I know that calling this minted pea soup recipe ‘spring’ pea soup is optimistic – what with at least another six weeks of bitter cold weather waiting for us before spring is 'officially' here. But all around me I am starting to see signs that winter is on its way out. Jasmin shrubs spilling over fences in my neighbourhood are [...]
My gran – in the way of so many women of her generation I suppose – was a kitchen whizz on the quiet. Dress a 300kg carcass in under an hour? No problem. Whip up a four-tier wedding cake with marzipan and delicate OTT floral sugarwork by Monday? Sure sweetie. I wish I had learnt more from her while I [...]
The best laid plans of mice and men… I had a starring role in things going contrary to scheme this past weekend. I’d been contemplating a nice little beef and Guinness pie for a while. The Guinness had been lurking in my fridge for at least a month, but I just didn’t get around to posting it – what with [...]
Cats, sadly, do not tolerate lazy lie-ins hy humans, not even on weekends. Which is rather surprising, given that they sleep away something like 80% of their lives. No matter what time I poured myself into bed or how fragile I may be feeling, come 6am on Saturdays, it’s showtime. Let Me Out. Cuddle Me. Feed Me. In that order. [...]
I’m not sure who loathes winter more, Merlot or me. I figure she gets the prize, what with having to dodge the Cape rain to go ‘do her business’ outside. (It’s amazing how quick a cat can be when she needs to.) Nonetheless, it’s a close call. A steaming bowl of thick split pea soup packed with smokey, meaty flavour [...]