by Helen | May 2, 2020 | Lifestyle
This is another perfect lockdown larder recipe. If you love anchovies, you’ll definitely have a tin or a jar or two of these in your cupboard, and everything else is pretty standard stuff standard stuff which most people will have in. It’s a Nigella Lawson recipe, which I did adapt slightly as I didn;’t have absolutely everything, but it turned out fine.
what you’ll need (serves 4-6 so adapt accordingly)
- 2 large onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon soft light brown sugar
- 12 anchovies (or 1 x 60g / 2oz can in olive oil)
- 15 grams butter
- tiniest pinch of ground cloves – didn’t have cloves so omitted these
- 1 tablespoon water
- 125 millilitres full fat milk
- 500 grams linguine (bigoli, bucatini, perciatelli or other robust pasta) – just normal, bog-standard dried spaghetti
- 1 bunch freshly chopped fresh flatleaf parsley – no fresh parsley, unfortunately, the one thing I think it could have benefitted from
- Salt & pepper
It’s another very easy recipe. We did follow it to the letter, but I’m sure you could do it even quicker by just mixing the onions, garlic and anchovies into the cooked spaghetti, but the creamy sauce did make all of the difference and elevated it a little from just a pasta dish, to one with a bit of a wow.
what you’ll need to do
- Finely chop the onions & garlic and cook, in a little oil until soft, then add the brown sugar and cook for a further 10 minutes
- Chop the anchovies into very small pieces and add to the onion/garlic mix, until they start to disintegrate, then stir in the butter (and the pinch of ground cloves at this stage), followed by a tablespoonful of water
- When it is all combined, gradually stir in the milk, and when it is a puree, take the pan off the heat
- Cook the spaghetti and when done drain, then tip the anchovy & onion sauce into the pasta, mixing it round so that the strands are coated
- Season according to taste
- Mix the roughly chopped parsley into the pasta, keeping some aside
- Serve in warm bowls and sprinkle the remaining parsley over the top
by Helen | Apr 26, 2020 | Lifestyle
There’s nothing more mouth-watering than a strong baked cheese, served with warm crusty bread. It always seems a very decadent way to eat, but in reality, it’s not – it’s just hot cheese. What makes it decadent is what you do with it, and the kind of cheese you use. I think the stinkier the better – we’ve used some cheeses that are so overpowering, they’ve had to sit outside until we’re ready to bake them. But, a good old fashioned brie or camembert is as good as any, especially as these are so widely available.
how we do our stinky cheese
It’s so simple. The cheese (with rind) is baked in its wooden box – this should ensure no spillage, but just to be on the safe side, you could wrap the box in foil. The oven temperature should be 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4 (fan oven 160C) – no higher. Score across the rind on the top of the cheese and push in sliced garlic (or small cloves) and small sprigs of rosemary. Splash white wine over the top, and if you fancy it with a bit of a kick, add a sprinke of chilli flakes.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, by which time you will have a gooey, oozy cheese, packed full of flavour. My favourite way to eat this is dunking in warm crusty bread, accompanied by a dry, white wine. Super delicious!
by Helen | Apr 23, 2020 | Spain, Travel
Tarifa lies on the Costa de la Luz, across the Strait of Gibraltar facing Morocco, in the province of Cádiz, Andalucia. Located at the southernmost end of the Iberian Peninsula, it is primarily known as one of the world’s most popular destinations for windsports. We took a detour to Tarifa on our way back from Seville to Malaga – and were sorely tempted to take a ferry across to Tangier, as we could actually see the North African city from the beach!
However, we decided that particular trip was for another day, and instead explored this Spanish town which we previously knew very little about.
We didn’t really hold out a lot of hope for Tarifa, as during the journey, the rain lashed down and the sky looked ominous, all the way. However, whether it’s because of its location, and so the weather was blown away, or it has a micro-climate, the day was bright and sunny when we arrived. Albeit, a bit on the breezy side.
