These little buns will become firm favourites in your baking repertoire, they are a much requested recipe of mine and certainly put a smile on your face. The sponge is light as air and studded with crunchy nibbled hazelnuts while in the centre they have...
Last Autumn, while we were staying in Grenoble we took a trip down to Provence to visit an old friend. She was now living an a plus beau village, picturesque Collobrieres. She gifted me a jar of Creme de Marrons {sweet chestnut puree} which had been made...
I baked these absolutely delicious cakes to fill an afternoon while looking after two gorgeous little dogs, I had the idea pop into my head the day before and was dying to try it out. The sponge has a wonderful toffee flavour from dark muscovado...
Continuing on the French theme {after the Madeleine baking I did in Paris} these chocolate and almond treats are cupcake versions of Reine De Saba cake from Julia Child’s classic work Mastering The Art of French Cooking, with Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. They are decadently...
Madeleines, some Parisian Baking Paris has always been top of my travel list, one of the closest cities that I have never visited. Just a short train journey away, I can’t believe it has taken me so long. We arrived via Eurostar on the 11th...
Chris took the van to Manchester for a lads weekend last friday, so I had a couple of homeless days by myself. I decided to get the train to Liverpool and go on an art gallery pilgrimage, something I’ve been wanting to do for ages. Liverpool...
This is my first attempt at iced cookies, I have wanted to try them for a while, there are so many beautiful examples online and in magazines. They have always seemed time-consuming though, so I thought I’d wait for a rainy few days for the...
We are back near Dundee, house sitting. Unfortunately, on the way to Stirling for a day out, we broke down with engine trouble. A tow truck returned us to Dundee and Juan the Van awaits his fate until after the bank holiday weekend. What else was...
The island of Eagles, that is how I will remember the Isle of Skye. It is even shaped a bit like a wing! We have spent 5 days on the island in blissful spring weather, driving around, absorbing it’s beauty and drama. Most days were...
Spring is most definitely here in the Cairngorms and nature is preparing for the breeding season. The streams are bursting with frog and toad spawn, I have had to be careful on my morning jog {I have to burn the cake calories off somehow!} not...
Juan the Van is parked up next to a little stream on a campsite in the Cairngorms. We are staying at Rothiemurchus Camp and Caravan park on the Rothiemurchus estate among some trees which are twittering with little birds. This morning many of the birds;...
The blueberries I used to photograph the Blueberry Swirl Cupcakes had spilled out of their little plastic tray twice in the van’s fridge before I eventually had time to make something with them, they were looking a little tired and squishy, perfect for a muffin!...
