recent Lifestyle blogs
retro sunbeds

retro sunbeds

We decided this summer, with the garden revamp and everything, to replace the wooden sun loungers. Bought when we first moved in, we committed the initial rookie error of never oiling them, and then after the first year, left them outside over each winter. I did try...

one pan dahl recipe

one pan dahl recipe

If you're a fan of a dahl, and also a fan of not using lots of pots and pans and creating lots of washing up, this is the recipe for you. It uses one pan or casserole dish, a chopping board, a bowl, a knife, a spoon and a masher or a blender. Plus, whatever you choose...

time for tea…

time for tea…

We do love our tea in this house, but we like tea which is very uncomplicated. I have bought leaves and strainers - and even went so far as to bring back rose petal from Morocco - but the just ends up sitting in a pretty containers and the various strainers just take...

spicy salmon curry

spicy salmon curry

I had to share this recipe as it's the easiest - and easily most delicious - curry, we've made in a long time. And, we are trying to extend our curry repertoire as we currently don't have Indian or Nepalese or Thai restaurants on our doorstep. So this has been a find...

homemade hummus : a recipe

homemade hummus : a recipe

I've dabbled in the past with making homemade hummus, but it's never become a habit. Hummus is so widely available that it just seemed a bit of a faff, and I could ever get a consistent recipe that I was happy with. When we lived in West Didsbury this was fine, as we...

our friend, the mosaicist…

our friend, the mosaicist…

Many years ago, when we had a website called Didsbury Life, promoting independent businesses in Didsbury and West Didsbury, we had a beautiful office, right on Burton Road. We designed the logo for this business and commissioned our very talented friend, Amanda, to...

christmas : 2022

christmas : 2022

Well, that's almost a Christmas wrap. We've spent the last few days hunkered down, with the wood-burners on, lights twinkling, candles flickering and eating all manner of luxurious food at the most inappropriate times of the day. Chocolates for breakfast, with a tot...

spiced up red thai chicken soup…

spiced up red thai chicken soup…

The base recipe for this soup is exactly the same as the one I posted last year, but this time I did a couple of things differently. I decided not to whizz the soup this time, keeping the vegetables a bit more chunky - this made the final broth a little less creamy in...

winter chicken casserole

winter chicken casserole

As the temperatures have started to plummet - the fires have been lit just recently for the first time this year, so this chilliness, even in December, has caught us on the hop - and so our thoughts are turning very much to food that is winter warming. And just...

kozlović winery : momjan : istria

kozlović winery : momjan : istria

Kozlović winery is one of the best-known wineries in Istria. The family has been producing wines since 1904, and today, the winery is run by its fourth generation. We are lucky that it's about twenty minutes from our house and so we can visit at less busy times -...