three kinds of sunshine   

I've been experimenting with flapjacks (or museli bars?) in the kitchen for some time now. I'm always trying out a new healthy recipe that I've found on pinterest or online. I love them every time. But the children? They're a much fussier bunch... For them, a flapjack should contain no nuts (school policy) no dried fruit (at all) or crunchy things (seeds, cacao nibs) and they shouldn't taste of coconut (yes, they can detect coconut oil). So, yesterday before school I concocte

One/ I've decided that Saltwater sandals (pictured on Iris) are THE BEST child friendly sandals. Ever. Yes, they're a bit pricey but if you're planning on a shoe buying trip to Clarks you'll probably end up spending roughly the same on something way inferior. Made from high quality leather specially treated to withstand sea water, anti-rust brass buckles and hand stitched rubber and plastic composite soles, they're highly durable (perfect for island life) and the fact that th

52 Barbados: a weekly photographic record of each of my children in 2015, the year we're living in Barbados. Week #22 Iris: Says she wants to help with the washing up and then ends up climbing in for a 'bath'! Lila: She made soft pretzels on Sunday. They turned out really well. Iris: On the verandah on Saturday morning. Drawing with daddy. #52project #drawing #baking #waterplay

The perfect, lazy bread recipe. Seriously. So delicious. No kneading or working involved. Crusty on the outside, chewy in the middle. I've been playing around with flours and trying different combinations. The recipe below makes the perfect loaf - looks and tastes like a granary sourdough. And is an updated version of this bread blog post. As mentioned in my earlier post, I love bread and have been experimenting out here in Barbados (apart from one French guy at the farmers m

52 Barbados: a weekly photographic record of each of my children in 2015, the year we're living in Barbados. Week #11 Oscar: Helped me bake some healthy no bake chocolate chip cookies. He was able to do a lot of the steps himself and waited in the kitchen until they were ready. Lila: Her beloved nana and grandad went back to England this week - and although she found it extremely hard to see them go she still managed to keep a smile on her face. I'm very proud of her. Iris: W

Our Saturday or Sunday morning ritual. Wake early (always - by Oscar). Make some improvised muffins while Alex sorts out the kids. Pack a bag with a flask of coffee, juice, the baked muffins, towels and beach toys. We put Iris in the pushchair and make our way out of the house and a couple of minutes down the street onto the boardwalk - the wooden planked walk way that runs along the sea and stretches, at the end of our road, from Accra beach to the Soco hotel. We love the So

There's nothing like freshly baked bread, straight out of the oven. Golden-round, with a flour white crust, few things look more appealing or make my taste buds tingle like the anticipation of a home made loaf. Yes, I am a self decalred 'amant de pain'. But sadly, there are no petit French bakeries in Barbados (see note below). And the long process of kneading and proving and waiting and kneading is just too tedious for me to bear on a regular basis. So when I came across a r