Seasons recipes :

Early bird breakfasts

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There's a poem by Wellington poet Jenny Bornholdt called 'Instructions for how to get ahead of yourself while the light still shines'. I think of it often in the mornings when I'm trying to do the same thing, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not.[...]

Gingerbread for the tree

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You know how I said I was ok about not having a Martha Stewart Christmas? Well, I was, and then I pulled out the tattered and torn copy of Martha Stewart Kids magazine that a friend had given me as a joke (we agreed at the time that such mags were to[...]

The last salad of summer

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Yesterday I saw a woman walking down the street in a winter coat. It was a profoundly depressing sight, even if though it was a lovely coat and she'd accessorised with a natty beret. March 1 is the official start of autumn here and there's no[...]

One a penny, two a penny...

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I'd like to tell you that I've invented the best hot cross bun recipe ever, but that would be a terrible lie. These ones pictured are Nigella's recipe , which I first made the year we drove around Europe in a small red car with a cheese knife[...]

A peck of unpickled peppers

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Sunday was supposed to be the hottest day of the summer. Yeah, right. While parts of the country sweated it out in 40C-plus, we were stuck indoors while gale-force winds whistled around the house and rattled the windows. Now, with rain coursing down,[...]

Sweet charity: Fruit Crumble

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Is there anything more comforting than a crumble? I don't think so, which is why I made two on Saturday night for the families staying at Ronald McDonald House . I'm not telling you this to make myself look like a saint, but because I[...]

An unfashionable pasta salad

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A couple of days of bad weather and I've started to panic that summer is already over - and that I haven't made the most of it. Ridiculous really, because we should have another month or so of sunshine and barbecues and - with any luck - a[...]

Chocolate Fig Christmas Cake

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After much prevaricating, my Christmas preparations are finally underway. I've yet to buy any presents or make any decorations, but I've finally made the cake, with help from the Small Girl and the Boy Wonder. We have a tradition in our house that[...]

The green green grass of home

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I don't know about you but at this time of year I seem to exist on a diet of sugar and toast. In times of old this was supplemented by canapes and champagne (sigh) but those days are long gone. There is plenty of early summer produce about and our[...]

Forever Nigella #4: Tiny Trifles

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The wedding is getting ever closer and so is our party . At this point I'd happily settle for sitting in front of the TV or laptop on my own with a cucumber sandwich, but I don't think I'm going to get away with it. Even my boss came up to me[...]