Brussels Sprout, Carrot and Radish Salad

If you're looking for an alternative, refreshing salad option beyond lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber, then this salad may just be for you. Ideal to prepare the day before to take with you to work, it has loads of different veggies and no added sugar. If you keep the dressing separate then the chopped veggies will …

Can it really be this easy?: How I stopped eating junk food overnight with ‘Second Nature’ and ‘Atomic Habits’

You can picture it. You've had a stressful meeting or day at work, the challenges just keep on coming, but that bar of chocolate might just do it, if just for a while. Except that it doesn't does it? The stress is still there afterwards and you now feel worse for eating said chocolate bar …

Creamy ‘Oniony’ and Cauliflower Soup

Here's MDM's recipe for a creamy, oniony cauliflower soup.

How to Organise Emails with the Least Effort

A really simple way for how I organise my emails and keep my inbox clutter free.

A Gentle Introduction to Armeria

I thought it pertinent that I would begin by sharing a little about the background of Armeria seeing as how I'dlike to start a National Collection of them. They are a genus of small, flowering plants from the family ‘Plumbaginaceae’. Most are native to the Mediterranean area of Europe but some, like A. maritima, extend …

Second Nature program

Some of my initial thoughts on the Second Nature healthy eating and habit changing program.

Does soil need to be alive to be healthy?

What is soil health? This is a opinion piece about what I think soil health is all about and whether soil is alive.

Typical Ingredients for Mixed Spice

Ever wondered what's in mixed spice? Use this recipe to make your own from spices you may already have in your cupboard.

First Steps Towards Starting a National Plant Collection

Here's how I got started on my journey and dream to get a National Plant collection one day.

You don’t need a fancy camera – photo quiz!

Hopefully this is proof that you don't need a fancy camera to take great photos - I get fed up hearing of this!! Especially all of you that have I-phones! As promised, I'm going to expand on the photographs of my last post and share with you some of my favourite images of the evening walking …

Days 5,6 and 7: 50 miles in!

Walking and/or running 50 miles in 7 days isn't too bad! I must say that my legs are feeling it a little though. Days 5 and 6 of my John O' Groats to Lands End Challenge went pretty well. A few miles walking round at work and a 6 mile run from the nearest local …

Day 4: A Day of Discovery

After yesterday's very wet rather rushed walk, I decided to venture back again along the Forvie NNR coastal path. Initially I was going to loop back to the visitor centre but I decided instead to go further along to Hackley Bay. I remember seeing it years ago as a student and wanting to go back …

Day 3 on the Virtual Challenge

I'm certainly racking up a few miles more than normal the last few days. Today's big adventure took the form of starting out on a wet, but nice walk through Forvie NNR which ended up with me running in full waterproofs (two jackets), jeans and winter boots the last two miles in order to vaguely …

Cashew Nut, Coconut Milk and Sweet Potato Soup with Crispy Skins

This smooth yet really filling soup is perfect for a cold winters day. It's rich and thick and lightly spiced which is what you need to take the chill off a day spent outside. Although I have specified peeled sweet potato, feel free to add the skin in too. Alternatively use the sweet potato peelings to …

Day 2: John O’Groats to Lands End

I'm making some progress on this one! Despite having a fairly sedentary day in the office doing data analysis I still managed to make up 6.9 miles today. We had a lovely wee walk at Newburgh, down onto the estuary when there are hundreds of seals - it's well worth seeing if you are in …

Day 1: John O’Groats to Lands End

The virtual version.... Well Day 1 went OK. I was on my feet all day teaching an analytical lab class (not feeling quite so rusty after session no. 4 today) so a few steps were counted there starting me off with 2.2 miles. I did a longer walk than usual, which added on a mile or …

John O’ Groats to Lands End

This may seem like a 'thing-you-must-do-at-some-point-in-your-life-but-probably-never-will-because-it's-too-much-effort/been-done-before-anyway-so-what's-the-point' kind of challenge but tomorrow I embark on this adventure. If you can call it that. You see I have like 6 months to do it and technically you don't have to leave the house if you don't want to. It's all part of my works' efforts to make …

