As months go, April was short but also sweet (at least in my kitchen wise) and here we are on the first day of May. How did we even get here? It feels like someone pressed the fast forward button on 2026 or is it just me?! Apart from the anticipation of all that a new month holds, the first of the month means it’s time to catch up with Sherry and friends, share what’s been happening in my kitchen and catch up with what’s happening in everyone else’s. Let’s get stuck in, shall we?!
First up, David belongs to his favourite craft beer pub’s Beer Club – kind of like a wine club but for beer -and every month collects a carefully curated six pack of different beers. I was thrilled to help him try this one – it tasted exactly like the candy shrimps and bananas I used to love when I was a kid!
In other news, I shared the recipe for these No Bake Biscoff Cheesecake Pots. They are so yummy and so easy – bonus points for not even having to turn the oven on!
Rhubarb season is upon us and I for one could not be happier. I have unlimited access to my friend Nick’s rhubarb patch on his allotment and I’ve been putting it to good use. First up, is this Rhubarb and Banana Loaf – it’s incredibly moreish. I love the surprise chunks of rhubarb throughout the loaf. Nom, nom!
Still on the subject of rhubarb, I made these single (but very generous) serve apple and rhubarb crumbles. The beauty of these babies is that the crumble is made of two ingredients – butter and shortbread biscuits. So easy and soooo good! These have been big hits with my guests this month.
Talking of guests, we had the outlaws to stay which was lovely. Of course, I made my chicken pot pie which always pleases and feeds a crowd (and yes, when it comes to feeding, anything more than 2 is a crowd in this house!)
The outlaws took advantage of our relative proximity to Stansted Airport and went on a side trip to Madrid where Bryan celebrated his birthday. I was going to make him a birthday cake but instead I made him birthday rocky road – a fully loaded ginger version – because ginger nuts are his all time favourite biscuits. As he was turning 77, I chopped the rocky road to make his age in numbers. It went down a treat!
I also made a ginger version of my famous (at least to my friends and family) fudge. Bryan the ginger lover loved it, so did everyone else. I’ll share the recipe soon.
David’s mum bought us some sweet treats from Madrid – this coconut coated in caramelised sugar was irresistibly good.
I am having such a delicious time working my way through my @emthenutritionist cookbooks. We have eaten Em’s recipes almost exclusively for breakfast, lunch and dinner since October and I’m 20kg down and am thrilled with that. This Thai Red Coconut Gyoza Soup is one of our favourite recipes – you can find it here.
I am also loving daylight savings and being able to take semi-decent dinner photos again! Oh the joy! I tried Em’s salmon with sauce vierge (it literally means virgin sauce,) and it was perfect for the warmer weather we’ve been enjoying. I have been cooking salmon fillets in the air fryer and it’s been an absolute game changer! In case you’re wondering, I air fry my salmon for 8 minutes at 200C – perfect results every time!
In other news, Basil (my unoriginally named) Basil plant is still alive, for how long, I can’t be sure. Hopefully, I’ll be able to provide photographic proof of life next month – he’s really not looking his best now!
Anyhoo, that’s a wrap for this month. Let me know what’s been happening in your kitchen in the comments! I’m all ears.