The season hadn’t started when we visited, so the expansive beach was almost empty. And, wow – it was windy! It was easy to see why wind-surfing and kite-surfing and a plethora of other beach/wind related sports are so popular here. We spent a good couple of hours walking along the beach and then through the Puerta de Jerez – the only one of four medieval entrances remaining – into the densely packed maze of whitewashed houses and pretty squares that is Tarifa’s old town. Again, it was relatively uncrowded, but the bohemian, chilled vibe we’d read about was certainly in evidence. Surfer shops, shops selling ethnic and North African wares and small tapas bars and restaurants, which often looked nothing from the street, but were clearly very popular, even out of season. A rain shower drove us into one of these restaurants – not the best looking one, and perhaps a bit jaded decor wise, but wow, the food was amazing! Especially the patatas bravas with rocquefort dressing. No photographs, apart from one, as we forgot because once it all arrived we were utterly consumed by the tastiness and inventiveness of the dishes.
by Helen | Apr 22, 2020 | Interiors
Decoupage or découpage is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf and other decorative elements. Commonly, an object like a small box or an item of furniture is covered by cutouts from magazines or from purpose-manufactured papers.
Our internal doors are the pretty basic DIY store four panelled ones. They are on the list to replace, but we’ve not got round to bit of the list yet. They have all been painted a very soft pale blue satinwood and new handles have been fitted, so are OK for the time being. However, over a couple of rainy days we were sorting our holiday box – the one where receipts and tickets and maps get chucked at the end of a trip, always with the intention to do something with these memories. Sorting them all on the concrete table in the Well Room, it suddenly came to me – why not use them to decoupage the inside of the downstairs bathroom door?
materials used
In my usual gung-ho way, I just decided that I knew what I needed (listed below), so if you’ve not done this before yourself but fancy giving it a go, perhaps check online in case I missed out something crucial. Although to be fair, I’ve gone on to decoupage other surfaces in the same way, and they’re all fine.
- Paper Maps
- Wallpaper paste
- Scissors
- Small paint brush
- Clear varnish
- Small sponges (one to smooth out any air bubbles and the other to dab away any errant wallpaper paste)
I decided to use just the maps, cut up, as was finding it too fiddly to try and place tickets, receipts etc in a pleasing pattern as they were all different thicknesses and looked too messy. I laid them out on the table first of all, and could see pretty immediately they weren’t going to work, so made the decision to cut up the maps. This made creating a pattern so much easier. I applied the wallpaper paste (and only make up a small quantity as you don’t need a lot) in sections and so was easily able to slide the map pieces to the edges of the door, so there was no messy overhanging. The panels were a bit more tricky, but I quickly realised that by scoring a line in the corner of the piece to be used, I achieved a neat fold. It did quite lot longer than I thought it would, but once all secured in place, it looked as I had wanted it to and so was worth the effort. Because the door is a bathroom door, and so obviously affected by steam and moisture, I applied four coats of clear varnish. It was completed a couple of months ago, and all of the pieces are still firmly secure. No peeling or coming away, so the more coats you can apply, especially in a room like a bathroom, the better.
Our downstairs bathroom is quite small and there isn’t really the space for magazines etc – and to be honest, I couldn’t stand the clutter. So, for those who like a bit of reading matter in the small room, there’s a door full of maps to be explored.
I have since done a bit more decoupage on a few other surfaces and have to say that I definitely found the pages of a book to be the nicest to work with. I would never normally destroy a book, so chose a book that we had a couple of copies of. And one that I thought would get more reading if it was randomly decoupaged on the back of a door…
by Helen | Apr 21, 2020 | Interiors
We’ve never had so much space and shape to play with before, in any of the houses or flats we’ve lived in, and our stone house has proven itself to be a complete source of surprises. Each time we think we’ve finished somewhere, we see something else that could be done. A room in point is the largest bedroom, which has gone through quite a few changes. The initial transformation was very simple – we just painted all of the walls and ceiling white, and woodwork the same soft, very pale blue which runs through the rest of the house. Furniture was bought quickly, out of necessity – although we weren’t unhappy with what we’d bought, we weren’t ecstatic with the choices.
