Book review: Sicilian Splendors

Book review: Sicilian Splendors

Sicily is a beautiful part of Italy: the island is rich in history, the climate is wonderful, the food truly special and the people friendly. A new book by author John Keahey highlights some of the island’s best kept secrets with warmth and knowledge. Keahey first visited Sicily in 1986 and, enchanted, keeps returning in between writing other travel narratives. His books range from southern Italy to Venice to western Tuscany. His earlier book on Sicily is Seeking Sicily: A Cultural…

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Ciambelline al Vino
Easy Ciambelline al vino

Easy Ciambelline al vino

With lucuma & vanilla I work for a large corporation… one of the advantages of it is that I have colleagues from all walks of life and with a different array of tastes and experiences. One of these is a self proclaimed group which makes up the company’s Baking Society. We’re all fans of the GBBO, we all love a sourdough starter and a cookie recipe and a couple of us are even semi-pro bakers.  We meet once a month…

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150th Guittard Chocolate
Guittard chocolate 150th anniversary celebration

Guittard chocolate 150th anniversary celebration

Last year we had had the pleasure of ‘meeting’ San Francisco based chocolate producer Guittard at pre Christmas event in Shoreditch (we’ve written about it here). They are one of the few remaining family run chocolate producers in the US, and have a long history: in the mid 1800s, Etienne Guittard ventured from Tournus, France to the Barbary Coast in hopes of striking it rich during the California Gold Rush. He brought delicious chocolate from his uncle’s factory to trade…

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Persian Chicken Stew - CrockPot Challenge
Persian chicken stew in the Crock Pot

Persian chicken stew in the Crock Pot

Inspiring Instagram posts Months ago I saw an Instagram post and thought the stew in the photo looked wonderfully comforting, so I searched for a recipe I could replicate but never actually got round to make it. I think the inspiring post on a Persian Chicken stew was by chef and renowned author Sabrina Ghayour Using the CrockPot Fast forward a few months and I have been involved in the CrockPot Challenge, which I am pleased to say I have successfully…

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