so satisfying when the results are good. These little pies are a great example and are really very quick to […]
Whenever I have left over egg whites, I whizz up some macaroons. I know that sounds rather pretentious but once you’ve made macaroons a few times, you’ll get into the swing of it. I made these with the leftover egg whites from my Blackberry Curd recipe. YOU’LL NEED 250g icing sugar 250g ground almonds 220g […]
I’ve been really fortunate over the last few months to have met so many amazing foodies who have shared not only their wonderful ingredients but also their passions for helping and supporting others to (re)discover the great produce we have in this country. I’d like to introduce you to two who inspired today’s recipes of Sourdough […]
Now I have been desperate to bake this bread but have always been put off by the long process. I had a go at making a sourdough starter once and the resulting loaf was awful 🙁 So I have been shy to try again. However after reading Lea Harris’s blog post and receiving a starter […]
This is the same basic muffin recipe as the Blueberry version. It’s so quick and perfect for freezing. I freeze the blackberries as soon as we’ve picked them too – if there are any left of course! This way they retain their shape really well in the baking process and you get a nice juicy […]
As a university student in Aix-En-Provence, I used to order profiteroles every time I went to one of the posh cafes on the Cours Mirabeau. I went back there a few summers ago with my daughters and ordered the same thing – they were hooked! I get a plea at least once a month to […]
I love the flavour of Rose. I think it’s the ultimate in feminine charm and so was a must make for the Naming Ceremony of my friend whose daughter’s name is India Rose. I’ve used a simple Rose flavoured buttercream in this recipe because I made some Rose Cupcakes on the same day but […]
This recipe uses ground pistachio nuts instead of almonds. It works just as well as long as you grind the nuts quite finely and remove any unground flakes. I’ve used a simple chocolate flavoured double cream filling but you could also use white or dark chocolate ganache, a buttercream or even Nutella. If you prefer […]
As I am sure you’ll know by know I was one of the 12 contestants in Series 2 of the BBC’s The Great British Bake Off. I learned so much from the other bakers and of course the judges and have gained some great baking buddies. I also had such a great time during the […]