I have been in a blogging slump of late. I would like to blame Instagram. But I know it is not true. It is purely a blogger's block. This is probably the fifth time I have been hit with a mild case of it (unlike the block of 2007 which lasted a whopping 6...
My mum always replied with "The person who cooks can't really eat much!" when we admonished her for not digging in with gusto, a delicious meal she had toiled over. As a child, I never understood that. Even less when I was in my teens and my...
I have a stack full of robust cake recipes that belong to the beautiful brown crumb family and just hit the sweet spot - just! I love a cake that you can take a mouthful of and name at least a handful of ingredients in it as you slowly savour it. A cake...
This month I am developing bowls of fun, nutritious and modern-day salads for ELLE magazine's mid-year issue. I find the anatomy of a salad utterly fascinating. Just like any other dish, a great salad has a balance of flavours and textures. A slight upset and you...
On discovering coconut sugar for the first time at the supermarket, I sent out this instagram asking people what they did with coconut sugar. Some very delectable suggestions later, I realized that baking with it was the way to go. It has been a while since I...
Bircher muesli was a very recent discovery for me. On this trip to the Hunter Valley, I was hovering over the breakfast buffet laid out with a million choices. When there is too much food, I am indecisive and I hover. Â Like a kid in the candy store. Not being able to...
The past two weeks have been an exercise in trying to get assimilated to a new routine. One that involves a lot of physical activity and clean eating. I suppose when you have been literally surrounded by food for a long period of time and have been cooking in...
On days when I am working by myself (which is most days, really!) I eat pre-dominantly vegetarian meals. An hour long lunch break is often enough to explore and experiment with new ingredients to create tasty and nourishing light meals that are not only easy to...
 I am 36 today. It is my birthday. It kind of crept up on me. It crept up on my family. It managed to scare them because they were caught unawares. While the boys got busy with their craft box, Nick assured me there would be cake and good food that evening and not...
Necessity is the mother of invention. I used to hear that phrase a lot as a child. It started dissipating as I grew up. I wonder why. Maybe it was because times changed and the convenience and affordability of modern life ensured that we didn't have to work very hard...
Spelt is an ancient grain, a species of wheat that prevailed long before the hybrid version that we use today. Spelt flour is very high in nutrients and has more protein than the modern wheat. The gluten in spelt is gentle and can be enjoyed by many who might...
This is the last thing I cooked on Friday before I went off on an adventure to the Barossa valley for the very first time (and I will talk about that in length very soon). Last week I found some fresh white beans (cannelini beans) at Thomas Dux. I had never...
