Category: Food

Turkish Delights

Cherry trees bursting with flavour

Food is the heart of a culture and its identity, so I have invited authors to share the plates of food offered in their delicious words. Beth Elliott has invited me to join her at her table, in Turkey. Travel with me to enjoy the vibrant colours and fresh flavours of Turkish food.  A decadent Turkish feast awaits you in Beth’s travel article.

Friends,

A view of the Taurus Mountains at Aladag, in Adana province.

This is the end of a travel article called Cherries and Plums, about a Turkish mountain village [yayla] in the Taurus, north of Adana. My husband was Turkish and his kind relatives invite me to stay with them each summer. Of course, they like the coolest places they can find, hence a cottage as high up in the mountains as they could go.

Best wishes,

Beth

Extract – Cherries and Plumbs

The trees are always laden with fruit in season, sweet and tempting.

All the plum trees in everyone’s garden up in the yayla are bent nearly double under their load of purple-sheened fruit. It takes several days to pick all those we can reach. After making jam until we have used up all the sugar and run out of jars; after filling five kilo bags for each of a dozen friends and relatives in the city and after eating as many raw plums as we dare, the rest at the top of the tree are left for the birds.

In September in the main street of Tekir there is a slightly melancholy air. The summer crowds have gone. Now the weather is cooler down in Adana, the townsfolk don’t come up to their country cottages so much. A few elderly men in traditional baggy trousers shuffle along the street to their favourite café. There they will read the newspaper, talk with friends and watch the much reduced world go by.

Main market in Adana

The street is lined with mighty trees. They provide shelter from sun and rain. Little shops expand onto the pavement with displays of thick jumpers and woolly waistcoats, hardware, newspapers and strong shoes, in preparation for the snow of the coming winter. Alongside the general stores, are food shops. The large number of refrigerated stalls stocked with great tubs of thick, creamy yoghurt and pails of local white cheese reflect the importance of these items in the traditional Turkish diet.

Nearby, another shop also has a refrigerated display, this time of glorious plump green and black olives and turshu – mixed pickled vegetables. On the counter are oblong containers of honeycomb, oozing golden and sweet. The irresistible smell of fresh bread: loaves or the flat pide, wafts to our nostrils.

Everything is piled into the car. We set off slowly down the main street, across the bridge, turn sharply at the edge of town where the houses thin out and the fruit trees begin. The car twists and turns its way uphill. We go past the new mosque with its little pocket money shop underneath [useful for biscuits and matches].

Here the mountain sweeps out into a shelf where shepherds pasture their flocks in the hot summer months. The larch trees grow from this point up. Great cobbles are set in the track to stop wheels losing their grip in wet or snowy weather. The car creeps up in second gear and at last we reach the yayla, set so high above the valley but still far below the sheer grey wall of rock that makes a sharp outline against the sky. Somewhere over the ridge is the eagle’s eyrie.

Yayla soup, made from yoghurt, flour, an egg and broth, with some rice added in. You can add pepper sauce on top for a spicy version, as well as mint.

For the evening meal we have hot yoghurt soup – called, appropriately, yayla soup. This is followed by salad, cheese and olives. Then we fall upon the fresh bread and honey. To finish, there is a huge bowl of plums.

Jessie:  This is a wonderful article.  I would like to know more about Turkish food.

Beth: I have some photographs to tempt you.

Here is the main market in Adana. Four types of beans, three sorts of peppers, all fresh that morning. Turks won’t eat produce unless it’s of that day.

Breakfast at my aunt’s home

Breakfast at my aunt’s home. Four sorts of white cheese plus one hard cheese, kaymak, olives, salad, dried apricots, walnuts, honey and grape syrup [pekmez]. The boiled eggs and the freshly squeezed orange juice were added soon afterwards…

Another breakfast, at my brother and sister-in-laws’ home. Again, white and hard cheeses, olives, eggs, some fruit compotes, honeycomb and rosehip puree. All washed down with many glasses of tea.

The town of Akcatekir on the valley floor. The holiday villages are up in those pinewoods, near the rock wall, where the goats scamper along all day and the eagles fly out occasionally from over the top.

Scandalous Lady

Jessie:  The tables presented speak volumes about the generosity of the Turkish culture.  Tell me how your love of Turkish culture influenced your novel, Scandalous Lady.

Beth Elliott’s fiery, rebellious artist Olivia falls in love with the magical land of Turkey. When she encounters mysterious, ice-cold diplomat Selim, nothing goes to plan – for either of them. Is Olivia destined to live a life of solitude and regret? Or will her past stay buried long enough for her to have her happy ending?

Beth Elliott

From a young age, Beth made up adventure stories and persuaded her friends to act them out with her. Writing the novels came later, after a career as a Languages teacher in several countries. Her own Mr Darcy being Turkish, Beth adds a few exotic elements into some of her Regency Tales.

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed a taste of Turkish culture.  Please contact me at mailto:JessieCahalin@aol.co.uk if you would like to share your cultural experiences via food and words.

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my website and blog 

 

Red, Red Wine in Wales: Bottling a Dream

And, the sun shone as soon as Robb Merchant, proprietor of White Castle Vineyard, opened the wine.

After the launch of my novel, I needed to celebrate.  Luckily, my adventures sent me to White Castle Vineyard where I found summer fruits in bottles. Hallelujah, I found the land of wine on my doorstep and heaven in a glass.  And, the sun shone as soon as Robb Merchant, proprietor of White Castle Vineyard, opened the wine.

Once I tasted the wine, I forget about books and handbags.  The Pinot Noir chorused cherries, berries and a soft, complex vanilla finish.  Ripe strawberries leapt from the bottle of rosé, while the Siegerrebe wine dripped with the juices of peaches and nectarines. Divine wine is produced in White Castle Vineyard, South Wales, and French winemakers are talking about it.  Robb told the story of his wine from grape to glass: a labour of love inspired by his wife’s dream to own a vineyard.

A labour of love – the vineyard in springtime

Robb and Nicola Merchant bought the farm in 1993. Vines were planted on 1st May 2009 and produced the yield of grapes in 2011.  The couple nurtured the vines, while Robb worked for the Post Office.  Nowadays, Robb works full-time in the vineyard while Nicola still works part-time as a District Nurse.  I wonder if she can recommend a course of wine to her patients ?

A celebration of the quality products on offer

Robb transformed the barn into a retail shop, for Welsh Wine Week, in 2012, and their wine story commenced.  Robb’s enthusiasm is an inspiration . He said,  ‘A vineyard is a way of life. It’s not physically hard work but is repetitive.  But it’s not work because we enjoy it.  We love our life.  Agriculture in in my blood.’

White Castle located near to the vineyard.

Robb is dedicated to raising the profile of Welsh wine. In 2014, Robb and Nicola were invited to provide seventy bottles of wine for NATO Summit, in Wales.  This year, the Wines of Great Britain Trade and Press Tasting event welcomed White Castle Vineyard and other Welsh wine producers for the first time.  The Welsh Government supported the wine producers from Wales.

Robb’s current innovation involves collaboration with a vineyard in North Wales to grow Cabernet Franc and Sauvingnon Blanc.  They will experiment to see how the slate and gravel soil of North Wales and Clay, Sand and loam impacts on the flavours of the grape varieties.  Research into French winemaking methods will be applied to the process.  I am impressed with Robb’s dedication to his art: an art he has learned since he planted the vines in 2009.  Robb predicts ‘a defining year for Welsh viticulture in 2018’, as he believes the Welsh wine brand will be secured. Dedicated to working with other Welsh vineyards to secure the brand, he knows they can’t go it alone.

A book and wine for my handbag

Robb is a charismatic and passionate ambassador for all Welsh produce.  During the summer, White Castle Vineyard offers a plate of Welsh cheeses paired with is wine.  Mouldy Mable, Heb Enw and Teifi cheese are presented on the platter with local chutneys. The vineyard is located between the market towns of Abergavenny and Monmouth. You will receive a warm welcome from Rob and Nicola.

Next time you visit the green, green grass of Wales, look for the vineyards nestled in the landscape.  Celebrate Wales with a wonderful glass of wine, and if you listen carefully you may hear the wine notes singing to you like one of the glorious Welsh choirs.  My next stop will be Parva Vineyard located in Tintern. However, I couldn’t leave without finding a book and wine for my handbag.

Contact the vineyard
Email :        info@whitecastlevineyard.com
Facebook: https://en-gb.facebook.com/WhiteCastleVineyard/
Twitter:     @Welshwines ‏
Website:    http://www.whitecastlevineyard.com/

 

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

Tea and Contemplation

Making the tea helps my thoughts to flow

The ritual of making tea always punctuates the flow of my day.  I meander to the kitchen between words.  Making the tea helps my thoughts to flood out.  Builder’s tea is my preference, but a friend challenged me to try something more refined. Thus, we went to Bath in search of tea and Jane Austen.

Bath Market has a wonderful array of teas.  The selections are stored in jars like a sweetshop, but woe betide you if you venture to pick up the jars.  The assistant will guide you through the tea sniffing journey.

Selections are stored in jars like a sweetshop

I noted the different textures of the tea leaves: some leaves are larger and crisp while others are smaller and smoother.  It was all rather overwhelming to learn selecting tea can be an art form.

