Chapters (79)
- COVER
- About the Author
- Also by Jo Thomas
- DEDICATION
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgements
- RECIPES
- Lavender shortbread
- Apricot jam sponge cake
- Lavender lamb
- READ MORE
- Prologue
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
- Heat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C), gas mark 4.
- Grease two 20cm cake tins, and line the bases of each with baking paper.
- Weigh the eggs in their shells and then weigh out the same amount of flour, sugar and butter.
- Cream the butter until soft and then add the sugar and beat together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one by one, mixing as you go. Then add the vanilla extract and stir through.
- Sift the flour into the mixture, then gently but thoroughly fold it in.
- Divide the batter equally between the cake tins and bake in the oven for 25–30 minutes.
- Leave to cool in the tin for a couple of minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once cool, spread one cake very generously with Apricot jam then place the other cake on top.
- Dust the top of the cake with a touch of extra caster sugar and a sprinkling of lavender.
Lavender lamb
Two lovely spring and summer flavours in one! Serve this delicious dish with potatoes and some seasonal veg.
Ingredients
1 kg leg of lamb (approx.)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slices
A handful of lavender, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp lavender honey
For the glaze:
4 tbsp lavender honey
1 tbsp olive oil
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C), gas mark 4.
- With a sharp knife, make incisions in the lamb then push the garlic and lavender into the openings.
- Put the lamb in a roasting tin, season with salt and pepper and brush with the honey, and cook for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. Warm the honey and oil in a saucepan until runny, then beat firmly and quickly until emulsified. Put in the fridge for a few minutes to cool and thicken.
- Once you’ve removed the lamb from the oven, brush the glaze all over the lamb.
- Put the lamb back into the oven for another 20 minutes, brushing on more glaze every few minutes until it is used up. The lamb should be tender and the juices running a pale pink when pierced with a skewer.
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Chasing the Italian Dream by Jo Thomas
A summer escape she’ll never forget …
Lucia has worked hard as a lawyer in Wales, aiming for a big promotion she hopes will shortly come her way. Finally taking a well-earned break at her grandparents’ house in southern Italy, the sunshine, lemon trees and her nonna’s mouth-watering cooking make her instantly feel at home.
But she’s shocked to learn that her grandfather is retiring from the beloved family pizzeria and will need to sell. Lucia can’t bear the thought of the place changing hands - especially when she discovers her not-quite-ex-husband Giacomo wants to take it over!
Then bad news from home forces Lucia to re-evaluate what she wants from life. Is this her chance to carry on the family tradition and finally follow her dreams?
Purchase your perfect slice of escapism now!