In which we discover that fate can be tricksy, fish pie can be surprising and that you can get away with pretty much anything if you are a baron.
In which we discover that it can be unwise to have your name on your belt, that cleverness is important for heroes, the downsides of wagon driving and how a pudding can save or take a life. Today’s story has giants, heroes, magic swords, enchanted ladies, generous princes, a possessed princess, treasure, wicked magicians, monsters and even the devil has a bit part.
In which we find out what happens when Madam Moon is absent from the sky, why you should always listen to a Wise-Woman and how any of this is relevant to a fruity tea-time snack.
In which we discover why you should never pose as an oil salesman, what your salt consumption reveals about you and how a good bread recipe connects the two. We also learn, more importantly, that a clever, courageous, quick-thinking woman is what you really need to save the day and the treasure.
In which we find out how giving away your lunch can find you a bride and win you a kingdom and how relevant that is to a delicious apricot flapjack.
In which I explain how the wonderful story of Gifts of the Magician is connected to Oxtail via an extremely tenuous link and actually quite an interesting history.
Can you imagine a Sunday roast without the potatoes? You might even be one of those wonderful people who thinks there should be more than one type. Whether you like to get in as much potato variety in as possible in one meal or prefer to focus on the perfection of a crispy, craggy roast potato with its meltingly soft middle; I think you’d agree that the roastie is a key item in an iconic roast dinner.
Alcohol has been with us for a while. Ever since primates started enjoying the overripe, fermenting ground fruit which was easier to sniff out than the underripe fruit still on the branches of the tree. The theory goes that the more fermented food we ate, the more our genetics evolved to enable us to eat more fermented food with fewer side effects. The more fermented food and drink we consumed the more demand increased.
Kebabs, so delicious yet so much controversy. Do you think of elephant leg, the late night scourge of the high street, sadly grey yet so appealing after a few too many drinks? Or perhaps a shish kebab with its crispy nearly burnt edges and indigestible undercooked pepper slices? Is shawarma more your thing? Moist and juicy with garlic sauce and chilies?
I love Georgette Heyer, I even love her more than Jane Austen, mostly because her books are one of the places I know I will always find comfort. No matter how much I admire her, I’ve never yet taken an Austen to bed.