I thought you might like to see a few pictures of my new garden workshop. It’s a log cabin – from Finland – built in our English village garden. As the house and garden we’ve taken on is quite a project, this studio seemed like a good place to start – a place to work and a place for retreat! And because I always like a little reminder of the West Indies, we gave it a Caribbean inspired splash of paint on the trim and a moat of tiny sea pebbles to lend a little mood of seaside. There are shelves and cupboards to keep all my bits of equipment and props, and lots of space to rest and think!

One of my plans for the garden is to grow some lovely edible flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables. I’ve planted up plenty of seeds and they are all happy (mostly) in their temporary seed tray beds. But it’s a long way off from here to harvest! The best prospect for instant rewards lies in the herb beds – so I’ve got busy planting an array of fragrant, and flowering herbs around my studio.

These herbs come in handy for a delightful mid morning snack of cheese and crusty bread. I used a local fresh salad cheese – a bit like a light feta cheese. I snipped and sprinkled over some chives, flowering thyme, and mint. Then a drizzle of honey – for a delicious salty sweet combination – and a few drops of golden rapeseed oil.  Lastly, a bit of cracked black pepper and it’s soon ready. And yes, that is a nice cup of tea to go alongside!

I’ve been working on some still life projects in the studio. I’m getting used to the light, working on making the right effects and so on. I hope to post some of the results here sometime soon.

We have a lot happening here in Britain over the next few weeks. Our village is gearing up for big celebrations for the Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Then, of course, we have the London Olympics…very exciting! More soon.

Hope you like my shed (studio) – don’t hesitate to drop me a comment with any thoughts or ideas!

Pascale x

Is anything as uplifting and joyful as that first exuberant burst of blossom in early Spring? My spirit soars when I meander down the village lanes accompanied by clouds of gentle blossom – and new buds giving the promise of more to come. My appreciation of the seasons seems to intensify each year since we came to live in the English countryside. And of all the seasonal changes, the colour and light of Spring is especially welcome. Walking to the village school with our son and his little friends each morning, I point out all the little blooms and buds. But little boys are really much more interested in discussing Lego and trains!

Never mind, on the walk back home I can linger a bit, perhaps with my camera, and perhaps to find a blossom or two to make a Spring posy.

When the sun is shining, I love to take my lunch out into the garden. What to cook? I think some classic fishcakes are just the thing, with a fresh salad on the side. Golden and crispy, delicate yet satisfying. I made these with Haddock, but you can use any firm white fish (without bones) or if you are feeling indulgent, with crab or little prawns. All delicious!

Out comes the trusty folding table. It’s actually a decorating table that’s never been used for wallpapering – much more useful to pop open for an impromptu lunch! A bit of white lace, my jar of flowers … and it’s ready for service.

Things have been quite busy of late and I have lots of projects on the go. And getting to know this new garden is one of those projects. All sorts of surprises are emerging –  little primroses dotting the grass like jewels, cheerful daffodils, tulips and the first signs of peonies. It’s very exciting.(To me!)

More soon. x

The frost and snow of the past few weeks tries to persuade us to keep indoors, warm and cosy by the open fire. But it’s worth refusing – and braving the icy weather, all bundled up – for a traipse through the lovely countryside as Mother Nature’s winter coat is beautiful to see. I particularly love getting out early, on a bright, clear day to admire the pinky golden glow over the icy fields. Look at the way this husk of a weed gently captures and holds the snow in little snowy balls…and the way the frost makes patterns on the windows of my workshop…

May I suggest the warmest of home-welcome with a delicious, bubbling hot bowl of rich onion soup laden with golden, molten cheese? It tastes extra wonderful after a long walk in the cold. I found these giant, sweet onions at the shop and thought they would be perfect for my soup – and they were!

Everyone’s tired – home time it is. Back to our garden, the trees laced with frost.