I was forced to make my selection on the scent rather than the taste.  I pontificated for some time.  It had to be Lapsang Souchong, because I liked the sound of the words.  It is a black tea, and the aroma of the tea leaves is beautifully smoky.  The assistant said, ‘It is packed full of antioxidants and supports well-being.’ The tea sounded like a medicine delivered by a therapist.  Apparently, ‘ this tea strengthens the immune system, prevents cardiovascular diseases and fights inflammation.’ Moreover, the Lapsan Souchong can assist with a hangover. What more could one ask for?

Which tea would you choose?

My selection was carefully wrapped in a parcel, labelled and presented to me. I couldn’t wait to try the tea at home. Initially, the tea was smoky with a hint of disinfectant.  However, as the tea reached room temperature, the taste was pleasantly smoky and quite soothing.  As I drank the tea, I decided to write this blog post.

According to Lin Yutang, ‘There’s something in the nature of tea that leads us into a world of quiet contemplation of life.’ And this seemed to work for me after the taste of the disinfectant had subsided.

I did meet with Jane Austen on another trip to Bath. On this occasion, I heard whispers as I strolled past the Royal Bath Crescent. A woman’s voice confided:

‘But indeed, I would rather have nothing but tea.’
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

I prefer builder’s tea

Perhaps, the esteemed Miss Austen visited one of the grand houses to take tea with the lady of the house.  However, I suspect tea making was also a glorious, thought-provoking ritual for Jane Austen.

Let me know what you think of speciality teas. Do you prefer a robust builder’s tea or a speciality tea? Is coffee the only fuel for your words?

 

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Accidental Vineyard

The accidental viticulturists: Judith and Colin Dudley at Parva Farm Vineyard

People who follow their dreams make my heart sing: people who find their dreams accidentally make my heart sing and dance.

On moving in to Parva Farm, Judith and Colin discovered vines on the neglected, bracken infested land.  The vines planted in 1979 survived, so they decided to cultivate them, without any prior knowledge of viticulture.  The first yield, in 1998, produced fifty six bottles, then in 2006 they went on to produce eleven thousand bottles.  We have marvelled as an abandoned vineyard has been brought to life to produce award winning wines.

They adapted their farmhouse to include a shop and wine tasting room.

Colin and Judith grow a variety of grapes including: Bacchus, Seyval Blanc, Muller Thurgan, Pinot Noir and Regent.  They adapted their farmhouse to include a shop and wine tasting room.  Tours of the vineyard, with excellent views of the abbey, are available for the more adventurous.  There is always a warm welcome!  We have visited Parva Farm Vineyard for two decades because we like to hear about the latest developments in their narrative.  Their achievements seem like a dream, but behind the scenes, I am sure there is a great many ups and downs.  Judith and Colin’s story has attracted visits from Countryfile and the Hairy Bikers. This delightful, industrious couple battled on quietly to become the first vineyard in the area.  The vineyard, on the hillside, can be seen for miles and is testimony to their determination.

We have marvelled as an abandoned vineyard has been brought to life to produce award winning wines.

Nowadays, Judith and Colin tend the vines and keep sheep on their land – they have exceeded their dreams.  These accidental viticulturists have become experts at nurturing the vines, but they accept that some years one will have bad years: they cannot control the Welsh weather

Authors can take inspiration from vine growers.  The story is nurtured, pruned and cultivated.

Award winning sparkling wines at Parva Farm Vineyard

Sometimes the narrative flourishes like the healthy vine, but on other days there are too many off shoots to the narrative. On other occasions there is a drought of ideas. It is essential to keep working and chasing the dream, as there may be a dream waiting around the corner.

If one is struggling, then you could take a break and visit some people who can infect you with their enthusiasm.  As a reward for your labour, you could reach for a bottle of the Regent wine.  It tastes of cherry pie and vanilla and will warm your heart.

I confess, a visit to Tintern and the vineyards did contribute to the inspiration of my fictional Welsh village of Delfryn

I confess, a visit to Tintern and the vineyards did contribute to the inspiration of my fictional Welsh village of Delfryn.  In my novel You Can’t Go It Alone, Olivia and Marcus walk to a vineyard and taste some wine.

‘As Olivia and Marcus trekked along the river, they searched for a sight of the vineyard.  Sunlight danced on the river and caressed the trees.  Signs of moss and water damage clung to the row of houses on the opposite side of the road.  The spring sun glowed on Olivia’s skin, as she stopped to glance towards the proud Delfryn Abbey.  Olivia turned around to point out the vineyard on the hill.  Neat rows of naked vines yearned for the heat of the summer sun.  The steep hill leading up to the vineyard distracted from her favourite view of the village.  Buoyed by the promise of wine tasting, Marcus rushed ahead while Olivia struggled to breathe.  The gravel crunched as an old pickup truck climbed up the hill in front of them; a cloud of dust made Olivia cough until she almost fell over.’

The young Marcus, in my novel tastes the wine and his observations remind me of the Tintern wine.

As a reward for your labour, you could reach for a bottle of the Regent wine. It tastes of cherry pie and vanilla and will warm your heart.

‘The Seyval Blanc is citrusy, light and refreshing.  I prefer the Pinot Noir and the flavours of red berries.  Oh, and the hint of vanilla.’

Cheers, Judith and Colin and thank you for the inspiration!

I urge you to visit Parva Farm to sample Welsh wines, sparkling wines and cider – you won’t be disappointed.

 

 

Contact Colin and Judith Dudley:
https://www.facebook.com/ParvaFarmVineyard
Website:
http://www.parvafarm.com/

 

Please see all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

See thee at Elsworth Kitchen!

Meet Bruce and Rebecca and let them welcome you to Elsworth kitchen.

Though I’m a Yorkshire lass, it never ceases to amaze me how friendly the folk are and how natural it is to have a good old natter with strangers.  When I met Rebecca, one of the proprietors of Elsworth Kitchen, it was like stepping into a friend’s new home. She gestured for us to grab a seat in the café and was very patient when we wandered around the place searching for the best spot.

Cosy interior of Elsworth Kitchen upstairs (photo from Elsworth Kitchen FB page)

In truth, there wasn’t a ‘best spot’ to grab as the entire café restaurant is well designed and every nook and cranny is welcoming. I wasn’t surprised to discover Rebecca has a degree in Art and Design. I couldn’t resist sitting in the Naughty Corner and loved the way Rebecca engages in her design as a talking point.  On this occasion we were only ordering hot drinks.  I suffer from allergies and sometimes it is simply too much hassle to eat out.  However, I am delighted to report that Rebecca was keen to make provisions for dietary requirement in a friendly manner that did not make me feel like a foodie allergy freak.  Nothing was too much trouble!

Rebecca’s husband, Bruce, is the chef and has wealth of experience, including working with working under acclaimed Michelin-star chef Nigel Haworth.  Indeed, Bruce came out of the kitchen to explain that the menu is constantly evolving, and he shapes the menu according to feedback.  Rebecca and Bruce’s approach appears to be a dynamic approach to dining where they will not churn out the same menu each year.  I think I have just discovered the latest trend in dining and it’s about time. At Elsworth Kitchen, food and folk matter, and you’re invited to have a good natter with friends, family and the Elsworth team.

The kitchen at work

Thursday lunchtime was buzzing and was filled with the sound of happy customers savouring the food.  Is there a better accolade than the chorus of ‘mmm’ as people tuck into their great grub?  And I have to say it was also wonderful to watch the chefs in action.  Some of them listened into the conversation and one chef came to engage in discussion.  For me, the philosophy was ‘we care about you and we can tempt you with food’.

The lunch menu is well considered and not over brimming with too many choices: always a good sign.  Seasonality sings throughout the menu.  But what impressed me is that there was a confident and relaxed approach to the food and flavours in the language of the menu.

This dessert is calling me back to Skipton.

I will revisit Elsworth Kitchen because I know it is real food, served by real folk with a real attention to detail and hospitality. I am not surprised that they have received two awards in less than a year. Wishing Rebecca and Bruce the very best of luck.  It certainly receives a Books in Handbag Award for hospitality, and I can’t wait to return.

What do you want for breakfast? I’ll have everything on the menu.

In the meantime, I could not resist finding out more about Rebecca and Bruce’s story.    After their lunchtime service, they took the time to have a good old chinwag.  As a writer of romance fiction, I was bursting to ask my first question.

Jessie: Where did you meet and was it love across a crowded kitchen?

Rebecca and Bruce: We are both from Skipton, so we have known each other a long time. Owing to our dedication to running different restaurants, our paths didn’t really cross until much later in a local pub.  Having similar interests, especially both being big foodies, we would spend our time exploring different European cities and their culinary specialities.

Jessie:  Great to hear that food brought you together.  This means that Elsworth Kitchen was meant to be, so what should customers expect to find at Elsworth Kitchen?

Rebecca and Bruce: A warm Yorkshire welcome is the first thing that will greet you at Elsworth Kitchen.  We offer casual dining in a relaxed environment.  In terms of the décor, we spent days trawling through auctions, fairs and reclaim yards to find unique pieces for the restaurant.  We have also designed the layout so the kitchen area is open enabling guests to see the team at work. Plus, as we are new parents ourselves, so we have made a special effort to make children feel welcome; there is even a mini kitchen to keep the budding mini chefs busy.

