Beehive95

Wiveton Cafe

2011-04-14T21:37:00.003+01:00

Matilda with Badger

Evie with Rabbit


Asparagus hut

The girls and I headed to Wiveton Cafe earlier in the week to give birthday wishes to Ali. I found Ali with her head in the freezers sorting out all sorts of familiar foods from my Yetman's Restaurant days; pots of lobster coral mixed with butter, eggs whites in large containers, cakes, ice-creams and much more.

This winter the cafe has been extended. The seating capacity inside has doubled and they have fitted windows so you can now look over the marsh and out to sea making the best of the fabulous scenic situation the cafe is set. The kitchens have been also been extended again - a new wash-up area and additional cooking room and the outside has been landscaped to look the same as last year. You'd hardly know t was different.

Whilst we were there I bought freshly cut asparagus from the old shed with and the girls chased guinea fowl and played in the field with their fake-furry friends.

The cafe re-opens on Monday 18th April.

Duck eggs

2011-04-07T20:07:00.003+01:00

Six duck eggs about to be beaten and made into an artichoke and Parmesan frittata.

With just picked wild garlic adding the flowers to the salad for maximum ponce value.

Ice-cream

2011-04-06T18:02:00.002+01:00

The ice-cream season has started

Dear Blank Please Blank

2011-03-30T12:19:00.003+01:00

Saw a link to these funny letterpress cards from Fubiz on Twitter. More letters here.

Submit your own or read more of other peoples Dear Blank Please Blank submissions by clicking on DBDB.

Buy the cards at Sapling Press Etsy shop.

Pink Blancmange

2011-03-30T10:20:00.000+01:00

The girls made blancmange yesterday. A weird tasting, very sweet raspberry blancmange which I remember making as child too. As expected, they didn't really enjoy the eating part but loved the wobble and the patterns the old glass mould made.

The picture's be given a bit of 70's look courtesy of Instagr.am.

Birthday blanket

2011-03-29T20:40:00.003+01:00

Frantically trying to find time to complete a blanket for Evie's birthday next week.

Thick pancakes

2011-03-28T22:47:00.000+01:00

Thick pancakes are a Sunday staple. The girls love them rolled up and eaten without holding back on the toppings; nutella, cinnamon sugar, apples, strawberries, bananas. You name it, they pile it on, roll them up and eat it them until they can eat no more.

I prefer them with rum soaked Chilean flame raisins mixed in the batter, topped with butter cinnamon sugar and thinly sliced crunchy apples. Poncy I know but somehow but dead tasty, like a breakfast bread and butter pudding.

The recipe I use varies weekly. They are really buttermilk pancakes but I rarely have buttermilk in my fridge so I either use cheap runny natural yogurt or curdle some milk by squeezing half a lemon in it and leaving for 10 mins.

Buttermilk Pancakes

230g self raising flour
2 tsp baking flour
50g castor sugar
175g buttermilk/yogurt/milk with lemon juice
175g milk
2 eggs
30g melted butter
pinch of salt
dash of vanilla extract

Add flour, sugar, salt and baking powder to a bowl and mix together with balloon whisk to remove lumps. (Less messy than sieving).
Add eggs, buttermilk and milk and whisk until the lumps have gone.
Melt butter in pan and add to mixture.
Cook on a medium heat for 3 mins then turn.

Anemone

2011-03-24T21:35:00.000Z

Long stemmed anemones - beautifully colourful and looking very pretty in our sunny spring house this week.

Sparrow & Co

2011-03-23T20:26:00.001Z

Sparrow & Co sells beautiful homewares. Samuel Sparrow's photography is great too.

"Inspired by traditional crafting skills the collection will have an emphasis on unique, handmade products from countries including Morocco, Uzbekistan, Asia, Central America and of course Scotland."

Mollie Makes

2011-03-23T16:39:00.001Z

I've just bought a subscription to Mollie Makes. Tag line 'Living and Loving the Handmade'. The first edition goes on sale on 12th May.

"Mollie Makes is not just a traditional craft project-book, but a magazine which celebrates craft as a part of life; curating the best contemporary craft content from around the world into a beautiful, collectable, unique and totally irresistible magazine".

A website is about to be launched but in the meantime you can follow Mollie Makes on Twitter and Jane Toft's blog.

A week of no TV

2011-03-22T20:16:00.000Z

The girls and I made a pact last week. The deal was that they could not watch TV until Friday to raise money for Comic Relief. If they succeeded, they would both get £5 to give to their school Comic Relief fund.

Monday we gardened, Tuesday we made biscuits, Wednesday Pasta. They loved it. I loved it. No TV is the way forward; far less strops, better moods and less arguments.

My girls

2011-03-22T18:50:00.002Z

The smurker

and the singer

The Window Coffee Shop

2011-03-09T20:48:00.003Z

'Is making bread an art form?' asks Michele Roux to a Hackney baker. Yes Yes Yes.
As if by request, Michele Roux has made a programme all about bread. Not only do I love making bread but he's presenting it. You can't knock M.R. Jnr.

Hackney Wild Bread's sourdough looks wonderful. Big plump proved rounds of dough. Yep. I'm letting mine prove too long (or so I think).

Like baking bread, coffee making and brewing is also an art form. I finally went to The Window Coffee on Wensum Street today - The Worlds Smallest Coffee Shop - which coincidentally was a feature on Future Radio this evening. Hayley the owner, has entered herself into the Barista Championships - it sounds fun and with her passion, skill and taste buds, she'll do really well. I only drink decaf these days but the decaf she served was the best I've had in the three years I've deprived myself caffeine.

Spiced grilled mackerel

2011-03-08T21:34:00.001Z

The seasons are changing and so are my taste buds. We're eating less meat, eating smaller portions and trying new dishes. 'Plenty' by Ottolenghi is proving a a great source of inspiration so are the Asian food shops around Norwich. This weekend we ate mackerel fillets marinaded in Indian spices. Last night okra with paneer cheese and tonight soba noodles with aubergine and mango which I think would be great alongside some chargrilled chicken or squid.

Firm tofu is another rediscovered ingredient. Bland as toenails on it's own but cooked with another one of Ottolenghi winning recipes; black pepper tofu, it tastes fabulous.

Toast

2011-03-08T20:54:00.002Z

I'm a sourdough bore. I will not give up until the loaf looks perfect and I've mastered the 'slash'. I've a loaf in the oven as I type this, today I snipped the top with a pair of very sharp pointy scissors. My attempts with the lame was rubbish and looking at the scissor snips on the loaf cooking in the oven, it looks that I need to snip deeper and perhaps I'm slashing the loaf too late in the proving process.

Banneton & Lame

2011-02-28T22:19:00.003Z

The sieves lined with a heavily dusted tea-towel suck to the sticky dough ripping the thick sourdough skin. This has happened twice now, perhaps it wouldn't if I'd used a piece of linen instead of a cotton towel. I've still not managed to work out how to slash the loaf properly, I think the cut needs to be severe but the skin drags when I cut it.

Bakery Bits and their alluring baking gear enticed me to buy a cane banneton (proving basket) and a lame (slashing blade). Not so sure if the blade was a necessary purchase, I've since seen images and video clips of bakers using a Wilkinson's razor blade attached to a wooden coffee stirrer.

This site is proving to be a great source of information Sourdough.com - a community of baking enthusiasts packed with info and images of their baked goods.

Sourdough

2011-02-21T23:08:00.007Z

Just getting to grips with making sourdough again after Angie gave me a pot of starter a few weeks back. Baking this bread is fast becoming an obsession like it did a few years ago. The loaves always taste good but always look wrong. Sometimes they come out of the oven looking like patty-pan squash, others more like round wooden chopping board (very flat). The trouble is, if I make a bad looking loaf (or loaves) on Monday, I have to try and make a better loaf on Tuesday leaving is over run with Sourdough. We eat it for breakfast lunch and supper and snacks in between too. Our favourite topping this week is Sunwheel's Pear & Prune Pure Fruit Spread - a very concentrated jam that looks like Marmite.

Granny squares

2011-02-21T22:53:00.010Z

I started making these squares before Christmas (2010) and it will be finished by Christmas 2011. That's my challenge.

More Cookies - Supermarket Bakery Ones

2010-04-17T23:35:00.000+01:00

It's my new gluttonous quest to find the recipe that replicates those chewy bakery cookies that causes me to consume much more fat and sugar than I should. I feel some sort of security with having my cupboards full of the various different coloured sugars and chocolate and also with my fridge full of cold slabs of butter. My previous baking binge was to find the perfect flapjack recipe, which lets face it, has nothing remotely healthy in them. Damn tasty though.

Supermarket Bakery Cookies

100 g butter

50 g light brown sugar

50 g demerara sugar

1 tablespoon golden syrup

100 g chopped white and dark chocolate or Smarties.

150 g self-raising flour (it's this that gives the cookies their crinkle top)

Melt the butter and syrup.

Add the sugars and beat together.

Add the flour followed by the chocolates.

Place large spoonfuls on a baking tray and bake at 170º for 9 - 12 minutes, depending on the size of your cookies.

The biscuits are cooked when they are a golden brown colour but they look like they aren't quite ready. It's the not quite cooked cookie that gives the chewy quality.

Girls with Attitude

2010-04-11T23:58:00.001+01:00

So Evie is six now. She's got attitude, bad ass styling and she watches DrWho without being scared. She's growing up fast.

Hanging out in Stuart's old workshop, now to be the girls play shed and our summer evening hangout as it catches the last of the days rays. We just need a beer fridge and the BBQ on the door step and some sunshine. Roll on summer.

Wool Envy

2010-04-11T23:36:00.000+01:00

With yarn eyes on stalks, I snapped Sophie in a fab crocheted hat and her friend with a blanket wrapped around her new born.

Party Bags

2010-04-11T23:24:00.000+01:00

Newspaper bags - see how to make them here http://www.newspaperbagproject.com

Hand decorated by Evie and stuffed with drinks, fruit, chocolates, rubber alphabet stamps, Haribos (what party bag doesn't contain these), and crocheted hair slides. I took Evie and three friends to see Nanny McPhee. I loved it. I loved the set, the costumes and sitting still for 90 mins. The girls seemed to love it too but I think I did more.

