I’m back (Mel that is!). The last two months, I haven’t been as active as I would have liked. My mother has been ill, and is due for surgery on Tuesday. Combined with my jobs major events taking place in January I’ve been barely functioning. Unfortunately all my creative outlets have suffered. On a day off, I […]
Recent Posts
Spring Hill Deli – Review
One Friday at work, sick of the usual rotation of local pubs for our choice of lunch, one of my colleagues suggested this cafe. As I had stopped going to Friday lunch 6 months ago (all three pubs near our workplace are average), I was excited at the prospect of trying a new cafe in […]
Happy Holidays!
I hope all our readers had a happy and safe Christmas period. I was spoilt by my sister Emma who gave me this lovely gift – combining two loves cooking and stationery. I look forward to sharing lots of recipes in the new year. Love, Mel and Alex
Berry Christmas (and Rhubarb) Jam
This is delicious, and incredibly easy, jam. I’ve made it this year, as I did last year, to include in Christmas hampers for friends and family. Using just 3 (or 4) ingredients it is incredibly quick and, aside from being a great gift idea, it’s also an easy way to use up overripe fruit you […]
Stained-glass Shortbread Biscuits
I came across this recipe in the Woolworths’ Fresh magazine Christmas edition and had seen the stained-glass idea in past years. I decided to give it a whirl for something different, road-testing these for potential gifts. I’m glad I did a test run because I know I won’t be using the shortbread recipe again. The […]
Natalie Paull’s Gingerbread Men
This recipe comes from Stephanie Alexander’s The Cook’s Companion. While I have a favourite gingerbread recipe that I have used for years to make trees and houses, I wanted to try out this one. Gingerbread is, for me, a basic baking recipe and a good measure of a cookbook. This dough was incredibly easy to […]
Ena’s Gingerbread
Now, I don’t personally know Ena, but I can tell you that she makes a mean gingerbread cake. The name, like the recipe, comes from the Frugal Feeding blog, and he states “This is a favourite recipe of Katherine’s grandmother, Ena, who lives in Sunderland [England]; though I think the recipe was originally taken from […]
Banana Bread
This is the easiest, most reliable banana bread recipe you will ever come across. I can’t remember how many times I’ve made it but I know it is always received well. For this cake, I greedily eye off the bananas in our fruit bowl, willing them to blacken, it’s that good. I prefer to make […]
Christmas Chutney
As promised in my sneak peek, a post about preserving! I spent a very pleasant Saturday afternoon making this delicious Christmas Chutney. I love Christmas time. I think this time of year means different things for different people. For me personally, it’s a hectic time, but it is one filled with love.. For me, I only give […]
Cherry and Almond Strudel
I have always enjoyed strudel but felt too intimidated to make it. Once I made this recipe I realised how baseless those fears were! Honestly this is such an easy dessert that I know I will be making it again and again. Lately I’ve been getting more inspired by my cookbooks so this is another […]
A Tale of Two Kitchens 