28 Sept 2021

Reviewing A Unique Cookbook: Midnight Chicken & Other Recipes Worth Living For

Recipe book review: Midnight Chicken


I think this may be one of the best recipe books I have ever had the pleasure of owning. I know, I know; a bold statement. 

In the small number of years that I have slowly turned into a recipe book hoarder, I have come to think of recipe books as falling into two categories. There are those that are about the recipes and the recipes alone. The layout is simple and we jump straight to the point; tasty recipes that are easy to follow and which do not give much away about the author who created them (apart from the fact that they are an excellent chef and recipe book writer). Some of my current favourites that fall into this category are Jamie Oliver’s 7 Ways and Rukmini Iyer’s Roasting Tin series. The other category is, to me, a little more personal. The recipes are only a part of what these gorgeous hardbacks have to offer. These recipe books can have very little in common on the surface and yet I think they all reveal something about the author or about the complex relationships we can have with food. I often think they are a love letter to food, to the kitchen, and these are the kind of recipe books I can read like novels. For I really, really love stories about food. 

(Yes, okay, you can’t really categorise recipe books and there are plenty that are a combination of the two categories but that’s not as neat or easy to explain right now so we shall hastily move on.)

Midnight Chicken (& Other Recipes Worth Living For) by Ella Risbridger falls into the second category. It falls into this category with bells on and god, I bloody love everything about it. It’s a book full of memories and mouth-watering food. It’s a love letter to life and a reminder to keep going. It's unlike any other cookbook I own. It’s glorious. 


Recipe book review: Midnight Chicken

Recipe book review: Midnight Chicken


The cost of buying it would be worth it for the sausage pasta and the charred-leek lasagne recipes alone but you’ll get so much more than that. Amongst reminders to pour yourself another glass of wine or add more butter (of which there are plenty), there is a gentle love story, a fundamental belief that things will get better and a reminder of the ability of food to nourish us both physically and mentally. Plus some gorgeous, cosy illustrations. 

A spoiler if you want to read it without knowing – this book will break your heart. Revealed in the acknowledgements is the fact that The Tall Man, as he is affectionally referred to throughout, has died. The revelation that the cosy world of this book no longer exists is devastating, but also stands as a stark reminder to appreciate the everyday joys and always add a splash more wine to the glass. 

This recipe book is one of a kind, and I would urge you to delve into its pages when in need of a hug. That sausage pasta will cure the bleakest of days.

Recipe book review: Midnight Chicken


24 Sept 2021

Photo Diary: The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer


London lights reflecting off the Thames. G&Ts sipped on golden balconies. Bath bomb skies, swirling with colour. Last-minute BBQs thrown together. Weddings with fireworks. Hazy blue skies. Bunting stretched across cobbled streets. Ferris wheels bathed in sunlight. Pizza on hot days. Sunflowers on the kitchen table. That fresher autumnal air creeping in.

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

The Golden Hour Of Summer

9 Sept 2021

Hello September

Hello September

Ello ello dear reader, hope you are well. It is officially September which means, as will come as a surprise to no one, that I have jumped into Autumn mode with both feet. I’m trying to ignore the random heatwave that we seem to be in and am gleefully hunting out the first signs of golden leaves, googling the return date of Bake Off and shopping for autumnal scented candles. I just can’t help myself. 

Summer seems to have passed in a bit of a blur of long overdue weekends with friends and family, garden renovations and weddings. Finally emerging out of the weird haziness of the first half of pregnancy still feels like a novelty and being back to near-normal levels of energy for the past few weeks has not gone unnoticed every morning. Having said that, I have such a desire to slow down now we’ve reached September. My usual back-to-school vibes are on steroids when combined with pregnancy hormones and the desire to organise the heck out of everything is very, very real. The baby currently kicking around my belly button region will be with us before the year is out and I would like to spend these final handful of months feeling cosy, organised and, most importantly, as rested as possible (at least as much as I can when my bladder/boobs/heartburn like to wake me up several times a night). We’re limiting plans to what has already been booked which should hopefully leave us with a good few weekends to hunker down at home and prepare for bubba’s arrival. 

Which is needed because I do not feel prepared; I doubt it’s possible to ever feel prepared about something so life changing but I imagine at least trying to vaguely prepare oneself for childbirth is probably a good idea. So, over the next few months, you’ll probably find me wrapped in a blanket, burning candles and watching Bake Off… with a bit of baby clothes shopping and hypnobirthing on the side. 

Enjoy your September!