Egg Rolling

2010-04-11T22:50:00.000+01:00

I'm sitting here wondering why I can smell egg. Nearly one week after
the fierce boiling and colourful decorating of a dozen eggs I remember
where I left the returning un-hurled stinkers.

The annual Muckleborough Hill egg roll took place last Monday, Evie's
6th birthday. It was a fun few hours, cold, windy and sociable.

I'm not sure if there was a winner with the egg rolling as I think
there was too much l cheating going on... I covered my egg in yellow
crocheted jacket. It definitely didn't break up but it didn't go the
full distance either.

Ginger Cake

2010-02-25T12:28:00.000Z

I thought forgetting to add the sugar would make this ginger cake fairly bland but I was pleasantly surprised that the omission almost went unnoticed. When I remembered that the demerara sugar was still unweighed in the bag, I heated a heaped tablespoon of it with the left over stem ginger syrup and doused it over the just baked cake - I guess that's the reason that it tasted just sweet enough.

This photo was taken the day after it was baked but give it five days wrapped in foil and it will darken in colour and deepen in flavour. A good cake to prepare before a trip.

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Line a 1kg loaf tin with baking paper.

225g plain flour, I used wholemeal Spelt

1/2 tsp mixed spice

3 heaped tsp ground ginger

1 1/2tsp bicarb

140g Chinese stem ginger - rinsed, dried and roughly chopped

1 egg

285ml milk

85g butter

85g black treacle

85g golden syrup

115g demerara sugar

Preheat Oven 180ºC. Line a 1kg loaf tin.

Either sieve or whisk the flour, bicarb and spices together. I whisk dry ingredients - less messy and it's quick. Add half of the ginger.

Beat the egg and milk in one bowl.

Melt the butter, treacle, syrup and sugar until melted.

Add the warm syrups to the four then add the milk mix and beat until combined.

Pour batter into lined tin and sprinkle over remaining ginger.

Bake for 1 hour.
Check the cake after 30 mins and cover with foil if it's browning too much.

Evie's school days

2010-02-24T20:35:00.000Z

Evie thrust this picture along with three other family hand drawn portraits into my hand after school on Monday. It's a picture of me, Matilda and Evie in our garden by the bird table which Stu strapped to the pear tree with red rope when it was first snowing back in December.

Evie's not really 'getting' school. She loved half term being at home; drawing lots, sucking her thumb, day dreaming. At school she's not finding things so easy. Her creativity isn't recognised like it was in reception, her sentences don't make sense and she just wants be at home - hence the stream of daily drawings centred around her being at here. I feel for her and understand how she feels. She's already under pressure, she's given spellings to learn for homework and she's only 5. Instead of feeling free and happy she's feeling like she's underachieving at school and is copying her friends work so she doesn't fail tasks. I feel concerned for her, she's very creative with a desire to learn non school curriculum things. Perhaps this is quite normal.

Love Me Buns

2010-02-16T20:33:00.000Z

Fresh from our sunny Sunday family bike ride along Marriotts Way, Evie was straight in with the question "Can we make cakes? You did promise...." The multitude of "can we's" seems quite feasible first thing in the morning but as the day progresses... all I want to do is read just a tiny bit of the paper.

Keeping my word (for once) we made chocolate cupcakes which we scoffed after large portions of roast beef. The buns weren't bad considering they contained liberal smattering's of both egg shell and spittle.

Matilda arranging 'Love Me Buns' on our Valentine mini-bird-table, left on our door step by a secret admirer....

Chewy Choc Chip Cookies

2010-02-10T20:19:00.000Z

I've just switched on Nigel 'unctuous' Slater and typically it's the one episode I've already seen. I made his burgers with Parmesan (I use minced beef not chicken) numerous times last year and can vouch for them being superb. I would never have thought of putting cheese in a burger, but what a revelation, I became a burger loather to a burger love overnight. And another reason to love burgers it's one of the few things Stu cooks - outside on the decking using the camping stove in almost all weather conditions. (I should add that the burgers get cooked outside as we have no extractor fan not because I don't let him in the kitchen).

Today has been my first marmalade day of 2010. I bought 7 kilos of Seville's for some reason, so that's two more batches to make this week. As always I use Sybil Kapoor's recipe, one batch made with the addition of blackstrap molasses and one with out.

I've also been making cookies; big fat, chewy supermarket bakery cookies. You know the ones stuffed with huge chunks of chocolate and ladened with sugar and butter? After a bit of googling, I found a recipe on Yahoo Answers which seemed to hit the right marks. Here it is:

Chewy Full Fat Cookies
250g all-purpose flour
2g baking soda
3g salt
170g unsalted butter, melted
220g packed dark or light brown sugar
100g granulated sugar
15ml vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
335g chocolate chips; white, dark and milk

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 165 degrees C. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream together the melted butter, brown sugar and
white sugar until well blended. Beat in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk
until light and creamy. Mix in the sifted ingredients until just
blended. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon. Drop
cookie dough 1/4 cup at a time onto the prepared cookie sheets. Cookies
should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 13 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are
lightly toasted. Cool on baking sheets for a 5 minutes before
transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Typepad or Tumblr?

2010-02-10T15:13:00.000Z

I can't decide whether to ditch Typepad - I find it intensely frustrating, sometimes it loads, often it doesn't.
I've been erratically using the ever so simple Tumblr platform and I really like it's simplicity plus it's free.

http://lifefork.tumblr.com

Crochet Cushion No. 1

2010-02-03T09:47:00.000Z

Cushion project No. 1
My first attempt at making up patterns with stitches as I go along. It was going well until I stitched it to the back cloth in a oval shape rather than a round. I'm sticking to squares from now on.

River Stiffkey

2009-06-26T22:24:00.000+01:00

Fathers Day at Fi's took us on a improtu paddle down the River Stiffkey. The river is just a 2 minute stroll up from Fi's house.

I got the giggles because I couldn't steer and then a herd of huge cows descended upon us - well almost. I finally got the hang of the steering which was a relief to Stu as he's been eagerly ebaying Canadian canoes and Kayaks. Sadly this red canoe was just borrowed.

Lovage and Pancetta Arancini

2009-06-09T21:59:00.000+01:00

I made these savory rice balls in May when the lovage leaves were young and tender. The Arancini recipe is taken from Hugh FW's weekly column in the Guardian, but I swapped a few ingredients around, adding the lovage and lemon and pancetta.

Lovage, used as both odour eaters in the Middle Ages and as an aphrodisiac in the 16th Century, has an intense celery like aroma and flavour. It's fabulous stuffed inside a chicken prior to roasting and also great when a small amount of leaves are added to pea and ham soup.

Broad Beans

2009-06-08T22:13:00.000+01:00

We've just eaten the first broad beans of the year freshly picked from the our back veggie patch. Damn tasty but the yield seems even lower than usual. Next year I'm taking a leaf out of David Barker's (Wolterton Hall's organic) growing methods and planting the plants close together. My method of generous spacing just makes the low yield even more frustrating as I could have been growing something else in it's place.

Alphonso Mangoes

2009-06-08T14:41:00.000+01:00

I recently bumped into a friend in one of the Asian food stores on Magdalen street. She was stuffing two boxes of Alphonso mangoes into the back of her son's buggy. With each box containing approx 12 fruit I wish I had asked her what she was going to do with them. I also bought a box of the delicious fragrant, deep orange coloured juicy mangoes and have eaten them just as they then sucking the stone ending up with a orange mustache no one told me about. Thanks kids.

Alphonso's are so different from the all year round mangoes, like the ones that never ripen which I buy in bulk from Lidls when they are 35p. They are great for mango chutney but truly disappointing eaten on their own when compared to an Alphonso.

The last time I bought a box (a grate) of mangoes was when I lived on Hamilton Island, Great Barrier Reef - the fruit is grown nearby on the mainland. They were so tasty, so perfectly ripe that I couldn't manage to eat all the fruit and that's the only trouble with buying in bulk, you have to eat a lot of fruit or make something out of them. There I had no cooking facilities but Skye Gyngell has included a few recipes in her recent column for The Independent.

The Alphoso season is short, perhaps only available for the next week if that. I'm going to try and buy another box today and make a sorbet or ice-cream using the clever Play and Freeze which I was given last summer although Skye's jam recipes sounds just up my street.

Nostalgic Chocolate Chip Biscuits

2009-03-05T20:51:00.000Z

These biscuits taste just like ones my Mum use to make when we were younger. They are light and crunchy with a buttery taste.

Chocolate + Nut Biscuits

70g caster sugar

70 demerara sugar

125g unsalted butter

Cream together the above ingredients in a bowl.

Add to the creamed ingredients -

1 beaten egg

60g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

60g white chocolate, roughly chopped

60g chopped hazelnuts

Mix in -

140g plain flour, sieved

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, sieved

Either roll into sausage, wrap in cling film and fridge or place teaspoons of mixture on to baking tray.
Bake at 170ºc for 10 - 12 mins.

Shove Tuesday

2009-02-26T21:48:00.000Z

I have a glitch in my router. I have discovered that Typepad doesn't like me blogging unless I reset the router. Weird and irritating, but at least I have now worked out the ferocious blogging deterrent that is just an irritating bit of router weirdness. Yesterday I was all ready to set up on Blogger, in fact I did, only I never got round to writing anything. Somethings never change.

As you can see from the egg and flour set up above, I tried to post a blog on pancake day. I had been hyping myself all day for the mess and fighting that would occur once the jug, whisk, egg and flour would be visible. My girls love to argue and cause a bit of competitive rumpus shoving and even more so when cooking is involved. Where as I like nothing more than to hear them get on and be kind to each other.

I seem to remember my Mum feeling a little beaten by Pancake Day, they were more a bi-anual tradition than an annual one. If Pancake Day could be Shrove Sunday, not Shove Tuesday it would be a lot more fun for me.

2009-02-14T10:48:00.000Z

I started
writing this on Monday and it's now Saturday. Some people blog
effortlessly but my attempts are always thwarted by something or other.
I have images stacked up in iPhoto, of subjects I want to eulogize
about... one day I'll write about them.

