Last Friday I felt it was mid winter this week however, last day of half term with the children off school its been a beautiful Spring day! The weekend forecast is looking good too… So I have been tidying up and one of those jobs I have been putting off is defrosting the freezer and fridge and having a clear out. Its amazing how much of my freezer turned out to be ice! Have I thrown much away? not really, I don’t like too. I have discarded a few out of date yoghurts (well the

Ingredients: 275g cooked beetroot 250g dark chocolate, broken into pieces 250g butter 3 eggs 200g golden caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 75g plain flour 50g cocoa powder pinch of salt Makes 15 Grease the base of cake tin or brownie pan. Place the beetroot in a food processor and whiz for a few minutes to form a smooth puree. Set aside Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, taking care that the bowl does the

So January is quite a dull month. Short of money as we are paying off credit cards and Christmas expenses, weather is very cold and then in this country very wet… and certainly in our house we are trying to be good with cutting back on sugary, fatty snacks and its the 19th and I have not had one glass of wine, which has to be a record… With this I have had a busy week of looking at healthier after school snack options. Both of my daughters come in starving after school and of

So today the girls break up from school and the routine all changes as we have a couple of weeks of well earned holidays. Last night we went up to Kew Gardens to see the Christmas lights and they really are magical. Some displays are with music and others are just a feature like the ‘beehive’ – beautiful and if you are already booked in this Christmas to visit, I hope you enjoy as much as we did! Christmas presents are nearly all wrapped and I have posted all my cards (that w

Makes: approx. 18 shortbreads Ingredients: 150 grams plain flour 75 grams grated parmesan 100 grams soft unsalted butter 1 large egg yolk large handful of finely chopped rosemary METHOD Mix all the ingredients together – using bowl and spoon, electric mixer or food processor as wished – until a golden dough begins to form a clump. Turn it out onto a surface and knead for about 30 seconds until smooth, then divide into two. Take the first half and, using your hands, roll it in

Our teenage daughter was born in the states, Tennessee to be precise so we used to celebrate Thanksgiving in a big way. It was a good time of year for family to come from the UK and visit away from the Christmas holidays and we found Thanksgiving was more popular than Christmas for bringing American families together. Falling on the fourth Thursday of November the festival dates from 1621, when a group of New England pilgrims served a feast to their Native American neighbours

A quick easy, one pot risotto made in the microwave. I use a stone dish but any microwave proof bowl or serving dish would work. 175g Arborio risotto rice 1 onion, finely chopped 1 clove garlic, pressed 1 tablespoon olive oil 100g dry cured Spanish chorizo sausage, diced 800ml boiling stock made with 2 chicken stock cubes 65g sun dried tomatoes, drained and diced 40g Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated 1-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley Place rice, onion, garl

This was an extremely busy week. Back to normal after half term, and Halloween on a school night, which I can never remember! It didn’t cramp our style too badly but I think we had a lot less visitors… The Spirit of Christmas has been on all week at Olympia in South Kensington. I got up for the day with Sue and we had a great day, although slightly rushed – I realised my watch was still on summer time, so we missed the Champagne Tasting. It really got me in the mood, I cannot

Ingredients: 175 g unbleached plain flour 2 and ¼ tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 25 g cold butter, small dice 75 g strong cheddar cheese 50 ml buttermilk (or dairy or non-dairy milk with a little lemon juice added) 1 tsp grain mustard 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrin’s for preference) ½ raw or cooked small beetroot finely grated extra flour for rolling surface a little milk for brushing on the scones (optional) Method: Preheat oven to 220 (200C fan). Sift the flour an

It’s been a busy half term with Halloween cookery classes and ‘batty’ baking sessions. We have made ‘mummy sausages’ and spider webb pizzas and learnt the art of beautiful witches hats out of fondant icing. It’s not ideal with Halloween on a school night this year, Monday 31st but I am sure all weekend we will enjoy our Halloween goodies and as a family we are off to a Bonfire and Fireworks display on Saturday night! I have just got my slow cooker out (aka my cauldron) and fe

