At Firefly Books we love food, and we especially love soup!

During the cold winter months there’s nothing more comforting than a steaming hot bowl of soup to warm you from the inside out. This year we’re making the most of soup season with the help of The Seaweed Cookbook authors and founders of Food for Happiness Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams.

These two know great flavours — Nicole was head chef at Yotam Ottolenghi’s London restaurant Nopi and both have written several cookbooks — and their recipe for seaweed broth is the perfect blend of hearty and healthy.

Whether you’re looking for a tasty starter or a nourishing light lunch or dinner, this soup is sure to hit the spot.

Love is on our minds this #FoodieFriday, as its less than one week until Valentine’s Day.

While a lot of people are less than fond of this Hallmark holiday, we think that any chance to share delicious food with our loved ones is a great day, and we’ve pulled together a romantic menu just for the occasion.

With a focus on oysters — which some say is the most romantic food of all — plus the fresh flavours of arugula and strawberries, this menu is perfect to share with your special someone, or you can increase the quantities for a fun Galentine’s Day dinner.

To get you started, we turned to World Champion oyster shucker — Snoop Dogg called him the “Usain Bolt of oyster shucking” — and author of The Oyster Companion, Patrick McMurray for a lesson in which oysters are best for cooking.

In the late 16^th century, the Japanese Tea Master Sen No Rikyu said, “Tea is nothing more than this: heat the water, prepare the tea, and drink it properly. That is all you need to know.”

Though we love the idea that pouring the perfect cup of tea could be so simple, having recently published the new 3^rd edition of Camellia Sinensis Teahouse’s expert guide to tea, Tea: History, Terroirs, Varieties we know there’s a lot more to it.

Tea can react to various factors, from the ratio of tea to water to the length of infusion to the material of your teapot. Fortunately, there is a method you can learn that will help you brew a near-perfect cup of tea every time you boil the kettle.

Now that’s a skill that’s sure to come in handy!