At this stage they politely broke off to greet guests and ensure they had a hearty welcome.  And then Rebecca helped some parents with pushchairs find a suitable place. I was impressed.

Jessie: You have been open one year and I see you already have two awards. Share one review that made your heart sing.

Joy as Bruce and Rebecca and their team receive an award. In the first year of business, Elsworth Kitchen received the Yorkshire Evening Post Oliver Award and the Skipton Business Award 2019.

Rebecca: Bruce’s cooking style is local, seasonal, hearty and full of taste.  I know it’s great food and we have a loyal customer base.  Though it’s always wonderful to receive independent feedback.  A review that stands out is:

‘Now I’m a real foodie and I love to be wooed by food!! And this place it’s a food lovers heaven!! My friend and I came after having heard great reviews in just the short time it’d being open. The reviews met the expectations and it’s now a firm favourite of mine and a great addition to Skipton’

Jessie:  Wow!  That is praise indeed and I imagine this restaurant will become an institution in the town.  Having a new family and new restaurant must be exhausting for you both. What do you cook at home?

Rebecca: A good old Chicken Dinner with, of course, Yorkshire pudding

Jessie: If invited, what would you cook on Saturday Kitchen?

Bruce: Our signature black pudding dish, the black pudding is made in the traditional farmhouse way and I serve it with homemade smoked beans, slowly cooked ham hock, poached free range egg and finished with our bourbon glace.

Jessie: Who would be your dream dinner guests?

Rebecca and Bruce: Marco Pierre White and Tommy Cooper, now wouldn’t that be a fun night.

Which restaurant do you dream of visiting one day and why?

Bruce: It would have to the famous restaurant Jules Verre, which happens to be in Paris and located halfway up the Eiffel Tower. Say no more!!

Who is your favourite author? 

Rebecca: We collect many cook books, old and new, from Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain to Nose to Tail Eating:  A Kind of British Cooking by Fergus Henderson.

If you are in Yorkshire, then I recommend you visit Elsworth Kitchen.  Rebecca and Bruce explained, ‘We are an independent restaurant situated in the beautiful canal quarter of Skipton.’  You will receive a hearty welcome and great food.  Take a peek at the website for more photographs of the stunning food.

Links:
https://elsworthkitchen.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/elsworthkitchen
https://www.instagram.com/elsworthkitchen/

 

Please all my adventures at Handbag Adventures and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A copy of my novel is available here.

A table for two and a notebook

On arrival at Restaurant James Sommerin, we ordered a good Pinot Noir. We noted that the ambiance was calm, staff attentive and the other guests were very well attired.

Feeling relaxed, in our jeans and T shirts, we discussed the merits of the food; each dish looked elegant like a work of art.  Much to my husband’s dismay, I started to make notes about the food.  The guests on the neighbouring table were intrigued by the notebook.  Clearly, I wasn’t a restaurant critic as I was wearing jeans.   We sipped more of the wine that was so beautifully flavoured with summer fruits that it could have been a soft drink.

The delicious food improved with each course.  Buoyed by this tasting experience, I was determined to write an analysis of each dish. I scribbled furiously between each morsel and took photographs of the dishes.  More delicious wine was poured into a glass that could happily home several goldfish.

Alas, I cannot read the scribbles in my notebook.  Throughout the notebook, I had repeated the words ‘great textures’ and ‘explosion of flavour’ albeit in various styles of handwriting. ‘Desert’ was underlined enthusiastically. Did I go to the Sahara to eat pudding? Other words were incomplete and I hope that they didn’t run off onto the beautifully laundered table cloth.  I circled ‘black pudding’ purée several times because I didn’t have my highlighter pen. I do remember that I was offended by the puréed texture but I am a northerner.

Undeterred by the black pudding, I did note down Picasso’s poetry on a plate.  Obviously, Pinot Noir should come with a cliché warning on the label. Mysteriously, the notebook has splashes of wine and food inside of it but I will keep it as a tribute to the Picasso chef.

James Sommerin is a chef and an artist.  The restaurant was like a theatre of food and next time I will dress up for the occasion. The food was so good that I can forgive the corruption of the black pudding texture.  I will wish on a star for the restaurant!

 

 

Please see my blog at jessiecahalin.com

Twelve Steps to Apple Soufflé Heaven

Apple Soufflé Heaven

I love reading the books in my Handbag Gallery, but sometimes I need a sweet treat.  During the glorious apple season, I love to bake an Apple Soufflé.  Warning!  This is heaven and highly addictive.  I would like to share twelve steps to heaven with you.

Soufflés are often considered to be the pinnacle of home baking and guaranteed to win you a lot of fans and happy friends. The most difficult aspect of making a good soufflé is in making a very thick custard stirred with a drop of patience. If you can get the hang of this, then you should be able make a great soufflé every time.

Ingredients
250 ml whole / full-fat milk
100g caster sugar
40g plain flour
3 medium-sized apples
juice of 1 Lemon
4 eggs
1 vanilla pod (or vanilla extract if don’t have)
6 ramekins
softened butter for ramekins

  1. First make the custard. Add the milk and 50g of the caster sugar to a pan and heat. The milk needs to be hot but not boiling and check that it doesn’t get a skin on it.
  2. As the milk is heating, separate 2 eggs. Keep the egg whites aside in a bowl for use later. In a different bowl add the 2 egg yolks and the other 2 eggs, the flour and the seeds from the vanilla pod. Beat together well with a wooden spoon. Tip: chopping board, split the vanilla pod with a large sharp knife. Turn the knife slightly on its side and flatten the pod out and the scrape the seeds out. Put the used pod into a jar with sugar in and it makes a beautifully fragrant and flavoured sugar for future use!
  3. Pour hot milk into mixture of two egg yolks, two eggs and flour

    When the mixture is smooth, pour in the hot milk into the bowl with the mixture and mix well. Then pour this back into the pan and onto your cooker on a medium heat. Keep stirring. Take care to not over-heat the pan as this can cause it to split. Stir until it becomes very thick, stiff but still smooth, without lumps.

    Take care to not over-heat the pan as this can cause it to split.

    Tip: If you are unsure or nervous turn the heat down and stir for longer. Stirring continuously will help stop lumps and the custard splitting. When done leave aside to cool for about 30 minutes.

  4. Whilst it is cooling, peel and core the apples. Dice into very small pieces and put into a small bowl and cover with the lemon juice.
  5. Pre heat your oven to 190 degrees C / 375 F or Gas Mark 5. No fan required.
  6. Whisk up the two egg whites until soft peaks

    Take the bowl with the egg whites, that have been set aside, and add the remaining 50g caster sugar. Whisk the egg whites until you have stiff, glossy peaks. This takes a few minutes.

  7. Get the ramekins and wipe the insides with some of the softened butter. Tip: I usually find this easier with a small piece of greaseproof paper.
  8. Stir until it becomes very thick, stiff but still smooth, without lumps. Tip: If you are unsure or nervous turn the heat down and stir for longer.

    Add the diced apples to the cool custard and mix in.

  9. Then add the egg whites to this custard and apple mixture and fold in. Tip: Add in a 3rd of the egg whites and mix it in vigorously first. Then add the remainder and then fold this in more gently with a spoon to keep more of the air in.
  10. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, up to the rim. Smooth of if needed with either your fingers or a knife.
  11. Place the ramekins onto an oven tray and bake for 15 minutes, until risen and firm.
  12. Souffle Heaven

    Remove from the oven and serve immediately in the ramekins.

 

 

 

I confess, I abandoned my writing to watch the Great British Bake Off.  I fancied my chances at writing a book of recipes.  It took quite a lot of time to make the soufflés, take the photos and write the recipe. I hope you will try the recipe.  Please share any of your baking successes.  Happy baking!

 

Please see all my food related posts on Writing on a Plate and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

No More Mulberries with Mary Smith

Ali Baba and Hussain Ali sharing a bowl of mulberries

I was intrigued when Mary Smith asked me if she could present an extract about Afghan food.  Always keen to learn more about food and other cultures, I invited Mary to present an extract from No More Mulberries. The feast of food is a treat for the senses.

This extract from No More Mulberries comes at the start of the book. Scots-born Miriam, her Afghan husband Dr Iqbal and the two children are finishing their evening meal. Miriam and Iqbal are arguing because he has arbitrarily cancelled the English classes she teaches to some of the village boys.

Mary Smith’s book, No More Mulberries

Extract:

Iqbal’s eyes narrowed and his voice was cool. ‘The subject is closed.’

About to protest, Miriam became aware the two children were still sitting in the room. For once, Ruckshana had fallen silent, gazing round-eyed at her father. Farid’s head was bowed and she couldn’t see his expression, but knew his face would have the closed, tight look it assumed whenever there the possibility of an argument. She’d wait until the children were in bed before continuing this discussion. Hoping to dispel the tension in the room she rose to her feet, saying, ‘Come on, Farid, you clear the plates while I bring the toot.’

