Every dish tells a story
It was December 1972 and I’d been living in Damascus for about 3 months, getting used to the presence of armed soldiers on every street corner; taking the shortages of food, clothes, and basic necessities like bread and bottles of calor gas, in my stride. […]
Organic vegetable boxes are lovely and the veg taste as flavoursome as they look. At this time of year there’s usually a leek or two in our weekly box – untrimmed and dirty with earth sticking to them, they look as if they have just […]
I’m very pleased and proud that one of my stories, The Longest Night, was selected to be part of the new Writers Abroad anthology Foreign Encounters,available from 24th October at http://www.lulu.com/shop/writers-abroad/foreign-encounters/paperback/product-20450826.html
Here’s the official Press Release with all the details:
On Sunday, I visited the Foodies Festival, held in Edinburgh’s Inverleith Park, not far from where I live. I persuaded my partner Neil to come with me and, in the afternoon, we had a leisurely 10 minute stroll up to the park. The festival was crowded […]
About two weeks ago, my partner, Neil asked me what I wanted to do on my birthday. I said, half -jokingly, “go to Arran”. I wasn’t completely serious because visiting the Island of Arran, on the west coast of Scotland, was something I had been talking about ever since I returned from Cyprus […]
Pumpkins are not just for Halloween, Thanksgiving or for taking Cinderella home from the ball.
Both the flesh and the seeds of the pumpkin are an excellent source of many vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. They are also lowfat, highfibre and low in calories.
In short, they are one of the superfoods of the vegetable world.
So, when one arrived in my organic veg box nearly 2 weeks ago, I was very excited (I know, I need to get out more).
If you have already-cooked beetroot to hand, this ruby-coloured soup is quick and easy to make. You can also make it with ready-cooked beetroot that comes in vacuum packs. Make sure you look at the pack in case it’s preserved in vinegar. I once made […]
I first came across bamia in Damascus. Otherwise known as okra, ladies fingers or gumbo, the bamia is a green, hairy vegetable, a few inches long and tapered at one end. Thought to be a native of Africa, this strange-looking vegetable is actually the seedpod […]
There’s nothing like a well-cooked roast potato. Cooks and chefs reputations have turned on the quality of their ‘roasties’. There have been more recipes and articles written on how to make the perfect roast potato than any other food. Well, not quite but it does generate a lot of heated discussion.
Let me now add to the mix a roast potato that is neither soft and floury nor golden and crunchy. In fact, it’s soft and sticky. But it’s still a roast potato; it’s just a Greek roast potato.
The sun is shining, for the third day in a row. You may think I harp on about the weather but in Scotland, the sun shining and the temperature rising above 15C degrees is cause for celebration. What do we think of when someone mentions […]
