The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
When I lived in Japan I didn’t eat fish and so I missed out on sushi. I kick myself now. I could have had four years of the best sushi in the world but at the time I was too afraid of ‘fishy’ fish like salmon and stuck to the safe vegetarian options and cooked […]
It’s been a long time since I’ve been to a supperclub. The last one was actually Asma Khan’s Jai Ho Supperclub. Asma has become a good friend and I am so proud of her success at The Sun and Thirteen Cantons pub in Soho, London. If you haven’t been then do pay her a visit […]
There is no doubt that foraged food is on trend again in the UK. I’m seeing wild garlic ideas all over social media and the young nettle crop is proving popular too. But how readily available is it, how easy is it to find if you’re not an expert and is it really worth it? I […]
Washoku – 和食 – is the name for traditional Japanese cuisine and has been added to UNESCO’s cultural heritage list. The Japanese are of course incredibly proud of this and earlier this year the Japanese Ambassador to the UK, Mr Keiichi Hayashi, declared 2014 to be the ‘Year of Washoku’. There is an exhibition at the […]
Yum Yum Thai in Stoke Newington has been around for a long, long time. The restaurant is now very well established in this trendy corner of North London in an old Georgian building. I was invited to taste dishes from the summer menu by owner, Atique Choudhury. On arrival we were greeted with a light […]
London’s Southbank is one of the best places to be in the summer. Whether it’s during the week or on the weekend, there is always something going on to dip in and out of as you stroll from restaurant to bar to book stall to shops. A great free event is Herbfest which is a […]
A dark church crypt was the setting for this unique pop up created by Remember A Charity. It was all very atmospheric. Bare brick walls and sweeping black curtains. I was one of the first and saw no familiar faces so to be honest I was a bit worried. Was I about to eat my last […]
I had heard great things about Asma’s supperclub from many friends on Twitter so when she invited me to come along on a very cold and windy winter’s day I was delighted to accept hoping the heat of the spices would spark some inner warmth to ward off my impending cold. As soon as I […]
Westfield Shopping Centre in London’s White City have been running a lovely programme called Food Explorers. There are foodie events and offers for all tastes. We popped along on a rainy and cold Saturday afternoon looking for relaxed and warming comfort food. We found it at The Real Greek. We arrived to a bustling restaurant […]
I have been following Sabrina on Twitter for some time now and had always been fascinated by the pictures and menus she posted of her supperclub dishes. So I booked myself onto a Persian Kitchen Supper on a weekday evening to find out if her food tasted as good as it looks. The evening was […]
It’s really been a washout summer so far in the UK. I am however the eternal optimist and I am certain the sun will return and stop even naturally, brown skinned me looking pale and tired. The rain also has had no impact on my quest for delicious summertime drinks! Yesterday I attended the launch […]
Last week I was invited to lunch at the new Bukhara London Pop Up at the Sheraton Park Tower in London’s very posh area of Knightsbridge. I arrived to a beautiful flower display in the lobby… …and an elephant just outside the entrance as some of the proceeds of the pop up will be donated […]