Karen Burns-Booth

United Kingdom

Food and Travel Writer, Recipe Developer, Food Stylist and Photographer at Freelance

Winner Great British Food Blog & Vuelio Best Food Blog: Author, Published Food & Travel Writer specialising in Global Cuisine, Recipe Development & Food Styling

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Articles

Coffee Walnut Tray Bake Cake

5 days ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

Coffee Walnut Tray Bake Cake – An English Summer Village Fête Best Seller, as it always sells out when I’ve made it for village fêtes and galasI really should have called this recipe for Coffee Walnut Tray Bake Cake, the English Village Fête Best Seller, as it always sells out when I’ve made it for village fêtes and galas.
Little Chef Olympic Breakfast

2 weeks ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

Little Chef Olympic Breakfast – My take on the much-missed Little Chef Olympic Breakfast, to keep you going all day and into the night!The memories come flooding back with today’s recipe for Little Chef Olympic Breakfast, which I’ve shared on Father’s Day, in memory of my late father, who loved a Little Chef breakfast. Our local Little Chef was on the A64 near Malton, in North Yorkshire.
Strawberries & Cream Midsummer Fairy Cakes

2 weeks ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

I bought my freeze-dried strawberries from Sainsbury's I bought the sugarcraft flowers and edible leaves from an online cake decorating company in the UK. Midsummer, not to be confused with the Summer Solstice, is a potent and ancient celebration and until the 21st century. It used to be observed in Great Britain, with bonfires, the wearing and decorating of flowers, general feasting and merrymaking.
Making the Most Out of British Food Festivals This Summer

3 weeks ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

Making the Most Out of British Food Festivals This Summer – Food festivals across Britain offer more than good eating, they’re fun tooFood festivals across Britain offer more than good eating. They provide a reason to explore towns and countryside settings, meet small producers, and enjoy the energy of a shared local experience. From Cornish seafood to Yorkshire rhubarb, every region has its own flavour and style. Getting the most out of these festivals takes some forward thinking.
1950's Picnic Pie

4 weeks ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

1950’s Picnic Pie is a fabulous recipe that my mum used to make regularly. Made with shortcrust pastry, filled with seasoned sausagemeat, bacon and onion. 1950’s Picnic Pie is a fabulous recipe that my late mum used to make all the time. Made with shortcrust pastry, and filled with sausagemeat, bacon and onions. She used to add diced tomatoes during the summer too, as well as a little bit of cheese, but it’s essentially a sausage and onion pie, and easier to make than a traditional pork pie.
"Nutty Slack" Vintage Chocolate Biscuit Cake

1 month ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

“Nutty Slack” Vintage Chocolate Biscuit Cake – this recipe is my slightly adapted version from The Farmhouse Kitchen Baking Book. Today I’m sharing another old favourite, “Nutty Slack” Vintage Chocolate Biscuit Cake – this recipe is my slightly adapted version from The Farmhouse Kitchen Baking Book. First published in 1988 (nearly 40 years ago), it’s a fabulous hard-back volume filled with great old-fashioned cakes, bakes, bread, scones with icing and toppings recipes too. So, what is Nutty Slack?
Cherry Bakewell Fairy Cakes

1 month ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

Use cherry jam in place of raspberry jam, or a red berry jam to taste. Metric Measurements:5g baking powder75g plain flour75g ground ricePinch of salt75g butter or margarine75g caster sugar2 eggsIcing:175g icing sugarYou can add a tablespoon of ground almonds to the cake mixture, for a nuttier taste. Omit 1 tablespoon of ground rice if you do this. It's easier to add the jam to the small hollow in the cake, if it's warmed slightly - I warmed mine in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Add Countryhouse and Cottage Charm with Engineered Wood Flooring

1 month ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

Add Countryhouse and Cottage Charm with Engineered Wood Flooring – Bring Warmth and Character to Your Home with Engineered Wood FlooringCollaborative PostEngineered wood flooring in both soft grey and rich brown tones offers a beautiful way to enrich the cosy, lived-in charm of a country-style home. When blended with natural textures, rustic furnishings, and earthy palettes, engineered floors create a welcoming backdrop that highlights the heart and soul of traditional interiors.
The British Wartime Rations Cookbook

1 month ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

4 May 2025 By Karen Burns-Booth Leave a Comment The British Wartime Rations CookbookYum The British Wartime Rations Cookbook – A selection of wartime and ration book recipes on Lavender & Lovage, for the VE 80 Day celebrationsVE Day 80 Ration Book and Vintage RecipesTHE HOME FRONT IN BRITAIN DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR (D 25035) People queuing at a greengrocers in High Road, Wood Green, North London, a familiar wartime sight.
Wartime Spam Fritters

1 month ago | lavenderandlovage.com | Karen Burns-Booth

This recipe for Wartime Spam Fritters is the last in my current VE Day 80 Ration Book and Vintage Recipes series. This recipe for Wartime Spam Fritters is the last in my current VE Day 80 Ration Book and Vintage Recipes (for street parties and tea tray suppers) series of wartime recipes. Spam Fritters are beloved, (or hated) not just from the war years, but from school dinners too, where they were served with either chips or mashed potatoes and baked beans.