ENGLISH MUM

Lemon curd My Mum’s been on holiday to Sorrento.  While she’s been away I’ve been popping in occasionally to look after the cats and water plants, etc.  I’m always worried that people will think I’m a burglar, so I always talk really loudly to the cats: ‘hello Harreeeee!  Are you missing your mummmeeeeee?’.  It’s now dawned on me that rather than being labelled...

Perfect rib eye steak This morning the postie knocked on the door and handed me a weird, squishy parcel.  Intrigued, I ferreted around, removing several layers of packaging until – finally – arriving at the rather pleasing contents: four beautiful looking (and perfectly packaged) 21 day aged rib eye steaks, courtesy of the lovely chaps at Farmers Choice. I find that steak is a bit ‘Marmitey’....

You know me, I love a glass of wine.  Or two.  So when Asda offered to send me a selection of their favourite wines for the summer, well, I jumped at the chance. As a fledgling wine-taster I’ve done my best to describe them for you (none of that ‘burnt rubber and cut grass’ stuff I promise) mostly without referring to any tasting notes, but this stuff’s all a bit subjective so you might...

The lettuce protest He’s a bit of a wag is The Dude.  Not in a bad way.  Oh no, I’m far too scary a parent to allow anything like that.  I do, however, feel that we shouldn’t crush every bit of individuality and personality out of our children.  I want my children to be respectful, kind and considerate, but we do have a bit of a giggle at home, and sometimes there’s a bit of banter...

The path down to the pool So I started to tell you a little about the Chateau Saint-Martin when I reviewed their beautiful two Michelin star restaurant, Le Saint-Martin. But there’s so much more to this place than the fabulous food. Wine tasting in the cellar View of the Chateau from one of the villas A 30 minute drive through beautiful scenery from Nice Airport, the Chateau nestles atop a hillside overlooking...

Our meeting room at the Covent Garden Hotel So last Friday I headed up to Covent Garden for a meeting with Kellogg’s to hear all about their new campaign. We met at the incredibly gorgeous Covent Garden Hotel – it’s like a fabulous underground rabbit warren – all dark, cosy and warm – our meeting room had ornate flock wallpaper, comfy sofas and faux window/mirrors.  I’m now...

Pic: (c) Inntravel So you’ve heard of slow food, right?  Slow food is all about eating fresh, local, sustainable food – thinking about what you eat and how your choices affect the environment and support farmers and businesses.  It’s a great way to shop and eat, and it’s rewarding too – knowing that you’re eating thoughtfully, and making a difference. But have you ever thought of applying similar...

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Diagon Alley Universal Studios have just announced a huge new project, bringing London, and more specifically, Diagon Alley to the resort in 2014.  Work has already started on the new experience, which will stretch across both Universal Orlando theme parks and offer lots of new experiences including, it’s rumoured, a trip on the Hogwart’s Express to Hogsmeade (from...

Here’s a thing: that Jay Rayner, yes, him off the telly, the scary one who can close a restaurant with a swish of his pen? He’s actually really nice. I’ve chatted a bit with him recently about his new book, and he actually cares what I think.  He cares about food: not just posh restaurant food, but the everyday stuff that goes in our trolley.  He doesn’t eat foie gras for breakfast. Who knew? This...

My poor Disreputable Dad’s taken yet another nasty tumble.  He’s got quite a talent for comedic falls, my Dad. I wonder if he’s got some sort of dodgy centre of gravity (it could be the slight restaurant belly that’s doing it…).  You may remember the case of the nuns and the travelator a while back – well, he’s had two more since then.  During their honeymoon (I did...

Baking… with Waitrose’ new home baking range.  We especially loved the chocolate coated popping candy, but the range includes loads of other fab decorations, flavourings and ingredients. Setting my mouth on fire… with Lovepickle’s delicious, spicy new range (mild, medium, hot and extra hot priced at £2.95 per jar).  The range is available to purchase directly from the website www.love-pickle.com and...

Chocolate Bundt cake As you might remember, I’ve got a bit of a ‘thing’ for Nordic Ware.  My love affair started with my heart shaped tin and has since progressed to individual present-shaped tins, and of course the ‘holiday tree’ pan used in Nigella’s wonderful ‘spruced up vanilla cake‘ from her Nigella Christmas book. I should really save this recipe until Christmas...

Barbecue chicken skewers So summer is finally creeping up on us (I definitely saw the sun at least twice last week), and, with some fabulous fresh veg popping up in our local farm shop (I can’t resist a glossy aubergine), I felt it was time to dust off one of my favourite summer essentials: the barbecue skewer.  It’s handy to have meat in the freezer (I often bulk buy meat online from Farmer’s...