Pretty soon after everything was painted white, we felt that the room still needed something else. The pine floor boards had never been treated and so these were sanded and stained. It turns out that “Walnut”, the colour we were trying to achieve, is not actually walnut here – the first attempt was more of a honey colour and we really disliked it, so bit the bullet and went for “Ebony”, a colour much closer to what we had envisioned.
The wooden bed-frame was also stained, giving us a room that was beginning to get *there*. However, the beams were still in their naked state, and because of the size of the room and the height of the ceiling, it still didn’t feel right. At least we were able to add these funky shades from IKEA – I’ve always liked these, because of the shadows they throw out, but have never had a space large enough to accommodate them. Two of them now hang between the beams – and work really well because of the space around them.
The treating and painting of the beams was definitely one of those jobs we put off, because of the height of them and the fact that once again the room would be in chaos. With hindsight, we really should have tackled them at the beginning, but there was just so much to do, that we decided to revisit them at a later date. They have now – thankfully – been treated for woodworm, caulked, undercoated, primed and top-coated. And, will never be touched by us again – so it’s just as well we love them in their new state.
Because of the ongoing renovation around the house, we’ve regularly found that the bedroom – purely because it has the space – becomes the “overspill” room, where pieces of furniture from elsewhere are moved. This has happened over the winter with our SKARPÖ outdoor armchairs (from IKEA) – although we made the best of disguising them with faux sheepskins and cushions. And, did actually use them. Artwork and plants and rugs soft accessories were also introduced to soften the room.
Then I got into my head that what was missing in the bedroom, was a feature wall. The white was just, well, too white. And scrolling through Pinterest I found I was becoming attracted to dark greens. It did take a little persuasion, but off we headed to Pula to our local B&Q style store (no mean feat as it’s a good three-four round trip) to get the paint mixed. I did really, really, really like the green but there was just something that wasn’t quite right. I couldn’t work out if it was the shade of green we’d chosen. Or whether it didn’t work against the ebony floor and grey beams. But there was something. I did try to surpress it because I knew I wouldn’t be at all popular even hinting at a colour change, so we went with it for a good few months.
But, it was finally broached, and it was agreed that although we did love the green, it wasn’t working in the bedroom. We had to have a colour that would sit well against the dark floor and the grey beams – and so of course, what better than another shade of grey? All of a sudden, the room was starting to work for us, and after three years, we were finally starting to create a room where we could feel completely relaxed.
Over Christmas, back in the UK, we decided that we might as well go for it in terms of finishing the bedroom, once and for all, and purchase the things we needed, which we couldn’t easily get out here. We decided that it was time to change the look of the bedroom furniture, which we’d bought in haste a couple of years earlier, and so chalk paint (in Vintage Duck Egg Blue) and finishing wax was purchased. First job, on our return after Christmas, was the painting of the bed-frame, wardrobe and cabinet – and wow, what a transformation.
And of course, now that everything was tying in colour-wise, that floor couldn’t stay ebony! Luckily, we always have lots of deep, deep navy blue floor paint and this was the next piece of the make-over jigsaw.
All of the upstairs doors in the house are fairly basic wooden panelled doors – the intention has always been to replace these, but so far we’ve not got around to it. I’d recently decoupaged the inside of the downstairs bathroom door, with maps from our travels and decide to spruce up the bedroom door, internally, using the same method. I liked the idea of the pages of a novel – as our copy of “Ulysses” by James Joyce was never going to be read, it was decided that this would be the novel which would be used. And with so many pages, not only was the back of the door done, but also the floating shelf above the bed. Which was then accessorised with faux sprigs of eucalyptus, which were left over from Christmas wrapping. We also had a small woodburner which had never been installed – in cream and black. It had never found a home and we didn’t really like the colours, so a quick spray of grey paint, and it had a new look. And a new home.
Again, because of the height of the room, we knew that the beams could look even better – and so lengths of faux foliage were brought back from England after Christmas. These particular ones were from The Range and are definitely the best ones I’ve seen – they are very realistic garlands with curling tendrils, so do look very realistic. If you do like them and live in the north west of England, please don’t buy them all, as I’m intending to restock on our next visit!
