
Cocktail Masterclass at L’Ortolan

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.
An Instagram Masterclass sounded like something I would definitely be interested in attending, I never thought I would be the person giving the masterclass! The Oracle in Reading are currently in the midst of their food festival and I was asked if I would give an Instagram Masterclass as part of the festival. I’ve been using Instagram for years and have changed the way I use it; with updates, style of photos, filters and editing and when I started
I do like a bit of experimentation in the kitchen, to expand my culinary repertoire and have a bash at something new. I was invited to try a cookery class at the Miele Experience Centre in Abingdon and there were so many to choose from I wasn’t sure where to start. I thought it would be a good idea to go to a class to learn to make something I’ve never even thought about attempting before (but very much enjoy eating): Dim Sum and Sushi.
It's a funny time of year now, the days and dates get all a bit confused and everyone is in a state of simultaneous post Christmas relaxation and start of year enthusiasm. I use it as a time to reflect on the last year (of cooking and life in general) and also as a way to think about what I might like to do and try for the upcoming year. Below is a list of my ten favourite recipes from the last 12 months; although of course they are all my favourite
A few weeks ago I set off in my little car to go somewhere I have always wanted to go: Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons. Having watched Raymond Blanc on the television for years, tried my hand at a few of his recipes and known that Le Manoir isn’t actually that far away from me, I was really looking forward to going. I was invited to take part in a cookery class with four other lovely bloggers to try out the new Kenwood mixer and make a couple of different
Last year I went to the BBC Good Food Show courtesy of Barber’s Cheese and got to try their lovely cheese for the first time. This year, things got a bit more serious and I was invited to The Bath and West Show to take part in a cheese toastie off (as well as having a good nose around the show). For my toastie recipe I wanted to keep it simple so I went for a sort of croque-monsieur; smoked ham, Barber’s Cheese, English mustard and plenty of
I am very pleased to say that I got highly commended in the UKBA14 for individual food and drink blog! The evening was good fun and I met some lovely fellow bloggers; it was also a great excuse to spend some time in London and see friends I haven't seen for a while. I know there are plenty of blogs about London restaurants and places to go but below are the places I ventured to (one Michelin restaurant, one breakfast club and one traditional pub) and
Today (in fact yesterday) really is the first day of the rest of my life. Plenty of people say it; particularly on the first day of the year but for me my whole life is about to change. I am entering the world of self employment.
I have had a variety of jobs in my time; big companies, little companies and some somewhere in between. I have worked hard and not-so-hard but I have always tried to enjoy what I do. Recently I have come to realise that
You may already know that I went to Bruges earlier this year and for the first time realised that beer is actually rather nice. My affection for beer only really extended to the Belgian kind at first. Not that easy to get hold of the more unusual brands I started venturing into beers unknown. A local pub of ours sells Doombar, which is brewed in Cornwall by Sharp's Brewery, and I thought this was finally a British beer that I liked. Then I discovered
It's all about baking at the moment. The Great British Bake Off has taken over our Tuesday evenings and I for one have felt the need to bake more so than usual. National Baking Week starts on Monday (the 14th to 20th October 2013) and Baketopia was a fantastic way to kick it off. The Tattooed Bakers, Nevie Pie Cakes, Caking It, Cake Revolution and Conjurer's Kitchen are some of the people who contributed to Baketopia which is also supported by John
I tried to hide the fact I’d sliced an inch of bread under the egg. Toasted and buttered white bread, fried egg and… twitter.com/i/web/status/13667…
So many different ways to use this spice blend. I mix it with yoghurt and lemon juice for a marinade, make a sort o… twitter.com/i/web/status/13666…
Longer days, a bit of sunshine and a whole load of seasonal veg will start appearing in the next few weeks! It's sp… twitter.com/i/web/status/13666…
March 1st, still sunny. Hands are a bit cold but no complaints here. A beautiful day to be out watching the skylark… twitter.com/i/web/status/13663…