Winter is on its way

Winter is almost upon us, and we are already craving comforting, warming foods. We want casseroles, stews, curries, one pot wonders. Anything warm and cosy that will make life feel good.

Celeriac is a wonderful root vegetable at this time and if you haven't tried it I strongly recommend it just now, while its in season. Here are a few recipe ideas: http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/search?keywords=celeriac

Another thing I love at this time of year is a pudding, or a scone, or a cake in the evening. One of my favourite cake/loaves is Date & Walnut and Nigella has a wonderful recipe for this: http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/date-and-walnut-loaf-1748

Finally a word on thrift regarding winter warmers. We bought a whole rabbit from the butcher last weekend and made a wonderful stew with half of it but the bones were terrible! Please be aware that if you are having rabbit there are many, many bones, some of which are tiny but could make you choke so please be careful.

We also bought a very cheap piece of lamb - the rib. This, stewed or casseroled over 2 1/2 to 3 hours with onions, carrots, garlic, cayenne pepper, stock and bay leaves is simply divine. The meat melts off the bones. I have never been a fan of ribs until trying this and it was so good we are serving it to guests this weekend. Add potatoes in for a filling meal.

On a vegetarian note, puy lentils are a fantastic staple. They are highly versatile and very good for you, hold their shape far better than red or dahl lentils and can be used for chilli's, casseroles and anything else! They will take the boldest of flavours so don't be afraid to try new recipes.

This looks to be a winter of bad weather and cold and/or wet nights. Stay warm and well fed x


On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scotland about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback: The Island of the Mist is book 2 The Stone in the Sword is book 1 The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats: The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

September foods, harvest time

September is my favourite month of the year and one of the reasons for that is the variety of wonderful foods. It really is a flavour-fest!

This is the time of harvest and we get to reap what we have sown.

Soups are top of the list for me, as we have lentils and squashes, beetroot and courgette.

In season this month:
Apple, Damsons, Figs, Pear, Plum, Raspberry, Sloe
Aubergine, Beetroot, Butternut squash, Cabbage, Chicory, Cobnut, Fennel, Globe artichoke, Pumpkin,
Radish, Rocket, Sweetcorn, Swiss chard, Truffle, Watercress
Grey mullet, Mackerel, Mussels, Oyster, Scallop, Sea bass,
Grouse, Lamb, Partridge, Venison, Wild duck

Going out of season:
Apricot, Bilberries, Nectarine
Courgette, Cucumber, French beans, Greengages, Kohlrabi, Marrow, Pepper, Runner beans, Spring onions, Tomatoes
Crab, Sardine

So do get them while you can!

If the weather holds out, it is a great time to havea few late barbeques before its back indoors for casseroles and risottos or stews and lovely soups. As I mentioned in a post some time ago, Bubble and Squeak is one of my favourite meals, a great way to use up excess cabbage and full of wonderful goodness.

I mentioned before a book I was reading called In Defence of Food by Michael Pollan. I cannot recommend this highly enough! It is an excellent book on food, diets and how to live well and be healthy. It was a Sunday Times best food book of the year and rightly deserves this title.

As a diabetic, i like to know what foods have a good effect on my blood sugars. I monitor regularly and have noticed that lentil soup seems to work very well at balancing my sugar levels. I strongly recommend home-made lentil soup to anyone with diabetes. Lentils are also very good for lowering cholesterol and balancing blood pressure, so if you have a health problem in any of these areas, you might want to start eating a few bowls of soup, or having lentils as part of a main meal. Red work very well but puy are also good. I haven't tried yellow lentils yet and as such cannot state whether they are as effective.

As a result of reading this book, I am more inclined to go for organic produce than before, even though it is more expensive. Organic food has more nutrients than heavily farmed non-organic produce.

Good eating :D

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scotland about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback: The Island of the Mist is book 2 The Stone in the Sword is book 1 The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats: The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

In Season in August and kohlrabi

We're fully into summer now and while the year has been sluggish so far, its starting to catch up now that we've had some proper sunshine!

Here's a list of all that's in season this month:

Apple, Apricot, Bilberries, Nectarine, Raspberry

Aubergine, Beetroot, Chicory, Cobnut, Courgette, Cucumber, Fennel, French beans, Globe artichoke, Greengages,
Kohlrabi, Marrow, Pepper, Radish, Rocket, Runner beans, Spring onion, Sweetcorn, Swiss chard, Tomato, Watercress

Crab, Grey mullet, Sardine, Scallop, Sea bass

Lamb, Venison

Stil in season but heading out:
Blackberries, Blueberries, Cherries, Peaches, Redcurrants, Strawberries and also Mangetout!

An unsung hero at this time is the Kohlrabi. This 'cabbage/turnip' is a wonderful vegetable that is hugely versatile. Much like other veg, it is very different cooked than in its raw state. Raw, it is wonderful with apple and citrus flavours in a salad or slaw. Cooked, it is amazing roasted or in a soup. I've included a link here for a wonderful, light summer soup recipe: Kohlrabi soup.


On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scotland about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback: The Island of the Mist is book 2 The Stone in the Sword is book 1 The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats: The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin