Last year I posted this recipe for Cinnamon Buns (and it went down like a cinnamon bun should: a lip-smacking treat!). Since then I have modified the recipe slightly. Theme and variations of the cinnamon variety. I still love the original, but this new version is a lighter dough, less bready and more like a pastry in appearance. The outer edge is a little crispy and the middle remains a perfectly moist, plump dough.
Continue reading Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Perfume is one of my favourite things. I’ve been fascinated in fragrance since I discovered Givenchy’s Tartine et Chocolat (or Eau de Chocolat) when I was a child. I like to think I have ‘The Nose’ as one of my party tricks is being able to identify perfumes while blindfolded! This obsession with perfume has led to quite a collection and although some scents come and go I’ve got some lovely favourites that have remained constant, like old friends.
Continue reading Perfume Notes: Dior J’adore
“Until I owned an Aga I never quite understood how Aga owners could be so ecstatic about a cooker. Now I totally understand and am devoted to mine.”
Well said Mary Berry.
Continue reading Cooking With An Aga
Happy New Year! I visited RHS Wisley gardens for a quick wintery walk. I love watching the way nature transforms our surroundings throughout the year and Wisley is such a beautiful place to observe these changes.
Continue reading Wisley Through The Seasons
The sweatshirt has been centre stage for a little while now, thanks to the ubiquitous Sports Lux trend. Big, basic… and beautiful. Draped over a delicate dress in Summer or worn with a pair of tan jodhpurs (too much Surrey?) it has definitely proved itself to be a very versatile little item. And it’s here to stay.
Continue reading Work Up A Sweat…Shirt
This luxurious pear upside-down cake is a cracking teatime bake (its top cracks so pleasingly) for friends coming over at ‘Twixtmas’ – the fun festive time between Christmas and New Year. The juiciness of the pears with the richness of the sponge make it cake perfection. Your tastebuds are pulled all over the place. Light / indulgent.
Continue reading Pear Upside-Down Cake
It’s absolutely freezing and the heating is on, which makes the transition from frosty outdoor walks to warm, cosy gatherings by the fire hugely satisfying, but a bit troublesome for your skin.
Continue reading Winter Beauty Buys
I love short stories unutterably, but they often prove the most complex to review.
Continue reading The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami
May I suggest a simple and delicious cheddar cheese risotto for Christmas Eve? The tang of the cheddar cheese against the plump risotto makes it a comforting, light and a welcome vegetarian meal at this time of year. Plump for plump risotto!
Continue reading Cheddar Cheese Risotto Recipe
Architect Sir Charles Barry is perhaps best known for designing the Houses of Parliament and Highclere Castle (of Downton Abbey fame) but his work can also spectacularly be seen in Surrey. Sir Charles Barry’s third son, Edward Middleton Barry, designed the handsome building Cobham Park, also in Surrey.
Continue reading History of Horsley Towers