We drove to London on Sunday to visit Simon & Angie at the very successful, 'St Judes in the City' exhibition held at the Bankside Gallery
over the past 10 days. Before we hit the river bank, we took a trip to
Spitalfields to visit the girls Auntie Miranda at her clothes stall in
the market. Just next to Miranda's stall is one of the Leon Restaurants,
a chain of eaterys set up by Allegra McEvedy, Henry Dimbleby and John
Vincent in 2004. The food is simple, seasonal, inexpensive, wholesome
and tasty and perfect for family outings.

I've been cooking from
the Leon book since Christmas when I received it as I gift. The
Moroccan Meatballs have been eaten a few times, they're good and dead
simple to make.

Here's a quick recipe how to make Meat Balls similar to Leon's:

500g minced lamb
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
lots for freshly ground pepper and sea salt
1 handful of both chopped mint and parsley
1 pitta torn up and soaked in milk
1 good pinch of dried oregano

1. Squeeze the excess milk from the pitta bread and add to a bowl with all of the other ingredients.
2. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together until well combined.
3. Roll into balls and either char grill as they do at Leon's, fry or bake on silicone sheet in hot oven for 15 minutes.

We
eat ours with either a homemade spicy tomato sauce made from: two tins
of whole plum tomatoes added to a pan which contains browned sliced
garlic cooked in olive oil. Add a cinnamon stick, a pinch of chili
flakes, a pinch of sugar, oregano, salt and black pepper. Reduce until
thick.

Alternatively, serve with rocket leaves, tzakiki, houmous, pitta bread and baked sliced aubergine.

Poladroids

2009-01-04T21:23:00.000Z

I can see I'm going to be spending some time converting some of my snaps into Polodroids - a free download that turns your photos into images that look like Polaroids. Polaroid is a recent discovery which I blogged about on the St Jude's weblog, All Things Considered earlier this week.

The above photos were taken on Boxing Day in the woods next to Wells beach, carrying a poorly Matilda on an hour long walk. I guess we shouldn't have taken her, but we thought the fresh air would wake her not send her to sleep in Stu's arms.

Below is the original of the above. Can you see why I love Poladroid - it even crops my head.

Back Blogging

2008-12-12T14:30:00.000Z

My six month blog diet is now over. I'm celebrating by eating warm mince pies and dropping dollops of suet goo on the key board. The blog diet seemed quite strict, usually I do have weak moments with diets, but I really stuck to this regime.

The blog diet allowed to sleep at night (late night postings for me, had the same effect as eating slabs of plain chocolate or drinking espresso before bed). Blog abstention also meant I wasn't obsessing about what to cook and photo all the time. With the blog diet, we eat less cake, I talk to Stu in the evenings and I watch dreadful but alluring TV like Survivors.

Why I have decided to start writing now is because I'm avoiding doing all the other things I have on my to-do list in preparation for Christmas. Today is to be card making and writing day ... That's my cue to get on with it.

Last week at Jelly Festival

2008-08-09T23:05:00.000+01:00

Jelly Festival

This time last week we were serving food to a steady stream of happy cider drunk punters at Jelly Festival, South Creake, Norfolk. The lead up to the festival was a little stressful. I guess the most stressful thing was not knowing what quantities of food to per-order in anticipation of the hopefully hungry festival goers or, how little to order in case the event was a wet wash out. It was both.

The week prior to the event, Stu with the aid of a workshop full of tools and an eye for typography, started to design a sign for our stall. We were selling BBQ sweetcorn with various flavoured butters, garlic bread, BBQ mushrooms drenched in garlic butter served in a toasted baguette and for pudding, chocolate brownies.

sign making in progress

Days before the Saturday event, I foolishly decided to order 14 cases of sweetcorn. That's 420 cobs. Yikes. I also ordered 40 baguettes and I made 144 servings of Ottolenghi's brownies. What an over ambitious fool I am. Why didn't I believe the weather forecast and why didn't I realise that we could never have manage to sell 420 cobs on the 2 large BBQs even if we were busy from the 12pm start? Still, it was the first time Stu and I had sold food at a stall and also the first time we have ever cooked in the same kitchen/gazebo/field together. We managed to co-ordinate mechanically, and with the help of our dearest friend Rosie who was serving the customers, we did managed to make a slight profit. All thanks to the sunshine though, if the rain hadn't cleared like it did at 3pm, we would have been in miserable, damp and in gloomy debt but instead, we're thinking where and when is the next festival? If we do ever repeat this formula, I don't think I really want to spend Monday morning selling (almost giving away) boxes of sweetcorn to Norwich market stall holders in 'Apprentice' style cut your losses sales-girl mode.

our stall

Warm honeyed figs

2008-07-15T22:02:00.000+01:00

My Lidls bargain of the day - a box of Israeli green figs, perfectly ripe and very cheap. For 20 figs, the box cost less that a fiver - not bad. I hadn't dropped in for fruit and veg so to wasn't paying attention to the goods on offer, but a lovely elderly man proudly showed me his about-to-be-purchased box of figs, saying that this will tide him over until he starts to climb a fig tree for perfectly ripe figs on Elm Hill. He then shared his favourite way of eating them, he said that they are delicious fried with butter.

I've just tried his suggestion, adding to the butter; honey, a cinnamon
stick and a squeeze of lemon. I then dolloped on a heap of Greek yogurt
and drizzle of honey. I liked them a lot.

Play and Freeze

2008-07-13T23:28:00.000+01:00

Make ice-cream with no mess, no electricity but possibly a broken toe....

Apart from the almost injuries, Play and Freeze is brilliant and a must have for anyone with a team of energetic helpers and ice-cream lovers. Fi, clever ol' Fi, turned up to the campsite with an early birthday gift of ice, rock salt, cream, vanilla sugar and chocolate chips and a large cube wrapped in paper - the Play and Freeze.

We've tried a few flavours, so far raspberries, cream and Greek yogurt is really good. I've been making a banana cake lately which requires the bananas to be cooked in a butterscotch sauce. I can't stop thinking about how tasty caramelised bananas would be when added with cream and Greek yogurt to the ice-cream ball. For now, here's how we made raspberry ripple.

Firstly, add ice-cubes and rock salt to one end.

To the end end, add cream...raspberries, Greek yogurt, vanilla sugar and milk

Then roll it, kick it (gently) drag it, fight over it for ten whole minutes, stirring it a few times.

then eat it.

Back at Stiffkey

2008-07-13T22:41:00.000+01:00

Our impromptu camping trip to Stiffkey last week was, as always fabulous and mostly very relaxing. We even managed to dodge the rain and lap up some sunshine - not an easy thing to do over the past few summers. The lack of sunny days is depressing, Stu noted that we've haven't had the sail up (our makeshift shade from the sun on the decking) yet this summer. Last year we had it up so much more, and we thought last year's climate was bad. I'm sure the indifferent weather is affecting us all, perhaps not the girls so much but it definitely is me. Being inside, hiding from the rain when I know we shouldn't be, isn't fun and I guess that's why camping is good. You're outside pretty much what ever the weather, windy, cold, wet and sunny. The girls never seem to mind the cooler days but then they are not aware of what seasons mean and what we expect from them.

At Stiffkey, we pitched at our usual spot, ate bbq'd meat and fish, made ice-cream and walked out across the five bridges to the beautiful and quiet sandy beach at Stiffkey. The best bit, was the marsh tide. Watching the beautiful sunset reflect on the pools of water across the marsh is wonderful. Stu and Evie even managed to swim in the creeks in the following high morning tide. I had the excuse of staying out of the biting wind and staying in the warm tent drinking tea and reading the A tale of 12 Kitchens while Matilda dozed.

Todays blooms

2008-06-22T23:43:00.000+01:00

Smoked Eel and Beetroot

2008-06-22T22:52:00.000+01:00

Beetroot is one of the few surviving plants on our allotment that hasn't been munched by greedy, gluttonous slugs and snails. I think that our plot, being positioned next to the rolls of old rotten carpet and waste ground is asking for trouble. When I walk up the path and, towards the old timers in our allotment group, I notice they have beautifully formed, perfectly pristine lettuces growing in the neatest rows with no trace of gorging snails. But it's OK, I'm not bitter or envious, despite once thinking our plot was being sabotaged by people sprinkling weed seeds all over our once ,very neat raised beds. I guess it's just a slightly irritating learning curve of what to grow and what not to bother trying to grow.

So it's a good job we like beetroot as much as we do, as this is going to be our bulk crop this summer along with the fennel, which so far, is also doing mighty fine.
Beetroot raw, grated with carrots and mixed with lemon juice and a peppery olive oil is my favourite way to eat it. I also love it roasted with rosemary and garlic then cooled, sliced and eaten with horseradish and a strong cheddar in a sandwich. Or, like I first mentioned, grating it raw and mixing it with creme fraiche, dill and Dijon mustard and topped with deliciously meaty, smoked eel. If you're put off my eating eel because of the way it looks alive, don't be. When smoked, it is really tasty with a firm texture and deep oily flavour - excellent with beetroot.

A relaxing get-away

2008-06-10T22:59:00.000+01:00

Two weekends ago, Stu and I stayed in a yurt belonging to some friends of ours. It is set in a beautiful secluded meadow in Suffolk, surrounded by mature trees and acres of pasture. I think it was the most relaxing (child free) 24 hours we had had in four years. We sat and read books and the Saturday papers and cycled to The Low House in Laxfield, where we ate well and watched the locals arrive in 007 themed costumes before cycling back with a bit more speed than we arrived.

I was pleased to have some quiet time, as the previous week I ordered a book from Amazon called the The Creative Family, written by American blogging Mum of three, Amanda Soule. I don't regularly read her blog, Soule Mama but I was aware of it. Other blogs were raving about this book and the reviews on Amazon were very complimentary so I bought it. I wanted to get on the 'good mama' band waggon instead of being the grumpy selfish one I so often am. I read this book while at the yurt, and I have to say, I turned into a holistic, patient, creative, positive and gentle Mama almost instantly. Wow, the wonder of books and the gentle persuasion of words and pictures.

So while we were listening to nothing but birds chirping in the glorious meadow -

I tried a bit of rope knitting with fencing steaks...
(Not easy).