Mantu

The children whooped as she placed a large basin heaped with a pyramid of mulberries – white, red, purple – on the cloth. Washed in icy cold well water the berries glistened like jewels in the light of the oil lamps. Everyone gathered round, busy fingers searching expertly for the choicest fruit. At last, Miriam sat back. ‘My favourite, favourite, fruit. I wish they were in season all year round. I’ll put some up to dry tomorrow. They’re not the same dried, though, with their chewy textures and …’ she groped for the word she wanted, shrugged, ‘dustiness. Right, you two,’ she continued, pointing at Ruckshana and Farid in turn, ‘hands and faced washed before you get a story.’

‘I’ll get them ready for bed and read to them,’ Iqbal said. ‘I don’t need to go out tonight.’ She gave him a fleeting smile in outward acceptance of what she understood was a peace offering, though inwardly she still seethed. It would take more than a bedtime story to make peace.

End of Extract

When I lived in Afghanistan I, like Miriam, loved mulberries and was always sorry when their short season ended, though by then it was time for apricots and peaches. It really made me understand the meaning of eating seasonally. Besides, with such a great variety of things to eat it was no hardship not to have apricots in December – fresh ones, that is, there were always dried ones, which were delicious soaked and poached and served with yoghurt for breakfast.

Ash prepared for cooking and the nan fresh from the tandoor. The heat in the tandoor is fearsome.

In No More Mulberries, Miriam worked in the remote, mountainous region of Hazara Jat, as I did. The daily fare is simple: rice with lentils, yoghurt and sometimes ash, which is handmade pasta. Afghanistan was on the Silk Route so benefited from fusion cuisine long before it was fashionable here. The pasta is served with quroot, a rock-hard sour cheese made from buttermilk which is re-hydrated into a sauce and nan, baked in the tandoor. The heat in the tandoor is fearsome. When the weather is cold children sit with their feet dangling inside to warm them – I was horrified to find my three-year-old doing it.

Kabuli rice: rice cooked with lamb and topped with raisins, almonds and strips of carrot, vegetable dishes and firni a pudding made with milk and corn flour and heavily sweetened.

Shurwa is a meat-based soup (chicken or goat) into which we broke our bread – like I used to do with tomato soup when I was a kid – and once it was all nicely mushed, another piece of bread is used as a spoon.

Afghans love entertaining and at a dinner party, a minimum of seven dishes is served, including kabuli (sometimes seen as qabuli) rice cooked with lamb and topped with raisins, almonds and strips of carrot, vegetable dishes and firni a pudding made with milk and corn flour and heavily sweetened. I so admired how the women (often, it has to be said, helped by the men), working in the most primitive conditions, on a mud-constructed stove, smoke billowing around the kitchen produced these dishes, all cooked to perfection, all hot at the same time.

One of my favourite dishes – perhaps because it is easily reproduced at home – is banjan-sia borani.

In the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif people came from all over Afghanistan, bringing their own regional and tribal specialities. Little leek-filled dumplings are delicious as is mantu, a dish of steamed dumplings filled with minced beef and onions, topped with a yogurt sauce. One of my favourite dishes – perhaps because it is easily reproduced at home – is banjan-sia borani. This is egg-plant (aubergine) slices fried and served with cooked tomatoes, topped with a sour cream and yoghurt garlicky sauce and dried mint.

I still remember the tantalizing aroma of those lamb kebabs being cooked on street grills.

And kebabs! I still remember the tantalizing aroma of those lamb kebabs being cooked on street grills. Afghan sheep have what’s known as dumba – a fat tail – and pieces of this fat are interspersed with chunks of lamb on the skewers to add flavour. The kebabs were served inside round nan breads, which soaked up the delicious juices. I found sheep testicle kebabs particularly tasty, possibly because I’d eaten them before I knew what the succulent softness was.

This is a tiny taster of the varied foods on offer in Afghanistan. And yes, the most memorable meal I had was in the home of a very poor family. He had leprosy and we’d gone to give him his supply of medicines. The rules of hospitality meant he had to feed us, even though he had next to nothing. He brought us spring onions, salt and thin nan. We wrapped a spring onion in the bread, dipped it in salt and it was as good as eating at a banquet.

Biography and links:

Mary Smith is a writer, freelance journalist and poet based in Dumfries & Galloway in south west Scotland.

She worked in Pakistan and Afghanistan for ten years, where she established a mother and child care programme providing skills and knowledge to women health volunteers. She has written a memoir, Drunk Chickens and Burnt Macaroni: Real Stories of Afghan Women, about her work in Afghanistan and the country also provides the setting for her novel No More Mulberries.

Mary’s poems have been widely published in poetry magazines and anthologies and her first full length poetry collection, Thousands Pass Here Every Day, was published by Indigo Dreams.

She has worked in collaboration with photographer Allan Devlin on two local history books: Dumfries Through Time and Castle Douglas Through Time. Secret Dumfries comes out in June 2018. Her next project is to turn her blog; My Dad’s a Goldfish, into a memoir about caring for her dad through his dementia.

Donkey Boy & Other Stories is her latest publication.

Links:
Blogs: My Dad’s a Goldfish: https://marysmith57.wordpress.com
MarySmith’sPlace:  https://marysmithsplace.wordpress.com
Website: www.marysmith.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/marysmithwriter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000934032543

Mary’s latest book is a collection of short stories: Donkey Boy & Other Stories. Shot through with flashes of humour the stories here will entertain, amuse, and make you think. Mary Smith’s debut collection of short stories is a real treat, introducing the reader to a diverse range of characters in a wide range of locations. A donkey boy in Pakistan dreams of buying luxuries for his mother; a mouth artist in rural Scotland longs to leave the circus; a visually impaired man has a problem with his socks; and a woman tries to come to terms with a frightening gift – or curse.

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Eat, Read and Be Merry in Romania with Patricia Furstenberg

Patricia posting As Good As Gold

Let’s eat read and be merry with Patricia Furstenberg as she presents ‘As Good As Gold’: an exciting book of poetry celebrating the simple things from a dog’s perspective. Patricia is a prolific writer of children’s fiction, and I wanted to find out more about the author. I have invited Patricia to talk about her culture and heritage through food. 

Whenever I write a children’s book, part of me travels back in time to my native Romania and the magic of childhood. For the lucky ones, childhood means endless joy and discoveries, unconditional love and food – food indulgences, *ahem*

Bucharest, the capital city, was nicknamed The Little Paris at the beginning of the 20th century

Romania is a magic land with rich traditions, its culture and history influenced by the significant nations surrounding it. Throughout the centuries Romania had to deal with the Turks, the Prussians, the Russian, while gladly accepting the French culture (Bucharest, the capital city, as nicknamed The Little Paris at the beginning of the 20th century). All this happened while still retaining a strong hold onto our Latin roots. Because the Romanian language is deeply rooted in Latin, therefore is very close to Portuguese, Spanish, Italian and French.

Here’s a look at my favourite childhood dishes.

Chicken Schnitzel with mashed potatoes – a proof of our Prussian influence.

Chicken Schnitzel with mashed potatoes – a proof of our Prussian influence. You have to visit places such as the medieval town of Sighisoara to understand what this dish is and where it comes from.

Pancakes, prepared in Romania like the French crêpes, are best enjoyed in one of the many coffee shops adorning Bucharest’s quaint streets of Lipscani area. Once you are full you have to pop in the amazing bookshop of Carturesti.

Plum dumplings (Gombots), a Hungarian influence from Arad and Sibiu

Plum dumplings (Gombots), a Hungarian influence from Arad and Sibiu, the towns of my countless childhood holidays.

I simply have to mention the Turkish coffee, the type of coffee I grew up with. It was a rite of passage being allowed to watch the coffee pot simmering on the stove. Drink this while chatting with a friend on the smooth, sandy beaches of the Black Sea.

I simply have to mention the Turkish coffee, the type of coffee I grew up with.

Sometimes, when you want to return to a place dear to your heart and travelling is not an option, choose a culinary tradition, indulge your taste buds and revitalise those neural synapses formed long ago.

 

 

 

As Good As Gold – A dog’s life in poems

As Good As Gold

As engaging as a tail wag
Celebrating the simple things in life as seen through the eyes of our old time favourite furry friends, “As Good as Gold” is a volume of poetry revealing the talent and humour we always knew our dogs possessed.

Dogs are full of questions, yet they are famed sellers of innocence especially when it comes to explaining their mishaps and often foolish effervescence through ponderings such as “Why IS a Cat Not Like a Dog”, “As Brown as Chocolate”, “Silver Stars and Puppy Tail” or, best yet, “Dog or Book?”

A book with an enormous heart for readers of all ages, it includes 35 poems and haiku accompanied by expressive portraits of our canine friends.

About Patricia Furstenberg

Patricia Furstenberg came to writing through reading. She always carries a notebook and a pen, although at times she jots down her ideas on the back of till slips or types them on her phone.

The medieval town of Sighisoara

Patricia enjoys writing for children because she can take abstract, grown-up concepts and package them in humorous, child-friendly ideas while adding sensitivity and lots of love. What fuels her is an exhilarating need to write and… coffee: “How many cups have had this morning?” “None.” “Plus?” “Five cups.”

