I didn't quite realise just how delicious the combination of fresh vegetable and fruit juice could be. I guessed the flavours might be more soup like than fruit like, but I was wrong. This juice tasted of citrus, lime flower, lemon and apple with a hint of cucumber. The spinach and parsley were not dominant flavours but including them gave the juice its deep, vibrant colour.
Read MoreRecipes for the unexpected - Christmas chestnut, mushroom and cranberry roulade
This recipe is fabulous to eat freshly made or to prepare in advance and freeze. It is perfect for those unexpected Christmas guests and even better if one of them is a vegetarian. Most people think it is some kind of giant sausage roll but the discerning realise on the first bite it is a special concoction of chestnuts and mushrooms infused with the smell of lemon and thyme, and studded with cranberries.
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Recipes of Christmas past - mincemeat
One of the earliest mentions of mince pies was in the 16th century by Thomas Tusser who writes about mince or ‘shred’ pies in his 1557 list of Christmas foods. Shred because the meat was shredded with a knife. Mince pies were also described in The Country Housewife’s Family Companion by William Ellis in 1750. Both manuscripts are part of the Cookery Collection at the Brotherton Library, Leeds University.
Read MoreWinter juice No 1 - Beetroot, carrot , ginger and lemongrass
This morning I am multitasking - trying to write at the same time as eat breakfast which includes a shot of this brilliant, deep, blood red juice.
Read MoreArtichoke soup with blue potato crisps and pink pepper
This recipe has been driven by flavour and colour. Jerusalem artichokes are in season and there is something about the bite of them I love. It reminds me of coconut. So perhaps I will add a little coconut milk to this soup for creaminess. Nobly blue potatoes are in the shops too so I thought they might look lovely as crisps aloft this delicate soup. The colour of pink pepper corns also sprang to mind, so too did lemon grass and ginger and before long I had the recipe for a very pretty soup which was lovely to eat and gorgeous to photograph. Just the thing for a cold winter day with a biting wind.
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