... Stu climbed a oak tree and fitted a swing...
(It made my heart race and I worried that an ambulance would never find us)

... and we ate breakfast in the fresh air and gently drizzling rain.

starter all over again

2008-05-30T23:06:00.000+01:00

I'm just loving Future Radio.
The music they play is excellent and I rarely have the urge to tune off
unlike most BBC stations. Some of the DJ's are rather comical (I'm not
sure if they are meant to be) but they share some interesting info and
twitter on in rather a endearing manner. I also love the People's Playlist,
where folk like me, select 12 of their favourite tunes to be aired on
Future Radio at the weekends. One day I might get organised enough to
do that, but for today, I'm happy that I have just won a mystery CD for
texting in the correct answer to a shuffled up song. Yey!

Something I'm not so happy about is that I've finally managed to
kill my sourdough starter. I tried to revive it by feeding it chunks of
a peeled apple (I was desperate) but it refused to bubble and regain
life. In some ways I'm quite pleased I'm not having to make loaves
every week but on the other hand, I loved the process and the addiction
I had with trying to create the perfect sourdough. I also loved the
fact you can prepare a really quick meal with stale toasted sourdough,
lightly rubbed with garlic, olive oil and topped with roasted tomatoes.
I think I have just 3 remaining loaves left in the freezer before I know I will be very
tempted to start another batch of starter.

A loo with a view

2008-05-28T23:22:00.000+01:00

I failed to capture the view on Saturday evening from this outdoor lavatory, complete with and old pine wash stand and enamel basin, but believe me, this has got to be one of the best lidded loo stops I've been too (since last year). The bright sunlight in the photo leads out to Morston marsh and looks like like this.... only it's so much better when you're there.

The reason for being in this beautiful spot, was to celebrate a friends 40th birthday. It was camping gathering with a 60's party on the Sunday night in a beautiful handcrafted geodesic dome tent. I'd not seen a geodesic tent before, this one is made from lengths of hazel fitted together in a series of triangles to form a sphere and then covered in large sheets of canvas.

See that blue sky? Where has it gone?

Spring Changes

2008-05-21T23:58:00.000+01:00

I have become a little garden obsessed over the past few months. I hit
a bit of a miserable patch back in April where I totally lost interest
in cooking. Something in my mood was turning food sour. I couldn't cook
and I didn't want to. I also wasn't sleeping well and my moods were,
well bloody awful but with the help of warm sunny days, Nytol, a bed time book and no internet activity after 9pm, I feel so
much better.

We've now got an allotment and today when I visited, it was covered in the vigorous weed known at fat hen. I could not believe the density of the stuff. It had smothered my veg seedings to the point I couldn't see what I had planted. With the help of Rosie and Matilda, we managed to pull up most of the thatch of weed with Matilda wielding what ever garden tool she could find, she also managed to destroy the few seedings I has planned on eating. Errrrgh.

We were very lucky with getting an allotment this year. I had applied to Norwich Council in Feb only to be told the waiting list was at least a year away. I then heard of a scheme called Grow Our Own - GO2, where allotments were available - but not only that, it is a scheme where seeds, seedlings, plants, manure, tools and advice are all part of the package. We've had it about 6 weeks now. We had to dig up a heap of weeds and old potato plants and then raise the beds to help deter small feet from trampling our small plants. We now have a selection of things growing, a smaller section then I had last week due to Matilda's 'weeding' and the harsh frost a few nights back.

Paneer Cheese

2008-04-02T18:10:00.000+01:00

I decided to have another go making paneer (Indian Cheese). My previous attempt a few years back resulted in a soggy mass of curdy curds which did nothing to impress Stu with my asian culinary skills. My recent batch being was much more succesful, I realised what I should have done before, was to pressed the cheese and leave it in the fridge to set for at least 3 hours before cooking. I did. Bingo. Tasty, cuttable and fryable cheese especially if it's coated in a flavourful chilli sauce (recipe below).

For those of you you familiar with baby sick, you will feel quite at home making this. I made it with Evie by my side who thought it was the most disgusting thing ever. I didn't remind her of the time she projectile vomited down Stu's back and no, she didn't try the fried cubes either. However, good friend Imogen was chief taste sampler and enjoyed the chilli cheese, but I doubt she would have tried it either if she had expereincd the baby sick stage - but don't let that put you off making it!

Here's how to make Paneer.

I used a litre of full fat milk and it yielded enough for two greedy eaters. You'll be surprised at how much whey you yield and how few curds, so if you want to make a larger batch, be generous with the amount of milk you use.

1 litre full fat milk

1/2 juice of lemon

Handy tip - Swish some water around a large pan and tip it out, this almost stops the milk protein sticking to the base of the pan.

Heat milk to just boiling then take off heat before it covers your hob.

Add the lemon juice and return to heat and simmer, and stir until it's very curdy. Add more lemon juice if it's not looking curdy enough. Take off heat and leave it for 10-25 minutes.

Place a small piece of muslin (I used one from Liz Earle's perfectly sized muslin's from her Cleanse and Polish range) into a sieve and if you wish to use whey for bread making, place the sieve over a bowl, if not, just hold the sieve over the sink.

Pick up the edges of the muslin and squeeze as much of the whey out as possible. Keep squeezing the curds too, to encourage the liquid to drip out.

Then, try and shape the curds into a rectangle and wrap tightly in the muslin.

Place the wrapped curds on a plate, then place another plate on top of the curds and thenplace something heavy on top and store int he fridge for 3 hours.

Once the cheese is chilled and pressed, it will be easy to cut into cubes ready for frying or i you'd rather, eat cold drizzled with honey and almonds.

Chilli Sauce for Paneer adapted from 'India with Passion'

1 tsp cornflour

1 tsp flour

pinch of salt

vegetable oil for frying

1 onion finely sliced

1/2 chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp ketchup

1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tbsp hot chilli sauce or sambal

1 tsp cumin seeds + nigella seeds

2cm fresh ginger, grated or finely sliced

Mix together the cornflour, salt, flour and 1 tbsp cold water to make a thin paste.

Coat the cubed cheese with the paste.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the paneer, browning each side of the cubes. Remove from pan.

Add onions, garlic, seeds and chillies and fry for a dew minutes.

Add the sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chilli and soy sauce and reduce for a minute. Add ginger.

Add cheese and season to taste.

bad cooking day

2008-03-21T16:34:00.000Z

Both girls are asleep. Bliss. There is no Cbleedin-beebies on the TV only I have just realised I have been happily singing a long to the irritating Cbeebies programmes on Radio 7. Arhhhh. It worries me that when I turn on the TV, the channel I instantly punch into the hand controls is 617 (yes, you've guessed it, CBeebies). And now here I am indulging in some guilt free Internet activity whilst singing along Balamory. Time for some music...

I'm having a bad cooking day today. The chocolate crispies I made with Evie earlier went all grainy and I've just melted 200g of quality chocolate, heated a good glug of double cream with cardamom and orange peel to infuse, with the intention of making truffles for Easter gifts. Only the bloody stuff has 'seized' (also gone grainy) and there is no way of recovering it. I'm always so careful never to get any moisture in chocolate but I guess that is what has happened. Damn and blast it.

So not to waste my thick and disastrous truffle mix, I thought I'd try and fudge it into some kind of brownie concoction. I added eggs, caster sugar and ground almonds and some more melted butter and poured it into a shallow cake tin. It's now baked and looks alright, if a little oily (I don't think I combined the mixture very well, my enthusiasm for the chocolate gloop was fading fast).

Taste verdict - Matilda has scoffed a huge piece and is now bouncing of the walls and Stu likes the cardamom. All has not been wasted.

battered potato balls

2008-03-19T22:12:00.000Z

This recipe has not been inspired by Delia and her belief that frozen mashed potato is the way forward. I can't think of anything worse, oh yes I can, tinned mince. Yuck. I think Delia is great, but is the need for a couple of new strikers at NCFC really require her to cook such odd, supposesidly labour saving food?

When I watch Delia's new show, I can't help thinking that Hugh Fernley Whitingstall (my foodie crush) must be a little perturbed by Delia new fascination with tinned meat - is the tined meat from high welfare sources .....?

Anyway, steering clear of both tinned meats and frozen mash, this week I cooked a dish from the West of India involving deep fried potatoes in gram flour batter. Turmeric bright yellow crushed potatoes, with chillies, spices and fresh Methi (fenugreek leaves) dipped into thick chickpea batter. Delicious.

I've been trying to recreate some of the dishes I used to eat in Asian cafes in Birmingham where I studied Textiles in the Nineties. The cafe I use to go to, usually on a Sunday, was no frills establishment with a TV mounted in the corner usually showing West Bromwich Albian football matches. The array of small vegetarian bites, both sweet and savoury were really delicious, along with the different chutneys to accompany the savoury eats, made the meal even more interesting.

I wish I could remember the region where the cuisine came from, I think it could be west India and possibly from the state of Gujarat but I'm only gleaning this information from the cookery book I found the recipe in. The book that has inspired me to cook Indian food this week, is India with Passion - Modern Regional Home Food by Manju Malhi.

Batata Vadas or Battered Potato Balls (slightly adapted from above mentioned book)

600g potatoes, peeled, boiled and slightly crushed

1 tsp brown mustard seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp sugar

good pinch of salt

red or green chilli, finely chopped

small handful of chopped coriander leaf

small handful of chopped fenugreek leaf

Heat some oil in large frying pan, big enough to hold the potatoes.

Add seeds, ground spices, salt and sugar.

Add the potatoes, gently crushing as you heat and turn them in the spices, cook for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to cool before adding the chopped fresh herbs.

For the batter

150g gram (chickpea) flour

1 tsp ground cumin

good pinch of salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

Oil for frying

Sieve the flour with other dry ingredients into a bowl.

Add 1tsp oil and about 140ml water, more may be needed to get the batter the consistency of runny honey.

To make the balls, dampen your hands and roll walnut size lumps of potato into balls.

Drop the balls into the batter and lift out with a fork and drop into the hot oil.

Fry for 4 minutes and then drain on kitchen paper.

