Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary
cooking up a storm at the edge of the world
A replica Middle Ages peasant horsebread recipe made with heritage wheat and legumes inspired by Ken Follett’s novel Pillars of the Earth. I have a very active imagination. A significant portion of my day is spent daydreaming of things other than what I am supposed to be doing. I can be a bit like the …
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.
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.
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’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.
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.
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!
These delicious, melt-in-the-mouth whipped shortbread cookies are topped with little dollops of frosting and a tiny glace cherry. They’re super easy to make too.
When I was a little girl date squares were a peculiar sweet that only old people ate.
I go ballroom dancing every week. I’ve been dancing on and off now for around ten years and I love it very, very much. It’s such a wonderful feeling to be gliding across the floor in a swirly dress dancing the Glen Roy foxtrot.
I loved Christmas as a child (and as an adult I still do!). We always went to our grandparents house for the holiday period and there was always an air of excitement in the days leading up to Christmas.
This idea has been filed away in my head for several months now. I’ve been wanting to make home made Oreo cookies for some time and I bookmarked a few recipes which looked interesting and had some really positive comments. When my daughter said she’d like a Coraline themed birthday party this year I …
My daughter has inherited my tastes for all things quirky and odd. She’s as fond of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline (2002) (made into a film by Henry Selick in 2009) as I am, so when I asked if she might like a Coraline themed birthday cake this year I was delighted when she said yes.
My children have been nagging me for ages to make them packed lunches. I admit it, I’m pretty lazy and if I can get away with not doing something I will.
I have a confession to make: I absolutely love Halloween. I love Halloween a bit more than a grown adult should love Halloween.
A gorgeous and vibrant spiced mustard relish made with green tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, cauliflower, celery and onions. My mother used to make this recipe when I was a child growing up in Cape Breton. Prep Time: 2 hours Cooking Time: 1 hour Difficulty: Moderate Green tomatoes, can you eat them? Green tomatoes are not something …