My friends all find it hilarious that I live with a human-hating cat.  Our Ninja’s not a people person, bless her.  She’s never happier than when she’s gnawing on an unsuspecting human, and takes great pleasure at turning from purry to assassin by the time you’ve stroked half way down her back and realised you’ve made a big mistake. Much hilarity, then, was caused by the photo...

  Le Chateau Saint-Martin Last week I was lucky enough to be invited to stay for a few days at the utterly beautiful Chateau Saint-Martin in the pretty little town of Vence on the Côte d’Azur.  For a luxury short break, the Chateau really has everything: it’s a scant 30 minute drive from Nice Airport (just over an hour’s hop from Gatwick), the accommodation is luxurious, the scenery breathtaking...

God this week has been mental.  This one came with the added stress of it being Sam’s first A level exam week. Sunday was a bit frantic as he had to work (HOW do these kids do it?  Studying and revising, learning to drive, holding down a part-time job AND attempting a decent social life too?) and didn’t feel that he’d got much revision in.  The Dude was knackered after an all-nighter at...

I’ve just come back from a gorgeous break on the Cote d’Azur: three glorious days of sun, sightseeing, food and relaxation.  But my word, the STUFF you need, just for three days: dresses, heels and some sort of clutch for going out to dinner; shorts, comfy shoes and t-shirts for sightseeing; swimsuits, cover ups and flips flops for beach days; and don’t get me started on beauty products, make up and toiletry...

This week I’ve been in the Côte d’Azur, at possibly the most beautiful place I’ve ever stayed.  Whilst there, you’ll be pleased to hear that I had several epic adventures including: Seeing more tiny teacup dogs than I ever thought possible, and feeling the need to say ‘Monsieur, I need to poop!’ Each time in the style of ‘What Women Want’. Replying to a French...

I’ve noticed that I’ve been a bit remiss with the cocktails of late.  And well, you know me, it’s not because I’ve not been DRINKING them, oh no, it’s just because I usually drink too many and then forget to take a photo! The perfect Bloody Mary This particular Bloody Mary (left) was served to my friend Laura and I at the Cassis American Brassierie in St Pete’s, Florida. It...

I’ve done a few of these Lean on Turkey challenges now, supporting our fabulous British turkey farmers and showing you just how versatile turkey is.   The first challenge for 2013 is ‘pizza and pasta’ and I just had to go with pizza as, with a houseful of teenagers, it’s a bit of a staple. This pizza went down so well it’s been requested again already and has affectionately become...

Salmon en croute Asda’s Fishmonger, Darren Wrend has created some recipes to give you a bit of inspiration for how to cook a whole salmon.  They asked me if I’d like to have a go and have kindly allowed me to publish their recipes (and turned a blind eye while I fiddled with them too, bless ‘em): Salmon en croute filled with parsley, lemon and lemon and pepper butter Our verdict: delicious,...

A man standing amidst the cloud of yellow color while the other people are singing bhajans of Radha and Lord Krishna. The festival of Holi is a religious festival and this day marks the beginning of Spring season.Taken during the celebration of Holi in India by previous award winner, Poras Chaudhary. Yes, it’s that time again, the Travel Photographer of the Year  (TPOTY) Awards have been launched for...

Well, it was a mental weekend, what with the boy’s 18th birthday party, then dinner out with friends on Saturday followed by waiting up until 1am to pick Sam up from doing the bar at a local event.  Knackered doesn’t even cover it.  Sunday dinner, then, was a chilled affair – luckily I’d remembered to defrost the racks of lamb that I took home from the Asda meat masterclass so we had...

WHAT. A. DAY. We started early, constructing an epic chocolate layer cake. It was loosely based on Charlie’s birthday cake, but we dispensed with the top layer and added a layer of whipped cream and a thick layer of crumbled Flakes. Oh, and of course those Curly Wurlys – painstakingly cut to size and applied by the birthday boy himself. Here’s how to make it: Triple Layer Curly Wurly Chocolate...

The boys with their beautiful cousin, Turtle Today our Sam, the Mad Professor, turns 18.  I’m just not sure how I feel, to be honest.  Sure, I’m immensely proud of him: he’s a good kid: kind and funny (he makes us all cry with laughter), thoughtful, a brilliant big brother (they play American Football together and have an increasingly blended mix of friends – I love this), a caring...