Category: Summer
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French recipe: Cherry Clafoutis
And so, finally, six months later, I’m back in France! It’s almost unbelievable to think the last time I saw my boyfriend was on a dark, wet morning in December as he dropped me off at the airport, our last kiss between two face masks. At long last – Christmas, a birthday, and, oh yeah,…
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Roasted buttered salmon
Over these last four months, the UK has been in strict lockdown. Slowly but surely, we are on the return to some kind of freedom, so here are some happy thoughts: 4. Pubs. At last, pubs and restaurants are back. Not that I have a social life other than hanging out with my parents, but…
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French recipe: Raspberry and Hazelnut Crème Brûlées
A crème brûlée is one of those delicate French desserts which we Brits adore and worship from afar but probably never attempt to make. Add it to the collection along with soufflé, mille-feuille and croquembouche. Even the name ‘crème brûlée’ doesn’t help (does it really need this many accents?!). I’ve started taking French lessons. I…
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How to Make Babaganoush
Pyromania is a curiosity we all possess. We all went through that worrying childhood phase of literally playing with fire (I refuse to believe I was the only one) and I think a love of cooking, particularly when it comes to charring some aubergines to make babaganoush, is simply an extension of that. Take blowtorching…
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Roast chicken, lime and herb salad
This year we have all made a new friend. That friend is called Lockdown. He’s not a friend to everyone – he’s quite smothering and bossy, to be honest. He says he has your best interests at heart. But if that best interest is me eating my body weight in baguette and not taking any…
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Bramble Jam
I love jam. That may not be a mystery. My friend Hannah can testify. When we lived together I had a collection of seven jams in the fridge. One for each day of the week you could say. Looking back, I admit it was excessive. Jam on toast, jam on scones, jam on my face,…
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Citrus and Ginger No-Bake Cheesecake
Allegedly, cheesecake was a favourite dessert of Henry VIII. Unrecognisable to the cheesecake we know and love today, the cheese was diced and softened with milk before straining. To this, the chef would mix butter, eggs and sugar and pop it in the 16th century oven, and, as it was so popular, the recipe was…
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Goat’s Cheese and Coriander Potato Salad
Lockdown has been a peculiar time. Like many others I’m sure, my normally eager productivity has sunk into the depths of a swampy quagmire, struggling to stay buoyant. Cooking for myself is suddenly hard work and my cool night time habit of reading cookbooks has worryingly disappeared. People have been proudly nurturing their sourdough starters…
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Easy Cheese Scones
Back in November I moved. The house has chipped blue woodwork, a red front door with frosted glass and a garden dominated by a rickety metal washing line. Each morning before work, the sky glows pearly pink while I stand at the kitchen counter making my breakfast. It’s a quiet and peaceful time, which, after…
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Watermelon and Feta Salad
I was born in bleak mid-January, so, naturally, I have become accustomed to a cold, wintery birthday. It comes with the territory. Like all occasions, you shape the celebration to the season and I have hosted a number of wintery parties. For instance, the Valentine’s Day-themed sleepover which involved a hideous microwaved Skittles concoction (why…