What to eat today - Sausage, kale and flageolet cassoulet

I don't know about you, but in our household on a Sunday, there are three things that happen without fail.

1. Extra hot lattes and honey toast in bed

2. A dash to the shops to get the Sunday Times AND
3. No matter what the weather, something will be put on the stove to cook and bubble away filling the house with delicious and comforting aromas. 

This particular recipe, from Leon, is just gorgeous. I can't claim to have discovered it myself - but when I tasted it for the first time, I knew it would become a Sunday fave (thanks Nick and Fi). For starters, I love anything with sausages and beans, throw in kale and crispy bread and I am sold!

Sausage, kale and flageolet cassoulet Photograph: Tricia de Courcy Ling for the Guardian

Serves 4

2 tins cooked flageolets beans (you can use others, I have used butter beans and they are just as good)

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

500g sausages (cumberland or toulouse), cut into 2.5cm chunks

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 heaped tbsp rosemary, finely chopped

1 large or 2 small red onions, cut into large chunks

800ml chicken stock

75ml double cream

300g kale (woody stalks removed), chopped into 5cm pieces

Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Crispy bread - ciabatta or a french baguette 

1. Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-based casserole dish and fry the sausage pieces until golden brown
2. Add the garlic and rosemary, then turn down the heat and stir in the onions. 
3. Cover with a lid and cook gently for 15 minutes until the onions are soft and lightly browning, giving the occasional stir.
4. Pour in the chicken stock, add the beans and season.
5. Bring to a relaxed simmer and cook for around 20 minutes, skimming as necessary. 
6. I add a bit of lemon zest in here, but that is up to you
7. Stir in the cream and kale and mix well, then simmer for 10 minutes with a lid on and another 10 minutes without. 
8. Adjust the seasoning and finish with the chopped parsley.
9. Serve with crispy bread and a buttery white chardonnay ... mmm

Happy Sunday y'all 

Jubilee Garden Party Part 4

“I am thankful for the mess to clean after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends.” - Nancie J. Carmody 

Though the Diamond Jubilee is now a distant memory (and this post is slightly late!) – blame it on the long weekend and a week of holiday – fear not, we have not forgotten! This is our final Jubilee post where we show you how we transformed our ideas on paper to over-all pretty (well, we think so at least!). 

Thanks to the wonderful English summer, our Jubilee Garden Party was a lot less ‘garden’ than we had planned. Luckily we didn’t let that dampen our spirits – we opted for plan B and moved the party indoors. 

I always forget how much work goes into hosting a party – food preparation (is there going to be enough?), decorating (will anyone even notice the miniature food flags?), more food prep (how hungry will everyone be?), drinks (is there such a thing as too much wine?), ding-dong (the guests are early!). 

But as the quote above so nicely puts it, all of the planning and preparation is worth it if you’ve celebrated with friends. And celebrate we did… 

Before we share a few of our favourite pics from the day, a huge ‘we-appreciate-you-so-much’ shout-out must go to our wonderful (long-suffering) husbands. Thank you for cutting, slicing, pouring, hanging, dicing and hosting with us. We couldn’t have done it without you both (we know you secretly enjoyed it all!).

The food...

The drinks...

The decor...

The photobooth signs made by the very talented Roxy Sayer...

Did you have as much fun as we did?