Articles

Slow cooked Lamb Shanks in Rioja with pearl barley and wild garlic oil

This is a wonderful way to cook lamb, much better cooked the day before allowing the wonderful flavours to develop overnight. The wild garlic oil is a great early summer addition to any dish – except maybe pudding!!
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A light, buttery fruit cake with a double dose of home-made almond paste for your Easter table. Out come the tins again for the Easter baking. When I was growing up, a Simnel cake always featured on our Easter table. My grandmother was so addicted to almonds that she would split the Simnel cake in half and add an extra layer of almond paste. Perhaps there should be an Almond Addicts Anonymous?
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Rhubarb and spring arrive together. I love rhubarb. It’s the first to wave the 'I have survived the winter' flag in my otherwise desolate garden. Last autumn I put my rhubarb to bed under a duvet of well rotted manure, my efforts were rewarded as my rhubarb peeked above ground a month early from its winter slumber pink and ready to be plucked.
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Picnic time has arrived – Yipee! Be it a picnic on the beach, from the boot of the car at the local show or the big basket stuffed with goodies that’s brought out to the fields to boost the morale of weary silage men.
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There is lot of talk about the economy showing green shoots, for me the pink shoots of Rhubarb pushing through the ground in early Spring are uplifting, a new season bringing with it new growth.
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Life on the farm is pretty hectic at the moment with new calves arriving, training first time cows to the milking machine along with the other joys of spring. I don’t get overly involved in the farm, but I do look after my farmer husband and with the help of good food keep his spirits up during these somewhat trying days.
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Has January come around faster than usual? Although I am not complaining as my Seville orange marmalade is bubbling on the stove, the house is filled with its wonderful perfume, a wonderful contrast to the spicy smells of December’s kitchen.
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These delicious buttery spicy buns are a real quick fix for Christmas. They are a huge hit as a gift or just to have at home with a few friends for your elevens’s. I bake these all the time in December...
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This dish is a great favourite in our house with the young and old. I am constantly being asked for the recipe - so here it is. The tagine is best made the day before allowing the wonderful warming aromatic flavours to develop. This is a wonderful dish to feed a crowd, I often serve it in bowls; hot tagine poured over cous cous at room temperature, lots of coriander, with a sprinkle of crunchy toasted almonds, and the surprise of pomegranate seeds.
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There is nothing like the colour or flavour of home grown beetroot. One of my friends grows several varieties, all various shades of pink and magenta. I discovered Llewellyn’s apple balsamic vinegar this year, the sweet acidity of the vinegar is a perfect foil to the earthy beetroot...
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