Methi or Fenugreek leaves

sourdough

2008-03-17T22:20:00.000Z

Two weeks ago, I came home from work to find the oven that we bought over a year ago no longer in our bedroom but finally in it's place in the kitchen. I have a 70cm wide oven and a ceramic hob with touch sensitive controls. I love it and the difference the oven has made to my bread is quite excellent. It rises so much more and cooks without it colouring unevenly. I can also watch it bake through the clean glass window instead of using my nose to guess when things are ready. I also love the fact the thermostat doesn't lie - which is quite odd and I can open the door with a handle instead of my fingers wedged in between the door and the oven. Basically I love it. The first thing I baked was a sourdough loaf....

It's amazing what you can achieve from fermenting potatoes, water and flour, time and patience. As I have mentioned previously, I'm quite into making sourdough and am loving it and am ever so slightly obsessed with making it. Not one sourdough loaf seems to be the same, yet each loaf seems to taste pretty good. The flavour and texture I'm achieving is great but I can't get that proper looking loaf, you know the loaf that sits in deli windows, covered in flour with artful slashes across the top? But I will keep trying until I do.

I think to achieve that rustic look, you may need proper 'Bakers' equipment which I'm not using. Bakers use proving baskets, floured linen, bakers peel, baking stone and a spray bottle with water to get some humidity in to the oven. Stretching the skin/membrane of the dough as you shape it is also very important to achieve that rustic look. I often manage to tear the bubbly delicate skin as I’m forming the shape of the loaf, which then reveals the layers and structure of the dough underneath. I quite like this look once baked, I think it adds to its charm.

This recipe is for Angie. Good luck and get obsessed!

Feeding the starter prior to using it:

If you have 200g starter – and if it’s from me, it’s the’ mother starter’, it is more liquid than
a starter taken from a pre-salted kneaded batch.

Keep starter in a large glass jar, Kilner jars are ideal.
Take starter out of fridge and bring to room temperature. I usually give it 4-6 hours but it depends on your room temperature.

Add:
100g organic strong white flour (sometimes I add 50g rye/50g white)
100g lukewarm filtered or bottled water. Use hot water from boiled kettle.
Mix with a wooden spoon.

Leave for another 6 hours.

Repeat above feed. Leave for another 6 hours.

Example Times:

Remove from fridge midday
First feed 4pm
Second feed 10pm.

Start mixing the dough in the morning.

The starter should be bubbly, thick and smell yeasty, fresh and slightly of apples.

Take 250g starter and mix with 750g organic strong white flour. And 450 – 500ml of lukewarm water. The amount of liquid will depend on the flour using and also the consistency of the starter.

Knead until you have combined flour and dough, it should take no more than 5 minutes. I use the bread machine on the dough setting and stop it once it has all combined and has a rough surface. Push your finger into the dough, it should be soft and springy and a little sticky.

Rest for 20 minutes for the gluten to develop.

Meanwhile, warm a large bowl in the oven on a very low temperature.

After the rest, the dough will have developed a stringing elasticity.

Turn on bread machine if using, and use the dough setting and add:

1tbsp olive oil
15g Maldon sea salt.

Knead for 15 minutes.

Tip dough into warmed oiled bowl. Cover with oiled cling-film and leave to prove for 3 hours in a warm, draft free place.

Once the dough has risen, very gently knock back the dough as you tip into on to a floured work surface.

Without kneading, divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces. It will be soft, warm, pliable dough and a little sticky.

Then gently tuck the dough under, to form a round shape.

Repeat this process for each piece of dough then sprinkle the dough with flour and smooth over.

Make sure you leave space between each piece.

Cover with a floured cloth and leave on the surface to rest for 20 minutes.

Taking each piece of dough, again gently form a ball shape by tucking the skin under the loaf, this is the point when it often tears.

Sprinkle again with flour.

Place ball on to silicone matt or baking parchment and cover with plastic to stop a skin forming.

Leave for final proofing for about 2-3 hours. Use indentation test*** to check if it's ready for baking (see below)

At some point towards the end of the proving time, preheat oven to 220 ºc placing the baking stone and tray in the oven too

Spray oven with water and very gently place bread in hot tray. Bake for 25-30 mins. You may need to turn it. To achieve a dry crust, keep the oven door open for last five minutes. It's cook when the bottom of the loaf sounds hallow when tapped.

***Indentation Test
To check the dough has proved enough, gently press your finger into the dough. If the dough springs back leaving no indentation, then it needs to be left to prove for longer.
If the dough springs back and leaves a slight indentation in the loaf, then it’s ready.
If the dough doesn’t spring back, quickly get it in the oven with knocking it, as this will disturb the gases that make it rise.

ciabatta

2008-03-04T21:49:00.000Z

I'm really in to baking bread at the moment. Ciabatta and sourdough are
my latest floury forays, as well as the standard, thrice weekly batches
of wholemeal loaves.

The process of making ciabatta is quite lengthy and I have had a few bad attempts now, but that means I am begining to start to understand bread making and recognise when textures are right and wrong (or so I think).

A few weeks back, I made my best batch of ciabatta to date. Making it is such a great process, quite different to other breads because of the different stages you have get the dough, to achieve the typical airy, holey texture of a ciabatta. The dough feels very tactile and alive, gently pressing the dough to expel the gases feels wonderful beneath floury finger tips.

To make my bread, I use a bread machine to do the kneading. I have never baked a loaf in the machine, the idea of a odd shaped loaf with a hole in the bottom doesn't appeal. I always use the 45 minute pizza dough setting to get the dough ready for the proving stage in a suitable tin or tray. It saves time and is far less messy than if I was kneading on our narrow work surface, plus it avoids the temptation of four small helpful hands throwing flour about.

The results from the bread machine are great, especially when making a 'wet dough' bread like ciabatta. The recipe I have used is from the excellent book, Baker by Dean Brettschneider, a collection of recipes from Australian and Zealand professionals.

purple sprouting broccoli

2008-02-16T22:58:00.000Z

How tasty is sprouting broccoli? Not only does it taste fabulous but the colour is ace too. I could it eat it daily, smothered in butter or even better, tasty virgin olive oil.
The other night, to ring the changes, I tried cooking it in small amounts but equal quantities of virgin olive oil, water and white wine, along with garlic, home grown leeks and wholegrain mustard. Earlier in the week, we ate linguine with sprouting broc and a warm green salsa - this sprouting broccoli dish is a simplified version.

Mustard Sprouting Broccoli - serves 2

2 handfuls of trimmed sprouting broccoli

2 small and tender leeks

large clove of garlic, sliced

1/2 glass each of white wine, water and olive oil

pinch of chilli flakes or chopped chilli - optional

dessert spoon whole grain mustard

salt & pepper

Slice leeks into 1" diagonals

heat oil in shallow casserole or saute pan and add garlic and leeks

heat until garlic has started to brown

add chilli flakes if using

add water and wine and shake pan

add broccoli, put on lid and continue to shake pan

cook for 2-3 mins. The broccoli will sort of steam in the liquid

when the broc is tender or however you like it, add mustard and seasoning and stir

pistachio, date and chocolate muffins

2008-02-13T21:57:00.000Z

Yesterday became Evie and Matilda's first mud pie making day of the year. They they were digging up my allium bulbs, flinging soil about and mixing inaccurate quantities of soil with coarse sand to a sort of 1:3 mix - perfect for pies. While they were playing Delia vs Nigella, I was trying to perfect the perfect muffin recipe - again.

I came across a Peter Gordon recipe for brunch muffins in last months Food Illustrated magazine - it had orange, banana, ginger, chocolate and those annoying poppy seeds which make you teeth look like a lardy bird feeder. I had a go making something similar to the just mention combination on Monday, but without the ginger and using milk instead of yogurt. The results were more like a bought muffin than homemade. The cake texture was fine and light (think Starbucks), not dense but light, like these tasty buns turned out. I'm guessing the change in texture was due to the fact I used milk, rather than yogurt or buttermilk as suggested.

Pistachio, Date and Chocolate Muffin

This mix makes 12 muffins

150g wholemeal plain flour

100g plain flour

120g caster sugar

1 large egg

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

300g natural low fat yogurt

3 tbsp rapeseed or groundnut oil

75g milk or plain Chocolate, chopped

75g pitted dates, chopped

100g raw pistachios, chopped - 75g for the cake mix, 25g for sprinkling on top

My oven thermostat is odd so I don't bake any cake or biscuits above 150ºc, but I think the recipe suggested baking them for 20-30 mins at 190ºc but that would blast them to a fine tinder in my irratic old cooker.

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl

Add chopped fruit, nuts and chocolate and mix well

In another bowl, mix oil, yogurt and egg

Add liquid mix to dry mix and stir until just combined

Dollop spoonfuls into bun cases or silicone paper squares and top with remaining pistachios

Bake on middle shelf for approx 25 mins, 150º (see comment above in orange)

hola sevilles

2008-01-19T15:55:00.000Z

Yeah, they have arrived just as we are scrapping the last of the orange jelly from 2007's batch. It's a surprise we still have a jar, I guess I made a lot.

I think one of my first blog posts was about marmalade, which means I have been blogging for roughly a year. I am pleased I posted the recipe, as I now have it at my fingertips.

I made two batches last year, from different recipes and methods, but it was Sybil Kapoor's recipe which we favoured, mainly because the recipe from Food Beam developed a mouldy top after a month or so in storage. I have recently seen another recipe which I wanted to try, but I can't for the life of me remember where it was I saw it.

So today, I stocked up on 4 kilo's of Seville oranges (that's a lot isn't it?) from Anna's Farm Store, (a fantastic local, store selling whole-foods and organic as well as locally sourced fruit and veg). I am now ready to start the worth while and enjoyable task of making the marmalade. The weather is suppose to be awful again tomorrow, I hope it is.

being wishful

2008-01-18T18:19:00.000Z

I wish I could just start and finish a 'making' project but I spend too long faffing, hoarding and planning it for it to ever get off the ground. I then get distracted and obsess over discovered blogs, I scroll down the pages feeling envy and admiration that these talented people have the time to make creative things let alone blog about there daily makes. Errrr.

