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Battenburgbelle’s reluctant return from France

It’s always tricky coming back down to earth after a holiday and three weeks chilling in the south of France was a perfect summer as far as I am concerned (Missy B managed to steer clear of the sun, and indeed daylight, as much as possible and came home almost entirely tan-free…). I did do some cooking and I even took photos, but somehow I just didn’t get around to much writing – hard to drag myself from the terrace overlooking the Med, except to go to the beach really.

But I am back – there is an additional layer around my middle that is made almost entirely from cheese, rosé and baguettes, so I will perhaps do some reporting on re-visiting the 5:2 regime. Whenever I get around to focusing on that. It’s hard with this still in the kitchen:

While sipping at that, I went for a “see the recipe, make it” approach when I spotted Ottolenghi’s apricot, walnut and lavender cake in the Guardian on Saturday. All the dishes in the article look magnificent – how long will I be able to resist buying his new book?? I harvested the lavender from the front garden of some neighbours across the road. It was slightly over-hanging the pavement, so I think it was fair game rather than actual theft. On Sunday morning I presented the cake to the motley selection of friends who had stayed at Tracey’s house after her special joint party with Helen at the weekend.

A bit of an odd way to start the day frankly, but they were like vultures and it made a great starter before we tucked into a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon.

I promise to start reporting on proper meals very soon…