Back on line!

Obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve updated this page. Reasons/Excuses – It’s been very hot here. Already 150 people have died in France as a result of the heatwave (far short of the 15,000 who died in the hot summer of 2003) and I have been finding it hard to sit in a non-air conditioned, windowless study after work.

Also, I have been desperately trying to put the finishing touches to French for Beginners. I have discovered (at this very late stage) that, to work, it needs to have 13 chapters (I call them lessons) rather than the original 9 that I had planned.

A series of IT problems didn’t help; although all seems to be running well now.

In the garden, everything is growing well (despite the heat). My Basil plants have gone loopy and I predict a Pesto making session coming up just to use the surplus!

All the best

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French Kitchen Garden

My kitchen garden consists of about a dozen plant pots (some big, some little) containing the following… Tomatoes (3 different types), peppers (both chilli and caspuscin), Basil, Rosemary & Thyme. To liven the place up there are also some fuschias, marigolds and heather. Round the side of the house, there is a small patch of garden where I have 3 rose bushes and more tomato plants and, of course, my courgettes. All my friends at work have kitchen gardens – even those who admit to not having mains verts. I think that it is part of being French.

Read more about… French Kitchen Garden

The Kitchen Page – an Introduction

“More of an ideas page rather than a recipe list.

The recipes are definitely not a three grams of this and half an ounce of that type recipes, anyway.

In fact, you’ll only get the vaguest outlines here.

After all, the stuff I buy in my local market is probably different to the stuff you buy in yours.

Take everything that I say here with a pinch of salt (or pepper, whatever).

If I suggest using a kilo of Ceps – that’s because I’ve picked them myself – for me, they’re free.

I hate to think how much a kilo of Ceps would cost in the UK.

Be flexible, use something else, instead….”

Reading back through what I’ve written reminds me that there have been some really great food writers.

Writers who have transcended their subject; geniuses who can fill our stomachs with mere words, carefully prepared & beautifully presented.

People like Elizabeth David, George Lassalle, Alice B. Toklas (well, I like her writing) and, perhaps the best of the lot, Nigel Slater.

Reading back through what I’ve written reminds me not to give up the day job!.

This is stuff I learned the hard (or easy) way.

Much of it has come from friends, neighbours and the people who have stalls in the Saturday morning market.

All the best

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