Bake Off entered a whole new world this week. The world of Japanese baking. If my knowledge of Japanese food is at best limited, my knowledge of their baking is even less. This was the sort of week where contestants who’ve managed all that’s been asked of them so far suddenly started to falter. A …
Category Archives: cookbooks
Great British Bake Off 2020 week 5
Of all the baking basics, the one I struggle with most is pastry. On the face of it things should be easy, most pastry ingredient lists are even shorter than bread making, but somehow it never quite seems to work that way. It never has quite the shortness or crumbly texture I’m looking for. I’ve …
Discovering new flavours
I’m the person who often picks the dish he doesn’t recognise on the menu. The person who then sits wondering what’s going to be delivered to the table. Hoping for a new food experience, eager to be the envy of my dining companions, running the risk of leaving them thinking ‘will he never learn’. It …
Saturday afternoon in Paris
As it’s another Saturday afternoon with not much to do I’ve decided to take myself to The Little Paris Kitchen. In an ideal world it would be a trip to a small, intimate space in Montmartre where a long leisurely lunch is followed by coffee and maybe a glass of Calvados. Unfortunately as the world …
Lemon semolina cake
One of the things I’m enjoying about writing this blog is how much I’m finding out as I do it. Not only am I learning from the research I do prior to writing but also from the feedback and questions people ask me after I’ve posted. Yesterdays example of this was when I learned that …
It’s the little things
I’m finding it’s the little things that matter most at the moment. As the days merge together and none of us have a clue how much longer this will be going on for it’s the little moments that stand out and set days apart. Last weekend I noticed that The Book Hive , our excellent …
Soft spiced apple cake..Monday comfort baking
I don’t think I’ve ever thought about food quite as much as I’m doing at the moment. I’m sure we’re all a bit like that, what with the combination of more time on our hands and limited opportunities for stocking up, but as someone who’s been known to list food as a hobby before now …
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The Famous Five ate rather well
Last week I picked up an Enid Blyton book for the first time in more years than I care to admit to. I mentioned in my last post about the creative writing course that I’m taking and last weeks session was all about children’s literature. As part of this we were asked to revisit books …
Apple and tarragon cake
Last week I discovered and bought a cookbook that I just know is going to be slightly dogeared and stained before too long. Those badges of honour that all good cookbooks should wear. The book in question is Little Library Year by Kate Young. It’s a combination of glorious seasonal recipes that are interspersed with …
Discovering mayonnaise cake.
Until last week I was sure that the memories I have of once being offered a slice of tomato soup cake were a dream. One of those moments that you’ve tried to convince yourself really happened, even if deep down inside you’re sure it can’t have done. But now I’m not so sure. Someone sent …
David in the kitchen. 