The first barbecue of the year

Posted by petra08 on March 29, 2017 · 7 Comments 

barbecue meat and root vegetables

The days are getting longer and the sun has been shining and spring has arrived. The sun was so warm the other day and the forecast for the weekend was sunshine so I thought it would be great to celebrate with the first barbecue of the year.   Magnolia tree in blossom   I spoke … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Beef, Carrot, Garlic, Main course, Meat, Parsnip, Pork, Red, Saussage, Wine · Tagged with , ,

Slow cooked chilli beef

Posted by petra08 on November 23, 2016 · 6 Comments 

chilli beef stew with persimmon salsa

How about a dinner party? I love to have guests for dinner, the feeder in me comes out. Food has a lovely way of bringing people together. A good dinner party is as much about the food as it is about the chemistry around the dinner table. If there is anyone coming that I would … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Beef, Carrot, Celery, Chilli, Fruit, Garlic, Ginger, Herbs, Lemon, Main course, Meat, Onion, Potatoes, Recipe, Red, Side dish, Watercress · Tagged with , ,

Spicy beef ravioli with red wine and tomato sauce

Posted by petra08 on April 8, 2016 · 14 Comments 

Spicy beef ravioli and red wine barbecue sauce

Do you throw out your leftovers? I try not to, many times they end up in the fridge and then in the bin but somehow I feel better taking the extra step. Sure it lacks logic but how many of you do the same? The other night I opened what looked like a decent bottle … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Beef, Chilli, Garlic, Ginger, Herbs, Main course, Meat, Recipe, Red, Tomatoes, Wine · Tagged with , , , , ,

Smoked Chinese pulled pork

Posted by petra08 on April 7, 2015 · 17 Comments 

I can never resist a good bargain and I picked up a boned shoulder of pork that was on sale. We had guests coming for dinner and I love the versatility of pork. I really fancied pulled pork and what better opportunity than when you have guests to share it with? I find it pretty … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Cabbage, Carrot, Cauliflower, Chilli, Cote du Rhone, Cucumber, Garlic, Ginger, Herbs, Home made produce, Kale, Lemon, Main course, Pesto, Pork, Potatoes, Recipe, Red, Spring onion · Tagged with , , , ,

Bacon wrapped turkey and all the trimmings

Posted by petra08 on December 28, 2014 · 5 Comments 

A turkey dinner can be a bit on the bland side and most of the ones I have had have also been a bit been dry. I was determined to cook a very English and completely non bland turkey dinner with all the trimmings, it is so delicious when everything falls in to place. I … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Brussels sprouts, Celery, Garlic, Herbs, Main course, Meat, Onion, Pork, Potatoes, Recipe, Red, Turkey · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Sometimes love is a good steak and red wine

Posted by petra08 on November 29, 2014 · 6 Comments 

Do you ever have one of those days when you regret having left your bed, and even more so reading your e-mails? M had one of those days and it wasn’t just one thing, all bad things comes in three and it was about as far as we could stretch a day of misery. There … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Beef, Carrot, Cote du Rhone, Garlic, Main course, Meat, Onion, Potatoes, Red, Starch · Tagged with , ,

A mighty, meaty ragu

Posted by petra08 on November 26, 2014 · 9 Comments 

I used to be a season ticket holder to a great rugby team, the Harlequins. I always enjoyed going to watch them play and if the weather got too cold I could buy mulled wine by the flask. It would always warm me up nicely and take the edge of the cold. Sadly I had … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Avocado, Beef, Bread, Cauliflower, Celery, Chilli, Crab, Dinner for friends, Fish & Seafood, Garlic, Herbs, Lobster, Main course, Meat, Mushroom, Onion, Pork, Potatoes, Prawns, Recipe, Red, Starter · Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Canapés, dumplings and dessert inspired by the colour red

Posted by petra08 on November 2, 2014 · 11 Comments 

They say that all things comes in three and in this case it might be true. We have had three different lots of friends to come visit within a short period and it has been so much fun. We had some very late summer weather, really amazing for this time of the year still spotting … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Amuse bouche, Avocado, Camembert, Cheese, Chilli, Cod, Cucumber, Dessert, Dinner for friends, Egg, Fish & Seafood, Fruit, Garlic, Goats cheese, Herbs, Herring, Main course, Meat, Mushroom, Prawns, Proescco, Quails eggs, Recipe, Red, Rioja, Salmon, Starter, Strawberry, Venison, Watermelon, White, Wine · Tagged with , , , , , , ,

Smoked paprika cured pulled chicken salad with miso dressing

Posted by petra08 on January 7, 2014 · 3 Comments 

After the holidays and quite  lot of rich foods I was craving something lighter. I picked up a couple of chicken breasts and thought a chicken salad would be nice, especially with some crunchy veg and a spicy dressing. First I wanted to give the chicken as much flavor as possible and decided to cure … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Celery, Chicken, Herbs, Meat, Onion, Recipe, Red, Snack, Spring onion, Starter, Tomatoes, Wine · Tagged with , , , , , ,

Stuffed rib of beef with twice baked potatoes

Posted by petra08 on December 30, 2013 · 4 Comments 

With Christmas over and done with I still felt like the holiday spirit and after the ham and the turkey I wanted a rib of beef, a big one, on the bone. A piece of beef like that demanded good wine and good friends to share it with so the recipes below are for 6 … Continue reading →

Category Allotment/Veg, Apples, Beef, Cabbage, Celery, Cheddar, Cheese, Dinner for friends, Egg, Fruit, Garlic, Herbs, Main course, Meat, Mushroom, Onion, Pork, Potatoes, Recipe, Red, Spring onion, Starch, Starter, Wine · Tagged with , , , ,