Since dusting down my sewing machine a few weeks back and making a few dresses for the girls, it has made me want to make more garments (or at least repair some very holey ones). Last year I picked up a box of excellent '60's, 70's and '80's dress patterns from a yard sale, which I am hoping to be able to use, only I've never used a proper pattern, just ones I have made on newspaper with more often than not, bad results. Is following a pattern hard? I'm sure I could do it.

One of the talented bloggers I discovered last year, Wiksten-Made (aka Jenny Gordy) is very inspiring. First, it was the red shoes on Jenny's profile photo (see Wiksten's Etsy profile) which got my eyes bulging. I doubt mysaltwatersandals do them in my giant size 43 (I'm yet to convert the US size to find out) but I've already bought (in my virtual wish list) a yellow and red pair for the girls. They may not be as practical as Crocs, but hey, they'll be no ownership confusion at nursery and of course they are so much prettier.

After the joy at discovering the red shoes, I then read Wiksten blog to find out she makes beautiful clothes; the Tova dress and Tova Shirt amongst other desirable items. I want a Tova, but so does half the 'indie' handmade blogging fraternity. I also want her slender pins she models the Tova dress in and also her ankles not my cankles (the unfortunate calf/ankles combo I own) to go with the sandals. Picture this: me, with the average sized male feet, squeezed into simple and nostalgic Sunday school sandals. It's not a good look is it? Having big feet has no advantages. Shoe shopping is miserable.

I just look and dream. These boots are from Rosa Mosa.

So are these fabulous boot clogs.

I often wonder, that if my feet weren't enrobed in Clark's sensible and ugly lace-ups in my early years, I would have smaller feet today.

eating Orange & Almond cake

2008-01-16T21:04:00.000Z

....So I haven't exactly with-drawn myself from the kitchen, as I first thought I might. Stopping me is my new taste obsession - anything with huge amounts of almonds and or, coconuts in.

Last week, I had my second attempt at an orange and almond cake. I think it was much tastier than my first attempt when I used the Clementine Cake recipe from Nigella's book 'How To Eat'. I will add that I don't think it was Nigella's recipe didn't work, it did, but I thought I may like it more if it was less eggy and a little denser.

I have also just discovered that my digital weighting scales gains grams in mere anticipation of a weight soon to be placed on it. Perhaps the reason for my lack lustre Victoria Sponge a week back (I
like to think so). It's very odd and annoying, seeing as the scales are fairly new, but perhaps a good reason to buy another set. This mechanical set appeals, only I can hear Stu's sensible voice saying but where would they go'. He's right of course.

Anyway, moving on from my kitchen wish-list (it's huge), here is my recipe for a denser but still as moist, dairy and wheat free cake, suitable for both with coffee or for a pud. It's very simple, but please note that you can't make it last-minute as the oranges need to be boiled for nearly 2 hours and then cooled before making the mixture.

Orange & Almond Cake

2 large organic or unwaxed oranges

300g ground almonds

250g sugar (caster or granulated)

6 eggs

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 150ºc and line a 21cm spring form cake tin lined with silicone paper. If you put 2 or 3 sheets on the base it will reduce the browning of the cake, although this isn't necessary as the browning has no burnt flavour. I also left the paper at the sides of the tin, quite high to also reduce browning but placing a sheet on top of the cake half way through cooking will also work.

Start by placing the oranges in a saucepan and cover with water. Boil for 1-2 hours or until they feel like better when a knife is pierced into them. Cut in half and leave to cool.

Remove any pips from the oranges then place in a food processor. Whizz the oranges until they are a pureed, but not too pureed.

Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with a balloon whisk.

Pour the orange puree into the egg and sugar mixture and mix gently.

Fold in the ground almonds and baking powder and pour into a the cake tin.

Bake for 1 hour.

Leave to cool in tin before cutting.

Delicious served with creme fraiche and even more delicious if the cake is chilled.

Coconut macaroon recipe to follow....

apron dress

2007-12-31T20:33:00.000Z

I'm hanging up my apron in 2008. I am going to try and stop escaping into the kitchen for frequent sugar highs and instead start making items of lasting value.

I have started by making a apron-dress for the girls with some old Ikea fabric I've had for years. It's lined with bright lime fabric for contrast and it ties at the shoulders. It absorbs all the spills and dribbles a toddler/child makes, and it also looks practical and dare I say it, a little charming.

I'm thinking of making it Evie's school uniform, just whizz up a set of various colour-way gingham aprons, so to avoid the daily scrummage of 'what to wear - where to find it - and will she wear it if it's not pink.'

candied orange peel

2007-12-26T18:59:00.000Z

Christmas just wouldn't be complete if I didn't candy orange peel to dip in chocolate, and also make fig salami. And if you are one of the lucky recipients, I hope you're not bored of them yet!

My slight obsession for candying orange peel started when I worked at Yetman's Restaurant, I think the recipe we used was from a Jane Grayson book. We would add the peel to biscuits and also dip it in dark chocolate to serve with coffee. Although the recipes we used then was good, the peel never lasted long. We would always find it had gone mouldy even in an air tight tin.

I've tried many other recipes since, often concocting my own methods with OK results but more often, it would turn out too hard or too soft. But the one recipe that has worked the best is from the excellent book, Preserved by Jonny Acton and Nick Sandler. The reason this recipe seems to work, is because it takes about 5 days of consuming huge amounts of sugar and also has a dose of glucose syrup in the final boil up.

I often struggle to follow a recipe and that, combined with my inability to understand anything numeric, means my food measuring can be a little hap-hazard. The quantity of peel required in the Preserved book is a little on the industrial size, so I have subtracted and divided to the best of my ability and come up with a recipe that seems to work just fine.

Candied Orange Peel

Approx 6 organic or un-waxed oranges, scrubbed and quartered. The peel should weigh about 600g.

Approx 1 kg sugar (granulated or caster)

Approx 150g glucose syrup

Day 1

Cut most of the flesh from the peel. I like to leave some flesh on as it makes the strips more succulent once they are dipped in chocolate.

Add the peel to large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 mins.

Drain, and repeat above process.

Drain again. Keeping the peel in pan, and add approx 600g sugar. Cover with water until peel is just submerged. Heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved and simmer for 30mins.

Turn off the heat and let the peel cool in the pan with a lid on.

Day 2

Remove the peel with a slotted spoon and add 100g of sugar.

Bring to the boil then return the peel to the pan.

Turn off heat and replace lid.

Day 3 and 4

Repeat above process

Day 5

Repeat above process, only you use 150g of glucose syrup instead of sugar and boil rapidly for 20mins or until reduced by half. Then place the peel in the pan and leave for a few a few hours.

Using tongs, remove pan from peel and lay out on drying/cooling
racks or silicone paper to dry for up to 4 days or until it's lost a
lot of it's moisture. You can also place in very cool oven if you want to speed things up.

Wrap it in a silicone paper, then put it in air tight box and store somewhere cool - it should last for months.

If you want to try tempering the chocolate to get that glossy, professional chocolatier look, good luck. To my utter annoyance, I seem to fail every time, and I do try every time.

dense chocolate brownies

2007-12-08T22:05:00.000Z

Some months back I stumbled across the blog Coco & Me, at the time I was searching for a recipe for those perfect pastel macaroons when I clicked on a link to Coco & Me's step-by-step guide. Tamami's food instantly grabbed my attention and I often look at her blog, she is achieving something I have always thought about doing myself.

Tamami runs a chocolate and cake stall at Hackneys Broadway Market and her food looks amazing. She manages to bake from home for the stall on the days leading up to Saturday's market. She also has a toddler and is expecting another. I'm impressed.

This week I was asked to provide food for a 'work' lunch for a good friends business meeting. She enjoys my food and I thought it would be a fun if a little hectic thing to do. So with the help of my wonderful parents in the house distracting the girls from 'helping', I did manage to provide what I had hoped would be a pleasing lunch for all.

I decided not to make sandwiches, (although it would have been easier) but instead I made a sweet potato, feta, onion and cumin tart; lamb kofta's, pita, tzatiki, houmous. Slices of fresh melon and pineapple and grapes, home-made cookies and chocolate brownies for a price of £10 a head. I know I would have been happy to eat it and I believe everyone was, except the boss who wouldn't even try anything and instead, sent his secretary out for a white bap. I know he was peeved at the cost, he could have "bought in lunch for much less", but I couldn't help but feel deflated, annoyed that the boss didn't try my food and also slightly embarrassed that I had prepared something a little different and possibly charged too much. Yet I know the time and effort I took deciding, cooking, shopping and delivering not to mention the quality of ingredients that went into the lunch.

But it was a good learning curve. It reminded me of a post a few months back on Coco & Me where at Broadway Market, someone had challenged Tamami about the cost of her tarte tatin (but still bought it) and left saying “I should remember never to buy cakes from you.”

On a brighter note, I think the chocolate brownies I made were pretty delicious. They are wheat-free but certainly not fat-free. Moist and dense and they would last for days and days in the fridge if they weren't so damn tasty. I think I always under-cook my brownies, I prefer them fudgy to cakey but I realise fudge isn't everyone's cuppa tea. If you prefer them cakey, just cook them for longer.

With this batch, I forgot to add the toasted hazelnuts until the mixture had been in the oven for a few minutes. Rather than omitting them completely, I threw them on the top of the slightly baked mixture and then put the tin back in the oven. I now actually think I prefer this look than them being concealed inside the dark cake.

Dense Chocolate Brownies

190g salted or unsalted butter (I like salted)

190g good quality (74% cocoa solids) chocolate ( I swear Lidls is the best!)

3 large free range eggs

250g caster sugar

150g ground almonds

150g toasted hazelnuts or walnuts

17cm x 26cm tin lined with silicone parchment paper

Heat oven to 150ºc

In a heavy based pan, heat the butter and chocolate on a very low heat until melted.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar with a balloon whisk

Pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar mix and beat until combined, thick and glossy.

Gently stir in the ground almonds and whole nuts (or leave nuts for throwing on top) and pour into lined tin.

Bake for 30 - 40 mins or until the top starts to puff up and crack.

Place the cake tin on a cooling rack and leave to cool completely until cutting. (Cutting the brownies with a wet, hot knife makes it look slightly neater).

