Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
cooking up a storm at the edge of the world
Let me tell you a little story. Last summer Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary was sent a stop motion animation kit for review. We had a lot of fun with that kit, and as a family we made a short animation of our staycation summer holiday in Unst, the most northerly UK inhabited island.
Our youngest has a thing for maps at the moment. He absolutely loves them. So when the sun came out in Shetland for the third day in a row yesterday we decided that when our youngest had finished nursery we’d get him to find a place on the Ordinance Survey map 467 for us to …
When school started up again last year after the October holidays I finally gave in to the children’s requests to have packed lunches instead of school dinners. School dinners are expensive, working out to be approximately £100 per child per term. We have three children, so with all three having packed lunches that’s a whopping …
When I was growing up one of my favourite dishes was something my called “Goulash”. This Americanised version of the traditional Hungarian dish was simple, involving elbow macaroni, browned beef mince and a tin of tomato soup.
Contrary to what opinion you may have formed of Shetland after watching last night’s BBC 1 adaptation of Anne Cleeves Raven Black, Shetland is not always dreary, sombre and misty. When the sun shines on Shetland it transforms, like a blossoming flower, into a place of magic and beauty.
Well the wee man is another year older. Five years old means “big boy” and much closer to the wise old age of his big sister than the age of four was. She is seven and is held in great esteem with regards to her vast knowledge of the world.
Up Helly Aa is an annual fire festival celebrated here in Shetland, marking the end of the Yule season and the return of the light after the long, dark winter.
We’re a family of avid readers. From a very young age I was eagerly devouring the contents of my mother’s book shelf and I am delighted to have passed this trait onto my own children. We can never get enough!
Many, many years ago I remember sitting in a pub in Shetland hearing about a friend of a friend who had just graduated from The Open University with a First-class Honours degree in Physics. I was chuffed for her as I’ve always had a respect for those who could understand the incomprehensible, bizarre world of …
This simple but flavoursome slow cooker rolled brisket with red wine and thyme recipe was my first ever commissioned recipe post, and for years, it was the most popular recipe on my blog. It’s got sentimental value. This post was originally published in 2014 in collaboration with Lea & Perrins for the grand sum of …
I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the latest addition to my cookery bookshelf: Sharon Salloum’s first publication: Almond Bar.
I’m not a very big fan of leftovers. With so many wonderful recipes out there to try the thought of eating the same old thing three days in a row really doesn’t appeal to me.
Shetland is not renowned for its foraging opportunities. There is plenty to be obtained from the sea, but there are no hedgerows, no apple trees, no wild garlic growing… er… where ever it is wild garlic grows,
The first time I’d ever had a Florentine happened because of a chance encounter with a stranger in a Scottish bakery. I was standing in the queue waiting to order my lunch when the tall, charming gentleman with a posh English accent ahead of me turned to me and asked if I’d ever tried a …
Some months ago a friend asked me, in response to a conversation about hiding vegetables in chocolate cakes (namely my chocolate courgette cake), if I’d ever tried black bean brownies. I’d never even heard of such a thing and immediately had to investigate.
I went for a beach walk yesterday, the last day of 2013. I hadn’t planned on going for a beach walk that day – my day was supposed to be spent blogging and tidying the house for visitors
Pound cake always reminds me of being a child. When I used to have a little extra pocket money (usually after selling picked wild berries to the neighbours) I’d head to our little village shop and buy a pound cake.
At the end of this summer I was presented with the opportunity to guest review a jam recipe book, which I accepted with delight.
I love chocolate fudge, especially this remarkably simple chocolate truffle fudge recipe. I love it a little bit too much so I usually only make it once a year around Christmas time, or else I’d eat it all and be the size of a house!
My regular readers will be aware that I participate in quite a few monthly food blogging challenges. These challenges provide a great opportunity to experiment with ingredients, encourage creativity and broaden ones food horizons. They sometimes introduce me to ingredients (and people) I never otherwise would have encountered, like today.
