Gary Rhodes is one of those TV chefs who was always on the telly when I was growing up, with his spiky hedgehog hair and checkered trousers. Despite his (for the time) slightly unorthodox appearance, his cooking and presentation could not have been more traditional. Classic dishes, cooked traditionally, presented in a refined and simple […]
Eating in
Week 7 – out for dinner, making chocolate, and some continental treats
Well, I am going to be in the UK all of this week, but I have quite a few things planned, including a couple of lovely meals out with friends. I’ll be out on Tuesday night with Emma at Trullo restaurant in Highbury (I can never resist checking out the menu, and the pork chop […]
Cookbook Challenge – The Hairy Bikers: Cullen Skink & Lamb and Barley Hotpot
This week, not one but TWO recipes for my Cookbook Challenge. I am really enjoying the opportunity to try new recipes and expand my cooking horizons, but I am not sure it’s doing much for my waistline or bank balance! Andrew chose The Hairy Bikers Food Tour of Britain this week. I actually struggled to […]
Week 6 – back on the road again
Well, I say back on the road again … I mean back on the Eurostar again for a couple of days in Paris. I am going to be meeting up with various colleagues from continental Europe, and we’re going to follow our usual tradition of each bringing a food item from our home country for […]
What’s in my shopping basket?
Did you see the news recently about how the inflation shopping basket has changed over time? This is the notional ‘shopping basket’ which is used to calculate the cost of inflation. Personally I don’t pay an awful lot of attention to how much each item in my virtual basket costs … I shop online and so […]
Week 5 – a whole week at home to look forward to
Working for a French company, I get to travel to our Paris office quite frequently. Whilst I hate having to wake up at 5am to catch the train, and staying in a hotel is boring, I love taking the opportunity to spend time with my French colleagues. But I’ve been travelling a fair bit recently […]
Cookbook Challenge – Wales: Drover’s Pie and Plum & Hazelnut Cobbler
I know I this is only my third Cookbook Challenge, but so far it has achieved exactly what I had hoped – taking me away from my comfort zone cookbooks and helping me to discover fantastic new recipes which I’d probably not bother with ordinarily. You might not expect these unsophisticated Welsh dishes to engender […]
Week 4 – converting the French to British food
Who says the French don’t like British food eh? I have yet to meet a French person who hasn’t wanted to try some of our traditional British dishes, although I admit I was dubious about the success of my menu for last Wednesday night: Haggis, neeps and tatties to taste Welsh rarebit Toad in the hole […]
Cookbook Challenge – Vietnam: Salt & Pepper Prawns and Beef Noodle Soup
For my second Cookbook Challenge, Andrew chose one of my favourite (but not well used) cookbooks: The Food of Vietnam, by Luke Nguyen. I have a couple of books by him, and they are great to read as they have collections of recipes by region, so you feel like you are travelling around Vietnam with […]
Week 3 – ferrero rocher 1, Tracy 0
The best thing I can say about the ferrero rocher is that they are gone. Admittedly in my tummy and not in the bin, but they’re not singing to me any more. Mmmmm, they were delicious though. Note to self: don’t buy anything made with Nutella until I have learnt self control. As you can see […]