Between her books you can find the beloved Joyful Trouble, The Cheetah and the Dog, Puppy, 12 Months of Rhymes and Smiles.

Hungarian influence from Arad and Sibiu, the towns of my countless childhood holidays

She is a Huffington Post contributor and pens the Sunday Column for MyPuppyclub.net as well as dabbing in freelancing. After completing her Medical Degree in Romania she moved to South Africa where she now lives with her husband, children and their dogs.

Contact Patricia at:
http://Author.to/PatFurstenberg
Author Website: http://alluringcreations.co.za/wp/
Huffington Post SA http://www.huffingtonpost.co.za/author/patricia-furstenberg/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PatFurstenberg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriciaFurstenbergAuthor
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patriciafurstenberg

Book available at:
Amazon UK OR https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07BZ5WTLK
Amazon US OR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BZ5WTLK
Amazon Canada OR https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07BZ5WTLK
Goodreads OR https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39783075-as-good-as-gold

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

The Art of Food

‘I’m going to try a different approach with this,’ he said. ‘We call them fantasy shots?’

In response to my request for foodie extracts, Susan Willis presented me with something that wasn’t quite what it seemed.  I marvelled at the glorious pictures of food, but there wasn’t any recipe or cooking.  Feast your eyes on the extract from The Girl in the Dark.  Find out what is simmering in the kitchen.

Extract

Kim arranged six of the Chantenay carrots.

When Kim carried coffee into the room they all busied themselves preparing for the shoot. Thankfully, her mind was occupied with preparing the carrots and green beans to look as appealing as possible, rather than staring at Alex. He looked even more attractive prowling around the room with the big camera in his hand. Editorial still shots of the vegetables were first taken on a plain black background. Kim arranged six of the Chantenay carrots with their green tops uppermost into an attractive pile all facing in the same direction. She looked at Alex, who smiled and asked her to slice one lengthways and balance it on top of the pile.

‘We need to make it look sweet and tender,’ he muttered. ‘I’m loving the bright orange colour on the black background, and I’m thinking of whizzing them around with water droplets.’

Kim blanched the green beans to help to keep the green colour bright

Kim agreed and began to pile the green beans with their trimmed ends uppermost in an attractive pile on a wood board. She smiled at Alex, as if to say she was on the same wavelength, in fact, one step ahead. Kim blanched the green beans to help to keep the green colour bright and they worked out a design scattering the cut ends on a white cloth. By the time Alex had finished cropping and working his magic on the computer, they looked amazing.

He stood beside Kim chatting while she trimmed the cauliflower for the overhead shot. ‘I’m going to try a different approach with this,’ he said. ‘We call them fantasy shots?’

Kim could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck and her knees trembled – she was having fantasies of her own, but they didn’t include cauliflowers!

About the Novel

The Girl in the Dark

The Girl in the Dark is the latest Grip Lit novel from Susan Willis. A thrilling romantic suspense story that will keep you turning pages long into the night.

When Kim goes to old friend, Sidney’s, photography studio to start a new food styling contract she meets his new assistant, Alex. Kim is catapulted from her mournful existence into an explosive romantic relationship with Alex. Sidney, however, is wary. He thinks, there’s something not quite right about Alex, and urges caution.

Will Kim look back and wish she’d listened…

Susan Willis

Susan Willis is a published author of three novels, and five novellas’. She lives in the North East of England surrounded by family and friends. Following publication of a love story about a chef and her boyfriend, she wrote more foodie-based love stories and wove them into her first novel, ‘Yes Chef, No Chef’.

Now Susan has ventured into romantic suspense with her latest novel, The Girl In The Dark.

Set in her home town of Durham City, this storyline is not a who done it thriller, but, a psychological page-turner which she loved writing. We can only hope the heroine hasn’t put her trust in the wrong man?

Best of luck to Susan with this novel.

I had never really considered the role of a food stylist until I read this extract.  When I take photographs of food for tweets and posts, I tend to photograph exactly what I have cooked.  Food is all about the taste for me.  However, recipe books are probably bursting with these creations.  

Have you ever followed a recipe from a cookbook and realised your creation looks nothing like the photograph?

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Christmas Eve in Delfryn

The tangled vine around the door of Vine Cottage is laden with fairy lights.

It’s Christmas Eve in my fictional village of Delfryn, and you’ve arrived in front of a row of quaint cottages made of Welsh slate. A garland of holly and pine is artfully arranged above the doors of the three cottages.  The tangled vine around the door of Vine Cottage is laden with fairy lights. No one answers the door, so you decide to check the address stored on your phone. Reaching into your pocket, you find an envelope marked ‘Christmas Turkey Recipe’.

Once you are inside Vine Cottage, Sophie makes you some hot chocolate with a hint of cinnamon, ginger biscuits and marshmallows.  She returns to the pile of presents, wrapping paper and bows. ‘I’ve got so much to do,’ she complains.

Reaching into your pocket, you find an envelope marked ‘Christmas Turkey Recipe’.

Jack searches through recipe books and asks you, ‘Do you have a failsafe recipe to cook tomorrow’s Christmas dinner?  I’ve bought a free range turkey from Delfryn Farm but haven’t had time to perfect a recipe.’

You realise the magical significance of the envelope found in your pocket.  ‘There’s a recipe inside of this envelope,’ you soothe then hand over the envelope.

This will take around 4 to 4 ½ hours.

Ingredients

  • Turkey 3-4 kg (including giblets)
  • Bottle of dry white wine or sparkling white wine
  • Variety of fresh herbs (such as Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, Marjoram, Bay Leaves) – 3 handfuls
  • 4 Juniper Berries
  • Pinch of Saffron
  • ½ pack of butter (leave out at room temperature before using)
  • 1 pack Bacon (225g) – preferably streaky
  • 2 lemons
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Beef Dripping / Fat or Goose Fat
  • Water
  • Potatoes for Roasting (such as Maris Piper, King Edwards) – approx. 1kg for 4 people
  • Variety of Root Vegetables (such as Parsnips, Carrots, Squash, Sweet Potato, Swede, Turnip) – approx. 1kg for 4 people
  • Wholegrain Mustard – couple of spoons
  • Cornflour – 2 or 3 teaspoons

Method

  • Take the turkey out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking
  • Remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey and place in a pan with 2/3 wine. Add a handful of the herbs (no need to chop), the Juniper Berries and the Saffron, some salt and pepper. Put on a slow simmer. May need to top up with water as it dries out.
  • Peel and chop up the root vegetables and place in a large baking tray (needs to deep enough to take juices that will come out of the turkey).  Chop up a handful of herbs quite finely and add these, the remaining wine, juice of 1 lemon, salt and pepper. Then add some water to just cover the vegetables.
  • Chop up the remaining herbs and mix in with the softened butter
  • Pre-heat the oven to 165 C / 325 F / Gas Mark 3 (with a fan) or 180C / 350 F / Gas Mark 4 (without a fan)
  • Take the turkey and gently prise the skin slightly apart from the meat (but do not remove it). Take the herb butter and spread it between the meat and the skin as far as you can. This will help to keep the turkey moist whilst cooking.
  • Then take the rashers of bacon and spread over the top of the turkey. This will help to protect and baste the turkey further.
  • Place the turkey onto the tray of vegetables and cover with aluminium foil and place in the oven and cook for approx. 3 hours (A larger turkey will be at least ½ hour longer)
  • After approx. 1 ½ hours, whilst the turkey is cooking, peel and chop up the potatoes for roasting. Place the potatoes into a pan, cover with water, add salt and bring to the boil. Boil for around 15 minutes or until the potatoes start to break up slightly. Strain them and leave to dry out for a few minutes.
  • Whilst the potatoes are boiling add the beef dripping or goose fat to a roasting tray and put in the oven. Heat the oven to 220 C / 425 F / Gas Mark 7.
  • After 2 ½ hours, you will need to remove the foil and the bacon, so that you can brown the turkey skin
  • When the potatoes have dried, and just after the foil has been removed from the turkey, remove the hot roasting tray with beef dripping or goose fat from the oven and add the potatoes. Stir well to coat the potatoes and return to the oven. Ideally the potatoes will break up slightly, but don’t worry if they do not. This adds lots of crispy bits. Cook for about an hour or until golden brown and crispy at the edges.
  • Remove the turkey when cooked, cover with foil and rest for half an hour.  To test the turkey, pierce the turkey and check that the juices are clear. Add any juices that come from the resting turkey to the sauce (there may be a lot!). N.B. The potatoes should still have ½ hour to cook.
  • Strain off the liquid from the turkey and roast vegetables and place in a large frying pan.
  • Strain the stock from the giblets and add it to this pan.
  • Add the remaining wine, some grated peel from the final lemon and the juice of that lemon.
  • Boil the sauce rapidly and reduce it down. Taste the sauce to see if reduced enough. If it tastes watery or weak, leave to reduce longer. Skim any fat off the top and put aside in a bowl (to use later or discard). Put in into a jug to serve.
  • Mix the cornflour with a few teaspoons water and add to the sauce to thicken it, stirring well whilst doing it. Add the mustard to the sauce. Add some extra pepper.
  • Serve
Once you are inside Vine Cottage, Sophie makes you some hot chocolate with a hint of cinnamon, ginger biscuits and marshmallows.

