Burns Night Whisky Sauce

I hope everyone got into the swing of Rabbie Burns and feasted well on haggis and whisky! Whilst haggis is consumed in this household at any point in the year, Burns Night always sees us tucking into the full shebang of haggis, neeps and tatties (real for him, veggie for me!) and this year I…

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Portavadie Marina

Back in September we were looking for a few days away and after some recommendations we packed up the car and headed to Portavadie Marina.  Portavadie is situated on the Cowal Pennisula on the West coast in what is often referred to as Argyll’s Secret Coast.  Looking at the map there are two ways to…

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Bourbon Pecan Tart

I love Pecan Tart and hadn’t had some for a long time, when I spotted this recipe for Bourbon Pecan Tart in Jamie Oliver’s America Cookbook (yes, I know I write a lot about recipes from this book!! I do have others of course!).  Plus I have a lot of Bourbon in my booze cupboard…

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Huevos Rancheros

The first time I had Huevos Rancheros was about 5 years ago in Los Angeles, which is not exactly the place where the dish originated, but not too far away, and I fell in love with them! (I know a bit over dramatic there!). The straight forward combination of tomatoes, eggs, cheese, chilli and garlic…

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Dark Island Chutney

Back in May we visited Orkney, and more importantly the Orkney Brewery where we picked up a jar of Dark Island Chutney, made with Orkney Brewery’s Dark Island Ale.  Needless to say it was tasty and disappeared fast!  Luckily the quantities of each ingredient were attached to the jar, so I attempted to recreate it…

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Tivoli, A Winter Wonderland

When in Copenhagen a few weeks before Christmas, Stuart and I headed to Tivoli Gardens to instil some festive cheer in us.  Landing in the middle of storm did nothing to make me feel festive! I have wanted to go there for years, but always timed my visits to Copenhagen when it was closed. But,…

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Honey and Whisky Apple Tarts

I am known for liking a drop of Whisky and also for adding a little booze to my cooking from time to time!  So when I spotted this recipe for Honey and Whisky Apple Tarts over on A Beautiful Mess, I knew I had to give them a go!  I had a bottle of Jack…

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Porto, Portugal

Porto (or Oporto to give it its proper name) sits near to the mouth of the Douro River, about 3 hours north of Lisbon.  Most famous for its production of Port, it is however (to my mind, anyway) an underrated holiday destination. We wanted a short pre-summer break, and our brief was simple; somewhere warm with…

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Irish Barmbrack

Barmbrack is a bread that I usually associate with this time of year, its a traditional Irish yeasted fruit bread that is usually served at Halloween, after a night in the cold trick or treating! Traditionally items such as a ring, a pea, a thimble and a coin can be found mixed inside, whichever you…

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Delia’s Buttermilk Scones

I decided to make these scones as having made blackcurrant jam last week I really needed something tasty to put it on (other than toast!) So I whipped up a batch of these Buttermilk Scones courtesy of Delia Smith.  Scones are so simple to make and easily adapted to any flavour (with the exception of…

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