Exploring the Lake District has been on my list of places to go for ages! I can't believe how long it has taken me to get it booked and head up there. We went in November, certainly not the warmest time of year to go, but I would argue it's one of the prettiest. The trees are all turning orange and although it's cold, it's not icy cold. Anyway, cold hands are just an excuse to get a hot chocolate.
We were based near Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere, Exploring the Lake District
Exploring the Lake District has been on my list of places to go for ages! I can't believe how long it has taken me to get it booked and head up there. We went in November, certainly not the warmest time of year to go, but I would argue it's one of the prettiest. The trees are all turning orange and although it's cold, it's not icy cold. Anyway, cold hands are just an excuse to get a hot chocolate.
We were based near Windermere and Bowness-on-Windermere, 
It's late autumn. I want the food on my plate to reflect the leaves on the trees outside and my chicken and chorizo tray bake does exactly that. A sizzling tray of orange, red and purple it smells so good while it's cooking and also tastes divine. Those orange juices at the bottom of the dish? Don't waste those. Tear open some crusty bread and get dunking.
Ingredients
You will need (for two):
2 chicken breasts2 red peppers, deseeded 
I really like the flavour of satay: nutty, salty and with a hint of ginger and garlic. Quite a lot of the recipes I have tried involve marinating before cooking and frankly, on a weekday when I want dinner in a flash, mixing up a marinade is not what I want to be doing. My satay pork fried rice has all the flavours you'd want from satay, is super simple to make and contains three different vegetables. As it's a versatile recipe I've popped a couple 
I often get left with carrots at the bottom of the fridge. They play an overlooked, but important, base in so many meals: part of a mirepoix, in casseroles and in pies to name a few. Rarely, in my kitchen anyway, do the carrots get to be the star of the dish. So when some beautiful rainbow carrots arrived in the veg box it would have been rude to simply chuck them into various dinners. This time, I wanted to celebrate this lovely root in a rainbow 
This is a featured post.
Having leftovers is such a joy. Cooking an extra large batch of something so that you can reap the rewards the next day, or in the next few weeks, is very satisfying, time saving and thrifty too. Even better if you can store the leftovers in a dish which you can then pop straight in the oven. Minimal washing up; and that's never a bad thing! I have been cooking with Pyrex dishes over the last few weeks, seeing how they 
Most people would take one look at our barbecue and wonder what on Earth we were thinking when we bought it. As non-seasoned barbecuers we didn't want to splash the cash and bought pretty much the cheapest barbecue we could find. It's cast iron, uses coal or wood and has just enough space for food for two or three people and it's brilliant. Of course, the first ever barbecue was too hot, the second was too cold but we are pros now and not even a 
It is important to note that this recipe is not shy on calories. There's cheese, double cream, lashings of olive oil, layers of pasta and plenty of veg. My green summer vegetable lasagne is quicker to make than a traditional lasagne (there's no baking) and you can use the sauce with any pasta if you so choose. I like to think that all that green veg negates the calories and I happily ploughed through a whole plate of this. Bear in mind, I am very 
This was a gifted event.
Having eaten there before I was really looking forward to this cocktail masterclass at L'Ortolan. I thought the idea of pairing cocktails with canapés was really interesting; wine, beer, cheese and charcuterie are all well matched but how would it work trying to match the complex, sweet flavours in a cocktail with a canapé?
Jayson mixing up cocktails
The masterclass was held by Jayson, L'Ortolan's resident mixologist 
My kitchen is very much an 'open all the windows' space in the late spring and summer months. I feel as if I am cooking half outside you see. My favourite summer recipes are those which are quick to make, involve minimal time standing over a hot hob and can be luxuriated over when it comes to eating. At this time of year I get to partake in one of my very favourite kitchen tasks: podding beans and peas. Is it just me who finds it incredibly satisfying?
The 
You know when you see a recipe and you can't get it out of your head? It all started when I saw a recipe for buffalo cauliflower, it sounded so good. Then I saw an idea for some seriously loaded nachos. The combination of the two sounded like a dream. These pulled buffalo chicken nachos are everything I wanted them to be: spicy, slightly sweet, covered with cheese and full of texture. Perfect for sharing on the sofa.
Ingredients
You will 
