a few of our favourite things...

I've just got back from France and have brought some of our favourite things that one just doesn't seem to be able to get in London...

Harissa in a tube - it's so handy!

Le Petit Marseillais Savon Liquide du Cuisinier - hand soap for cooks with lemon oil to keep our dainty hands fragrant, no more weird looks for garlicky fingers! (they also make a great "Bricoleur & Jardinier" one with gritty bits)

Benedicta Lemon Mayonnaise - it just tastes of France in the 70's! mmmm those memories!

Spigol - ground spices for couscous or rice in mini sachets and great old-fashioned boxes - an essential for the kitchen store cupboard

I'll drop them by later girls!

our olive trees have arrived!

Yesterday we finally received delivery (and plantation) of our two ten-year old Verdale olive trees, for the garden at La Tour des Anges

www.maisonsprovencales.fr

There was a lot of digging and pulling out of huge stones left behind from the house that used to stand where the garden is now.

The trees have had to undergo some drastic pruning for the transplantation, so it'll be a while before we can see them in all their glory...

Verdale is the classic local variety, which grows all around the Mont Ventoux and is primarily for pressing into oil, but you can eat them too. There used to be a huge local production of olive oil until the 1950s when an incredible freeze killed most of the trees and the area was replanted solely with vines (which go into deeper sleep in the winter and can withstand temperatures below -30˚C), which in turn sparked the rise of the Côtes du Rhône appellation.

Here they are planted out - I can't wait to be sitting down there with the Legs of Lamb and a nice chilled bottle of rosé this summer!

Cheesy Tits!!!!!!!!

I found these t-shirts and couldn't resist!

Clerkenwell Kitchen ...

The Lovely ladies at Clerkenwell Kitchen have started opening on Thursday evenings so now all of us who work in the day can sample their delights! Last Thursdays simple short menu was almost impossible to choose off, as I wanted everything. My friend Paula went for the witch sole served with brown shrimp and a wild garlic butter. I was torn between pork belly served with a saffron mash and cockles and the onglet served rare with marrow bread sauce, laura's chips and watercress. As you can see from the bloody plate I went for the onglet!

We had a rhubarb belini to start and a great bottle of Gruner Veltliner. The plate of cheese from the fromagerie broke us and I was sent home with a basket of lovely leaves (dandelion, sorrel, red chicory and some radishes) which had been over ordered. Nice one!