This recipe is a gift from Delfryn. Thank you so much for stepping into Delfryn and my blogging world. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to my lovely readers and friends.  May your dreams come true in 2019.  In the meantime, happy reading and writing. Thank you for your support and friendship! You are all bright stars shining as I continue my writing adventure and it wouldn’t mean anything without your kind words.  So let’s raise our glasses to kindness this Christmas and New Year.

 

Please see all my food related posts at Writing on a Plate and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

A Tuscan Wedding Feast

‘…picked by Teresa and her girlfriends from the meadows around the village.’

You are all invited to an Italian wedding feast.  Dust off your gladrags and let Angela Petch tingle your taste buds with an extract from the final chapter of ‘Tuscan Roots’. 

 

 

 

 

Extract

‘Teresa and her friends from the village have been busy for days in the kitchen, banning Anna from the food preparations..’

The railings on the steps to Il Casalone have been festooned with laurel branches, garlands of white roses and long strands of variegated ivy and Teresa and her friends from the village have been busy for days in the kitchen, banning Anna from the food preparations. The wedding meal and sharing of food is every bit as important a ritual as the nuptial mass. Tables are piled with a feast of colourful, appetising food, spread on freshly laundered Busatti linen. A warm, balmy October has followed a wet summer and so a separate round table is arranged outside on the terrace to hold a whole Parmesan cheese, cut into squares and served with sparkling Prosecco to each guest as they arrive. Teresa and her team have been busy with starters of roast peppers, courgettes and aubergines, pastries with asparagus and artichokes and melting soft cheeses, home-made cappelletti, small hat-shaped ravioli stuffed with chicken breast, lean beef, lemon zest and nutmeg – and tagliatelle, with Anna’s favourite fresh tomato and basil sauce.

‘And all this is to be washed down with glasses of full-bodied local Sangiovese and Chianti Classico.’

And for the main course, Teresa carries in a platter of whole roast suckling pig served with tiny potatoes kept from the ‘orto’, roasted in olive oil and pungent rosemary, a salad of flowers: nasturtiums, borage and marigold petals with young dandelion leaves, wild sorrel and rocket picked by Teresa and her girlfriends from the meadows around the village. And all this is to be washed down with glasses of full-bodied local Sangiovese and Chianti Classico.

End***

The food prepared by the locals, in the Italian Apennines, transcends time and bridges the gap between the generations.

The food prepared by the locals, in the Italian Apennines, transcends time and bridges the gap between the generations.  I enjoyed ‘the stuffed zucchini flowers, little squares of crostini topped with spicy tomatoes, liver pate and a creamy relish made from dandelion flowers, roasted bay leaves topped with ovals of melted cheese.’  Food is prepared: to celebrate feasts, to welcome people into the home, to celebrate family occasions and to woo.

Let Angela Petch tingle your taste buds with her final chapter of ‘Tuscan Roots’.

Read Tuscan Roots, and you will not want to leave the romantic beauty of ‘indigo blue mountains’, or the ruins of Il Mulino (The Mill).  You will be impressed with the bravery of the Italian community during the war, and you will not want to leave the blossoming romance.  I highly recommend this book! Please read my whole review.

Angela has also published ‘Now and Then in Tuscany’: the sequel to Tuscan Roots.

She has published several stories in People’s Friend and is currently writing her third novel.

About Tuscan Roots

If you like Italy, you will enjoy this novel. A story of two women living in two different times. In 1943,in occupied Italy, Ines Santini’s sheltered existence is turned upside down when she meets Norman, an escaped British POW. Years later, Anna Swillland, their daughter, starts to unravel romantic and historical accounts from assorted documents left to her after her mother’s death. She travels to the beautiful Tuscan Apennines, where the story unfolds. In researching her parents’ past, she will discover secrets about the war, her parents and herself, which will change her life forever.

Angela’s Love Affair with Italy

Angela Petch in Italy

I live in the beautiful Italian Apennines for several months each year. Such an inspiring location.
My love affair with Italy was born at the age of seven when I moved with my family to Rome where we lived for six years. My father worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and he made sure we learned Italian and visited many places during that time.
Later on I studied Italian at the University of Kent at Canterbury and afterwards worked in Sicily, where I met my husband. His Italian mother and British father met in Urbino in 1944 and married after a war-time romance.

 

Contact Angela
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AngelaJaneClarePetch/
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Angela_Petch
Website:  https://angelapetchsblogsite.wordpress.com/

 

Please see all my extracts at Book Extracts and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

The Old Friend in my Handbag

Carol Drinkwater’s The Forgotten Summer is safely stored in my handbag and can be enjoyed at any time, but a generous glass of Chateauneuf du Pape is a recommended companion.

I devoured Drinkwater’s memoirs and drank up her wisdom, and her novel, Forgotten Summer, did not disappoint me.  Drinkwater wraps up her nuggets of wisdom, and powerful observations, in a beautifully crafted narrative.

This is so much more than the story of an English girl that fell in love with a Frenchman.  Jane’s memories of her life, thirty years on, are the starting point for Jane’s exploration of another world that her husband inhabited.

Read the complete review of Forgotten Summer in My Reading.

 

Drinkwater books are like my old friends.  I started this reading friendship with the Olive Farm books.

I escaped into the world of Apassionata immediately. I could feel the heat of the sun on my face as I ran away to the Mediterranean, with the narrator’s voice in my head. The descriptions are vivid, soothing and thoroughly necessary; they nourish the imagination and transport you.

Read the complete review of The Olive Farm in My Reading.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Check out my blog at jessiecahalin.com

A Bread Tale on the Road to Canterbury

We collected our daily bread in Wye Bakery, Kent

On our pilgrimage to Canterbury, we decided to stop in Wye, Kent, for provisions.  We collected our daily bread in Wye Bakery, Kent, and I found myself lost in another age. Allow me some creative liberty in my tale…

The quaint Wye Bakery is accessed via an ancient, mysterious corridor constructed three hundred years ago.

An ancient, mysterious corridor constructed three hundred years ago

Walking through the corridor transported my imagination back in time.  The Franklin, from The Canterbury Tales, invited us inside to taste the bread. Alas, we did not wish to dip the lovely bread into wine, particularly at such an early hour.  We thanked the Franklin for his hospitality and bid him to return to Chaucer’s England.  The ancient vision dissolved, as the aroma of fresh bread brought us back to the present day.

Mother and daughter are passionate about the health benefits of traditional, slow baking.

Inside, we were greeted by the baker, Mrs Hickson, and her daughter.  Mother and daughter are passionate about the health benefits of traditional, slow baking.  It is hoped that Mrs Hickson’s daughter will be able to apply her Nutrition Degree to the business.

The pastries were buttery, crumbly and utterly delicious.  The bread had a wonderful robust structure and a delicate taste like sour dough.  Is there anything more comforting than simple bread and butter? One could taste the attention to detail in every single crumb.

I heard Robert Browning say:

‘If thou tasteth a crust of bread, thou tasteth all the stars and all the heavens.’

‘If thou tasteth a crust of bread, thou tasteth all the stars and all the heavens.’

Indeed, the taste of the bread is heavenly. I only wished that we could have consumed the bakery’s cakes, in the lovely coffee shop opposite.

I urge you to visit Wye Bakery.  It is refreshing to listen to Mrs Hickson wax lyrical about a business that consumes sixteen hours of her day.  Taste the delights of the labour of love that could be your daily bread.

I filled my bag with bread and cakes, rather than books on this day

I filled my bag with bread and cakes, rather than books on this day.  At the time of writing this article, the adjacent shop was being renovated to house the bakery. I hope to return to see this finished, but if you have visited recently then email me about it.

 

 

 

 

 

Dutch Food and French Romance with Imogen Matthews

Last Christmas, I made sourdough bagels for breakfast -they vanished almost as soon as I took them out of the oven!

Historical novelist, Imogen Matthews, shares her love of Dutch food and reveals her double life as a romance novelist.

Ah, good food…where do I start? A couple of years ago I went on a sourdough breadmaking course and have been making my own bread ever since. Last Christmas, I made sourdough bagels for breakfast -they vanished almost as soon as I took them out of the oven!

I lead a double life as an author…writing romance novels under my pen name, Alex Johnson, and Dutch historical fiction under my real name, Imogen Matthews.  So here are the flavours of Holland, a place I visit at least once a year:

Flavours of Holland: Dutch pancake

I am delighted to present a foodie extract from The Perfume Muse.  Come along and join Oliver and Julie.

A romantic dinner in Grasse

Extract

Over dinner in his favourite bistro in Grasse, the gorgeous suave Olivier breaks the devastating news that he will be moving to New York. But just weeks ago, Julie gave up her life in Oxford to be with Olivier in Grasse…

‘a piping hot casserole dish.

‘When?’ she whispered?

‘No fixed date but my boss wants the project completed by the end of the year. I’ve told him I need three months, at least, working in Grasse. I think he’s accepted that.’ He drew his lips into a thin smile which broadened as soon as he saw the waiter approach with their poulet served in a piping hot casserole dish.

