The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
I first went to Boulogne as a teenager with secondary school. We travelled in a hot and stuffy coach to Dover, then on an ugly ferry into an equally ugly concrete port. I barely spoke enough English back then let alone French but I remember vividly asking an elderly lady for directions, understanding them and then giggling hysterically when […]
Once upon a time I reviewed a book called Sweet Paris by Michael Paul. At the back there is a very comprehensive address list of patisseries, cookware shops and pastry postcodes. It has been on my wish list to wander through Paris and discover these well known and hidden gems alike. It started with a map […]
The author of this book, Michael Paul, sums up exactly how I feel about Paris – “The more I roamed the streets, the greater my passion for the pastries, chocolates and desserts of Paris became.” I love gawping through the windows of patisseries as much as wandering around the Louvre and this book brings back all […]
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 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 […]