Figs are one of the most beautiful fruits. Unctuously sweet and perfumed, they are also tender and very luxurious. Unless you have a fig tree they are an extravagance as they are so expensive, but for the short season when they are available, as an occasional treat there is nothing better. Give me figs over chocolate…
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This simple, but beautiful recipe was inspired by the abundance of fresh pears in my part of the world now that autumn is fully upon us. The mornings and evenings are chilly and we are looking around for something warm to eat in the morning. This dish is a great alternative to porridge or eggs for…
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Sugar plums are beautiful, sweet little plums that have their short season in late summer and early autumn. I could not resist buying them when I saw a box for sale in the fruit shop. They are delicious to eat fresh, because their skin is not at all bitter, but are also gorgoues poached. I…
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When I decided to make my own granola I looked at lots of recipes and found several that I liked, but they all seemed far too sweet for my taste, so I made up my own recipe that was loosely based on one by David Lebowitz via Nigella Lawson via Andy Fairfield with a large…
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Tangelos have a short season which makes them all the sweeter, to me, at least. I just love the intense citrus taste that is like an orange, and like a mandarine, but also uniquely tangelo. I’m salivating even as I write this. When I made this ultra simple dish, I wanted to celebrate the beauty…
Read MoreThere was a bit of nose wrinkling at our place when I first floated the idea of lemon and pine nut muffins, but when they were ready; warm, sticky with lemon glaze, and topped with lightly toasted pine nuts, there was no shortage of testers, and plenty of positive feedback. I love the sweet nuttiness…
Read MoreBoth my husband’s family and mine have a long tradition of growing citrus trees and making mouth puckeringly tart lemon and lime curd. The limes I used for this recipe were picked from the tree just before I made the curd. I have toned the amount of juice down a little in this recipe because…
Read MoreThis is almost too simple to be called a recipe – it’s really just an open sandwich celebrating the beauty of smoked salmon combined with crunchy, flavoursome dark grain bread, smooth and luscious cream cheese and salty, astringent capers. So satisfying to make and to eat and far better for your body and soul than…
Read MoreI confess that I have a love/hate relationship with muffins. A good muffin is a beautiful thing and I have eaten some spectacular ones. But a bad muffin is pretty disappointing. Case in point – most cafes serve muffins – but they are usually enormous, either dry or stodgy, and the flavourings, be they blueberries,…
Read MoreApricots are just amazing when they are gently poached; so much better than eating them fresh. They are sweet and juicy and tangy and speak to me of summer. I poached these apricots in a simple sugar syrup with vanilla, a strip of lemon rind and a star anise, flavours that go really well with…
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Simple food 