So its always a rush in the morning! I have a teenager who is up before me and already finished breakfast, so I need something quick and easy for her and then her younger sister later. Occassionally, I make muffins! I make the mixture the night before and either bake them that evening or my eldest pops them in the oven for 20 mins when she gets up! There is nothing like freshly baked muffins, little like bread! They also freeze really well and can be taken out the night befor

A fast, healthy apple bread loaded with cinnamon and fresh apples. So easy, you don’t even need a mixer, and your house will smell like heaven as it bakes! Ingredients: 2 cups of cored, peeled and diced eating apples, such as Granny Smith or Red Gala (about 3 medium) 1.5 cups of spelt flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce 2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil 2 tablespoons of almond milk 1 large egg 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1/2

Thank you to Jo Wheatley for this delicious baked treat – Jo’s Blue Aga Recipes. I have made it several times using special home-made jam that I have been given or sometimes when I want that delicious frangipane tart for tea! It worked really well with my Rhubarb and Apple Jam as its not so sweet. Enjoy! Ingredients: 50g unsalted softened butter 250g ground almonds 180g caster sugar 125g S/R flour 125g plain flour 1/2 tsp cinnamon 3 eggs 1 jar of (plum) jam Handful of

So I am no jam expert, always sounds quite a laborious task. I have however, made marmalade a couple of times, my Mum and I have done it together – but yes over a good day of chopping Seville Oranges and boiling up a huge batch to last the families a good year! I think February is the perfect time to do that, when the oranges are in season and you fancy warming up the kitchen on a cold wet day! I do love the smell of the fruit cooking. This year I have so many apples from the

Wednesday 14th September 2016 – Westerham Village Hall “Living on pot noodle is an option but not a good one!” Come and spend the day learning the basics in a fun, relaxed way! You will learn to peel and chop and mash and stir – and will go home with techniques and tips that you can trust and refer to time and again. Cooking on a budget, nutritious and fuss-free meals! Talking about storage, budget, cooking for one or for 10 – you will be the most popular student around! Over

I have always loved scones and of course the English tradition of a cream tea. Actually, going back to cravings….. I visited every tea room in Westerham, Kent and there were quite a few when I was expecting Mollie. Unfortunately scones do not keep well and unless you freeze on the day of baking (but still eat them within a month) I would always make fresh. Anyway, to cut a long story short we were there for a few hours and ended up having beautiful freshly baked scones and th

These make the perfect bite size muffin for canapes as well as full size muffins delicious with salad or in a picnic. Ingredients: 200 g smoked salmon 4 eggs 100 g full fat plain yogurt Sprig of dill ½ lemon 200 ml rapeseed oil 300 g plain flour 4 teaspoons baking powder Sea salt PRE-HEAT OVEN TO 180˚C/160˚C fan/gas 4 Line your muffin trays with cases. This mixture makes enough for  2 mini muffin trays about 24 bite-sized muffins or 12 regular size muffins. Cut the sm

Thursday 7th July 2016 – Westerham Village Hall Getting organised is not only a skill but its the answer to a much happier, stress-free house-hold. As a working woman a lot of us are juggling school run, work and also trying to do the right thing and cook for the family! ‘Batch cooking’ can be boring and un-inspiring! Instead join a group of us ladies in the kitchen, a chance to chat, laugh and sip your wine while preparing 4 family meals from scratch, ready for the freezer!

Aimed at busy Mums, working ladies or just to get ahead of the game for a few nights! Sri Racha Stir Fry – ready for the freezer Over the course of 2 hours you prepare 4 family sized and family friendly meals for you to take home and pop in your freezer. This just makes life so much easier once,twice a week when you need to grab something already ready to put in the oven and cook. Instead of spending hours on a Sunday night doing this ‘batch’ style cooking which can be boring