13 May 2011

Spices, spices everywhere

We had a visit recently from Helen Best-Shaw of FussFreeFlavours, who is a lovely lady - other bloggers welcome.  She asked many interesting questions and one of them got me thinking and that was why are we so interested in spices.  It certainly is n...

26 March 2011

Brownies Recipes From Cakes By Pam Corbin

We have just been at the International Food Exhibition 2011, IFE 2011, at Excel in London, where we have been exhibiting. 

21 March 2011

Matcha Tea Cupcakes - Green, Healthy and Tasty Recipe

The terrible events in Japan lay bare to us all how much we are still at the mercy of the elements, rather than completely in control of our earth.

22 February 2011

Brussels Sprouts And Chestnuts With Maple Glaze - A Recipe

I have never liked brussels sprouts, feeling they were the devil's food rather than the fairy cabbages that friends have sought to con their children with.  I have always dreaded Christmas lunch with the obligatory brussels sprouts or as in my case s...

31 December 2010

Breathe The Air, Relax And Just Be

What have I learnt through my attempts to understand the matrix that we call life, if anything?  What have I learnt by seeking to comprehend ideas that are beyond the wit of man and certain beyond my ken like the origin of species, creation, time, ma...

26 December 2010

We Are All In the Matrix

The matrix shimmers.  The world shifts an iota and your eyes refocus. 

15 December 2010

Recipe For A Warming Winter's Rabbit Casserole

Rabbit used to be the chicken of England with everyone eating rabbits that live in copious amounts around the countryside.  I am not sure why chicken took over from rabbit in our nation's hearts, but it might be as simple as the fact that it is easie...

04 October 2010

Review of Gillette Fatboy Razor From Late 1950s

26 September 2010

Apples, Bloody Apples And An Apple Cake Recipe

We only have three apple trees in our garden, but they have been massively fruitful this year.  In fact, they have produced so many apples I cannot even hope to use them all, even with friends and family taking them.  Nature has been so very fecund t...

18 September 2010

Recipes Using Venison From Hornby Castle

I bought some delicious venison steaks and diced venison the other day from Hornby Castle in North Yorkshire.  Since then, we have been experimenting with a couple of different casseroles, and have come up with two different ones - a traditional rich...

11 September 2010

Should We Encourage People From Countryside To Cities?

...Self doubt gets you thinking.  I am still thinking through my concerns about Fairtrade and I wonder whether I've got it arse over tip. 

30 August 2010

A Sense Of Community

On Saturday morning, I went to Havenhands the Bakers in St James's Square in Boroughbridge*, then on to the Post Office before going to Ripon to watch the start of the Annual Raft Race in the Ripon Canal Basin.  On that short journey, I met several p...

29 August 2010

New Razors - Old Razors

I have been spending the last week  and a bit shaving with two new razors that I bought on Ebay.  They are Gillette Razors from the late 1950s - a Red Tip and a Blue Tip Super-Speed Razors.  Why, you might rightfully ask; well, with razors, Gillette...

30 July 2010

Biodegradable Tea Bags

It was brought to our attention recently that some tea bags are not really biodegradable as they use polypropylene glues to seal the edges of the tea bags.  This is only the case for tea bags that are heat sealed in the tea bagging process.  The tea...

11 July 2010

Two Books For All Environmentalists

I have just finished the second of two books that are must-reads for those interested in our planet.  They are Nigel Lawson's "An appeal to reason - a cool look at global warming" and Bjørn Lomborg’s “Cool it – the skeptical environmentalist’s guide...

06 July 2010

Razor Review From Steenbergs

For many years, I shaved with a Gillette safety razor that used a classic plastic double-bladed Contour disposable blade until mid 2009.  However, I did not find the shave particularly close or satisfying, and I didn't like having to chuck the blades...

05 July 2010

June 2010 Food Blog Round Up

At Chocolate & Zucchini, there is a delicious sounding recipe for sablés from Yves Camdeborde's book Dimanche et Famille.  Clotilde Dusolier's blog then sent me around various links on her site to several other biscuit recipes that sound fantasti...

04 July 2010

Walk Around Nosterfield Nature Reserve In Yorkshire