The recess in the bedroom has always had these squares of ivy (from IKEA), again to break up the white. And to help create a little more of a magical feel. A kind of woodland vibe. The beautiful mirror was a gift at Christmas – it was originally black and would have looked fab in this colour in the living room or well room, but I knew that this recess was the perfect place for it. The black however, wasn’t quite right, as it couldn’t really be seen. The gold spray paint was already out, as I’d done the handles on the wardrobe and cabinet, and I knew the mirror would look stunning in this colour. And, it does – a proper sunburst, nestled in the ivy wall. I also couldn’t resist the three green glittery, sequined pigeons, with the long feather tails and golden beaks, spotted in the post Christmas decoration sale in John Lewis. I had no idea where they’d go, but just loved how playful they were – but they look quite beautiful now, perched on the vintage birdcages which have been attached to the side of the wardrobe.
Mustard rugs (Dunelm Stores) and side lamps (Sainsburys) and a trio of gold mirrors (Dunelm Stores) were also brought over from England, and a white bedding set was dyed yellow, to sit against the Eve mattress. One of the best mattresses, ever, btw. The boxes at the bottom of the bed are used to store bedding, but are strong enough to sit enough on. Opposite the bed, we’ve created a lovely space, which is so beautiful in the evenings, when the light is just fading. A perfect corner to while away a little bit of time, in a room which now, *finally* think we are very, very happy with…
by Helen | Apr 15, 2020 | Interiors
The living room, when we bought our Istrian stone house, was dark and oppressive. Walls were plastered in places, painted in places and in other places, the stone work was exposed. Window frames and external shutters were a faded green colour. The pine floor boards were untreated and the original beams, very dark and exposed. The stair treads were also exposed, and there were no risers or spindles and no handrail, meaning that they felt very unsafe. The previous owners had left much of the furniture – all dark wood and dark brown leather, and definitely not our taste – and all in all, it was a pretty unloved space.
This was the first room we tackled as we needed to have somewhere that would be a comfortable retreat from the renovation chaos going on around us, and as our furniture arrived from England within a couple of days of arriving, we had to accommodate quite a lot of it somewhere, away from the building work. One of the first things we did was paint all of the walls, including the exposed stone work, white, which immediately lifted the room. We also stumbled along with the ornate cast iron stove we had inherited but it was proving to be very efficient, and so when we spotted this concrete beauty we knew it would be perfect for what we were planning.
A new chimney had to be built from the Snug (immediately below the living room), as our Dovre Stove which we brought over from Didsbury was being fitted down there, and up through the living room, into the bedroom and out through the roof. New ventilation was also installed. The white walls did definitely make a big difference in the early days, and with some familair and some new furniture in place, we did have a cosy room we could retreat to at the end of a long day.
However, we’ve continued to chip away in this room and today, we think we might finally be happy with it, and be able to put away the paintbrushes. For the time being.
Those beams have all been treated for woodworm and caulked, as there were too many gaps and holes and we wanted clean lines between the beams and the ceiling. They were then undercoated and then top-coated with a soft grey satinwood.
The faded green paint on the windows and frames and external shutters was sanded away and the woodwork was primed, undercoated and finished in a very pale blue, to complement the grey beams.
I find it very difficult to look at a room and think that it’s finished, especially when the rest of the house is in renovation chaos. I suppose I should try much harder, but I can always see something else that needs doing, or I go somewhere and see something I like and have to incorporate into the house. Such has been the case with the living room. The white walls have definitely been much, much better than the exposed stonework, but something just wasn’t quite right – and a visit to a beautiful bar in Ljubljana told me what was missing…
I loved the deep navy and gold and the patterns and textures and accessories and knew that this was what the living room had been missing. so set about creating an area of the room that was dark and luscious.
We decided that as well as painting the wall a very, very dark navy, the time had come to tackle the floor. The pine boards were not looking good and so it was decided that the whole floor would be painted in the same soft grey green satinwood as the beams, pulling the whole room together.
