I have given up drinking coffee. It was a decision prompted by the realisation that a substance that leaves me with a nasty nagging headache within forty-eight hours of my last…
It’s only the end of July and I’m already looking forward to quince blossom. And when the blossom appears I will be looking forward to the amazing, golden fruit. I planted the first…
Each midwinter, the old almond trees that persist behind the petrol station near my house are the first to put out blossom. Ever since I moved here I’ve learned to keep an…
For a writer, a plate with a love story written on it is irresistible, and judging by the number of Willow Pattern plates still in use, plenty of other people…
Whenever I stand stirring porridge I think of the constellation of Orion, that homely, saucepan-shaped arrangement of stars whose base lies along an imaginary line known as the celestial equator. As…
Yorkshire Fat Rascals. I was given the recipe many years ago on the Isle of Man and finally got around to making a batch. They’re more trouble than I would…
This blog has not been much concerned with recipes, but here is one you must write down – it’s Irish Soda Bread, with a dash of treacle. Heaven when eaten warm…
When I lived away from home for a long time, I was beset by food cravings. Following a visit, my luggage would be wildly overweight with emergency rations of all those things…
There are only two things to know about making muffins. The first is that the mixture should not be over-stirred; it should look coarse and rather lumpy. The second is that…
Following yesterday’s sugar overload, I wanted to make something fresh and fast and healthy. So this morning’s breakfast consists of love and a punnet of strawberries. The berries are out…
