Food: Week Day Chicken Traybake with Roasted Vegetables

Summer definitely feels like it's on the way out here and I'm already craving the comfort food of the colder months. I've overindulged quite a bit over the summer and am now trying to get back into the five-a-day fruit  and veg habit. On week days I want meals that don't take too long to prepare which is why my Chicken Traybake with Roasted Vegetables works so well.

Food: Lobster, Lobster, Lobster in New England

I embarked on our New England trip determined to eat as much lobster as I could. Can you tell that I love lobster? Here are a few of my favourites:

Shuckers, Woods Hole, MA
I've been eating whole lobster since I was little, so donned my bib and brandished my pliers like a pro. Lobster and potato salad on the same plate - I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! Errrr, foodie heaven.

Travel: Summer in New England

I am just back from three weeks in New England and I thought I'd put pen to paper before the memory fades. I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the place and the proximity of nature and city reminded me of places like Vancouver and Cape Town, only different. The light was brighter than I've ever experienced before and I can understand why so many artists choose to make their home here.

Travel: My airbnb tips

Since the littlies have arrived we've not used hotels at all, always hiring villas or short-stay apartments instead. I started using airbnb last summer on the recommendation of a friend. 

On the whole, the experience has been very positive. In Paris we managed to find an apartment a street away from the friends we were visiting and less than 10 minutes away from the closest metro stop. The cost was also much more affordable than the hotels in the vicinity. It felt really good to be living in someone's home rather than in an impersonal holiday rental.

Since then we've used airbnb a few more times and have learned a few things:

Travel: A Few Days in Kathmandu

Kathmandu definitely feels like a gateway city. I felt quite restless the entire time I was there, perhaps because, like others, I was waiting to move on elsewhere. We spent a few days visiting the occasional attraction, but mostly languishing in our beautiful hotel, Dwarika's. We had been upgraded to a beautiful room overlooking the courtyard and really felt cocooned from the busy city beyond the hotel's walls. Dwarika's was a heritage hotel and therefore had amassed a vast array of Nepali artifacts and therefore had a relaxed museum feel about it. We definitely felt very lucky to be living amongst such beauty. While the norm for our holidays is to soak up as much culture as possible, Dwarika's invited us to just  relax.

Food: Smoked Haddock Chowder with a nod to Nigel Slater

The days have been hotter than usual and we've been eating later and later. Something about the warmer weather makes me less inclined to want to cook so recipes which require as little involvement from me as possible always seem more attractive.

I hadn't made any haddock chowder for ages and a quick look at a Nigel Slater recipe from his book Eat made me realise that I didn't have all the ingredients. I made some calculated substitutions and was so pleased with the results. The smoked fish was delicious, as was the sweetness from the sweetcorn. I'll definitely make this version again!

Travel: Summer in the Dordogne

I've spent a few weeks in the Dordogne each summer for the past few years. The French countryside has a knack of slowing down my pace of life like nothing else can and this part of south-west France has my heart. I generally spend my days visiting a market in the morning and then generally doing very little, while nibbling on the delicious bread and cheese.