One of the areas of society that is exercising my thoughts at present is how societies organise themselves, are governed and whether we (as citizens) are actually free ... or just whether we are being told that we are free, but in reality are all jus...
Read moreA good friend of ours - Jane - gave us 8 large quinces the other day and I have been racking my brains as to the best way to use them. They have a gorgeous light green-yellow colour and an almost eye-like shape, but finding recipe ideas for them is...
Read moreAnother symbol of the passing year. Another memory of cold, dark evenings. Another thread perhaps back to simpler times, perhaps even to pagan times. Bonfire Night has a special place in our annual celebrations, even though I know it’s not very PC...
Read moreAutumnal leaves are falling everywhere. They have hung on in there for quite a while longer as we have had a short spell of decent warm weather and very little wind. But even so, nature cannot be stopped and even the delicate finger-like leaves of...
Read moreWe all like coffee cake, and Sadie in the office has been demanding one for ages (and without walnuts on the top), so we’ve decided to try various recipes to see if we can come up with our favourite recipe. After all the effort of making it, she sai...
Read moreWhat to do with all that lovely pumpkin that you've got after scooping out your pumpkin, or just because they are such good value discounted in those shops that have overstocked. This year we've made a classic pumpkin pie - which was deliciously ind...
Read moreMincemeat is delicious and really easy to make. The aroma and flavour of homemade mincemeat is fantastic, making the shop-bought commercial stuff pale into insignificance – a travesty of taste, lacking in depth, rich or any booziness.
Read moreIt might have caused me sleepless nights and given me an undue amount of heartache and stress, but Steenbergs new range of Mulling Wine Spices in sachets has finally arrived. It's about 1½ months behind schedule and we have been having to disappoint...
Read moreOf course, you need a pudding/sweet to round off the indulgence of a delicious, groaning table of delicately spiced Indian food. Kulfi (Indian ice cream) has been made for ages and was served to the Moghul Emperors at their hedonistic courts in Delh...
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