it was a lovely sunny weekend in london but i spent most of it inside – i had an essay deadline that i needed to meet. so, what better reason than that to go through my kitchen cupboards, cleaning them, throwing away out of date things and spotting others which i really should use.

these are the top 5 things to get into my cooking over the coming month:

goji berries – these were massively hyped as a super-berry at the end of last year so i picked up a packet to include in my blogging by mail parcel, plus an extra one for myself. having opened them to take the photo, and therefore only just having tried them, unless david is a fan of the flavour, or i can find a way to disguise it, i think these super-berries might end up in the bin! they have an odd taste, almost like that of green tea. accompanied by seeds that get stick in your teeth. i’m really not keen.

white urid dal – these are the only lentils in my cupboard that i’ve not tried and i really must – i think they’ve been there for several months now. apparently they are particularly good in creamy soups and dumplings.

valsamica - aged balsamic vinegar, port and vanilla extract, i’ve not tried this yet and really should!

spaghettata indivolata – i bought this in italy last year and it’s a mix of dried herbs, chilli capers and garlic slices which you cook in oil and toss with spaghetti. it smells potent!

napa valley belgian chocolate sauce with cabernet sauvignon – this was a gift from my friend kirsty and really shouldn’t be too difficult to use up! i’m thinking strawberries and vanilla ice-cream

i also thought it might be quite interesting to list what i have in my cupboards – I find this sort of thing fascinating and remember reading a similar post by sam from becks & posh. and if you have any thoughts on ways i can make use of any of the things on the list, especially those top 5, let me know!

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a visit to brussels isn’t complete without a visit to a choclatier. this time i selected pierre marcolini whose store in la grand place du sablon is a work of art. as you enter the heavily air-conditioned environment the smell of chocolate starts to tempt and tease you as you peer into the beautiful glass cases of chocolates. macaroons and desserts.

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brussels is one of my favourite european cities. i like the manageability of its size – a day of exploring quickly gives you your bearings and a sense of this cosmopolitan and accessible city. the art that you encounter around you (look out for imaginative graffiti livening up walls of the buildings around you) and the relaxed street-café culture are both very welcoming. throw in the beautiful architecture and you have plenty to celebrate.

last week i spent the day there, introducing my friend johne to brussels’ delights. it was a scorching day and high on our list of priorities was lunch in the sunshine. last time david and i were in the city we discovered l’estrille du vieux bruxelles, a restaurant a real suntrap of a courtyard. a repeat visit was the obvious and easy choice.

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while we were in kent at the weekend, and before we visited the sportsman, we spent a couple of hours exploring whitstable.

much of our time was spent walking along the front, watching people and dogs brave the water, sunbathe on the pebbly beach and stroll along the promenade. we speculated who owned the brightly coloured beach huts and what went on in each of them - most were shut up but a few had people sitting on their porches enjoying cups of tea and the sunday papers.

before we left we wandered around the town centre and, perhaps inevitably, discovered coco, a chocolate shop.

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