One of my lovely followers (and a local Cambridge foodie too) asked if I knew what to do with the delicious Mirabelle plums, which are in season in abundance right now. Hailing from the Alsace Lorraine region of France, the flavourful, mostly yellow, small plums are known for their versatility. Available from July to mid-September, and delicious in August, if you can get your hands on a fresh haul, they can be used for eating, cooking and making brandy! I promised some recipe ideas and I'll be the first to admit I'm not a great fan of making desserts so here are a couple of options from a quick internet search and a flick through Paul Waddington's book on Seasonal Food (my bible at the moment!)...

I'm making these romantic and decadent fairy cakes for my parents' ruby wedding anniversary bash this weekend and thought it was about time I gave them a test run and, at the same time, featured a new dessert recipe on the Blog. I am sure the main event will be the very exciting bespoke celebration cake created by the talented Best Friend Jess (blog post and photos to follow) but couldn't resist the opportunity to do some baking!

Last weekend The Boy and I finally found ourselves spending some much-needed time at home. So we took the opportunity to enjoy the best sunny Cambridge had to offer. The ever-beautiful city positively gleams and glistens in the sunshine, buzzing with tourists, shoppers and students; boats bobbing on the river and sunbathers in the parks creating a laid-back holiday atmosphere. I was a little over-excited by the prospect of the first weekend of proper sunshine in Cambridge coinciding with my first visit to the annual Cambridge Beer Festival, the 39th to be held in the city. So much so that The Boy and I were keenly joining the queue on Jesus Green as close to 5pm on Friday evening as the pesky Day Jobs would allow.