I do not often get the chance to visit London. I miss it and sometimes regret moving to the country, well you can’t have it all. When I do get the chance to go, I normally have a list of things to do, places to visit and supplies to collect along the way.

Last Saturday was no different to my usual ritual when visiting London. Our first stop was Borough market, we arrived just after 9am. First attraction was Monmouth Coffee, you can’t beat the service, coffee and ambiance. I can simply sit there for hours watching the world go by. All walks of life pass through Monmouth,from old, young, market stall holders, rich toffee nose business men, yummy mummy’s to simply Joe blogs and me.

Armed with my shopping list and camera I set off on my rounds,I had to purchase Ras-el-Hanout from the Arabic food company, bread from

I absolutely loved the movie Slumdog Millionaire.I not only  appreciated the mechanics on how the movie was made but also  how it highlighted the way we allow children and other human beings to live. Chanel 4 recently broadcast an Indian Seasons series of documentaries and films of the slums in Mumbai. It showed the despair and absolute poverty of how the people live but surprisingly it also portrayed the joy, happiness, high rate of employment and  a people who wanted to work and make a living. Some of these documentaries make me feel guilty as a human being by creating a sense of failure in helping those individuals who wanted to succeed.

This recipe is my contribution in raising awareness of the fantastic culture and culinary contributions that India has brought to the world. Makhani Dal means butter lentil dal, cooked slowly laced with full bodied spices,not necessarily highlighting the

One of my “new years resolutions” is to bake fresh bread more often. I find it therapeutic and it actually helps me to collect my thoughts and just simply calm down and get back in touch with reality. The whole reasoning behind this is that you cannot fast track bread making, it takes as long as it takes, it’s slow with magnificent and very rewarding results. I try to apply this “method” to my life, slow things down, give it plenty of thought, a generous helping of good food and water, plenty of time, plenty of warmth and love and it’s remarkable that the end results are worth the effort and time.

I have chosen not to use a traditional loaf tin to bake my bread , instead I felt ready for a free form and shall we say a more organically shaped loaf of bread. I must admit it’s

I cannot believe that its the end of January, the year is off to a flying start. It’s already that time of the year to get romantic and treat the ones we love.

Celebrating Valentines day has become a bit of a cliche over the years, especially with the retailers who completely miss the point and try to milk as much cash as they can from February  14th. I’m actually very pleased that Mr.P does not jump on the band wagon and pay extortionate prices for flowers, he does show his appreciation in his own little ways and I love him for that.

Last week Mr.P brought me a lovely gift of some new season forced rhubarb wrapped in pretty pink tissue paper.

I was overwhelmed with this lovely gift so I felt the need to cook something that we both would enjoy. This heavenly scented rhubarb and vanilla jam