Ah… microwave cookery, reheated leftovers, lifeless baked spuds and explosive bowls of boiled over porridge. There’s something distinctly NASA-like about the silver box that Jennifer Lawrence memorably referred to as “the science oven” in American Hustle, just before nuking her trailer-park kitchen. So when I was invited to a Panasonic combi microwave demo, led by […]
Beetroot salsa with Bramley apple
Here is a cooling beetroot salsa with Bramley apples perfect for dipping tortilla chips into at parties. Salsa is generally associated with tomatoes but beetroot salsa with Bramley apples makes a less predictable alternative. If you were making salsa but realised you didn’t have enough tomatoes, pickled beetroot in jars are a convenient alternative. You […]
Six Easy Dip Recipes
Sponsored post – Doritos Roulette is a new spicy snack. Can you handle the heat? Spice up your snack options this summer with a game of Doritos Roulette. Each bag contains a proportion of firey hot chips and no-one knows which will be which. Arm yourselves with a glass of water and take it in […]
Red Cabbage Smoothie with Raspberry
This raspberry smoothie with red cabbage is great for getting children to eat more vegetables. It’s totally pinkalicious! Eyebrows have been raised when I’ve said I’m making fruit smoothies with red cabbage. But honestly, look at this colour, deepened and sweetened with raspberries from our garden. Who could say no? Well, probably my seven year […]
50 useful tech tools and apps for bloggers
Here is a bumper list of 50 useful tech tools and apps for bloggers! This a mega rundown of my essential tech tools, blogging apps, software, hardware and accessories that I’ve been meaning to share for ages. In my early blogging days I read a great (sadly with the link long lost) post by Natalie Lue of Bambino […]
Perfect Fondant Fancies with Fondant Icing
You won’t believe the secret to perfect fondant fancies. A fondant icing recipe is included here. I’m not a fan of perfect anything. Perfect is boring. Perfect is trying too hard. Perfect is overrated. Good enough is better than perfect. And something that everyone assumes is perfect when it isn’t is best of all. These […]
Smoked Salmon Frittata
Making smoked salmon frittata with the Regis Stone frying pan avoids using extra oil when cooking. Watch my video to see for yourself. I always keep some small packs of smoked salmon in the freezer. They defrost in barely an hour and are very handy to chuck the chopped pieces into risottos, pasta dishes or […]
Gluten Free Waffles
Make weekend breakfasts special with gluten free waffles! Here’s a gluten free waffle recipe using a Belgian waffle maker that works just as well as the non gluten free kind. If you’ve visited Belgium you’ll know the air is thick with scent of waffles cooking. The warm fluffy golden waffle is the traditional street food […]
Uptown Burger Co and where else to eat burgers around Walthamstow
There are now several burger restaurants in Walthamstow, Leyton and North East London. Last week we visited Uptown Burger Co on Leyton High Road. There were slim pickings of restaurants in Leyton and Walthamstow when I moved here from Shepherds Bush over ten years ago. Post Olympics, Waltham Forest feels less of an opposite to West London and […]
ALL Accor hotels loyalty card and Suite Novotel Calais
We used our Le Club Accor hotels loyalty card to book our stay at Suite Novotel Calais – amongst the nearest hotels to Calais Coquelles Eurotunnel terminal and Cite Europe shopping complex. When you exit the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais Coquelles, the nearest hotels are at the Accor complex on Place du Cantorbery opposite Cite Europe […]
A Pizzeria Made From Ice
You’ve probably heard of ice hotels but did you ever see an ice pizzeria? For one day only a pizzeria made out of four tonnes of ice opened outside a London railway station and you too can see how it was done. The short video below shows sculptors working through the night to craft an […]
Baked Eggs with Avocado
Here’s an easy to make non spicy version of Huevos Rancheros (Spanish Eggs recipe) with avocado that’s the perfect family brunch recipe. I don’t like to brag. But we had this for breakfast on Saturday. I am not usually one for “brunch”, generally I have had breakfast way earlier than anything approaching lunchtime but when […]
