Und der Tag ist ein Tag den du magst

* The title could be translated as "a day that you like" but of course it sounds nicer in German.

The day after tomorrow, just three little words but with so much meaning. On Thursday I'll be flying back to Derbyshire to rediscover those familiar places in bloom. As always Berlin manages to be at its most beautiful for my departure and I've been waking up each morning and gazing at the first rays of sun catching the tops of the roofs opposite. The last week was such a whirlwind of activity and I wish I had more time to write more about all that I've done. There was a lunch at the Sarah Wiener restaurant next to the Hamburger Bahnhof where I was served a huge bowl of creamy risotto with wild garlic I couldn't finish and in front of my table, people came to stare at the window displaying the cakes and their eyes lit up. There were two Jacques Demy films at the Arsenal cinema, Potiche with Catherine Deneuve and a German one about the Jewish cemetery in Weißensee which prompted me to make another trip out there on a rather grey morning. Last Sunday while taking the train to Schlachtensee, a lake in the West, we caught sight of a craft fair in Zehlendorf and decided to get out and visit it. Stands with handmade jewellery, blankets, exotic hats and best of all, chocolate with chilli or tonka beans and another selling the most delicious range of mustard, chutney, syrup and so much more. I couldn't resist the bottle of ginger syrup after hearing of how it could be used not only to make tea but also on Streuselkuchen or whipped cream and the young woman selling it won me over immediately after explaining how she would never use margerine instead of butter for baking. After that we caught the last rays of sunshine by the lakeshore, watching the rowing boats go by and stopping for a drink at the (always busy) Fischerhütte. I'll hopefully be back over the weekend to share some recipes with you but in the meantime, have a lovely Easter dear readers.

At the Sarah Wiener restaurant at the Hamburger Bahnhof

My photos of the risotto didn't come out well but I was so hungry that I devoured this delicious wholemeal ciabatta roll with olive oil that the waiter set down in front of me in record time.

The Richard Long exhibition in the hall of the Hamburger Bahnhof

Some of Anselm Kiefer's work

Warhol's Mao

Sleeping video

Joseph Beuys' felt

On the way to the Jewish cemetery

At the market on Mexicoplatz in Zehlendorf

Exquisite chocolate

The lovely stand with Miriam Eva Kebe products, including ginger syrup

...and all kinds of salt

Magnolia in bloom

On Schlachtensee

In the Biergarten of the Fischerhütte

Some already had their first picnic of the season

Rowing boats for rental

To finish, a recipe for buckwheat pancakes I've been dying to try for ages. There's so much chocolate at Easter that I had a longing for something not so sweet before the celebrations begin so I hope you won't mind it's without sugar but in my opinion, the deep flavours of the berries, the tangy sharpness of the apples and wholesomeness of the galette make up for it.

Buckwheat pancakes with berries and apples

180g buckwheat flour

300ml milk

1 egg

a pinch of salt

a little freshly grated nutmeg

a splash of olive oil

For the filling

3 apples, coxes or russets are perfect

200g berries, raspberries, blueberries, red or blackcurrants, strawberries or blackberries or a mix of different kinds

1 cinnamon stick

2 cardammon seeds

2 slices of fresh ginger

50ml water

1. Mix the flour, egg, salt, nutmeg and half of the milk together in a bowl until you have a smooth batter. then beat in the remaining milk and the splash of olive oil. Leave to thicken for 30 minutes.

2. To prepare the filling, peel and chop the apples and place them in a small pan with the berries and all other ingredients and leave to simmer for around 20 minutes.

3. Make the pancakes by first coating a small frying pan lightly with neutral oil like sunflower then heat until sizzling hot and pour in 1-2 tbsp of the batter. Cook for a couple of minutes until golden then flip it over. Serve with the warm fruit.