Last weekend we went to a barbecue at a friend’s house. We had so much fun, and you know, as the time goes by, conversations tend to turn unexpected and amazingly interesting and funny.

So after a couple of wine glasses and feeling slightly overfed, we started talking about where are we from and where do we think we belong to.

One of my friends is English, with Ukrainian ancestors, and she said she was convinced she should have been born Mongolian.

The other one, blond and blue eyes prototypical British lady, assured she should have been born in Japan.

Both discussed how out of context they feel in the UK, and how happy and fully integrated within the society they felt when they visited Japan and Mongolia. They talked about their experiences and anecdotes, and the reasons why they were utterly convinced to have been born and raised in the wrong place.

Pork Chorizo & Thyme Wellington

This week I´m going to be very brief. I´m extremely busy packing up our smartest outfits as we´re flying off to Spain to attend one of my best friend´s wedding. Yay!

We´ve been friends since we were like 13 years old, which means we have been friends for around 22 years... that´s a whole life being friends!!

The best thing about it is that we´ll be staying in my other best friend´s house for a couple of days and then attending the wedding together.

I have shared with them every single moment of my life. The good ones, and the bad ones. And they both have been there for me always. No questions, no judgement. Just unconditional love.

Last Minute Christmas Cake

Christmas is coming, and with it a barrage of Christmas food and drink that we don’t have the opportunity to enjoy the rest of the year. Christmas cake, mince pies with cream, mulled wine and lashings and lashings of chocolate. There is something about the Christmas period that means we can indulge in the in the rich, generous helpings that are on offer and not feel guilty about it!

Christmas is also a time to share these festive treats with your family and friends. For me, there is nothing better than watching those you care about eating something you have taken time to prepare for them. Although, this can mean a lot of work in the lead up to Christmas, which can be hard to fit in with all the increased socialising that goes on this time of year.

Today I would like to introduce you a really beloved friend of mine: Rachael. She’s intelligent, amazingly clever and an incredible baker who has prepared this week’s recipe for me. Literally for me, as I'm eating it as I type.

Madeleines or Earl Grey Biscuits

Hello.

Today I would like to talk with you. You, who are in the street, at home, on the bus, in the park, having a coffee, in a break, in the loo, waiting for someone, snuggling in your bed before falling asleep. With you, who are in the UK, in Spain, in America, in Australia, in Japan, in France. With you, who every Friday wait for our recipe, who receive our emails, who have just found us by accident, who only look at the pictures. To all of you who are there, looking through this peep-hole that is the Internet, enjoying with my recipes, laughing at my crazy stories, being a silent part of my life.

Today, I would like to talk too with those of you that find this blog quite boring, who think that the recipes are so-so, that the pictures are just ish.

Goat Cheese Balls with Tomato Jam and Poppy Seeds

Since I moved to the UK I have been thinking about all the people that have been part of my life. People that used to play a really important role in a particular moment, but whose presence gets blurred with time. Or the most unexpected encounters that stay with you through the test of time.