Food has always been a rich source of pleasure for me; I have wide-ranging tastes and enjoy the thrill of sampling a new cuisine. I subscribe to the school of thought that believes a direct connection exists between stomach and heart: an intimate meal between characters comprising succulent, delicious food really sets the scene for […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
How many cups of coffee does it take to write a romance novel? The answer, for me, is many indeed – but they must be of the very best beans. In Burning Embers, which is set in and around Mombasa in Kenya, Coral is invited to stay at a friend’s coffee plantation and drinks […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Earlier this month I posted a recipe for delicious groundnut soup – a traditional dish eaten in Africa. But what meal is complete without a little something sweet to finish? In Burning Embers, the protagonist, Coral, savours the ripe, succulent mangos that are grown in the area surrounding her homestead in Mombasa. Here’s a beautifully […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so goes the popular saying. Well, I think there’s a little more to attraction and love than that, but I do believe that certain foods and drinks act as aphrodisiacs for both men and women. (The word aphrodisiac, in case you’re interested, originates from Aphrodite, […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
‘Ice cream? In December?’ I hear you cry. Surely that’s a summer-time treat? Well, not if you follow my easy and quick recipes and combine your favourite festive desserts with creamy ice cream. This is a great way to use up puddings that are going stale, or to serve up a dessert with a difference […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
It’s the start of January, and for many of us that means an end to the indulgences of the Christmas season and renewed resolutions to eat healthily – good, fresh foods, sensible portion sizes and the five-a-day of fruit and veg. What better recipe, then, than one for an African-style fruit salad inspired by Burning […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Curry calls to mind India; coconut curry calls to mind Thailand. The following recipe, however, is a traditional Kenyan one from the East Coast – the kind of meal that the characters in my novel Burning Embers may well have enjoyed, cooked by their local staff. I prefer a mild curry (as I imagine Coral […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
… is through his stomach, or so they say. Anatomically, that seems rather suspect; but I would have to agree that food – especially when cooked by one lover for the other – has vast potential to create a romantic ambiance. But it has to be the right food. You need a food that is […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
It’s Easter, so of course I’ve chocolate on my mind. Easter means different things to different people – a symbolic time of new birth; a cause for religious praise; the heart of spring. And then, of course, there’s the Easter egg. All the chocolate around at Easter time can get a bit much, so today […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Spring is here, but the weather is wobbling between wintry and warm. So what to cook in such temperamental weather? Take a leaf from those who live in Kenya, the setting of my novel Burning Embers, and dish up a curry. Curry is traditionally associated with India, but in fact Africans have also been using […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
