My first posting on this blog was a year ago today–7th of February 2011!
Poaching Eggs–was a homage to one of my food heroines, the formidable Elizabeth David.
I can’t remember exactly the weather that day but it may not have been so different to today’s–which is nose-endangeringly cold.
So a long nod of thanks to everyone that has visited and those that continue to visit and thanks too for the comments–they are all read and much appreciated.
AND special thanks to my in-house photographer and editor with whom discussion is always lively and from whom I learn a lot!
Here’s a salad to celebrate.
Seasonally crunchy (not much choice from the locals this morning)–with a juicy orange and some sunflower seeds, to put one in mind of seasons to come.
It got the nod at lunch today from Meredith–(though not the mackerel fillet that it accompanied–next time I’ll use less smoked sweet paprika!).
For 2
1 large fennel bulb–outer leaves removed, stood upright and halved through the middle, each cut half laid flat and halved again, then sliced very thinly
1 celery stalk–sliced thinly
half a small sweet red onion–sliced thinly
1 tablespoon of sunflower seeds–dry roasted in a frying pan on the stove top
1 tablespoon of parsley–chopped
a few shavings of parmesan
1 juicy orange–carefully peeled (lifting off the white pith), halved and sliced thinly
salt for sprinkling
1 tablespoon best quality olive oil for dressing
- Mix the first seven ingredients together with care in a favorite bowl.
- Sprinkle with salt and the oil–add more oil if you like.
- Lightly turn everything over.
- Check the seasoning and serve.
Congrats on your 1-year anniversary!!!!
Regards, Linda
Thanks Linda.
“Nose-endangeringly cold”…….You have a delightful way with words! Salad looks delicious!
Joyeux Anniversaire! And thank you Robin and Meredith for this wonderful salad and the tantalizing photos.
I am writing this with my pet rabbit on my lap. (seriously) Yesterday’s menu was a little hard for him and me but with today’s salad, we are in our balliwick!
Robin, you are in good British company. Did you know that today is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth.
Congratualtions and we all love your blog! Looking forward to another year.
Thanks,Kathy–I once played Boz in a TV special with Michael Redgrave as Dickens.
We filmed in his (Dickens) house Doughty St and I sat in his chair–well I liked to think it was his chair at his desk!
I printed this out, fennel, sunflower seeds, OH YUM! this look fab. Happy 1-year anniversary and just want to add the photos often make me drool 🙂 not a pretty site lol!
Happy Anniversary! Your postings and recipes continue to inspire good and healthy eating in my household. May you be posting for a good long time to come.
Thanks Donna.
Robin,
I love your blog. Your recipes and wonderful and healthy. I am going to make the salad tonight.
Maggie
Thanks Maggie. We had a reprise tonight. Next time I’ll add a couple of juicy black olives.
Happy Anniversary! I discovered your wonderful site in July, which means I missed 6 months of posts. Wish I could get those 6 months back! Carry on, you are doing a wonderful service!
Golly I thought you could track back.
Thanks, Maureen.
I’ll check.
That looks wonderful. Yet another great addition to a great blog. I particularly like the olive oil drizzle photo!
I’ll let the snapper know! and thanks.
Happy anniversary. I actually have tried rabbit and it’s quite good. I noticed that you mentioned your wife grew up in suburban Chicago, as I did. Just wondering where she lived. Waiting for Spring. Charlotte Wallace
Northfield, Charlotte. Where you?
Is it really a year on since you started all these lovely blogs, congratulates please keep up the good work, we all look forward to reading your take on a very interesting and great way of living your lives.
Thanks Elaine–it’s a pleasure to read your comments.It’s inspiring too to read of the care you take cooking for Jimmy.
By the way have you seen the video of the cat invading and taking charge of the Liverpool – Tottenham match last night. We are at the hospital again on Thursday for the dreaded eye exam.Hope Jimmy get away without having to have the lazra.We both read your blogs, Jimmy is very inpressed that you did not have to have medication for so long, He sends you his best wishes.
My best to him too and good luck with the eye exam. I had my yearly check up today strangely. Always a tense moment.
I cross my fingers under the machine!
Hello Dear Robin,Hope it all go well with the eye test. I cross my fingers for you x.
Thanks, Chantal–all’s well with the eyes!
Oh what went that quick (lol) still remember we where only in the beginning with a few and now this site is really a big success, soooo happy for you.,And still many years to come Robin enjoy the life overthere in La douce France and give the cats a hugh from me too, Chantal xxx.
Thank Chantal–I much appreciate your comments. Please keep them coming!
Your postings are simply beautiful. Kudos to your talented photographer, writer, and editor! I’ve been inspired by them and am trying to do better with my own. And, I am trying to spread the word about your lovely book and posts…
Thank you Katherine–coming from someone so dedicated herself that’s something.
My talented partner in the project will be pleased too!
You are the first person I’ve ever been a fan of (you and Meredith, that is), and I’ve learned a lot from your charmingly written, evocative and sincere postings about your life, health and loves. I told Peter Edwards (founder of Acorn) and he said the women at Acorn still haven’t recovered from your visit last year (very cute)! They are a dedicated crew over there. It’s so wonderful that with these postings you can reach people all over the world. I wish you much success!
