My wholehearted table

01/06/2026

11/05/2026

Sticky toffee pudding/cake with lashings of extra sticky sauce and cream. A treat for a cool evening after a walk . Dates in the sponge are a great addition for sweetness.

Thanks to for the recipe - it works beautifully.

10/05/2026

An old favourite: gluten free orange and almond cake. Just boiled oranges, eggs, ground almonds and sugar.


❤️

02/05/2026

So much abundant green around at the moment - thanks rainy spring! - and while wild garlic is still around, it was time to use ALL the greens in a bright risotto!

23/04/2026

A few days cooking at Wonderful Escapes. Cool weather turning warmer as spring continues to emerge.

Using as much local and seasonal produce as possible including homegrown pak choi, local cheeses and herbs plus wild garlic. Lunches of hearty soups and tempting quiches; dinners with Moroccan tagines and flavoursome ragus. More recipes developed - more to follow!

23/04/2026

A Middle-Eastern flavour to the last day brunch - some shakshuka, marinated feta and some salads with a herby yoghurt sauce.

As the weather turned from cool to warm in the Brecon Beacons, we moved from a warming ragu one evening and laksa fur lunch to salads and a warm egg dish (shakshuka).

21/04/2026

Day 2: a spinach, feta and olive quiche with a Greek salad and some herby bulgar wheat.

The spinach quiche was packed full of spinach (surprise surprise!) in a feta, crème fraiche and egg base. Definitely one to repeat!

20/04/2026

Day 1 of a retreat and just making extra granola for tomorrow’s breakfast.

I always use oats and desiccated coconut for natural sweetness and then a combination of seeds, dried fruit and nuts. Cinnamon and ginger add a hint of spice and coconut oil and maple syrup add a crispy texture.

28/03/2026

Wild garlic is in season now and has so many uses and its properties are perfect for the time of year. It is pungent and gently heating and perfect for clearing excess kapha, plus it’s great for building immunity, perfect to ward off springtime colds..

One of the easiest is just stirring it into a casserole or stew you often make. Here, I stirred it into a risotto and it built on the garlic I had already used.

27/03/2026

Vegan chocolate cupcakes

I’ve been making these light sponge chocolate cupcakes for years now. It’s an originally an Australian recipe which is adaptable to different toppings. The one here is with a chocolate ganache with pistachio icing. The base recipe is below - enjoy for Easter!

1.5 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 light olive oil
1 tsp white vinegar

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Prepare a muffin tin with 12 paper cases.

2. Combine flour, bicarbonate and salt and stir through. Next sift in the cocoa powder and add the sugar. Stir through to mix well.

3. Whisk oil, vanilla, salt and vinegar and pour into dry ingredients - don’t over-stir.

4. Fill cupcake paper cases almost to the top and bake for 30 minutes - they will rise above the top of the cases.

Optional
Make a ganache by melting chocolate and butter together. Mix together and then set aside for a few minutes to thicken slightly - you should be able to spread it smoothly on top of the cupcakes. Decorate as you choose!