19 July 2015

Cinnamongate: is cinnamon safe to eat?

We regularly get asked questions about the safety of cinnamon, e.g. “is cinnamon safe to consume?” or “how much coumarin is there in Steenbergs cinnamon?”  There's a lot of chatter about this issue in webworld and in blogs.

05 March 2012

Having A Crack At Making Pan Pepato

One of my favourite Christmassy things is panforte and I, also, love Nurnberger lebkuchen.  It hails from Siena which is probably my favourite city in Italy.  There really is something special about sitting out in the Piazza del Campo, looking across...

23 December 2011

Give Some Time And Make Some Christmas Sweets

In this festive period, we have been asked out to various families for drinks, or the kids out to parties.  And the question always is what to give people in a period of giving.  So yesterday, the kids and I spent a happy day making sweets, much as w...

17 December 2011

Recipe For Nurnberger Christmas Cookies - German Lebkuchen

Following on from the spekulatius blog, we have been having fun trying to make German lebkuchen cookies.

11 December 2011

Recipe For Speculaas Biscuits - A Dutch Christmas Treat

One of my favourite Christmas cookies are spekulatius biscuits, or speculaas as they are called in the Netherlands.  I remember we always used to get a special parcel from Lebkuchen Schmidt in Nürmberg from my Granny.  In amongst all the beautiful ti...

16 January 2011

Review Of December 2010 Food Blogs (Part 2)

At Mahanandi, Indira shared some innovative menu ideas for the Christmas Season, or holiday season as it is called in America - see Menu 1 and Menu 2.  Maison Cupcake was cupcake decorating in a Masterclass in Islington's The Make Lounge with Mich Tu...

11 December 2010

Countdown To Christmas

It is that time of the year again when I start panicking that I have not got everything ready for Christmas.  What have you forgotten?  No presents bought that is for sure, but the thought and desire is there.  Soon, I feel myself say, there's still...

21 November 2010

Recipe For German Stollen

My mother is German, our family coming originally from Eastern Germany; in fact, my maternal great great grandfather's family were from even further east in modern Poland, being a headmaster for a school in Gdansk. 

14 November 2010

Traditional Mincemeat Recipe

I am winning with Christmas food preparations this year, which seems unbelievable considering how little time I seem to have to do anything at the moment;. I am running about one week behind last year.  However, as a man who cooks, I do actually find...

27 July 2010

Of Meat In Dumfries And Galloway

21/7/2010 - I am sitting here at a table overlooking a glorious lake; not some picture postcard view across Lake Como in brilliant sunshine, but a grey, overcast day with some low lying wispy clouds moving slowly across the conifer plantations opposi...

07 February 2010

Follow the frankincense trail

08 January 2010

Recipes - Oranges And Lemons For Really Great Homemade Biscuits

While snowed in in the cold countryside of Northumberland, we enjoyed some warming chai as well as delicious mulled wine using our organic Fairtrade mulling wine spices.  I also concocted a couple of citrus based biscuits, with one of them coming fro...

24 December 2009

Christmas Eve And It's Still Snowing

20 December 2009

Recipe For Snowy White Mince Pies

19 December 2009

White Snow... White Icing - A Recipe For Royal Icing

16 December 2009

Recipe For Egg Free Marzipan And Baking For Christmas Fairs

It's the time of the School Christmas Fairs, Nativity Plays and Carol Concerts and we are always being tapped for products or being asked to do some baking. 

06 December 2009

Recipe For Sweets At Christmas Fairs

Inspired by marzipanning the Christmas cake yesterday and acutely aware of the looming Christmas Fair after the Carol Concert at our children's school, I decided to experiment with some sweet making this morning.  Also, chidhood memories of Niederegg...

05 December 2009

Recipe For Marzipan For Christmas Cake

I love marzipan, which is often called in a highly industrial way almond paste (an honest but bland name).