The very dark wall just lends itself to a bit pf contrasting bling, so as well as the gold sprayed stove, these angel wings take pride of place. A purchase which I just couldn’t resist…
The white IKEA cube storage was also sprayed and I think it all looks a whole lot better. Instead of the white cubes dominating the room – and being very obviously IKEA – they now blend into their surroundings much more. The spray painting was all done outside and it was completed very quickly. meaning that we didn’t have to wait hours for paint to dry before putting books back and accessorising. The artwork is actually from Bauhaus – our equivalent of B&Q. I’d spotted something very similar on Pinterest and had been searching online to see if I could source something like it – and there it was, as were buying paint 🙂
Those rickety old stairs were given a much needed saftey overhaul and makeover, too. It was a bit of a concern to discover that some of the treads had never actually been secured, so they were brought forward – given more foot room – and all securely attached. We also fitted a back to the stairs, meaning that they looked a whole lot safer and much sturdy. Those spindles, will, at some point, be replaced, but we decided that as the stairs were being painted, they might as well also have a lick of paint. Considering how pretty bland they are, we think they look quite a lot better in their new colour and disguised ever so slightly, with two faux sheepskin covers.
The final thing we did to finish off the room – for the time being! – was to repaint the sideboard, which the TV sits on top of. It had been a pale grey but was beginning to look a bit grubby, so the navy blue satinwood came out again, and transformed it, into something quite beautiful and elegant…
And there you go. For not too much expenditure, a new living room, inspired by Kolibri Cocktail Bar, in Ljubljana.
by Helen | Apr 10, 2020 | Interiors
I love fresh flowers. For the third year running, we’ve seeded up a few areas of the garden with wild flowers, because we believe that one day soon, these seeds will become something more than spindly stems and limp hanging heads. I always think something like this will emerge, because you’ve got to believe, haven’t you? But so far, not much luck…
Whilst we persevere outside – the seeds have been sown again – we’ve decided to go faux inside. The one parlour palm that we have got inside, has dwindled in size, as we forget to care for it. So, we’ve gone faux. Fully fake faux, because however forgetful we are, we can’t kill it and it will always look pretty. The house now has a plethora of greenery and unless we burn it down, the faux should last as long as we’re here…
This is a beautiful twine from Rockett St George. Bit pricey given what we’ve discovered since, but it’s still lovely and long enough to twist around the metal shelving. It does have the appearance and texture of a real plant, so I guess that’s what you pay for, if you’re a serial plant-killer. The creamy white ranunculus was just cut down so that it fitted into an empty caper jar, which I painted with the woodwork satin. I tend to keep glass jars, knowing that at some point in the future, they can be upcycled. Although these days, they get the spray paint treatment – much more immediate results.
Our nearest B&Q style store, which we inevitably frequent a lot, stocks a good range of faux foliage and so a few blooms and branches always find their way into the trolley. An inexpensive and effective way of making a half renovated house look a lot more cheery.
These little potted beauties from IKEA are greta value – they’re the Fejka range and are incredibly reasonably priced at £4 for a three pack. I dread to think how many of these packs I’ve bought…
More Fejka IKEA plants – this time, hanging plants in baskets. I’ve found that these work best when a hanging basket/pot is large enough to accommodate two, at least three, of these faux plants so that there’s more density.
Our renovated beams are quite beautiful, even though we say so ourselves, but they needed just a little something else. Our garden is full of trailing ivy and this gave me the idea to wrap artificial vines around the beams, reflecting what is outside. The hanging foliage above the window are just two pots, sitting high on the beams – but because you can’t see the pots, the way they tumble, is very effective. Especially when they are lit up by the dimmers, in the evening.
The basket below, was originally used to store towels, but these branches of faux eucalyptus and the cornflowers and reeds, just looked so much prettier and so it has been repurposed. Definitely adds more layers of interest in the room and it feels a whole lot more spring-like.
The upstairs bathroom has a very high ceiling, with orginal beams and again, we’ve introduced vines and hanging foliage, as well as this very lovely pale blue striped jug from IKEA. The cornflowers make anther appearance, too, sitting on top of the mirrored cabinet.
