Monthly Archives: April 2011
Boterkoek (Dutch Butter Cake) for Koninginnedag!
Whew! We’ve just had all the excitement of the Royal Wedding in London (congrats to Wills and Kate!), so now we look across the water to the Netherlands. Yes, we are celebrating Koninginnedag, the official birthday of Queen Beatrix. And … Continue reading
Filed under Recipe, Sweet Things
Hark, the Royal Wedding! Maids of Honour Tarts
You might remember in the dark days of last winter, the announcement came from the Palace that there would be a royal wedding in 2011. Reactions were…muted. Fast forward to Spring, and actually, the country seems to be completely cock-a-hoop … Continue reading
Filed under Recipe, Sweet Things
Mamma Mia! Pea Shoot Risotto
OK, mamma mia indeed. I can imagine Italians out there rolling their eyes as yet another cook thinks this is a way to jazz up a risotto, and how odd to do it with an ingredient as English as pea … Continue reading
Little Simnel Cakes
In keeping with the Easter theme, I’ve tried to make a traditional Simnel cake, but in miniature form. To to be clear, these are miniature cakes. Let’s just not use the work “cupcake”. A Simnel cake is an Easter tradition … Continue reading
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One a penny, two a penny, Hot Cross Buns!
It’s coming up to Easter (hence the nifty rabbit-themed header for the next few days)… …and that means Britain is awash with hot cross buns! We’ve actually been able to tuck into them since, oh, late January, but what with … Continue reading
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Beaches and Buckwheat
It was a scorcher last weekend. Virtually no cloud for about three days, but it looks like we are in the final moments as there have been a few April showers since Monday. Update: by the time I got round … Continue reading
Milk Gelato
What with all the plants bursting into life, the hot weather and the switch over to British Summer Time (light until eight in the evening!), time to dig out the ice cream machine. I recently saw what looked like an … Continue reading
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Slovenska kuhinja! Pehtranova Potica!
Živjo! If you are mystified, we’re heading to a country that has it all – scenic snow-capped mountains, verdant countryside, sunny Mediterranean coastline and a selection of beautiful towns and cities to tempt the visitor. Yup, it’s Slovenia, the only … Continue reading
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On Location: Demarquette (Chelsea, London)
Easter is coming, and that, of course, means that many of us will consume our own body weight in chocolate eggs. So I was thrilled when I received a recent invite to attend a tasting evening at the Demarquette chocolate … Continue reading
Filed under London, On Location
Florentines
I have always loved florentines. I like the way they are mostly composed of all the “good bits” with a minimum of anything boring (like, oh, flour) to hold them together. They are, in turn, nutty, citrussy, fruity and chocolately, … Continue reading
Filed under Recipe, Sweet Things
