sea salt

Double Rye Treacle Tarts

Alessandro and I have been travelling around Northern Laos and Northern Thailand for just over a week now. We have been getting up early to watch the hustle and bustle of the morning markets, wandered through the grounds of stunning temples, walked along the banks of the Mekong river, travelled on local buses so full people were sitting on rice bags in the middle of the aisles and swam in the turquoise water of one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen. While every trip comes with its own challenges, whether it be jet-lag, getting sick, over-hyped destinations, missed flights or buses – and this trip has certainly had its fair share of that as well – I am so glad we decided to go on this trip. Time seemed to have stopped while we are taking in our new (and temporary) surroundings with all their new-to-us sights, smells and flavours. Above all, it is so nice to spend

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Roasted Hazelnut, Sea Salt and Date Brownies

Alessandro and I are spending this week on the slopes. Such a ‘settimana bianca’ (a ‘white’ week) is by now a yearly tradition for us. After my first tentative steps on skis on a schooltrip to Austria as a teenager I am now able to tackle almost all slopes and dare I say, even enjoy myself a good deal doing so. While there are a few small slopes not too far from Rome, once you have mastered the basics, they are a bit short and boring. So our yearly ‘settimana bianca’ now takes us up to Northern Italy, to the Dolomites, to San Cassiano in Alta Badia to be precise. A trip we are now doing for the second time with a group of about 10 or so friends. While I feel sorry for anyone else staying in our small hotel given our inevitable loud chatter in the bar after a long day on the slopes (no doubt fuelled by

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Chocolate Olive Oil Sea Salt Pate a Tartiner

Since I started baking my own bread I had been looking to make my own chocolate spread. As much as I loathe sugar-laden Nutella (amended to clarify that it’s not Nutella per se I despise but the fact that something that tastes so good has to be full of sugar and fake ingredients), I must admit that chocolate pairs incredibly well with freshly baked toasted bread. Nonetheless, I was keen to come up with a recipe that was low in sugar, had a short list of recognisable ingredients I knew how to pronounce and spell and that could be put together in a cinch. It is probably time for an important disclaimer, the recipe copied below is no step-by-step guide to making your own Nutella at home. Firstly, although perfectly adequate for making various nutbutters (walnut being my current favourite), my food processor is nowhere near good enough to make hazelnut paste smooth enough to satisfy my perfectionist tendencies and

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Maple walnut, chocolate chip and sea salt scones

A few weeks ago I wrote about my quest to stay away from the coffee chain that shall remain nameless and bake my own breakfast pastries. And yet, no sooner had I finished that tray of lemony muffins that I was back through the doors of that exact same coffee chain. Yes, there were plenty of early starts and late finishes at work (typically both in the same day, never a good combination), but that by itself is no excuse to not buy oatmeal instead of a sugar-laden pastry. So, last weekend I found myself standing in the kitchen willing to be better prepared for the work week. I had come across a recipe for chocolate walnut biscotti and although I did not bookmark the recipe, the flavour combination stayed with me and, having no eggs on hand, I thought about making chocolate chip and walnut scones. And I added some sea salt because what does not taste better thanks

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