The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
Having had such a bounty of beetroot at our allotment again, I’ve been experimenting with sweet as well as savoury dishes. This creation was a real quickie I discovered with some leftover cooked beetroot we had in mash the other day. I was about to put it into a chocolate brownie mixture as that was the obvious thing […]
I haven’t spent much time on the allotment this year. What with opening up a cafe, settling into a rhythm of freelance work and just general family life it’s been hard to get there on a regular basis. My crops have suffered as a result but if there’s one veg that never lets me down it’s […]
I really can’t get enough beetroot at the moment. We’ve harvested so much over the summer and I still have about 30 growing away nicely on the allotment. I’ve roasted it, eaten it raw, mashed it, boiled it and pickled it. We’ve even put it in chocolate truffles which were very lovely I might add. […]
Last year I planted a three different varieties of beetroot. This year I chose just ‘Beetroot Boltardy’ but with lessons learned, I thinned and replanted my little beets so I’d get nice, fat ones for roasting. There’s no space in my fridge for pickles this year with all the lemon and elderflower marmalade! I must admit it has […]
Last weekend I had a lot of vegetables in the veg basket but not quite enough of one in particular to turn into a dish. Does that ever happen to you? This easy bake is the answer. Super nutritious and comforting too. There are not many measurements in the recipe below. Just use what you […]
Beetroot was a logical thing to plant in our allotment. We love it so let’s grow it. Looks easy enough. My husband and I got totally sucked in by the different varieties but settled for a traditional round one and the one with stripes running through it that chefs love to slice into delicately presented […]
There is something stunning about beetroots in their pickle form. I love the the way they transform a salad or a sandwich into something very cheffy and expensive. I’ve never made a pickle before so this recipe took a few attempts. It’s also not a large batch because I don’t have a big fridge. It […]
If you’ve had a good look round this blog, you’ll notice lots of little food. I’m a big fan. This is such a brilliant recipe. You can have it in the pastry cases as I’ve described below or simply as a little salad inside a leaf of gem lettuce or on top of some parchment […]
I have never smoked anything before. Seriously. Not as in cigarettes, naughty things or food so this was a real challenge in my head. It was beaututifully simple though and filled my kitchen with the most amazing smells. First from the tea smoking, then the buttery walnuts and then the beautiful tarragon leaves. The recipe […]