A few things...

I made Green Kitchen Stories Turmeric Breakfast Muffins.  They are very wholesome!

We took a day trip to Lewes to check out the antique shops and to stop by Harvey's Brewery.

We followed this up with a visit to Charleston Farmhouse, home of the Bloomsbury Set.  I'd definitely recommend the house tour for a little creative inspiration and the garden was stunning.

I loved these mosaic tiles

Pretty pond weeds

We've had a lot of flowers around the house lately.  Sweet Williams.

My friends bought me these gorgeous roses.

Back to food.  I've been making this veggie loaded pasta for lunch a lot lately.  I'm loving my greens and roasted tomatoes at the moment.  There's courgette, fennel, toasted pumpkin seeds, lemon zest and goats cheese in there too.

FYI just finished Blood Bones and Butter, it was a brilliant read.

Everything in a Bowl

Well this has been a sorry state of affairs, no blog post for nearly a month and then all I have to show you is soup, and more butternut squash at that.  I’ve also caught myself in an awkward time zone.  It’s far too late to be mentioning Christmas, New Year or any of those resolution things so let’s just skip it all, talk about soup and pretend I didn’t fail to blog about any of that stuff. 

Soup has featured heavily around here lately.  Since the UK has been battered with storms and relentless rain we’ve gone in to hibernation mode, abandoning our usual routines in favour of reading books and eating anything out of a bowl, which usually means soup or stew but can also stretch to a jacket potato and baked beans.  The civility of the dining table has been abandoned for the comfort of the sofa and the odd film.  Meal times have really gone to pot around here. 

I made this soup for my Dad when he visited for a few days recently and he said it was “wizard” which I choose to take as a compliment.  It requires very little effort to pull together and lets the flavour of the roasted squash take centre stage. 

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Serves 2-3

600g butternut squash peeled and chopped in to chunks *you can make them smaller than the ones in the photo for speedier cooking time.

Approx 600ml stock

1 -2 tablespoons olive oil

Sprinkling of dried rosemary

1 garlic clove finely chopped

2 shallots finely sliced.

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C, 400°F

Line a baking tray with parchment.  Place the chopped up butternut squash on the tray, toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with dried rosemary.  Roast for 40 minutes until the squash is nicely caramelised. 

About 5 minutes before the squash is ready place a splash of olive oil in a large pan and sauté the shallots for 5 minutes until soft.  Add the garlic and continue to cook for another minute.  Remove the squash from the oven and tip in to the pan.  Next add the stock and bring to a boil.  Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Leave the soup in the pan to cool for a few minutes then blend until smooth.  Return the soup to the pan and heat through.  Serve with crusty toast and toasted almonds if you like.

A Year in Books



Happy New Year everybody!  I’m a little late with this but better late than never.  Since the new year is a time for looking forward but also taking stock of the past year I thought I’d share with you my year of reading.  This has nothing to do with food but since this is a food blog I put some gluten free banana millet muffins in the picture to make us all feel comfortable.  Recipe here.  (They are really good by the way).  Regulars may know I have a big commute to my day job.  I honestly don’t think I would keep my sanity half so well on this commute if it wasn’t for the joy of reading a good book on the train.  Reading transports you away from the train delays, the dubious smelling person you are sitting next to, the man coughing up phlegm behind, the tall woman resting her newspaper on your head (I’m short and this actually happened).  I don’t keep track of what I’ve read but I wish I had.  I know I average about one book a week. I’m guessing maybe 45 in a year.  The reason for this review is purely self indulgent.  In about a month my job relocates (even further away) and I will have to drive to work instead of getting the train.  No more stories to transport me into another world as I sit staring at the bumper of the car in front of me.  Books will have to become my occasional friends rather than my constant companions.  Books, I will miss you...unless anyone fancies sitting in my car and reading to me...

If I had to choose a top five:

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott: If you read one book on writing this should be it.  I’ve seen it recommended on quite a few different blogs.  It is instantly readable and it tells the truth about writing, warts and all. I devoured it in one sitting and found it so inspiring.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt: Beautifully written, a chilling mystery set in an elite New England college.  So good I made my husband read it too so we could discuss.  He devoured it as speedily as I did.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain:  The story of Hadley Richardson, Ernest Hemmingway’s first wife.  Set in the glamour of Jazz age Paris among artists and writers.  I love everything about this era.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield:  A chilling and twisted tale of twin sisters and a mysterious house.  This prompted an American lady sitting next to me on the train to start up a discussion about how great this book is.

The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy:  I’ve read quite a few Kennedy books this year.  His writing is always instantly gripping and this is probably the most well known and best of his novels.  Set in post war Manhattan during the time of McCarthyism this is a thrilling tale of love and betrayal.  If you are reading this Mr Kennedy, please get your book covers re-designed.  They look like Mills and Boon.