Time to start cooking. Sometimes those old classic dishes are just the thing, don’t you think? So comforting. In this soup I used a drop of Calvados as I didn’t have any brandy. The slightly sweet and aromatic hint of apple really enhanced the savoury broth. As for the cheese, I love the nutty flavour of a good, aged Gruyere. But you could use another rich melting cheese, perhaps a Comte? Any good rustic bread makes a lovely toasted bed for the cheese. I used a marvellous wholegrain and walnut bread. Magnificent with the cheese. Sadly, the soup is all gone as I write this – I must prepare it again soon!

Before I say goodbye, I’ll leave you with a couple of images from my walks around the frosty village. I stopped in the church and spotted this beautiful earthenware jug – so I quickly made its portrait. And the trees, my friends along the path, wearing their bleak winter wardrobe.

More soon. It will be Spring before we know it – and with this being our first year in our new home and garden, each season brings a bit of surprise. I’m getting some hints of spring bulbs with the emergence of some tiny shoots amidst the snow. This garden needs so much work, and the prospect of some inherited spring flowers makes me very happy. I’ll keep you posted.

Px

Happy New Year Everyone! January has a lot going for it, I feel. When better to shake off a few dusty routines and habits than after a few weeks of glorious indulgence. I have always liked a fresh start – bring on the resolutions. Never mind if they fizzle or fade, a positive intention is still a wonderful thing. So much as I delight in the fairy lights and tinsel, I always feel happy to pack them away, dust off the cobwebs of the old year and move forward. And a delicious healthy regime is a great way to start – here are some of my favourite vitamin rich foods to celebrate the New Year.

I like to add a few sprigs of mint to my green tea. And a beautiful mug makes it even nicer – this one is a hand made Christmas gift by our talented (eldest) girl! And to go with the tea, how about a few nuts and seeds, dried berries and some squares of inky dark chocolate?

Hmm, what else? A dish of simply steamed Scottish salmon, with a little lemon and pepper. But surely this is still indulgence isn’t it? Especially with a drizzle of this magnificent, jewel green pistachio oil. I bought this bottle in France a few weeks ago. Such a rich, deep roasted nutty flavour.

A few slices of beetroot – more colour, more vibrancy, more flavour…

So that’s the view from my kitchen worktop this week.

As for other new plans and projects this year, well I have been busy and have made a good start. My new studio in the garden – a lovely Scandinavian log cabin – is all built and ready. I’m still working on the finishing touches, a bit of painting and organising all my props and stuff. Of those there are lots – it’s quite a task! I’ll make some photos of the studio in a week or so and post them soon.

What plans do you have for the New year? Drop me a comment if you like – I’d love to hear!

Pascale

Oh – I forgot the avocado! x

Unexpected pleasures are so sweet, don’t you find? The glorious sunshine and unusual warmth of the past days have brought delight – just as we started to get entrenched in the routine of Autumn. And the garden of our new home boasts trees laden with an extraordinary crop of apples and the hedges are richly dotted with blackberries. These must be celebrated!

So, directly home from school, books and bags are cast aside and we make right for a lovely spot in the garden for a cool drink and a rest.

But little boys don’t really rest for long, do they? Our boy is lucky as he has quite a few little friends who live in the village. So after school, the garden is often buzzing with several little boys running around, building dens, climbing…. And feeling hungry – always hungry!

I’ve been reading a charming little book. It’s called ON A Stick! and it’s written by Matt Armendariz. Matt is the creator of the wonderful blog Matt Bites – do you know it? Well the book is just about what you would expect from the title – a series of quirky, delicious recipes and ideas – all of food on a stick.

Now I have yet to find a child who doesn’t adore food on sticks! Even healthy skewers of fruit and veggies. As long as you can trust little boys with sharp sticks (you can’t!) So with vigilance, I presented a garden snack inspired by Matt’s book. This isn’t actually his recipe, in fact it isn’t really a recipe at all. I simply assembled some berries and apple slices (from the garden), along with some little pieces of cake on wooden bamboo sticks.

The cake is a buttermilk and almond cake but I haven’t perfected the recipe yet. When I do, I’ll be happy to share it if you would like. Just let me know.

