Weekly Love: Week 143

I’m in that sort of mood where the holidays have made me feel like I don’t want to be doing much past mixing up cocktails, Christmas shopping in Canterbury and eating. Big emphasis on the eating there. But, this is okay because it ’tis the season after all, right? If you think about it, there are only 12 days (yes, less than 2 weeks) left of 2014, so I’m making the most of the excuse to relax and indulge before 2015 dawns, and with it a whole slew of juice recipes, healthy salads, eating proper breakfasts and soups. Well, at least until February 1st. 

WeeklyLove201214

1. Leek, scallop and cream buckwheat galettes at my favourite local restaurant in Combourg in Northern France. | 2. Public service announcement for all of my Canterbury based readers: Pork & Co. are now selling pulled pork rolls out of a converted horse box on the High Street. | 3. Plotting festive food in the drawing room with my copy of Jamie’s Comfort Food. | 4. Decorating the giant Christmas tree in the front hallway of the house. | 5. Mulled Wine and Jamie Magazine in front of the television at the French house. | 6. Curling up in front of a roaring wood fire.

Cold Winter Vegetable Asian Noodle Salad

Over in my ‘Student Suppers’ column this fortnight I’ve got two cold yet seasonal recipes that are great to stash in the fridge so you always have something fresh yet filling to eat over the festive period when you’re hungry, but you really don’t feel like doing much in the kitchen. My Roasted Pepper & Caramelised Red Onion Pasta is made from completely store cupboard ingredients, and my Cold Winter Vegetable Asian Noodle Salad is great to lighten up the load of all the rich and heavy food we all seem to eat this time of year. 

I’ve got some other stuff going on around the web too, if you fancy a look. If you are after any festive canapé ideas, I’ve contributed a board of nibble ideas to Pinterest’s Christmas food round up this year. Over at Wozedu I’ve written a piece on how to start a successful blog, which has a fair bit about my own personal blogging journey in it. Finally, for all you Serial fans out there, I’ve written an op-ed for Wannabe Hacks about what young and aspiring journalists can learn from the hit podcast.

What have you been enjoying this week, and what do you have planned for the weekend? I’m looking forward to my parents heading out to collect a table from another county on Sunday (it is best if we don’t ask!) so I can have the kitchen all to myself for a bit of festive cooking, and so that I can wrap their Christmas presents and pop them under the tree!

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