‘…you can only get the sweetness from these tomatoes which grow in my friend’s garden.

‘Voila!’ exclaimed the waiter proudly, setting the dish in the centre of the table and flapping his cloth against each plate before placing it in front of them. ‘We have the local chicken from my father, cooked in the oven for a long time with the onions. See how beautiful, soft and sweet, and the fresh tomatoes -you can only get the sweetness from these tomatoes which grow in my friend’s garden.’ He waved somewhere in the direction behind their heads before carrying on. ‘And look at these olives, black and juicy, they burst with flavor. Please, enjoy your meal.’

Flavours of Holland: Appelgebak -Dutch apple tart

‘It looks wonderful. I’m sure we will,’ laughed Julie, who was enchanted by this performance. She was pleased to have the diversion, giving her time to gather her thoughts.

End of extract

 

 

 

Alex Johnson The Perfume Muse

As Alex Johnson I have written two novels: Run Away and The Perfume Muse. My career in the beauty and perfume industry, where I’ve worked for many years as a journalist, inspired my characters and I’ve used my experiences to give some insight into the fascinating world of perfumery.

The Perfume Muse is the sequel to Run Away: the first story is about the break-up of a family and how Julie, the protagonist, copes with life as a single mother and her wayward teenage daughter. Julie falls in love with gorgeous French perfumer, Olivier, but must decide whether he can offer the future she longs for.

At the start of The Perfume Muse Julie and Olivier move to Grasse, the French perfume capital, but Julie’s dreams are dashed when, almost straightaway, he accepts a job in New York. Their relationship is tested by long periods apart and Julie finds comfort in a budding friendship with the intriguing and sexy Jean-Jacques.

Both men, both acclaimed perfumers, vie for Julie’s affections through perfume: each create romantic, sensual perfumes inspired by and especially for her.

How can she possibly choose between them?

Julie’s resolve is further tested by the unexpected arrival of Olivier’s son, Michel.

What were the reasons for Michel turning up out of the blue?

Can the disappearance of the perfume formula Olivier invented for Julie be connected?

And to top it all, it looks like Michel is falling in love with Julie’s daughter, Lisa.

Julie must get to the bottom of this. She flies out to New York to confront Olivier about the son he’s never mentioned and to determine whether her future lies with him or with Jean-Jacques.

The romance novels are very different to Imogen’s recent bestseller: The Hidden Village – the forgotten story of Dutch World War Two History.  Imogen’s romance novels are available for a great price so check out Run Away and Perfume Muse.  I am incredibly impressed with Imogen’s versatility as a writer – she is a great storyteller.

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

Trip Down Memory Lane to the Sweet Shop

‘I pull free a chunk and it fizzes on my tongue. Angela’s got rhubarb and custard…’

Inspired by Gail Aldwin’s ‘Socks’, I have been investigating local sweet shops.  If you are confused, then read the flash fiction and let Gail tempt you. It is my sweet joy to present Gail’s foodie flash fiction.

 

 

 

 

Socks by Gail Aldwin

The paper bag is damp in my hand and I peek inside – most of the sherbet pips are stuck together like frogs’ spawn. I pull free a chunk and it fizzes on my tongue. Angela’s got rhubarb and custard, she counts the sweets, putting them in a line along her thigh.

What are your favourite childhood sweets?

‘That’s not fair.’ She talks with a sweet tucked inside her cheek, making her look like a gerbil. ‘Last time I bought two ounces, I got eight sweets, but I’ve only got six this time.’

‘Don’t forget the one in your mouth,’ I say.

‘Oh yes.’ She nods and returns the sweets to the bag, inspecting the yellow and red sides. ‘This one’s chipped. D’you want it?’

‘Let’s swap.’ I take the sweet from her and spill some loose pips into her palm.

‘Is that all I get?’ She downs the scattering in one go.

I’ve been walking home with Angela for a whole week now. She’s nice – she’s the friendliest person in my new school. She lives round the corner from me and she says I can call for her in the mornings, if I like. I wish I could sit next to her, but I’m stuck with Brian Redding. He takes more than his fair share of the desk and he rubs his leg against mine when he gets up from the chair.

‘‘Let’s have a look in the stream.’ Angela picks up her satchel and leads the way.’

‘Let’s have a look in the stream.’ Angela picks up her satchel and leads the way. I don’t have a bag so it’s easy for me to scramble over the rocks, but she has to make a path over the dried mud. Once we’re by the water, she dares me to walk under the bridge. I look at the sloping sides and water laps right up to the edge.

‘I can’t. I can’t get my sandals wet.’

‘You won’t get wet. There’s enough of a ledge to walk on.’ Angela points. ‘I’ve done it loads of times.’

‘You go first then.’

Angela clutches her satchel and takes side-by-side steps, her back against the concrete wall. I watch her until she beckons. I’m only a couple of paces in when there’s a splash. She’s dropped her satchel and it’s floating down the stream.

‘What are you going to do?’

‘Get it, of course.’ She steps into the ankle deep water, then trots along, chasing the bag. When she catches it, she swings the satchel onto the ground, splattering droplets into the air like a fountain. I find her sitting on the bank, her legs are soaked and she’s using a leaf to dry her satchel.

‘Aren’t you going to check inside?’

Angela undoes the buckles and finds her pencil-case, the new felt-pens are leaking. She takes off her socks and wrings them, then wiping her pens, she turns them into a tie-dye of colours.

‘Won’t your mum mind about your socks?’

‘I don’t think so,’ says Angela. ‘Not if I tell her Brian Redding pushed me into the stream.’

Jessie:  What inspired this piece?

Gail: My family moved to Dorset from south London when my son was ten years old. This move had many advantages including extending the childhood experiences for Jonny. While his friends in the city thought a good day out involved visiting a theme park, my son was riding down the river on an airbed. Jonny’s adventures triggered memories from my own childhood involving outings to the brook.

Back in the day when sweets were sold from jars and measured in ounces, I regularly bought a bag full to eat by myself or share with friends. None of my childhood memories are complete without the tang of sherbet on my tongue.

Jessie:  Please tell me a little about flash fiction form.

Gail: I chose to write Socks as flash fiction due to the concise nature of the form. For flash fiction to be effective, it must contains all the elements of a longer piece such as plot, narrative, characters, conflict, and resolution but these parts are distilled into a story that leaves the reader free to fill in the gaps. I hope I have achieved this in Socks. (Socks was first published by FlashFloodJournal)

A Hedgehog is a Cornish ice cream coated in clotted cream then rolled in toasted hazelnuts.

Jessie:  The sweetshop in your extract resonates with me.  Do you still enjoy sweet treats from your childhood?

Gail:   Hedgehog!  I mean the ice cream not the cute creature.  A Hedgehog is a Cornish ice cream coated in clotted cream then rolled in toasted hazelnuts.  It is essential eating when visiting Chapel Porth, St Agnes, in Cornwall and brings back such memories.

Jessie:  What is your latest novel about?

Gail: Paisley Shirt is fascinating collection of twenty-seven stories that reveal the extraordinary nature of people and places. Through a variety of characters and voices, these stories lay bare the human experience and what it is like to live in our world.

Gail: Paisley Shirt is fascinating collection of twenty-seven stories that reveal the extraordinary nature of people and places.

Jessie:  What did the reviewers say?

Gail:  I have had some lovely reviews.

A collection of great depth and variety, packed with emotional integrity. Gail Aldwin’s flash fictions are sensitive, surprising, unnerving, tender and crucial. Maria Donovan, author of Pumping Up Napoleon and The Chicken Soup Murder

In these arresting and sometimes disturbing short fictions, Gail Aldwin reveals hidden moments between husband and wife, lovers, mothers and sons and those on the edge of society. Relationships are fractured or violent, tender or tragic. Often set in city suburbs in different countries around the world, the vividly written pieces in this collection cover a breadth of life and linger long after reading. Jude Higgins, author of The Chemist’s House

Gail Aldwin, author

Gail Aldwin is a prize-winning writer of short fiction and poetry. As Chair of the Dorset Writers’ Network, Gail works with the steering group to support writers by connecting creative communities. She is a visiting tutor at Arts University Bournemouth and author of Paisley Shirt a collection of flash fiction.  This collection of flash fiction has been nominated for the Saboteur Awards.

I hope you will look up Gail’s collection of flash fiction. Has her featured flash fiction tempted you to buy some sweets? As a child, I used to love buying two ounces of sweets and still can’t walk past a sweet shop. 

What are your favourite childhood sweets? 

You can contact Gail at:

Twitter:           @gailaldwin
Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/gailaldwinwriter/
Blog:                  The Writer is a Lonely Hunter

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com.

 

Fish Shack, ‘bay-bee’, Fish Shack

Books in my Handbag Tour

Fifteen miles from nowhere, we saw a faded sign for ‘Fish Shack’.  We followed a road to the middle of the beach desert until we reached a decaying old boat that was almost as big as a whale. Yes, and the B52’s track was playing in my head…

Parking the car on the uneven tarmac, we hobbled over the pebbles to the shack.  Luckily, I found a table overlooking abandoned boats and Dungeness Power Station.  Optimistic that my husband had reserved a love shack to celebrate two decades of marriage, I congratulated him on this romantic setting.  Alas, always thinking of his stomach, the Fish Shack was the destination.

