In My Kitchen: June 2026

May continued to be difficult following on from Awful April, let's call it Mediocre May, shall we? anyway, things are looking up with the arrival of the warm weather? Let's take a look in the kitchen...  

A few days in Italy... 

We missed Easter in Italy so went for a super long weekend over one of the many long weekends of May (there are 4 in one month!) 

This is my favourite pasta shop in the world (Artusi) in Padova.. the selection is amazing and everything is so tempting there. You can order your pasta to be cut just the way you want, pick up a mindboggling array of stuffed pastas, and amazing sauces to go with by the gram! The bigoli there is unrivalled... 

We have a real tradition to go to Pizzeria iDon when we are in Padova. Here the pistachio pesto was incredible combined with the buffalo mozzarella. Look at that blistery crust!

And to complete the holy trinity of pizza-pasta-gelato that is the quintessential Italian diet, my favourite gelato from Galateia. Where else do you get flavours like raspberry with fior di sambuco liquor, and wild blueberry with gin? 

Back in France, the fruit has arrived.. 

Every patisserie worth its butter is making beautiful tarts... here's one from the one next to the childcare

And one from downstairs.. imagine just being able to walk out the front door and grab something like that everywhere! 

Just some random cherries and raspberries for one of our many spring picnics 

Some home made jam from the seasonal fruit, thickened with chia 

Also in the kitchen... 

Pasta Wednesday continues, here with artisan sausages from the fancy butcher up the road. 

I've been obsessed with putting walnuts in my sourdough..

I bought these "antique" Chinese bowls from the antique shop near the childcare. the inscription on them says 19th c Qing dynasty but who knows if they are real. Pretty for eating icecream anyway  

I chanced upon a café (Good News in the 15th) that must be run by an Aussie because they had all these Aussie cookbooks that made me so incredibly nostalgic... 

This month at work... 

I looked after an old couple in their 90s who both passed away within a week of each other, 67 years married they were. Their lovely children brought in this lovely tea for the staff with a nice note and their obituaries. It was a touching moment.. `

This was an exceptionally unhealthy dinner they delivered one night when I was on call - chicken nuggets, pasta with tomato sauce and custard! I added the cucumber for some freshness. The French diet is not necessarily fancy... 

We had a heatwave for a week where the temp reached 32 degrees indoors in the ICU (no air conditioning). Can you imagine that in a service of 22 beds, we have 5 portable AC units that we must decide which patients are in the most desperate need for AC? I thought it was hilarious that they delivered frozen radishes to cool down instead of ice blocks...  

My piece de resistance this month was this strawberry cheesecake with a vegemite infused crust for my 1 year anniversary at work. I melted the vegemite into the butter and made the crust savoury, not telling any French people (in case it evokes dégoulasse! reactions) until they had already declared it delicious.  It's been bloody hard but I made it to 1 year! 

Curveball time... 

I got a care package from a dear friend in Australia who knew that I'm going through a really hard time. Can you believe she painted that picture of the beachgoers just to remind me of home? How talented she is! Also got some pyjamas for me and for G, some bluey stuff and other bits and bobs. 

I leave you with my monster contemplating the most perfect strawberry possible... 

Sending this to Sherry who hosts the monthly IMK series. Thanks for visiting and have a great month everyone!