A quick chat, then back to running around!

A change of weather is forecast – back to the typical offerings of the season. Despite a little sadness to say goodbye to the bright warm days, I feel quite excited about the prospect of Autumn. It’s such a beautiful time of year – the splendid colours, the brisk walks, and of course, the delicious warming foods that nourish body and soul. More soon.

Px

What can be more fun when out on a country walk than finding some gorgeous, sun ripened fruit just waiting to be picked? I recently had a lovely expedition along a local bridle path in search of these beautiful little wild plums. My new friend S – a friendship made on Twitter! – who lives near me, remembered spotting these little plums on a walk a year or so before. She couldn’t remember the exact location, so we set off to seek them out. Do you know, I walk along this path so often, and yet there are so many plants. nuts, fruits that I’ve just ambled past without noticing. Not any more! My walk takes three times as long now I am vigilant for the treasures that foraging will provide. We not only found a wealth of delicious plums, but also spotted cherries, sloes, hazelnuts, and walnuts. The walnuts are still very young, yet so promising.

But this day’s mission was for plums and so plentiful they were that we picked lots. Too many for my family to eat right away. So I decided to make a plum syrup  to drizzle on some pancakes or perhaps some creamy Greek yogurt. This recipe was a bit of an experiment, but it worked really well and the result is delicious. Sweet, slightly tangy and fragrant.

As you can see, these plums are quite small – I think they might be called cherry plums – and round. I knew it would be difficult to remove the stones before cooking so I didn’t worry with doing that. As it would all be strained later it didn’t matter to just cook them whole.

This syrup is so pretty isn’t it? Such a vibrant colour and the flavour is just as intense.

Inspired by the walnuts on the tree, I toasted some walnuts to sprinkle on the pancakes along with a dusting of icing sugar and the syrup. So delicious and nutritious too!

This is one of the walnuts on the tree near my home. I’ll be keeping watch over them.

As for the pancakes – well who doesn’t love pancakes? Some people love big fluffy American style hotcakes and some prefer the thin English ones that you eat with lemon and sugar. I love both. This time I decided to make an in-between pancake, not big and fluffy but with a bit of leavening for a slightly thicker pancake. Here’s this recipe for the pancakes.

Mix together 200g of plain flour with a pinch of salt, 25g of sugar and a teaspoon of baking powder. Make a well in this mix, and drop in two eggs and 50o ml of milk. Whisk it all together well until it is smooth like thick cream. I fry the pancakes with a few drops of rape seed oil so they have lovely brown edges.

It has been a busy spell for me. I will write more soon about an exciting project that I am working on. It is lots of fun but very consuming – but that’s for next time! Hope you are all having a lovely summer. Please drop me a comment and let me know what you are up to.

Pascale x

I’ve been on the road. There’s nothing quite so exciting as a voyage is there?  That’s how I feel – and especially so of travel to a place I’ve never seen before. So with much delight we set off to Greece, via Athens to the startlingly beautiful island of Kefalonia. I have long dreamt of visiting Greece, and with this trip we had a very special reason to make our journey: the wedding of our dear friend Hector (also our son’s godfather) and his beautiful Sonia. Despite pictures and books, you never truly know what a place will be like until you are actually there do you? The light, the mood, the breeze, the colours? And the food! For me this is very important – the markets, cafes and restaurants, food shops and supermarkets, the fruit growing on the trees. Like this lemon I just picked.

A lovely lunch of prawns and garlic, and a “village salad” of soft fresh cheese, herbs and olives.

I have never seen water so clear as this Ionian sea – and look at the colours. Perfect for a little swim before lunch.

The wildflowers are sprinkled alongside the roads and over the hills like fluttering jewels and the wild herbs fill the breeze with scent. The land is rich with olive trees. Beautiful olive trees.

A bounty of land and sea. And bread, honey and nuts.

So a wonderful few days of exploring and eating, drinks and chats in the town square cafes, the children climbing the big tree in the middle of the square, laughing, and learning a little Greek. What could be better? Well a big fabulous Greek wedding, of course!