And finally, these vines… All laid out and ready to be used. But where they have been wrapped is for another blog 🙂
So there you go. A very inexpensive way to accessorise rooms, add depth and detail and bring the outside in. Safe in the knowledge, that once they’re in place, apart from the odd dusting, you need never do anything with them again, and they will always look good.
by Helen | Apr 9, 2020 | Lifestyle
We made a bit of an unexpected purchase when we visited Morocco and to be honest, we were on pins when we returned home. The purchase was being sent to us, as it wasn’t going to be easy to bring it back ourselves, and after the euphoria had worn off – it was something we’d been searching for, for ages – we did worry that we might have been scammed or that said delivery would not arrive. When we made the purchase, we also negotiated/haggled/asked very nicely for a chocolate brown leather pouffe to be thrown in too.
This particularly appealed once the very obvious storage solution had been pointed out. In Morocco (and probably elsewhere, where people are just more practical), these pieces of storage furniture aren’t artificially stuffed. They’re filled with blankets, clothes, newspapers etc – a brilliant way to store summer clothes in the winter and vice versa. It’s also deceptively large – it’s now packed full of clothes and very heavy so it makes a very solid piece of seating. And, the bonus is, I could also start to get rid of some bulky cupboards which only served to house clothes which hardly ever saw the light of day. A proper exercise in de-cluttering. It’s beautifully well made and has that really aromatic smell of leather. We’ve now had it for over five years and it’s survived two house renovations, a long period in storage and being shifted from Didsbury to Istria. We still use it as storage – and it’s now coming up to that lovely time of year when we can think out about taking out the summer clothes and packing away the winter stuff. It also still doubles as a seat and now has a new home in our downstairs Snug.
We liked it so much that when our friend went to Morocco, we asked her to bring us another back – this one is much smaller and is one of the very traditional rounded, hand stitched leather pouffes that you see all over the Souks. They are really inexpensive and as they are purchased flat, are so easy to bring back. Ours is a gorgeous sunshine yellow, which just brightens the room up…
Although I currently can’t imagine being comfortable in a Souk – the whole point being that they are crammed with people and sellers, noisy, exciting, vibrant – everything we’re currently keeping ourselves away from, I’m sure one day, we’ll return. During they day, especially in Marrakech, they seem a lot calmer and easiest to get around. At night, they take on a completely different feel. They can be quite disorentating and it’s so easy to feel lost and bit overwhelmed. But, we’ve always found them to feel safe – I’m not sure if I’d be totally happy wandering around solo, in the same way that I probably woudn’t wandering around somewhere like Piazza Navona in Rome, on my own, at night, but with someone else, they don’t feel initimidating. And, with someone else, it means that there is always someone to rein me, purchase wise 😉 We’ve always been fairly limited in what we can bring back as we don’t tend to travel with hold luggage, but looking back, it would seem that airlines did exert a little bit more flexibility in terms of cabin luggage weight and size, as looking around our home, we have obviously managed to get a few Souk purchases home…
We were very taken by the Moroccan Rose Tea – both in taste and appearance and aroma – and so brought some back with us, especially when its properties were explained to us. Being caffeine free, it’s supposed to aid digestion and blood circulation, as well as nourishing the skin. I can’t say whether these claims did actually work, but it’s super pretty and smells gorgeous.
We also couldn’t resist a big Moroccan bowl – due to size restrictions, we couldn’t go for the full set, but on our next visit, I do hope that we can start to add to a collection and have the smaller plates and bowls to match this beauty. It currently hangs on the wall, but one day, I do see it as centre piece on outside table, full of a vibrant summer salad.
