A Year in my Fenland Kitchen

The weather has a feel of Spring here today and the evenings are gradually lengthening, so here's a grain based salad, hearty enough for a February supper, but also light enough to make a lovely lunch as the weather warms up. It uses bulgur wheat, a wholegrain, rich in minerals, vitamins and fibre, which also happens to be easy to cook. I've topped the bulgur wheat with prawns, but alternatives, such as cooked chicken, feta cheese or roasted vegetables would be delicious too. The dressing uses fresh pesto, a fave of mine at the moment. I used bought pesto for ease and convenience, but do try to get fresh from the fridge section of the supermarket, as I think the taste is infinitely better than the version that comes in jars. The full recipe is below should you wish to try it. Happy cooking! Speak soon. Annie x

 My first cup of coffee of the day is always instant coffee from a jar: kettle hastily boiled, powder spooned into cup, a quick stir and a splash of milk. And always in the same special cup; a handmade mug with cheerful red spots bought from a lovely shop in Cambridge. It's a drink to be sipped quickly, as I feed the cat, load the washing machine and wipe down the worktop. Later in the morning is the time to enjoy a more leisurely cup, either sitting in a favourite café, indulging in some people watching or at home, sitting cosily at the table, flicking through a magazine or reading a few pages of a book. But a cup of coffee ( or tea, if that is your preference) invariably tastes better with a piece of cake! Years ago, I might have chosen a slice of something rich and creamy, but nowadays, I prefer my cake to be plain: rich with nuts and fruit rather than buttercream....wholesome even! I like to think the following recipe for a date and walnut loaf is relatively healthy, at least f...

 In the midst of the darkness of winter, Nature blesses us with citrus fruit in the most vibrant of colours, pink and yellow grapefruit, lemons ....and oranges: diminutive mandarines and tangerines, knobbly Seville oranges for the most delicious marmalade and, my favourite, the blood orange, freckled with red splashes on its peel and with the distinctive ruby red flesh. The blood orange's colour is due to a pigment called anthocyanin, which develops in the fruit due to low overnight growing temperatures as during the Mediterranean autumn and winter. Not only do they look so pretty, I think they are the sweetest and juiciest of the orange family.  I had some ricotta leftover in the fridge and decided to make a ricotta cake flavoured with vanilla and orange, perfect to serve with some beautiful blood oranges steeped in a spiced syrup. The recipes are below. I left the peel on the oranges, but, of course, remove it if you prefer. Sending best wishes from my corner of the world to...

So we here we are, a couple of weeks into the new year and, in an effort to cheer up the grey, gloomy weather, I have been cooking all the comfort foods; pasta, soups ....and baking bread. Looking back through my posts, I realise that soups feature quite regularly, but I make no apologies! Soups are nourishing, comforting and delicious. So here is another soup recipe, this time for Tomato and Lentil soup. I made this soup, first at home and then with a group of children at the Home School club our granddaughters attend. The children were enthusiastic helpers and enjoyed chopping the onion, smelling and grinding the spices and then tucked into a bowlful each, along with some of the parents, around a large table at lunchtime. On a slightly different note, I have recently become interested in the work of  Tim Spector , a renowned scientist who has done a lot of research lately into the gut microbiome and the effects it has on our health. I find it a fascinating topic and one which is ...

 It's the first Sunday of Advent and Christmas is fast approaching. Here in my Fenland Kitchen, sprouts are on the menu and I'm reminding myself that the, sometimes maligned, Brussel Sprout is not just for Christmas! So let's give them some love!  Rule number one is not to boil them into submission. Overcooking results in an unpleasant smell and is possibly the reason a lot of people claim that they do not like sprouts. Steaming or stir frying are the way to go ... or roasted as in this  recipe  by Love&Lemons. Alternatively, Brussel Sprouts are delicious raw and make a lovely salad. I hope you will enjoy this  recipe with a hint of sweetness from the apple and cranberries and agree that sprouts can be delicious! Speak soon. Annie x

...November is the pearl-grey month, the changeling between warm crimson October  and cold white December... These words are from a poem entitled  'A Poem for November' written by Alison Uttley of Little Grey Rabbit fame. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Little Grey Rabbit, she is the main character in a series of much loved children's stories, published between 1929 and the 1970s. The stories tell the tale of Little Grey Rabbit and her friends, amongst them, Hare, Squirrel, Speckledy Hen, Wise Owl and Fuzzypeg, and their everyday life in their woodland home. They are charming stories, told with great affection for the community of woodland creatures and beautifully illustrated by Margaret Tempest. Alison Uttley was born in Derbyshire at Castle Top farm near Cromford and had a deep love of nature as is evident in her writings. Apart from her prolific storytelling, she was also notable for being awarded a scholarship to study at Manchester University, where in 190...

  For my first post of the new month of November, I give you what must be one of the best loved and most comforting of puddings, the Great British Crumble! A pudding which rose in popularity, it seems, during World War 2, when, due to rationing, it became a more frugal and economical alternative to a fruit pie. This crumble recipe, however, is a little more indulgent than the wartime recipes would have been and uses hazelnuts and dark chocolate in the topping. I used plums from my stash in the freezer, part of the plum harvest from earlier in the year and tweaked my usual crumble recipe to include more fibre and nutrients in the form of wholemeal flour and nuts and seeds. The dark chocolate may seem an indulgence, but as we know, dark chocolate ( and I used one with 75% cocoa) actually has a number of health benefits. We enjoyed our ( relatively) guilt-free pud with homemade yoghurt! Speak soon Annie x