This wedding was magnificent and so different from any I’ve been to before. The ceremony took place outside as the sun was going down, beside a beautiful family chapel. The guests all stood, walked around, chatted  a bit, while the priests conducted the marriage ceremony. Some sang, we all pelted the couple and priests with rice. The children ran around and giggled, flinging handfuls of rose petals. Later the children helped to give out sugared almonds and little almond cakes. And then off we all went, to a glorious seaside taverna, to dance and feast and toast the happy couple.

Some sweets from Kefalonia. Such a beautiful place – I can’t wait to visit again one day.

Thanks for visiting. More very soon, with some recipes inspired by the sun!

Every so often, I wake up with a resolve to have a scanty eating day or week… a detox, spa day, regime – namely the best spin I can put on restricting my diet after a bit too much indulgence. The problem is that whenever I decide to lighten up on food, all I can think about is food! I have the most robust appetite in my mind and nothing fuels it quite like a bit of abstinence. One day a friend said to me that when she is trying to eat lighter, she thinks about all the things she can eat, rather than the ones she plans to avoid. So I tried that, and guess what? It works. (Sometimes.) So today I’m thinking about steamed fish.

Steamed fish is just plain delicious, spa cuisine or not. Add some spice and fragrant herbs and it is even an indulgence, for body and mind. As for the coconut rice – well that’s just balance isn’t it?

Recently I photographed a few features for Eat Me Magazine. One of the pieces was a recipe feature for snapper steamed in banana leaves with a heady, exotic paste of spices, nuts and herbs. Banana leaves are not always readily available in England but I found some lovely fresh banana leaves in an Oriental supermarket in Oxford – a delightful find among the dreaming spires and honey stone walls. But if you are not so lucky, it is easy enough to steam fish in parchment paper or just in a steamer. More on recipes in a moment.

As you can see, the idea is to make the spice paste, and wrap it together with the fish filet in a leaf and tie with string to secure. Then you steam the fish parcels in the bamboo steamer. Later when you unwrap the leaves it is with the anticipation and delight of opening a yummy present!

So to recipes. I am going to be deliberately vague here because there is so much latitude in this type of cooking. And you can vary things depending on what flavours you like best and what you have available. For an exact recipe, take a look at Issue 5 of Eat Me magazine or email me (see contact page) for a link.

For the steamed fish, take a couple of fresh white fish fillets. Snapper, halibut, or even tilapia will all work well. Lay each fillet out on a generous sheet of parchment or in a good size piece of banana leaf. Cover the fish with a few spoonfuls of the seasoning paste. For the paste, mash together in a mortar or a mini chopper a clove of garlic, a shallot, the juice of a lime, a cube of ginger, a few coriander seeds, a half teaspoon of turmeric, a teaspoon of lemongrass, perhaps a couple of tablespoons of peanuts or macadamia nuts, a tiny spoon of shrimp paste, a small fresh chilli pepper…just choose or omit the ingredients as you wish. Sometimes, I just use a quick squeeze of lime, and little grating of ginger or chilli. Wrap the fish up into a parcel and place in a steamer basket over simmering water. Steam for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the fish fillets.

A delicious bowl of rice is a wonderful accompaniment to this fish. You can prepare some simple plain steamed rice, white or brown as you desire. Or perhaps some coconut rice made like this. Take one cup of jasmine rice, or sticky type rice. Add two cups of coconut milk, or half coconut milk/half water if you want it a little lighter. Add a half teaspoon of salt. Cover and bring quickly to a boil then immediately turn the heat down to as low as possible. Allow to rice to gently steam over that very low heat for about 15 minutes, covered all the while. Turn off the heat, and when you are ready to serve garnish with a few coriander (cilantro) leaves and chopped cashew nuts if you like.

