The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
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 […]
You know when you get a batch of apricots that are a little too tart to eat raw? Well those are the ones which are perfect for this recipe! It’s a really moist loaf and the crumbly topping adds a nice little crunch. Allow yourself time for this recipe as it takes minutes to make […]
I read a recipe using the pear and ginger combination in Dan Lepard’s Short and Sweet. I wanted to give it a go and came up with this really simple slice. It’s great with some vanilla custard or ice cream and a cup of Assam. I find the Assam is strong enough to cut through […]
I cannot believe it’s been a year already since I took part in The Great British Bake Off. The year has absolutely flown by with some amazing experiences all over the UK. Series 3 returns to our screens in the UK today at 8pm on BBC2. Here’s a little taster in case you haven’t seen […]
This book like the one that accompanied series two (which I took part in!) was written by Linda Collister with inputs from Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry and the contestants. It’s split into eight categories : Cakes, Biscuits, Breads and Sweet Dough, Tarts, Pies, Desserts, Puddings and The Basics. Each section has a basic recipe and then three […]
This is such a classic dessert and very simple to make. The pastry cases keep in an airtight container for a couple of weeks so you can make them through the strawberry season. Of course you can also top with whichever fruit you like. You’ll need For the pastry 200g plain flour 100g cold unsalted […]
This cake is a lovely moist everyday cake. The kind you want to make on a Sunday and keep in the tin for a little slice to cheer you up when you get home. You’ll need 200g self raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 100g ground pistachios 100g caster sugar 2 eggs 250ml plain yoghurt […]
I got a beautiful non stick madeline tray from my babies this year and I’ve been waiting for a really authentically French recipe. I found it in Michael Paul’s Sweet Paris. The addition of cardamom is my little bit of decadence and Indian-ness. I also added brown sugar for a slightly more caramel taste. This […]
My little Amy loves carrots. She’ll eat them pretty much any which way they come. She’s been asking to bake cupcakes and as we only had these orange cases left on Election Day when their school was closed, I decided to go with carrot flavour. Carrots are a great source of beta carotene which is […]
I love eating fresh carrots but I read that more of the lovely beta carotene is released during cooking. I had a few old ones lying around that I decided to use up for a quiche style supper. To make them (About 6) For the pastry 200g plain flour 100g cold unsalted butter Pinch salt […]
I was sent some Black Garlic to try recently. It was during a savoury biscuit phase I was going through while freelancing at home. I was determined to create great tasting savoury biscuits for my girls to enjoy with a glass of milk. I came up with these. Enjoy! You’ll need 50g butter 100g oats […]
Loaf cakes are brilliant everyday cakes because they keep for ages and you can serve them in so many different ways. A cold slice with hot custard, a warmed slice with ice cream or crème fraiche, cubed pieces with a chocolate fondue are some favourites in our house. I struggled to get this cake right because the […]