Nothing Fancy

Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that give us the greatest pleasure. A smile from someone you love, spotting the first daffodil flowering in March, a leisurely stroll through a leafy park, the smell of freshly baked bread, your favourite song playing on the radio. It needs no bells and whistles and really doesn't need to cost a fortune to make your day perfect.

This is also true when it comes to food. Dishes containing a hundred and one ingredients and recipes with a seemingly endless list of steps are amazing in their own right, and definitely have their place in the culinary world. But sometimes all you want is something simple and homely to satiate your mid week craving for a little sweet treat. This is when you turn to your most dog-eared cookbook, let it fall open by itself to the right page and bake your favourite carrot cake.

Flour, sugar, eggs, oil, cinnamon, a couple of spoons of honey and of course lots of bright orange carrots, there is certainly nothing fancy about this cake. But cover it lovingly with a soft cloud of cream cheese frosting, dot a few wrinkly walnuts around the top and cut yourself a big slice... I guarantee you that there is nothing else that will beat it in taste right at that moment.