Has Spring arrived with a great busy rush for you? It seems to me that the last month or so has been so full, with weddings and school holidays, and bright sunny days all in addition. This is such a wonderful time of year in England. There is so much greenery and life in all the countryside and lanes. The village cricket team is all geared up for the opening match of the season and the pitch is rolled and ready too. And I know it will be my turn to make the cricket teas very soon – perhaps I will post on village cricket teas, what do you think?

Thanks for visiting. More soon.

Pascale

Blossom! All the trees around here are starting to burst into joyful exuberant bloom and I just love it. Nothing evokes springtime, optimism and bright beginnings quite as well as nature cloaked in a mass of petals. The tulips, daffodils and other bulbs are all lovely, but for me, it’s the blossom that really gives life a lift. So beautiful, these delicate petals and colours, and so fleeting too. You just have to stop and enjoy them as they last. So, blessed with some gentle sunshine this week, we are taking our aperitifs to the garden!

If you are like me, you’ll enjoy a little savoury treat with your drink. And these little cheesy, nutty biscuits are just the thing. The problem is only that they are so tasty and moreish (that’s a word from my childhood!) that it’s hard to stop from eating too many. Never mind, I have a robust appetite and it’s not readily ruined. These biscuits are quick and simple to make, and you can even prepare the dough in advance, shape it into a cylinder and freeze it. Then when you wish to bake the sables, just allow it to barely defrost so you can slice the little rounds and bake.

In this recipe I used a strong, sharp cheddar and pecan nuts. But like most things I cook, it’s all variable! Try a version with gruyere or blue cheese and walnuts, or parmesan and sesame, poppy, caraway, onion seeds, paprika…

I wish it weren’t so, but we tend to hibernate a bit during the winter months in England. I feel much more inclined to socialise and entertain when the sun is shining. Living most of my life in sunny climates, I never noticed this – it’s one of those things that we are aware of with the distinct seasons we have in England. So here’s to Spring, Summer to come, warmer weather, friends and fun.

As always, thanks for visiting and please do leave me a comment if you wish. I love to get the links to your sites and blogs too. Or keep in touch on twitter!

More soon. P.

Glorious food, wonderful company, the breathtakingly beautiful Cotswold countryside and the ultra chic ambience that is Daylesford Organic? Yes it’s the perfect recipe for an amazing day out for a group of food writers, photographers and bloggers. I was lucky enough to join in on this recent lovely day, and came home brimming with inspiration and a sense of well being. Organised by the delightful and charming Silvana de Soissons (publisher of The Foodie Bugle), our day included an extensive tour of the farm shop, cafe, cookery school and gardens as well as cakes, pastries,and a superb lunch. Here are a few snaps I made on the day, I hope it gives you a flavour of the place. May I suggest that you visit The Foodie Bugle to read more about our day, as Silvana has written a wonderful account here.

Our day began with coffee and cakes in the cafe. This was tricky as I desperately wanted to be greedy and taste all the cakes but was too busy meeting and catching up with the rest of the gang. And it was lovely to chat with Rosie and Camilla from Daylesford. (Thanks again for looking after us so well.)  Richard Smith, the farm manager chatted to us about the farming methods they are using at Daylesford, the seed stock and dairy breeds, all incredibly interesting. I’ll just have to go back soon to get some cakes!

Lunch was in the glasshouse overlooking the Chelsea award winning herb gardens. Bathed in early Spring sunshine, the setting is impeccable. But look at this magnificent spread of hams, salads, tarts. Delicicious eh? I keep thinking about those sausage rolls and I am going to try to make some as similar as possible later this week. I’ll post my recipe when I get it right!

The spa and garden shop are equally stylish. Calm, muted colours and a simple, natural mood. Lovely.

So there you have it. If you get a chance to visit the Cotswolds – and I really recommend that you do – don’t miss a stop at Daylesford. I’m sure most visitors to Extra-Relish love gorgeous food like I do, so I know you’ll enjoy it.

Daylesford Organic, Gloucestershire. www.daylesfordorganic.com

I am so excited about Spring. I’ve been out and about with my camera, and feeling much inspiration to cook, so lots of photographs and recipes coming soon. Px