Heat and eat with ice-cream or cut it into small pieces, and like me, eat it straight from the fridge when the girls aren't looking.

feisty food thrower

2007-12-06T20:22:00.000Z

Last week, Matilda threw a spoonful of soggy Bran flakes onto the right hand corner of my laptop (Urrgghhh) while Evie was familiarising herself with some simple games on CBeebies website. Yes, jealousy is Tilda's favourite game. In the past, the laptop has escaped a few minor sploshes and it's consumed a number of biscuits, but this sticky dollop has killed my delete key and muffled a speaker. I know I can cut and paste but it's eally very annoying not having a delete key. I never had to confront the fact that my typing is so utterly bad until now. I miss it and want it back. But I don't think that is possible unless I go down this route of keyboard autopsy which I confess, I would love to do. Sad? Yes. Geeky? Yes but... No, I just relish the thought of sitting still for 6 hours.....

millionaires cupcakes

2007-12-02T20:28:00.000Z

The other week, heavily pregnant Mia arrived with a bag of irresistible millionaire's shortbread. In the bag, were four individual chocolate topped shortbread in large muffin cases. I was inspired. What a great way of serving the often messy to cut indulgence. Better still, she told me she just whizzed up a packet of shortbread fingers, added some melted butter and just pressed them into the white paper cases. So, last week I gave it a go. I think my shortbread base was too thick but Stu, being slightly Scottish loved it. With the caramel, I couldn't decide whether to boil the condensed milk in the tin, in a vat of water for several hours and risk it exploding, or, to use the other and quicker method - heating it in a pan with butter and sugar. I went for the later, I wanted full fat, billionaires shortbread.

And congratulations Mia and Sam, who have since given birth to a little girl called Mali - very perfect and very beautiful.

Mia's Millionaires Cupcakes

1 packet 'all butter' shortbread fingers
50g melted butter

...for the caramel
120g butter
120g soft brown sugar
397g tin of condensed milk
large pinch of sea salt flakes

200g chocolate (70% cocoa)
1 tsp sunflower oil

Empty biscuits in food processor and whizz.

Melt butter and pour in to whizzing crumbs.

Press the biscuit mixture evenly into the 12 (or more) cup cake / muffin cases.

Empty all the caramel ingredients into a saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly until starting to caramelise. You want it to be a toffee colour although that is not essential.

Place the muffin tray in the fridge.

Break chocolate pieces into a bowl and heat over a pan of hot water.

Once melted, add a teaspoon of sunflower oil. This is suppose to add a gloss to the chocolate like tempering but It didn't really work for me, but neither does tempering, but that's another story....

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Quinces

2007-11-08T22:15:00.000Z

Last month I took delivery of roughly, 10 carrier bags full of
quinces. I have baked some, given away plenty and thrown a few due to
mould, but last week, I finally managed to boiled, puree and reduced at
least 4 bags of the beautiful fragrant fruit to a sticky paste to
end up with a relatively small amount of Membrillo. I don't know
what I'm going to do with the remaining fruit? Perhaps quince-meat for
next years mince pies or quince vodka for next months celebrations. I'm even considering another batch of Membrillo - it's a great excuse to stand still for 90 mins.

Membrillo - Spanish Quince Paste

(Taken from Jane Grigson's Fruit Book)

I used about 2 kilo quinces, washed, de-fuzzed and roughly chopped

granulated sugar

small, shallow baking tin lined with silicone paper

Wash quinces and wipe off the grey fuzzy fluff jackets they wear.

Roughly chop and put into large heavy based saucepan or preserving pan and cover with cold water.

Simmer until the fruit is tender.

Leave to cool, then drain the fruit from it's liquid and puree using a blender.

Weigh fruit puree and then match it's weight with granulated sugar.

Heat together, stirring constantly. I managed to listen to the Archers Omnibus and Desert Island Discs, that's at least 90 mins.

During this time the colour of the puree will darken to a deep amber. It is ready when the paste is so stiff, you can hardly stir it, but don't let it start caramelising or catching the bottom of the pan.

Pour into a 2" deep small baking tin, lined with silicone paper.

Leave to dry in airing cupboard or low oven until you can cut it with a hot knife.

Cut into smaller squares and wrap in more silicone paper (not foil as it could tear when removing later). Store in cool dry place or in a box of granulated sugar.

Eat with Spanish Manchego cheese, add small amounts to fruit crumbles and pies, gravy's and sauces, tagines and curries.

Crown Prince

2007-10-30T21:03:00.000Z

Tamsin, I found a picture of a Crown Prince squash I took a few weeks back. If you ever see any at the side of the road or in farm shops, buy them all! You can get at least a weeks worth of meals out of one (well, almost) and they store in a cool place for months. In fact I think I had a couple in store until Spring last year which I bought from a side of the road Halloween Pumpkin stall near Potter Heigham almost a year ago today. I decided to go again today to stock up on them, only I couldn't for the life of me find the farm stall from last year. I did, however manage to get three beauties from the excellent HFG farm shop in Blofield Norwich so at least my family now know what they will be eating for the winter months ahead - again!

china spiced soup

2007-10-26T20:08:00.000+01:00

Crown Prince squashes, in my opinion have the best taste and the best look. Pale duck egg blue with the deepest orange flesh. I made this soup with a quarter of a squash I have been hacking hunks off for the past two weeks. The soup turned out to be delicious and velvety smooth with the peppers and star anise really adding to the flavour.

Squash Soup

50g butter

1 large onion, roughly chopped

3 sticks celery, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves

2 red peppers, de-seeded and roughly chopped

1 inch fresh ginger, chopped

1/4 crown prince squash, skinned, de-seeded and roughly chopped

roughly, 2 pints fresh chicken stock or veg stock - marigold bouillon is good

1 tsp Chinese Five Spice powder

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

For garnish

handful of cashews mixed with a little oil and sprinkle of Chinese Five Spice and roasted for 5 minutes in moderate oven.

a chunk fresh ginger, peeled and finely sliced

Melt butter in heavy based large saucepan and fry onions and celery until soft.

Add garlic cloves, red peppers, ginger, five-spice, star anise, cinnamon and squash. Stir for a few minutes to stop veg sticking to base of pan.

Add stock and simmer until reduced.

Blend soup mixture until smooth. No need to sieve.

To serve, add sliced ginger and spiced cashews.

beach babes

2007-10-24T22:06:00.000+01:00

Cold? Autumn? Clothes? Naaaa

These photos were taken on the sunny Sunday just gone at Sea Palling beach with lovely and highly entertaining friends, Lorna and Steve. It's a beach we rarely go to as we usually intend on going to Winterton, but for some reason, we get the two confused and ended up here instead.

It's a great beach, well it was on Sunday with the bright blue sky and warm sun, but I imagine in the summer, the tranquil sound of the sea is drowned out by the irritating hum and roar of the jet-ski brigade doing endless laps around the rock sea defences.

Staying on the beach theme, I took the girls along to the Cliff Top Cafe at Overstrand last week and ate the most delicious lamb shank followed by friends shared offerings of treacle sponge and custard. Yum, so tasty. One of the best value and flavourful meals I have had out in a while - hopefully heading there again soon.

spinach and ricotta parcels

2007-10-15T23:39:00.000+01:00

Evie and I didn't make pizzas the other day, instead she helped me make spinach and ricotta parcels. She loves painting so I asked for assistance in brushing melted butter over the paper thin filo pastry and what with the pastry being paper thin and Evie being typically eager and a little heavy handed, we had quite a few splits and cracks to patch up adding to their rustic charm.

Spinach and Ricotta Parcels

1 bag spinach

1 tub ricotta

1 onion, finely chopped

2 sticks celery, finely chopped

handful black olives, sliced

handful roasted pine-nuts

grated nutmeg

salt & pepper

butter - lots

1 pack of filo pastry

sesame seeds

Put a large pan of water on heat and bring to boil. Preheat oven to 180 ºc

Melt butter and fry both onions and celery until soft but not brown, then tip into a bowl to cool.

When water is boiling, add spinach until just wilted - about 20 seconds - and tip into a colander running cold water over it until it is no longer warm.

When onions and celery are cold, tip in the ricotta, 1/2 a grated nutmeg, chopped olives, pine-nuts and plenty of seasoning.

Squeeze as much water out of the spinach as possible, roughly chop then add to ricotta mixture.

Unpack the pastry and lay it flat on a table and cut it in half length ways.

Cover one of the lengths with cling film to stop it drying out while you are working with other half pile of pastry.

Paint a strip of filo with butter, set aside then layer them on top of each other. (You can use one sheet, but I think 2 layers is better).

Put a dessert spoon of ricotta mixture into the top corner of the pasty strip, then fold down in to a triangle shape until all the pastry has been wrapped.

Cover with more butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Place on baking tray. When tray is full, bake for approx 15 mins.

waffling on...

2007-10-14T22:31:00.000+01:00

I seem to have lost my direction with cooking and baking. I had an almost empty
fridge yesterday which is rare thing for me. I said to Stu how I felt
quite liberated by the lack of provisions - no pressure to cook and
almost an excuse not to.

Usually, I make cakes, biscuits and bread, every other day if
not every day, only I have hardly baked a thing for months now, except
for some almond macaroons last Thursday which were tasty but not as tasty
as my new favourite biscuit, the Caramel Wafer/Waffle. It is the fault
of these addictive, crumbly, chewy, cinnamon flavoured biscuits that
has put my cookie cooking on hold.

I have known about these treats for decades and use to love eating
them when visiting Mum and Dad in Antwerp. I also buy them
occasionally in health food shops (why they are in health food shops
baffles me, when 3 waffles contain just under 20 grams of fat, that
figure alone should ease my addiction) but now Asda sells them and at a
bargain price too, I can not resist. Someone else is also gorging, I went
in last week purely to restock my supply but the small space where they
are usually stacked was empty like my fridge.

the drizzle has arrived

2007-10-09T21:38:00.000+01:00

Evie started full time pre-school on Monday, so instead of the staggered and occasional session of the past 3 weeks, she will now be going every morning. I've been both excited and a little hesitant about her going to pre-school. Hesitant, as I can no longer stay undressed until lunch time, but pleased as it means she is getting some good simulation in the form of umpteen activities at the nursery. She seems to love going, has never shed a tear, even when I said "see you tomorrow" when I dropped her off at 8.45 this morning. But she does come home with a attitude that makes Vicky Pollard look princess like. The damp weather today hasn't helped, no space for any of us to escape. It dawned on me today, that this is what the next few months will be like. So I'd better get my activity hat on and get creative with toddler entertainment. So today we made play dough, yellow and pink to remind us of our favourite flavoured Cornish ice-creams. Tomorrow, we're making pizzas or loll-pop stick puppets or going mad with frustration. To be decided...

human ant-ics

2007-10-06T22:41:00.000+01:00

Te!he! what a laugh The Insect Circus was. At one point I had tears running down my cheeks. No one else had except Sophie - we had the attack of the teenage giggles.

