30/04/2025
Last May I hosted my first ‘Nourish and Nurture’ workshop at my home in North Somerset. The day was a lovely combination of relaxing yoga and delicious food. The fabulous Emma Hassel led a gorgeous yoga session in the spring sunshine in front of a field full of buttercups and the sky alive with bird song. Then I led a cooking demonstration in my kitchen using the freshest and most healthful ingredients. There were many highlights but the absolute best thing was bringing together such a wonderful group of people to share the day we created and give them the gift of peace and time 🥰. I’m really excited to tell you about my next ‘Nourish and Nurture’ workshop which will be on the 6th June. More details to follow or drop me a message if you’d like to reserve a spot!
08/04/2025
On Wednesday last week I ran a cooking workshop , just outside Chew Magna in North Somerset. My ‘clients’ were ten members of Chew Chats, a social group for the over 70s. The workshop gives the Chew Chatters an opportunity to come together for a very social, hands-on two hour cooking session, the product of which we eat together in the Pony’s beautiful (and newly refurbished) restaurant which has sensational views over the Somerset countryside.
The time we spend together, cooking, chatting, laughing is just magic. Magic that is created by the love, goodwill and hard work that goes into making these sessions happen. Special mentions go to The Pony who have created such an incredible cooking school and so generously give the Chew Chatters the opportunity to benefit from and enjoy the space. In particular, Holly, Josh, Emma and Richard, thank you for making us so welcome and looking after us all. To Sam and Wendy who organise all the Chew Chats events, working tirelessly to create amazing opportunities for the over 70s community in our corner of the world. The love and care they show all of the Chatters is inspiring and humbling. And the Chatters themselves who are a joy to spend time with. All of them see such value in coming together to learn new skills, practice old ones and take part in the session.
It’s very special indeed to spend time teaching in such an incredible cookery school with Sam and Wendy to deliver these workshops which give so much to the fabulous Chew Chatters. 👩🍳❤️👨🍳
27/03/2025
Here is Deborah’s original recipe (see my previous post), I use it as a guide. In addition to this recipe I roasted some butternut squash, fried some leeks and added half a jar of butter beans to my Saturday night version.
Paella de Carne
Serves 4
Ingredients:
6 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic - peeled and finely chopped
2 red and 2 green peppers - seeded and coarsely chopped
1/2 onion - coarsely chopped
1 tomato - coarsely chopped
120g skinless chicken thighs (you could just use chicken or just pork/beef for the recipe if you prefer) - cut into bite size pieces
120g pork fillet or beef tenderloin - cut into small pieces
salt and pepper
pinch of chilli
4 tsp paprika, smoked, hot or regular depending on your preference
saffron threads or powder (pinch) - optional
380g Spanish Paella rice or use risotto rice
250ml white wine - optional. If you don’t want to use wine then make up the volume with extra stock
830ml chicken stock
1 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
Method:
In a large paella pan, heat the olive oil, add the peppers first and cook until tender.
Add the onions and garlic and cook over a medium heat, stirring often, for about 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook until the meat has taken on some colour.
Add in the tomato, paprika, chilli and saffron. Stir to combine.
Add the rice and stir to blend with the rest of the ingredients, allowing the rice to absorb a little of the oil.
Pour the hot stock and wine into the pan and stir gently to combine the ingredients, cook over a medium heat until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice and the rice is tender.
Remove from the heat and let it rest for about 5 min before serving.
Serve with the lemon wedges on the top.
25/03/2025
Food Memories:
Saturday night chicken paella with roast squash and crispy leeks.
Twelve and a half years ago my husband and I were invited to Spain on a celebratory trip for my friend’s 30th birthday. I was 6 months pregnant with my first baby. We stayed in a beautiful white villa in the rolling hills of Andalusia. It was September but the weather was disappointing, so our friends, always generous and thoughtful hosts, arranged some diversions to detract from the drizzle. One of which was an enthralling few hours in the villa’s expansive kitchen with local cook, Deborah.
Whilst the rain dripped off the bougainvillea we made two dishes; Paella de Carne (meat paella) and chocolate mousse. Once back home, strapped into my desk and the daily grind, dreaming of Spain and my upcoming maternity leave, I asked my friend if she could get hold of the recipes. I still have the recipes on the original email from Deborah, and refer to them whenever I cook either dish.
On Saturday night I had some chicken thighs in the fridge and a glut of veg which all got thrown into the paella, a slight deviation from what Debroah intended but I hope she’d be happy that my cooking is still inspired by hers. It was just as delicious on Saturday as it was on that trip.
The real win, as well as the fact that the kids ate it largely without complaining (my children flatly refuse to eat risotto but will eat paella…I don’t understand why but they are emphatic), is that there is almost no washing up as everything is made in one pan.
