Dried lavender on Baba Jenny’s sugar spoon

She gave me a knife but I needed a machete.

Recently, after a Sunday supper, Michael’s grandmother sent me into her garden to harvest some fresh herbs to bring home and cook with during the week ahead. I cut chives as long as my forearm and pinched off some green, glossy Genovese basil leaves as ...
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Baking at the cottage: raspberry pie

Raspberries are special.

They’re intricate. Think of that hive of tiny, hair-studded spheres that slips off its torus when perfectly ripe.

They’re delicate. Eat them from your cupped palm, and streaky stains of their crimson juice will be left behind.

They’re luscious. Deeply flavoured with tart and sweet and floral notes all at once, they taste exactly what you’d ...
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Marmalade and dark chocolate tart

This recipe was born of necessity.

While recently reviewing a cookbook, I tried a recipe for Seville orange marmalade that, while extremely delicious, had the consistency of cement. (I suspect the recipe neglects to instruct followers to top up the water level after the oranges go through their first boil.)

Since it was clear that this marmalade ...
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