food and life | Manchester, UK
Gooey and deeply chocolatey with a generous hit of salt to cut through the richness and the gentle, balancing, aromatic sweetness of a hint of cardamom, these individual melting chocolate puddings are satisfyingly quick and easy to whip up and can be enjoyed immediately, or left in the fridge until you’re ready for them.
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This Autumn, you’ll need a bowlful of something rich, earthy and gratifying. This Venison and Red Wine Sausage Casserole is all of that and it’s ready in under an hour.
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Sinking your teeth into hot, spongey, butter-laden crumpets is the paragon of comfort. When there’s rain sliding down the windows, and a fresh pot of tea brewing, I can think of no greater pleasure than devouring crumpets dripping with butter. Freshly made sourdough crumpets are our new weekend breakfast ritual and what’s more is that they and are the perfect use for the sourdough starter you might otherwise discard after feeding.
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It used to be a die-hard tradition that we visited Paris late in the year. There’s something romantic about the Parisian architecture against the grey-white skies of the colder months, and the brisk air never prohibited us from wandering the streets and spending time sitting outside of cafés people-watching while we warmed our hands and lips on rich, velvety Parisian hot chocolate, or ‘Chocolat Chaud’.
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As you might know, all that she craves was originally a food blog but there’s more to what I crave in life than food alone. It’s food, and everything that goes with it: the people who cook and eat, the places it comes from and where we go to eat, the surroundings and objects in which food is served and it’s all of that that becomes part of the story. So, this has become a blog about those things, too – food and life.
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Afternoon Tea Week (oh yes, apparently it’s a thing) runs from the 14th-20th of August, 2017, here in the UK. There’ll be deals to be had and tiny sandwiches filling up your insta feed and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll spend the week craving warm from the oven scones slathered in butter.
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I’ve developed an obsession with my blender. I don’t know why. It’s not new and it hasn’t suddenly developed the ability to do things it couldn’t do before. But, for some reason, the possibilities and creations I’ve made with it this week have felt endless.
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Absolutely delicious on their own, warm from the oven, financier are a classic French pastry. Sweet and nutty, these little almond cakes, with crisp exteriors and springy middles, are leavened with egg whites and flavoured with almonds and beurre noisette (browned butter).
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The dishes we’ve selected for our ‘feast’ aren’t all strictly Catalan in origin, in fact, tapas as a way of eating, wasn’t always even part of Catalan culture having been imported, but they’re all certainly dishes you’ll find being served if you visit Barcelona today.
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When the skies go dark and the rain pours so heavily that it bounces and seems to be raining from the ground as well as the sky, when the biggest umbrella won’t even keep you dry, this is when I want these intensely chocolatey, buttery, sugary cookies.
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Since we’ve had more than two days in a row of sun, I can proudly announce that it’s now officially bbq weather! So pull your shorts on, grab your sunglasses, and rummage in the cupboard for those fire lighters. Quinoa and apple salad with wild garlic. The perfect accompaniment to BBQ pork.
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A trip to New York isn’t complete without at least one visit to Momofuku Milkbar for their soft serve cereal milk ice cream. It tastes exactly as you’d expect: like the milk you lap up from the bottom of your cereal bowl: sweet, rich and deeply satisfying. I wanted a quick hit of that cereal milk flavour without going to the trouble of making (and waiting for) ice cream, so here’s my take on it in milkshake form.
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Oranges are not the only fruit, but in these dank, cold months they might as well be for all I care because, for me, oranges are the antithesis to winter: bright and zingy, refreshing and light, rich in Vitamin C, and I can’t get enough of them.
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I don’t know about you, but by 4.30 I’m absolutely ravenous and ready for tea. Heading in to teaching straight out of University meant I never got out of the habit of eating tea straight from school and so now, finishing work at 5 and getting home at 6, means I’m beyond hungry. I’m so hungry, I’ve […]
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There’s two reasons you have to bake ginger biscuits in December: first of all, they make the whole house smell of ginger and all things Christmassy. The second, if you need it, is that they’re the first taste of Christmas, perfect for tree-putting-up snacks and for sharing with anyone who calls in (especially if they have presents).
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