Creativity requires time and motivation, which means you need to actually set aside time for relaxation. I’ve retreated to the mountains these past few days to recharge my batteries. I have a lot of time and space to think here and let my creativity run rampant. When I’m at home, I often relax by drawing and painting. As you may have noticed, I have posted fewer food illustrations than usual recently – but this will change soon, with a new personal project I want to introduce to you today.

„Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” (Genesis 3:7). The fig tree was the first tree named in the bible. The fig leaf has been a symbol of chastity as well as fertility ever since Adam and Eve covered up their bits with it.

Let’s be honest – broccoli isn’t exactly on the list of sexy vegetables. I like it and it tastes great in vegetable curries, but I’ve never found a really attractive flavour combination involving broccoli. Until last autumn!

Winter time is root vegetable time! And two of the main players in this category are parsnip and parsley root, both of which make a frequent appearance in soup veg bundles. I have noticed that very few people realise these two are very different types of vegetables. But no wonder, they look uncannily alike!

Did you know that the avocado belongs to the berry family? No? Here’s some more information on the greenest of berries plus my delicious guacamole recipe…

Here’s the big question… What do you serve at Christmas at your house? In Austria, apparently that’s mainly sausages and fish. Specifically, in Salzburg, it’s the traditional sausage soup that’s usually served on Christmas Eve, made with minced pork mettwurst or, in the classic version, with hot dog sausages. In Kärnten, people like to eat sausage with cabbage or sauerkraut. In Lower and Upper Austria, fried carp is still a prominent tradition, in Burgenland, it’s fried carp, goose or smoked salmon. The classic “Ländle” Christmas Eve dishes are fresh veal sausage with sauerkraut and Italian salad. In the Tyrol, no preference is recorded, but mostly, people eat game, fish or other types of meat. At my house, we like meat fondue for Christmas. And here come some of my Grandma’s most delicious recipes for fondue sauces – hers was the best in town.