the souks of marrakech and essaouira
And yes, the purchase we mentioned initially, did arrive. Our beautiful handmade Berber rug…
by Helen | Apr 7, 2020 | Lifestyle
…so claimed the author of the recipe on the website. And as we were craving a Shepherd’s Pie – we don’t eat minced meat and had no Quorn mince left – we decided to test out this rather bold claim and give this vegan option a whirl. It was easy to make, if a bit more time consuming than our usual efforts, but well worth every second of preparation. The onions, carrots, mushrooms, garlic and herbs were gently sauteed first, in a skillet with the potatoes boiling away in another pan. The veggies were taken off the heat when they started to soften and brown, and the potatoes were mashed. Into the mash went four cloves of crushed garlic (I know, but we are self-isolating!), a tin of coconut milk and a cup of rice milk and seasoned. This was then put to one side – and I defy you not to take sneaky spoonfuls! – and a tin of lentils were cooked in a bouillon stock for about half an hour. 
The vegetables which had previously been sauteed, were added to the lentil mix with peas and a splash of soy sauce, and simmered until most of the stock had gone. The mashed potatoes were scooped on top, flattened out with a fork, and popped in the oven for about 30 minutes. I can honestly say, it was one of the best Shepherd’s Pies we’ve ever made. If you’re a meat-eater, you might baulk at the idea of lentils instead of minced meat, but the flavours are so intense, I think even an ardent carnivore would be impressed. However, the best part it is the garlic coconut mashed potato. I always need to have my mashed potato layered through with different cheeses to give it more flavour, and with a good sprinkling of either very strong cheddar or parmesan for the crust, and I did wonder how I’d cope without my cheese fix. However, I barely missed the cheese – this mashed potato really is the king of mashed potatoes! Creamy and garlicky and rich – and still with a crust. So, yes, that bold claim is quite correct – this is seriously the best lentil shepherd’s pie. Give it a try – you will not be disappointed! The original recipe can be found here – and I’m already trawling the website for the next meal inspiration…
The recipe is on an American website, so measurements & quantities are slightly different – we just went with what we thought would work and didn’t pay too much attention to the measurements. All worked out well in the end 😉
by Helen | Apr 4, 2020 | Lifestyle
The lovely story of The Honey House in Ljubljana…
A respectful attitude towards nature allows us to maintain the harmony of life. We are proud to offer you a piece of nature that has been prepared with the utmost care, immersed in tradition and knowledge, which has been transmitted from generation to generation. Our grandfather had kept bees since childhood. As an 11 year-old boy, with straw basket in hand, he asked a neighboring beekeeper for a swarm of bees. The number of hives grew over the years and stayed with him throughout his life. While observing the life of bees and other animals on the farm, he built a respectful attitude towards nature and life. He carried-over his attitude and knowledge to the family with great enthusiasm, and raised the next generation of beekeepers. Thus, our father also lovingly cared for bees. In a more stressful and fast-paced life, he found pleasure, tranquility and contact with nature though beekeeping. He “infected” the entire family with his dedication and love for bees, and invited us all to participate in beekeeping. A small beekeeper thus slowly grew into the Krevs family beekeepers.
We love this shop and its products. The honey is absolutely exquisite, and comes in a variety of flavours – acacia, chestnut, flower, forest and fir. We’ve sampled them all and bought a few, but the stand out favourites are forest and fir. They smell divine – woody, and foresty and intense and deep, but are much lighter than you’d imagine to taste. The Forest Honey always go quickly. We can’t wait to get back to Ljubljana to stock up, as we have none of this left and are sparingly using our last jar of Fir Honey. If you close your eyes and inhale it, you are transported to the mountains…
But it’s not just the honey we’re fans of. On our last trip before Christmas, we also purchased some intensive, hydrating cream – not knowing how valuable this little pump action bottle would be! Now that vigorous and regular washing of hands is the order of every day, we’re finding that hands are a little drier than usual – and this nutrient packed cream is amazing. Made with beeswax, aloe vera, shea butter, propolis and honey, only a small amount is needed to re-hydrate dry skin. If only we’d been able to see into the future and realise how much we’d be using it, we’d have bought a few more pots of it. However, it can be purchased online, so as we’re fairly sure we’re not going to be getting to Ljubljana any time soon, I’ll definitely be placing an order for delivery.
This is not a promotional blog and we paid full price for the products. Just wanted to share some lovely products…
