27 July 19 Eygalieres, Provence: Part 1

So begins two weeks in Provence. We’ve come to the same house for the second year running, a splendid mas, as they call the traditional farmhouses round here, on the outskirts of Eygalieres, a delightful village close to St Remy de Provence. Lavender grows in profusion next to lawns in front of the house, fruit…

21 July 19

Sunday All the work for the family bbq done, all I have to do is lay the table in the garden and thread the chicken onto kebab sticks. Now this should be a quick, painless episode but although I’d thought ahead and soaked wooden sticks, decided to use my ancient metal skewers, now tarnished with…

14 July 19

Sunday Lunch at Harry’s (aka Giannakaros Traditional Fish Tavern) on the beach at Thanos, Lemnos, is as good as ever. Harry jumped ship to the family’s other restaurant at Kontias (more later) some years ago and younger brother Peter keeps the same high standards. While Harry’s son and daughter run Kontias, Peter’s daughter is a…

Strawberry Trifle

My childhood trifles always included jelly, tinned fruit and a thick, hard layer of Bird’s custard under the whipped cream. I remember the smell rather than the taste of sherry and it’s that sweet boozy smell of custard, fruit and cake that so evocative however the trifle is made. This one is made with pale…

7 July 19

Sunday All week I’ve been segueing left at the car park entrance to Chiswick House to visit the horses and hens at Giffords Circus (www.GIFFORDSCIRCUS.COM for latest location details), recently arrived and set up in two huge meadows adjacent to Chiswick House. I love this charming old-fashioned circus run by Nell Gifford and this morning…

Cornish Sea Trout Fishcakes

These fish cakes could be made with any firm fish but cooked sea trout, salmon or trout, would be the best. The quantity of fish to potato is approximately one to two with egg yolk and a dusting of flour to bind, with spring onions softened in butter and masses of chopped herbs – mint…