I first wrote about broad beans in 2009 and started growing them at home the following year. They are not always found at the supermarket which is why I started growing them. I love broad beans and they are one of the crops that consistently does well in our garden despite the fact that nearby … Continue reading Broad beans
The Palomar Cookbook, Mitchell Beazley, London, 2016 On Monday July 7th, 2014, I had dinner with Peter, Phoebe and Max at the Palomar in London, 24 Rupert Street, Soho. I wrote in my diary, “this may have been the best restaurant meal I have ever eaten”. I had read about this restaurant in the Time … Continue reading Palomar
Riverford Companions – Autumn and winter veg by Guy Watson, Riverford Organic Farms Ltd, 2015. Riverford Organic Farms is a very popular Vege Box/ Meal Kit supplier in the UK. I know a few people who get boxes from Riverford, and one of them gave us this cookbook circa 2016. I have rarely used it … Continue reading Autumn and Winter Veg
Kitchen, recipes from the heart of the home, by Nigella Lawson, Chatto and Windus, 2010. I have five Nigella Lawson cooking books. I use everyone of them regularly, except this one. I wonder why? Perhaps because by the time I was given this book I already had too many cookbooks? Never mind why, March is … Continue reading Nigella’s Kitchen
A world in my kitchen by Peter Gordon, Hodder Moa Beckett, 2003. Peter Gordon’s Sugar Club was the most exciting restaurant in Wellington in the 1980s. I have a memory of going frequently, however as I was a single parent on a tight budget that hardly seems possible. What I remember best was the Thai … Continue reading A World in my Kitchen
The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater, Fourth Estate, 2005. Nigel Slater likes to cook the way I do. Mostly planning around what I already have in the cupboard or garden and sometimes being inspired by what I see in the market, to spontaneously change the plan. I like to cook simple weeknight suppers, mostly vegetables … Continue reading Kitchen Diaries
Potato Cookbook, Australian Women’s Weekly Home Library, 1994. Australian Women’s Weekly cookbooks were a stalwart of our home cooking from the 70’s to the 90’s. Who doesn’t have a well-thumbed copy of Cakes and Slices or the ubiquitous Children’s Birthday Cake Book? The potato book is the birthday cakebook for potatoes. The book every potato … Continue reading Potato Cookbook
This is the first of an occasional post about what is happening in the garden through the seasons. I’m not an expert gardener and our garden is seriously troubled with strong winds. Both of these factors impact the success of our garden. There are a few vegetables however that nearly always flourish. Is it chance … Continue reading Jerusalem artichokes
Secrets of Scandinavian Cooking… Scandilicious by Signe Johansen, Saltyard Books, 2011 When I was a child there was a very popular series for children, My Home in… The first one in my collection was No. 16, My Home in Norway. Perhaps that is where my fascination with the Nordic countries began. And of course Hans … Continue reading Scandilicious
Delia Smith’s Winter Collection, BBC, 1995 I was given this book as a Christmas gift, when I was living in the UK in 1995. I didn’t see the TV programme and I am not very familiar with Delia Smith, however I know she has been very popular in the UK. Although I remember enjoying cooking … Continue reading Delia Smith’s Winter Collection
Around the Table 