Surface design : Cressida Bell

Cressida Bell is an extraordinary artist for several reasons. A fabulously talented surface designer, she designs, paints and screen prints, producing a wide range of objects for the home, stationery, and accessories for men and women. AND she is also an utterly...

Food : Danish apple cake

  Years ago when we had a telly, my partner and I used to love watching the Two Fat Ladies. They were fabulously entertaining as cooks and personalities – boisterous, loud, and very opinionated. As for their food – it was glorious. Their favourite...

Food : Mandarin almond cake with chocolate butter frosting

  As I mentioned a little while ago, our twin boys turned 7 recently. For their birthday cake, I adapted the classic Middle Eastern orange and almond cake, the recipe for which is in the equally classic cookbook by Claudia Roden, A Book of Middle Eastern Food. I...

Food : Lumberjack cake

  I’d never heard of this cake until a few years ago when a work colleague brought some in for morning tea. Now there seems to be hundreds of versions available, and why not? It’s sweet, buttery, a bit nutty, very moist and totally delicious. And...

Food : decadence and reality

  I’m about to head off on holidays for a couple of weeks, and as a treat for this week, I thought I’d share with you some of the totally amazing food images I’ve found on Pinterest. Styling food for photographs is an intense and exacting craft...