Oh dear, I am going to write something about the EU Referendum.

Well, to be honest I'm actually not. By the way, I didn't vote yesterday. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was not allowed to. So don't ask me what did I vote.

What would I have voted if I would have been given the opportunity? That's another matter.

Cava, Berries & Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Only 18 days till Christmas! I can’t believe is that time of the year already! It’s so close I can almost taste it.

Things have been pretty busy over here at Tiny Marmalade HQ and I've started to wonder where I can find my own elves to help with jamming, labelling and packing up all your orders! I'm so super excited about Christmas this year, not that I'm ever not ... any excuse to eat all the foods! 

There is absolutely no question; Christmas is MY favourite time of the year.

I love the lights and the decorations, the music, the carols, the smell of mulled wine and mince pies, drinking hot chocolate and wearing mittens

I love shopping for gifts. I love seeing people's faces unwrapping presents. I love secret Santa games and pulling Christmas Crackers,

And I absolutely love spending time with friends and family. Playing board games. Crafting. Talking about the same old stories, like that year Santa left me a Mariachi outfit under the tree. Yes, I'm not making that up. I was 16th and all I got for Christmas was a Mariachi outfit. A proper one with its hat and a Tequila bottle. I still don't really know what Father Christmas was trying to tell me.

Cheese & Walnuts Stuffed Chicken

My holidays have sadly come to an end. That's it. No more sangria, no more siesta, no more tapas... no more sun, even if the calendar still says it is August around here. It has been pouring non-stop since we came back. I have unpacked my 3 bikinis with tears in my eyes, with the uncertainty of when I will use them again.

So I've decided to write down a list of things you can do to come back from holidays without drowning in despair.

Bacon & Date Skewers

Tapas is a very Spanish way of eating by grabbing a bite here and there. The tapas concept seems to fill British taste buds with excitement. The problem is the misinterpretation of the concept tapas, which seems to have evolved into the following: Tapas; a really small version of a pseudo-Spanish dish for which you will pay twice the amount the full plate will cost.

It really looks like Chinese whispers to me. When travelling from Spain to the UK a simple, plain, straightforward concept has been turned upside down?

Butternut Squash, Bacon & Marshmallows Pie

How wonderful to be on holidays is. Nothing to do. Nothing to think about. Just relax and have fun. 

After a week off I would normally need a couple of days to recover from the holidays. This time I reckon I'm going to need some more.

Travelling with two children is amazingly enriching but also absolutely exhausting. We've been in Madrid, where we used to live, visiting friends and family and going to the places we used to go.

Hazelnut Coated Eggs with Oven Roasted Bacon Rashers

How difficult is sometimes to guess what our heart is trying to tell us. Quite often our lives are too busy trying to meet all those obligations we have, in most cases, self-imposed.

Tasks that quite often we are not keen to do. That doesn't make us happier. That steal our time to do what we really would like.

Autumn nuts and bacon soup

I hate you virus.

Deeply genuinely hate.

This is the fifth consecutive day of living with a virus. Five long nights with no sleep. Five long days dealing with paracetamol, ibuprofen, sore throat relief. Onions in a plate. Herbs steaming. Put the pillow up. Dress the children down. Visits to the doctor. They're still here and this virus doesn't seem to be getting the message.

Mum´s meatloaf

Food is a powerful memory. From the day we arrive into this world until our very last days, food is whenever a social event takes place, no matter how happy or sad it is.

It’s amazing how our taste buds work, linking a particular flavour to some of the most important moments of our life. Sometimes more distinctive than words, music or pictures.

Summer Squash Savoury Muffins

Yes, I know. Muffins are supposed to be sweet.

But not everything in this life can be sweet. Sorry for disappointing you.

I can perfectly understand your skepticism.

But we can give to savoury food a lovely and tempting muffing shape.

Yes, this is going to be another self confession moment. Muffins are the second best thing in the world. After jam.