Sunday 26 November 2023
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 47
Monday 20 November 2023
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 46
Sunday 12 November 2023
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 45
Sunday 5 November 2023
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 44
Tuesday 31 October 2023
Book review : It Began With A Ghost Story - Jean Harrod
When I was recently approached to review Jean Harrod's latest novel, I was intrigued. I've already read and reviewed the books in her Diplomatic Crime Series, Deadly Diplomacy, Deadly Deceit and Missing In Shanghai (click through to read those reviews) but her latest novel moves into the ghostly thriller genre.
The inspiration for the novel is a legend from the North York Moors. It tells the tale of Kitty Garthwaite, a young servant girl who, having discovered she was pregnant, was abandoned by her lover, Willie Dixon, and ended up dead in the nearby river at Hutton-le-Hole. The next day he was discovered dead in the same stretch of water and over the next twenty years, sixteen more men lost their lives in the same stretch of river. Kitty's ghost was blamed for the deaths, assuming she was taking revenge on the local men for their indiscretions.
In It Began With A Ghost Story, we follow the tale of Grace Winter, a young doctor whose mother has recently died. After her death, Grace inherited a house on the North York Moors that she knew nothing about, so she decides to go and visit to try to unearth this secret part of her mother's life. She takes her two best friends, Samantha and Evie, along with her. Both of the girls seem to have their own problems. Samantha seems to be hitting the drink a bit heavily and Evie is very fragile, having been left by her husband after several years of trying unsuccessfully to start a family.
Grace loves the house and explores its contents, trying to uncover her mother's secrets, but the girls are concerned when they encounter spooky visions. When a young man is found dead in the river, the girls become the focus of the police investigation, especially when Evie is discovered in the area. Do they really have anything to do with the murder or is there a ghostly killer in the area?
It's an enjoyable read with just the right degree of spookiness. You can read it as a sceptic, assuming that all the other-worldliness can be explained away or you can accept, with a tingle down your spine, that Kitty really did continue to haunt the area. Either way, the ending will probably come as a complete shock. I was pleased to see that this book is the first in a new Grace Winter series. I look forward to finding out more about this character in the upcoming novels as I'm sure she has a lot more to give.
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £8.99
- Publisher : York Authors Coffee Shop Ltd; First Edition (15 Aug. 2023)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 329 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1739671201
- ISBN-13 : 978-1739671204
Disclosure : I received a review copy of the book in order to share my honest opinion.
Tuesday 24 October 2023
Degustabox October 2023 review : Movie Night
Sunday 15 October 2023
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 41
Sunday 8 October 2023
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 40
Sunday 1 October 2023
What's Cooking At The Madhouse ? menu plan week 39
Wednesday 27 September 2023
Degustabox September 2023 review
This month saw us heading back to school after the long summer break, and, despite the manically intense heatwave lasting way longer than was pleasant, it seems as though the weather has finally turned decidedly autumnal over the last week or so. I even walked past a load of conkers on the ground on my way to work yesterday. That convinced me. Even Mother Nature seems to think that the summer is over now ! When the postman dropped off the latest Degustabox, I was keen to see if it would reflect the changing seasons. Would it be full of ingredients for casseroles, curries and other winter warmers ? Let's take a look at what was in the box.
Jordans No Added Sugar Granola (RRP £3.60) is a tasty breakfast option. The crunchy clusters are made with no added sugar or artificial sweeteners, relying on lashings of fruit, including dates, apple, blueberries and cranberries for sweetness, flavour and zinginess. The Triple Nut option adds some great crunch and the delicious result is a bowl full of great, natural flavours and textures. Available at Waitrose.
Simply Cook Goan Curry Recipe Kit (RRP £2.50) is a quick and simple product designed to help you get an interesting and flavour-packed meal on the table in twenty minutes. Inside the pack are three pods : masala paste (for the curry base), coconut paste (to add topnotes of garlic and coconut) and a spice blend (with mustard seeds and star anise to add depth of flavour). This kit works perfectly with prawns, cod, salmon or even chicken for a rich, exotic meal that tastes as if it should have been a lot more complicated to produce than it was using the kit.
Wagamama House Dressing (RRP £2.50) gives you the chance to enjoy the signature house dressing of the iconic restaurant chain in your own home. Since first opening in 1992, Wagamama has delivered the flavours of Asia through simple, balanced food. The dressing, inspired by their katsu curry side salad, contains shallots, soy and garlic. It's guaranteed to bring some serious oomph to your salads. Available at Tesco, Sainsbury's, ASDA and Waitrose.
Mutti Tuscany Passata (RRP £2.70) is this month's Product of the Month. It is made using the highest quality Rossoro tomatoes from the Tuscany region, harvested at their peak ripeness and processed within 24 hours. The tomatoes bring a distinct fruity flavour to the passata and its smooth richness is ideal for incorporating into pasta sauces, pizza toppings, soups and casseroles. Its adds a lovely flavour but also a smooth consistency to whatever you are cooking. Available at Sainsbury's and Waitrose.