Spittoon Extra

Madrid Crowds

Old Men, Vallodolid

Returned from Spain

Suffering badly from post-trip blues; trying hard to get back into the routine.. which was what I wanted to escape from in the first place! Plenty of photos to sort through, a mass of notes on the tapas front, a...

Three Onions

I'm always on the look out for props - cheap bowls, napkins, cutlery and the like. My attention has shifted recently to routing around in skips and dump bins for 'backgrounds'. I found a lovely piece of cracked marble...

Nigel Slater’s Lemon Cake

To be honest I am not that impressed with the photo in Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries of this cake. It's in the usual subdued tones I enjoy, but the cake itself appears burnt; the lemons especially appear verging on...

Waiter There’s Something In My… Hot Cross Bun

Last year, and last week as it happens, I made a batch of Hot Cross Buns using a recipe that produces a firm, rustic, bun. Taste wise they are fine. The toast well too but they are, as...

McCain Mature Cheddar and Mustard Gratin

I'm not really one for ready meals - it's more of a concern of additives and levels of salt and the like rather than a taste issue. That and the fact I fancy myself as a decent cook who...

Chocolate Muffins

My good friend Malika celebrates her 30th today. Down the pub later of course but I thought a little homemade treat would be in order. The girl has an incredible sweet-tooth; six sugars in a Café Nero coffee is not...

Shiplake In The Snow

It's been snowing around these 'ere parts.

Red Mullet

Who could resist such delicious looking fish? Not me for a start; a couple of these consumed with gusto yesterday evening. Oxford's covered market has several fishmongers and butchers located within its walls each with a marvellous array of...