Marchpane Cookies for the Rose Queens

June 1, 2020.Reading time 16 minutes.

Marchpane was one of the most popular Tudor confections – at least for those who could afford it. Created from costly ground almonds, sugar and rosewater, moulded into shapes and baked, decorated with coloured glazes, gilded fruit and “comfits”, then assembled into elaborate centrepieces, it was found only on the most aristocratic and royal tables. […]

Wood Sorrel Mini-Cream Tarts: Wild Food Treats

June 4, 2019.Reading time 5 minutes.

Here’s another recipe from “Gather Cookbook” for Gather Patrons! I’m releasing a few of last year’s recipes to the Gather website – so the rest of you can see what you’re missing! First up was a Chunky Rose Petal Pesto (recipe here) and now these creamy & tangy yogurt mini-tarts. Made by processing wood sorrel leaves […]

Dandelion Blossom Gnocchi: Golden Dumplings in Garlic Cream Sauce

August 27, 2018.Reading time 11 minutes.

With the summer heat receding, I’m so happy the sunny bright heads of dandelion flowers are on their way back! This means I’ll be making more Dandelion Gnocchi, a delightful dinner for the coming cooler evenings. Filled with golden blossoms, slathered in a garlic cream sauce, fluffy, puffy and satiating, Dandelion Blossom Gnocchi is one […]

Fragrant Linden Blossom Sun Cake: A Magical Midsummer Treat

June 20, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

Delicately perfumed with the GORGEOUS scent of linden blossoms, this moist, crumbly and syrupy cake truly is delicious. I couldn’t stop eating it – so now I have to bake a whole new one for solstice! But that’s okay, it takes no time to whip up and I’ll get to enjoy even more of it! […]

Double Chocolate Curly Dock Seed Cake: A Healthy, Decadent Delight!

October 6, 2017.Reading time 7 minutes.

I adore chocolate cake and spend a great deal of time drooling over Pinterest recipes. But lately, a lot of moody luscious cakes made with “healthy” buckwheat have been especially catching my eye. And because those tall reddish-brown spires of curly dock seeds growing in fields, yards and lanes are from the buckwheat family – I put two […]

Herbalicious Lammas Loaf Biscuits: Celebrating The Tradition of Common Ground

July 31, 2017.Reading time 10 minutes.

This herbaceous and cheesy biscuit loaf is my tribute to the traditional start of the harvest calendar, Lammas Day or Lughnasa. And it features the cornucopia of savoury and aromatic herbs growing right now in the heart of Victoria’s neighbourhood “common ground” gardens.

Boozy Preserves: Wildcrafted Berry Compote

August 7, 2016.Reading time 8 minutes.

Yes, the cold snowy nights of winter may seem a long way off, but you can be sure, they’re coming. But if you get picking now – I guarantee this boozy, dark, thick wild berry compote will bring the heady luscious flavours of high summer back to your winter table. Using alcohol and sugar to […]

Summer Heat: Nasturtium & Sumac Hot Sauce

August 4, 2016.Reading time 8 minutes.

Every summer I fall in love with the flavour, aroma and healing properties of a particular plant. Last year I swooned for the anise scented lacy blossoms of wild fennel and put them in everything from crackers, cookies and cakes, infused honey, ice-cream and vodka. But this year I’ve fallen hard for the spirited peppery bite of […]

Sweet Magic: Summer Solstice Honey Cookies

June 10, 2016.Reading time 12 minutes.

Then followed that beautiful season… Summer… Filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape Lay as if newly created in all the freshness of childhood. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Looking for a festive way to celebrate the upcoming summer solstice? Well, these aromatic sunny cookies may be just the ticket. Made with […]

Dandelion & Calendula Breakfast Egg Cups: The Perfect Marriage of Health & Flavour

June 2, 2016.Reading time 7 minutes.

These egg cups were inspired by Jennifer’s upcoming nuptials. Because ever since she and my brother announced their upcoming wedding, the women in the family and invited close friends have been “watching their weight”. Including me. Normally I don’t pay much thought to the extra padding one accumulates around the middle (from consuming too many […]

Savory Dessert or Sweet Appetizer: Ox-eye Daisy Phyllo Rolls with Honey and Thyme

September 16, 2015.Reading time 8 minutes.

Betwixt and between – is how you might describe this time, halfway between late summer and true autumn. This is the time when cooling weather and beginning rains cause the wild greens to regenerate and grow vigorous. This is the time of year when the leaves of plants fill with solar energy as it goes […]

Nature Spirits: How to Wildcraft Vermouth In Three Easy Steps

August 20, 2015.Reading time 12 minutes.

Recently Gather had the great pleasure of presenting a wildcrafted aperitif for Moonrise Creative’s first Eat Together Dinner. And it was such a magical occasion! Seeing the guests laughing and chatting together in the beautiful setting of field and forest—while sipping our sparkling summer elixir—nearly brought a tear to my eye. Really. After all, this […]

White Clover Pudding: A Recipe for Comfort & Healing

June 9, 2015.Reading time 5 minutes.

Little did I know when I first came across an old pioneer recipe for “White Clover Snow” that it would be my solace during dark and hungry times. But after a recent dental pummeling that left me aching and unable to chew, it was this sweet unassuming little ‘pudding’ that rode to my rescue. Spooning its […]

Piquant and Pretty: Daisy Capers

April 2, 2015.Reading time 7 minutes.

“Oh, dear little daisy, come whisper me softly, And tell me a secret I’m longing to know…Oh, say does he love me, and whisper it low.”—Burton Egbert Stevenson,“He Loves Me, Loves Me Not” The traditional British recipe for Daisy Capers uses the tall Ox-Eye Daisy that blooms in grassy fields each summer — but the common […]