The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
I was invited to the Harvest Festival at The Eden Project to talk to people about Baobab and take up the challenge to create some recipes. This was my savoury offering which worked really well. The baobab powder brought out the citrus of the lemon and gave the bhajias a light tang. You’ll need 300g […]
I’ve had a glut of courgettes this summer and so it’s been great experimenting with them vs simply chargrilling which is what I usually do. They are lovely on their own with sea salt, fresh herbs and olive oil but I rather love this easy soup because the colour on a grey, rainy day is […]
These are virtuous and easy to make. You would never know these have courgettes in them. They are chocolately and you feel no guilt in eating them. If you don’t fancy the frosting, you can serve these with warm baobab and blueberry sauce. I’ve given a recipe for this below too. You’ll need 3 […]
So the Great British Bake Off is back on UK television screens brightening up the early part of the week. I’ve tuned in every week with fond memories of being in that tent, panicking, cursing, cheering and praying to the oven ‘bhagwan’. I was wondering who the judges would be if they were to ever […]
A few weeks ago I entered the 2012 Nom Nom Nom Challenge – a Masterchef style cook off for food bloggers/writers which took place at the fabulous Cookery School in London. Myself and Meena at Chai Lounge Supperclub in Edinburgh won third place with the judges. I’d dearly love your vote to so if you […]
Jam. Such a simple word. Why then does it instil so much fear when paired with the word ‘making’? I made jam once. Poured it into a jar and it went solid. Rock solid. Even placing the jar in boiling water didn’t loosen the contents even slightly. The expensive Kilner jar went in the bin […]
It doesn’t smell like garlic. It doesn’t taste much like garlic. It looks like garlic but it’s black?! Black Garlic? Hmmmmm…. I must admit I was rather dubious like most people who probably walk past it in the many places this is now available. But I was also fascinated at the same time. It is […]
I was invited on to BBC 3 Counties Radio on Saturday to be a guest on Nick Coffer’s Weekend Kitchen. (Click on that or Nick’s picture below to listen to the show). I also met the lovely Producer Emma, Neil Irvine from No. 2 Pound Street Deli and Mummy Blogger Sandy Calico of Baby Baby. I […]
“Mummy there’s a funny smell in your car” said my eldest last week. Now this is a very strange comment because I keep the inside of my car very, very clean. No sweet wrappers, chocolates, sandwiches or crisps are eaten and left in MY car. EVER. I had to admit that she was right though. […]
As some of your know my camera’s SD card died earlier this week so I’ve been struggling to get access to the last few weeks pictures. I am delighted to say that I have prevailed over technology (for now!) and can share with you my favourite images from the Chocolate Festival on the Southbank a […]
I have fond memories of my year at University in Cologne, Germany. It was a wonderful year of new experiences. Kolsch beer, seeded breads, stinky cheeses, all night parties at the ‘Bunker’ bar, learning how to play pool, getting my first DJ slot….an endless list. What I remember most of all though is Germany at […]
The great thing about having young children is that they ask you a lot of questions. Usually these can be explained easily or even answered by themselves with a little return questioning from me. Lately though my girls have been asking questions that need a little research or even an “I don’t know”. Let’s take advent calendars […]