Autumn is here - Alli cooks

The heating has gone on, Autumn has finally arrived so thoughts of a nut roast crossed my mind for tonight's meal, but I changed my mind when I looked for inspiration. I love goats cheese so I was drawn to 'Goats Cheese purses w roasted red pepper sauce' from New Food for Thought - I didn't have any sun dried tomato condiment, so I just left it out...still tasted lush! 

The dish was accompanied by root veg roasted in a greaseproof paper package - new pots, carrots, baby parsnips, garlic, shallots - sprinkled with some olive oil and a sprig of rosemary chucked in. Wrap them up, roast and dish them up in their packets (watch out for the steam!) The little packets went down well with the birds...tweet!


For desert it was the turn of Nigel Slater to provide the recipe - Poached pears with Florentines - full of naughty cream. You can watch the recipe being made her - cheers Nige! We chatted about you, 'Toast' and the TV film of your autobiography - we loved it!


A world gone mad with an obsession for plastic surgery was on the agenda tonight, with one solution to the madness being enforced watching of the movie 'Brazil' by Terry Gilliam - that should sort things out!

Wheat-friendly version - an individual ramekin of the pie filling with a rich tomato sauce, baked. Leave the Florentines out of the cream.


Happy half term Alli x

Thank Goodness it's Friday! Lucy Cooks

Delia’s veggie moussaka seems like the perfect dish for an Autumn eve.. lentils, aubergines, peppers galore with a fluffy ricotta toppping.  Delish.  The birds rated it a winner.  Salad and warm bread on the side.  Laura and Henk approved so it must have been ok.  

Sally pitched up later after a (tense, sweaty Open Evening).  The joys of choosing A levels with your teenagers.

Check out the tart tatin.  Raymond’s instructions proved rather over- prescriptive so I went free- style on the apple arrangement.  The caramel didn’t burn and the (frozen) puff pastry puffed so a result.  Lovely with single cream.

Conversation turns to the highs and lows of parenting.  How is it that you might know (in theory) about the right thing to do but get it so wrong in the moment?  Apologising to your kids “Hmmm I’m sorry, I was wrong to say that …’ can be hard to do we think.

Enough for now.  Glad to see that there is still a slice or two of tart left over.  A nice Friday breakfast.

Lucy.