Expecting greasy fish and chips, I was handed plaice and salad with a large cup of builder’s tea.  The food was absolutely delicious!  The plaice, caught only hours earlier, was cooked in olive oil on a hot plate. The fresh salad had an olive oil and lemon dressing. It was served in a small cardboard box, but they will probably steal this idea on the Great British Menu. And builder’s tea could be the new Pinot Noir.  I must confess that I declined the bread roll, but understood that it was a nod to the fishermen who eat this food.

Seizing the moment, we decided to go for a walk on the beach.  We were told it was fine to walk on the beach if we didn’t touch the ‘fishing tackle’!!  Forget visiting a maritime museum, there were artefacts on the beach such as rusty anchors and abandoned nets.  These savvy people are obviously protecting the objects d’art to prevent art galleries and Michelin starred restaurants from displaying them in their gaffs.  The food and the setting were perfect: The Fish Shack is indeed a funky little shack. Get yourselves off to the food getaway!

Who knows? Maybe this place will become either the Dungeness Modern Art Gallery or even the Derek Jarman Modern.  An art gallery and restaurant without walls could be the new concept of the 21st century.  Visit now as in the future you may need a credit card without a limit.

Funky Fact

Derek Jarman, the artist and filmmaker, lived in Prospect Cottage, Dungeness.

 

Please see all my travels and adventures at Handbag Adventures.

Does the Camera Lie?

‘Alex made the images look like big cartwheels bursting with droplets of fresh juice’

Determined to confuse my senses, Susan Willis has sent me her take on a foodie extract. The fruit is alive with colour but isn’t as delicious as it seems.  Let Susan tempt you another cheeky extract from The Girl in the Dark.  Find out if all is well and whether the kitchen is too hot.

 

‘Kim sliced large Jaffa oranges and bright, full Sicilian lemons’

Kim sliced large Jaffa oranges and bright, full Sicilian lemons while Alex made the images look like big cartwheels bursting with droplets of fresh juice. He’s such a clever guy, she thought.

She began to peel a kiwi fruit while Alex watched. He grinned at her. ‘I haven’t had this much fun for ages,’ he teased. ‘What do you think about this, Kim?’    

‘Hmm, not a shade of lipstick I’ve ever used before, but, I suppose there’s always a first time for everything?’

Kim giggled. ‘Hmm, not a shade of lipstick I’ve ever used before, but, I suppose there’s always a first time for everything?’

Alex stared into at her mouth. ‘Maybe not, but you do have those big kissable lips!’

She felt her cheeks flush and touched her bottom lip. It feels as though I’m in some type of trance, she thought, and knew for certain that she was falling for this guy in a big way.

‘Let’s see what this pineapple looks like when sliced?’

Kim shook herself. ‘Let’s see what this pineapple looks like when sliced?’                        

Alex danced a little jig from one of his big loafers to another. ‘God, I love it when a plan comes together.’

Kim laughed at the sight of his huge feet skipping lightly.

Alex placed three apples together, but Kim frowned knowing the image didn’t look original compared to the rest of the work.

Touching his arm, she suggested, ‘How about if we make long rows of the apples?’

‘But maybe the first one could be cut in half to show the white crispness inside, or, I could always take a bite out of one of them?’

He nodded as she placed the fruit. ‘Fab.’ he said. ‘But maybe the first one could be cut in half to show the white crispness inside, or, I could always take a bite out of one of them?’

‘What a marvellous team we are,’ Kim cried.

Alex agreed and came up close to her. He bent down to her ear. ‘Not just a pretty face, then,’ he whispered. ‘But more of a very clever lady, methinks.’

‘Oh, I think any stylist can come up with new ideas,’ she said gently shaking her head.

Alex smiled. ‘Aah, but you’re my food stylist and nobody else comes close.’

End of Extract

The Girl in the Dark

About the Novel

The Girl in the Dark is the latest Grip Lit novel from Susan Willis. A thrilling romantic suspense story that will keep you turning pages long into the night.

When Kim goes to old friend, Sidney’s, photography studio to start a new food styling contract she meets his new assistant, Alex. Kim is catapulted from her mournful existence into an explosive romantic relationship with Alex. Sidney, however, is wary. He thinks, there’s something not quite right about Alex, and urges caution.

Will Kim look back and wish she’d listened…

Susan Willis

Susan Willis is a published author of three novels, and five novellas’. She lives in the North East of England surrounded by family and friends. Following publication of a love story about a chef and her boyfriend, she wrote more foodie-based love stories and wove them into her first novel, ‘Yes Chef, No Chef’.

Now Susan has ventured into romantic suspense with her latest novel, The Girl In The Dark.

Set in her home town of Durham City, this storyline is not a who done it thriller, but, a psychological page-turner which she loved writing. We can only hope the heroine hasn’t put her trust in the wrong man?

Best of luck to Susan with this novel.

The heat is certainly on with this great summer read set in a photography studio in Durham. Kim is styling fruit for the new photographer, Alex, but it’s not only the July sunshine that is making her sizzle with anticipation. 

Follow Susan on:
Twitter:           @SusanWillis69
Email:              williseliz7@aol.com

 

Please see all my extracts and excerpts at Book Extracts and my website and blog at JessieCahalin.com. 

Wine tasting in Blighty

Au revoir France and goodbye ferry. Hello, White Cliffs of Dover. Where are the bluebirds?

Have you guessed? We stayed in Blighty for our holidays. But I feared that we would miss the sunshine and the dégustation. A ‘Blightycation’ ahead of us, we visited: castles, gardens, castles, seaside towns, pubs and yet more castles.

 

Barnsole Vineyard

Travelling the roads, in search of another castle, I spotted a brown sign for a vineyard. Barnsole Vineyard was perfectly situated in a picturesque Kentish village. The entrance to the bijou vineyard took us straight to the vines. Alors! We were en France. We were invited to sit on a terrace surrounded by flowers. My mind wondered back to those many, many heady days of wine tasting en France. I wanted to say, ‘Bonjour. Dégustation s’il vous plait?’ But my schoolgirl French wasn’t required. The only headache that threatened was from the wine, rather than trying to dredge up my language skills.

 

Proprietors of Barnsole Vineyard

The proprietor gave us a warm welcome. She was passionate about the vineyard and keen to point out that ‘nature throws its challenges’ at the winemaking process. This vineyard oversees the whole process from the grape to your glass. Despite the hard work, the proprietors were relaxed. They had learned the art from the previous Polish owners. On the day that we visited, their friends were bottling the sparkling wine. I felt like I had walked into a scene of the many romance novels that I have read. However, I was concerned that the lovely proprietor was spitting out the wine onto the grass. I didn’t like to comment at the time!

We were welcomed with a tray full of bottles to taste. No complaints were heard from me as I wasn’t driving. The only hint of Blighty was the cool breeze that threatened to bring a few drops of rain.

The wine was delicious! We enjoyed the fresh citrus flavours of the white and another had a slightly floral taste. The red wine tasted of berries. My tasting senses were working! According to the experts the Red Reserve 2013 had ‘redcurrants and sense of delicious spice’ while the Recheinsteiner was ‘complex with a great body’: I don’t remember him but I was right about the berries. We also bought some sparkling English wine for Christmas. I did feel a warm glow from the effects of the wine tasting. However, I could walk in a straight line to the car. Feel free to congratulate me on this because I concentrated with all my might! Apparently, I am lined up for an award.

Nodding off on the journey home, I did see the bluebirds. This Francophile may have been converted. We will all be delighting in ‘Blightycations’ very soon – just you wait and see. Meanwhile, I am thinking of organising a pre-Christmas wine tasting celebration. Would you care to join me?

 

Please see all the articles in my blog at jessiecahalin.com

‘Winestorming’ in Broadway

Broadway, Cotswolds

Broadway village, in the Cotswolds, is constructed of honey coloured stone.

Dripping with charm, this village always makes my heart glow and coaxes me to find souvenirs for the senses – and not the bric-a-brac variety.

Broadway Delicatessen and Broadway Wine Company are always essential destinations on our culinary compass.  Broadway Wine Company is a boutique wine shop. The wines are displayed like precious books and each bottle has a blurb.  Every label tells a story, and the wine merchant invites you into the narrative. Then like a conductor, he throws his arms around until he finds the right melody of flavour for you.

 

Drunk with enthusiasm, his mind travels to the various wine regions.  His words ramble down the dusty tracks to the vineyards, until you reach some possible destinations for your wine choice. Oozing knowledge, he tells you where and how the wine is produced.  Listening to your preferences, he starts ‘winestorming’ as he searches for the correct notes of flavour.   Speaking, without pretention and without pausing, he finds the perfect match for your taste.

On our last pilgrimage, the wine evangelist helped us to select a trio of wines from the Old World and New World.  We paired the Sidewood Reserve from the Adelaide Hills with some Gloucester Old Spot Sausages, served with Worcester apple sauce.   Low and behold, it was a perfect match!

 

 

 

Please see all my travels at Handbag Adventures and my blog at jessiecahalin.com.