Thank you again from us both, Katherine.
Those “people” at Acorn were a delight.
Congratulations, Robin, on your first year! Lots to celebrate this year, with this delicious salad, your blog, and 60 years of HM The Queen, London Olympics and, most importantly, the fact that we are here, with friends and family, in good health!
Best wishes, and here’s to many more years of fabulous blogging and happy meals with friends and family.
Kim Hammill
Bath and London
Thanks Rosalyn. Our French friends New Year message is always the same–“Bonne Année mais surtout Bon Santé”– Happy New Year but above all Good Health!
Best to you and your family and “Bonne Continuation!”
Re Bonjour, et Merci a Vous, Robin, et aussi pour La Belle Meredith!
I loved the rabbit recipe earlier this week, but since we have a glut of pheasant to use, I adapted your recipe to use pheasant and added a little dry sherry to the mix! Delicious!
Keep on Keeping On!
Bien a Vous!
Kim Hammill
“A glut of pheasant”
“a cluck of hen”
“a quack of duck”
Doesn’t quite work because pheasants don’t “glut”!
It’s a nice phrase anyway.
Congrats, Robin, on another happy milestone! We really enjoy reading your posts, and love the quips from the cats, as well as seeing France under a bit of snow! 🙂
Seem to have missed your rabbit recipe this week—I think Oreo must’ve deleted it before I could see it! (Phew!) We’ll try your delicious salad, instead!
Cheers & hugs!
Oreo’s behavior is quite understandable!
I hope you shared some salad with him…
Of course! He actually eats better than us most days: radicchio, romaine, spring mix, a bit of kale, carrots, and cilantro…When I’m out of greens for us, I raid his supply!
How time flies – a year already! Congratulations, Robin and thank you for such beautifully written posts. I wish you many more years happy blogging. Quite a few of my friends have now got your book and we find our conversation takes on a definite ‘foodie’ flavour. No diabetics among us either!
The temperature is 11C today here – enough for me to shed my coat during a walk….Keep warm!
It is -6C here and I’m happy to have walked yesterday!
Thanks, Sophie-Jane for your good wishes–the same to you and to your friends.
You make a very good job as a blog writer ! It’s always a pleasure reading your interesting posts. I like your down to earth mentality, your good sense of humor and that you have always a nice word for everyone. Thirty years ago this form of communication would have been unimaginable. For example at that time it was a challenge to order the Poldark books in my small town. They didn’t find it neither under the author or the title. The problem was the books had different titles which I didn’t know and they looked up only after “Poldark”. It was curious but I found the first three books on holidays in an Italian bookshop in German language. Nowadays, in times of Amazon, unbelievable.
So true and so amazing.
Now you would discover on google that each book had a different title.
And thanks for your kind words and your regular comments, Martina.
Happy first year, congratulations to you and Meredith. It’s a big adventure to start a blog. It will certainly give you a lot of work, pleasure and inspiration to try new recipes and find out new blog subjects. I love reading all the post and love reading your rich English language. Keep up the good work and please let us enjoy ” having a quick look in your kitchen” and see the cats!
Best wishes for the new blog year.
Thank you Caroline–big adventure is right! I’m enjoying though and thanks also for your comments.
Even in winter this is a really “sunny” blog. Please keep up the good work.
Thanks,Liz and thanks for your comments.
Happy 1st anniversary!!!! And we all fans thanks you for your lovely & delicious recipes and advertistings ;))
I have done salat: simple wonderful. I love it; its perfect for winter and parmigiano (or grana is good) put a touch of sweetness in the salat. Buona, buona,buona: grazie Robin!!!
Grazie a lei Beatrice!
I added an avocado today.
I am the latest arrival but hopefully not the last one to congratulate you both, my dear unknown friends, on the occasion of the first anniversary of your great achievement. We live in such a selfish and materialistic world. It seems nobody has time to slow down or to stop and listen to anyone. Then along comes someone who is like a bright ray of hope in a very dark sky. Willing to help the unlucky ones as he is himself. Offering to share his time his knowledge and his personal experiences to help other people. Dear Robin and Meredith, may the Almighty bless you both and all your efforts in many years to come. May you both continue to gather around you many grateful friends. P.S. Dear Robin, every spare minute I get I read your “blogs” and your “tags”. There are so many of them for me to catch up with. This is how this evening (16.2.) I came across your first anniversary.
Spring arrived early in New England yesterday. I was late to discover the children making mud-n-acorn soup in my kitchen bowls as I was preparing the gardens for a new season. We ended our day with this Winter Salad. I’ve never toasted sesame seeds and am not well-acquainted with fennel. However, I ventured to try the recipe. My husband and I absolutely loved it. Sweet and crunchy was complemented nicely by toasted seeds and tangy parmesan. (Putting our bowls to much better use!) I’ll be planting fennel this year… Also, I was inspired by your comment on moroccan chicken salad (in another post) to find out what harissa is. Thank you, I think I’ve found a new use for the dried chiles which have been sitting in a jar in the cupboard since last fall. I’ll be planting more of those. Thank you, again, for sharing recipes.
Eagerly awaiting the arrival of your book in the mail, Jess Keller