Loch Lomond in Black and White

It was a pretty grey uninspiring day when I took these black and white photographs of Loch Lomond on Saturday. They aren't great but just thought I'd share them with you 🙂 May be they will inspire you for a moody walk just north of Balmaha. I guess this kind of weather is to be …

Yum Vegan Protein Pancakes

Who loves pancakes as a special treat on a Sunday - I do! Here's my recipe for tasty vegan pancakes with a protein boost. I bought some vegan protein the other week - this stuff from Bulk Powders. I had some just with water in the free shaker supplied (!) and it actually tasted all right. …

‘Perfect Vegan Brownies’ by Fried Dandelions

What a great idea to use the leftovers from one vegan brownie recipe or this one  for another! This is the first time I have used aquafaba (essentially bean-juice-water) in a recipe. I was rather skeptical. Another vegan-in-training tried making meringues with it and lets just say it was a bit of a disaster! Anyway, not …

Vegan Butterbean Brownies (and gluten-free)

I skipped to page 10 of a Google search for vegan brownies on the search for some more vegan brownie recipes to put to the test. I found this one and thought it was time to try another bean brownie recipe. This was from Coconut Merchant and is a slightly modified version of their 'White Bean …

Rawsome Vegan Cupcakes.. Cake…

This tasty cake requires no cooking apart from the melting of the coconut oil, which I had to do in the microwave. Despite this slight flaw to the whole 'raw' subject it was really simple and easy to make (I suppose one could melt it in one's hands?!) I have made just a couple of …

Fougasse with Faces

Anyone watch Great British Bake Off this week? Don't worry there are no spoilers here on who went out but only on the technical challenge recipe... They had to make fougasse which is a French variation of flat bread (think of how similar the name is to the Italian version, focaccia which we all know so …

Vegan Fruit Crumble Cake

Sometimes taking an educated risk pays off. This recipe has been altered from the original Blueberry Crumble Muffin to transfer into a lovely fruity cakey crumble. If you fed this to your unsuspecting cake munchers they would have no idea that there are no animal products in it. It is perfectly cakey and light. I used …

Strawberry Jammin’

I haven't made much jam in the past - that which I have was either too solid or very runny. We ended up with a lot of strawberries (both fresh and in the freezer) so thought I could have another go at some homemade jam. I used this Silver Spoon sugar with added pectin and handily, …

Doughnut Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar

I made these Doughnut-style muffins this morning to keep hungry family at bay for a little while. They are really good although incredibly sugary! You may feel the need to brush your teeth afterwards. I used a recipe from 'Baked in America' a great book if you like some American-inspired recipes. The coating is really …

Another Vegan Brownie Recipe Tested

Doesn't time fly? I have realised that since the beginning of August I have posted only six times - oops! Sorry readers. I have lots of photos ready but just haven't done any writing. Well now that I am on holiday for two weeks I have less of an excuse not to write. I did …

Sweet Chilli, er, sauce?

The OH and I both love sweet chilli sauce so it was high time that I tried to make some. My brother-in-law's auntie makes the most amazing version but we have yet to get the recipe! It's sweet, tangy with the perfect amount of chilli and looks really colourful - more so than many of the …

‘Foosty’ Banana and Apple Spiced Muffins

Ever wondered what to do with a practically mouldy (foosty) banana? And apples which are getting towards the wrinkly stage? Make muffins! Well matured bananas make great cakes. These are slightly on the savoury side. I deliberately held back on the sugar because of the banana and apples both of which go sweeter as they ripen. …

The Vegan Society Chocolate Brownies

It's great to have a day off once in a while. My first port of call on my to do list was to make another brownie recipe on My Quest. This week's recipe comes in the form of The Vegan Society's Chocolate Brownies. I haven't tried any other recipes from this site yet, but I …