The Insect Circus, came to Norwich Playhouse and is a cabaret act of about 9 people. Some dressed up as insects, some in less creepy costumes. The insect couture was brilliant - moths, bluebottles, butterflies, may-fly, dust mites, wasps and ants all made with fabulous detail and humour.

It was the humour of the acts that baffled us, it wasn't quite spoof (except one act), and it wasn't quite laugh out loud, it was just oddly funny and very inventive - surely there can't be many shows like this?

Tomorrow Stu is going to see it with Evie. Evie will love it and will want every costume, every girl, in every act wears. I wish I had gone with Evie, I think seeing her delight and expressions throughout the show would have changed my perspective of it. Anyway, it will be interesting to hear what Stu thinks of it - I have given little away.

back to the blog

2007-10-02T00:10:00.000+01:00

Yee-Haaa! I've managed to finally do something with our holiday snaps. I missed writing and posting photos while we were away especially as there seemed so much I could blog about. But since being home, with the Internet at my finger tips, I have been a little reluctant. This has been partly due to my post-holiday rule of bed by 10pm which is now longer. It lasted just two weeks, about as long as my slight sun tan.

Our two weeks in Cornwall and Devon, a day and night in both Somerset and Monmouthshire were just magical. I can't wait to go back. More photo's here.

a fishy request...

2007-08-30T22:35:00.000+01:00

Pictured above, Chris and Prince(ss) Jude and Evie

Lovely Chrissie, you asked for something fishy,

You want something to spread,

On toast or pitta or a wheat-free fritta

For a boat trip on the med (ergghhh- broads)

Dearest Chrissie, as requested, the mackerel pate you like so much.

Mackerel Pate

1 large packet of smoked mackerel fillets

500g tub of reduced fat cream cheese (like Philadelphia)

1 small red onion, finely chopped or 1 bunch of spring onions

bunch of chives chopped - optional

handful chopped parsley

1 heaped dessert-spoon mayonnaise

1 heaped teaspoon horseradish sauce

juice of 1 lemon

freshly ground black pepper

De-skin and de-bone fish fillets and break into a large bowl

Add all the other ingredients and mix with fork

Delicious with freshly grated raw beetroot, lemon juice and salt and pepper .

very greengaging

2007-08-24T00:33:00.000+01:00

Greengages, the sweet, thin skinned, short seasoned plum-like fruit that often passes me by each year. My sister Amy is a big fan of greengages and hearing her talk about them, earlier this week, made me go and find some.

Once I bought them I wasn't too sure what to do with them. When I buy apricots, I usually bake them gently with amaretto or make a compote or crumble. I do the same with plums but with the greengages, I thought I'd make a cake and for some reason I thought I'd make a pecan cake with greengages - quick, simple and very tasty and seemed a big hit with my parents (or was that the custard and ice-cream?)

Greengage and Pecan Slab

4 oz unsalted butter, soft

4 oz soft brown sugar

2 oz spelt flour

2 oz self raising flour

half tsp baking powder

half tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

4 oz pecans, roasted

approx 10 greengages

dark muscavado or Demerara sugar

Place all the ingredients except the nuts into a food processor and combine

Add half the nuts and pulse until they are broken down - but not ground

Half and de-stoned the greengages and lay on the bottom of a lined tin

Pour batter into lined small, rectangular baking tray

Top with remaining broken pecan nuts and a good sprinkle of muscavado sugar and bake for 20 mins at 160º c

Cool on wire rack for 10 mimutes then remove from tin

fruit sherbets

2007-08-23T10:32:00.000+01:00

Jamie Olivers, Jamie's Italy cook book has appealing, simple earthy recipes. There are two pudding I've been meaning to cook for the past year, bolognese polenta and apple cake one Florentine rice tart. The tart appeals so much as I want it to taste just like a rice tart I use to love in a patisserie near Mum and Dads apartment in Antwerp and I'll never know unless I try it...
One recipe I have tried from Jamie's Italy is the extremely simple and zingy lemon sherbet. What makes it a sherbet and not a sorbet is the addition of mascapone which enriches it slightly. So far I've used the base recipe to make raspberry, mango and lime and as picture above, blackberry and apple. I've noticed that the blackberry's in the countryside aren't ripe until the end of the month but for some reason, the city bramble bushes over the road, along the river are ripe at the beginning of August. I experimented a bit with the apple sherbet, adding half a cucumber and a few mint leaves - I think it works well but I'm not sure if others will.

Blackberry Sorbet

7fl oz water

7 oz sugar

250g blackberries, gently simmered, pureed and sieved

half tub mascapone

Heat the sugar and water and boil for 5 minutes or until it is clear then leave to cool in a bowl.

Add the fruit puree and mascapone, beating until it's all blended.

Pour into a tub or pre frozen metal dish and freeze.

*If making pure lemon sherbet, use 7 fl oz of lemon juice and rind of 2 lemons. Taste and make sure it's sharp enough, then freeze.

Apple Sherbet

4 granny smith apples

half cucumber

4 mint leaves

glug of apple or pear liqueur

7fl oz water

7 oz sugar

half tub mascapone

Make sugar syrup as above

Wash and core apples then chop and add to blender

Wash cucumber, chop and also add the blender

Add liqueur and a dash of water and sprig of mint

Whizz until completely pureed adding the mint leaves at the last second

Pass puree through large mesh sieve and add to sugar syrup

Add mascapone and whisk well, pour into tub and freeze

Cheeky cockney geezer recommends breaking sorbet up with fork every few hours but I forgot and it seemes fine.

adore dora's knickers

2007-08-16T00:25:00.000+01:00

Evie seems to have sadly forgotten about Grandma Dora's dresses. Perhaps they were getting too tight or perhaps they are just too far at the back of the wardrobe to reach, so, for the time being are forgotten treasures. But, the great (and bad) thing about having two girls is the endless re-cycling and identical outfits I can dress Matilda in. These beautiful handmade knickers were made by Grandma Dora. The photo doesn't do the lace trim and neat stitching justice and as ever, I would love to have a go making a pair. I have fabric, I have the workroom, I have a fabulous old and borrowed sewing machine, but I just can't seem to find the uninterrupted time. But I will, I have to before Matilda starts getting as fashion fussy as her big sister.

a portrait

2007-08-15T09:29:00.000+01:00

Evie draws, paints, glues and creates something every day. Over the past few months her drawings have really started to look representative. They are usually faces consisting of lop sided eyes and a smile but todays portrait in my note book (ergghh) has, for the first time, legs, big eyes and all over body hair. I say nothing.

camping-next-sea

2007-08-11T21:34:00.000+01:00

I'm spending today cursing the BBC's often inaccurate weather forecasting. Last weekend was spent camping in what can only be described as perfect camping conditions; slight warm breeze, Cote d'Azur blue sky, cool nights and day temperatures that makes everyone just smile. Having had such a relaxing and tear free weekend (me), we thought about trying to repeat the idyll this weekend only this time, we weren't going to camp at popular Wells-Next-Sea but instead, a tiny, dreamily unspoilt hiding, not too far away. And no, I wouldn't dream of disclosing where...

Earlier in the week, BBC's meteorological expects where forecasting northerly winds of up to 24 mph and being a fair weathered camper, it didn't appeal much so I cancelled the romantic idyll.

So, I'm sitting in the garden with my two restless girls trying to catch up on a little typing - it's going slowly and I'm getting distracted not just by them but nasturtium berries growing over our superb new decking,which I have just discovered taste deliciously peppery. And as for the decking...

it's bloody lovely.

new books and cafe

2007-07-28T11:46:00.000+01:00

On Monday I turned 34 and then I turned into a bad tempered, irrational mother (again). Is there a remedy for intolerance?

Also on Monday, I ate the most delicious lunch at the just opened
Wiveton Cafe, cooked by wonderful friend and fabulous chef, Ali Yetman. The
Cafe is a delight; brightly coloured inside with views over looking the
growing seasonal vegetables Ali cooks with and part of the North
Norfolk coastline. I've written a more detailed post here.

As with the nature of birthdays, lovely gifts are received and as with most of my
birthdays, books are welcomely received and usually from my in-laws and
brother Matt - thank you. This year I received cook books; Angela
Harnetts Cucina and Clotilde Dusoulier's Chocolate & Zucchini inspired by the well known food blog of the same name. I'm looking forward to having a closer look and baking something. I haven't baked for ages (perhaps that's my problem...)

The other book I received from my in-laws was Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing- perfectly timed to encourage me to create in my new and already untidy 'studio' ( I use that term very lightly).

blackcurrant jam

2007-07-23T01:16:00.000+01:00

I made endless jars of blackcurrant jam last week. The fruit was purchased from the small fruit farm outside Horsford for only 50p a lb. Seemed stupidly cheap.

Recipe reference for next year.

6 lb blackcurrants - de-stalked and unwashed

5 lb 12 oz granulated sugar

1 1/2 pint water

Place the blackcurrants and water in preserving pan or large saucepan and bring to boil.
Simmer for 15 mins, removing fruit-scrum as it bubbles.
Add sugar and boil for 30mins, stirring frequently to stop it catching on the bottom of the pan.
Blackcurrant jam always sets without any problem, but to check, place a small amount on a chilled plate , leave for a few minutes and see if it 'wrinkles' when pushed. If it does, it will set.
Pour into sterilised jars, I used the dishwasher then warmed in the oven.
Then seal with wax discs and jam pot covers.

third batch

2007-07-23T01:15:00.000+01:00

Mum - you asked me this week if I could move on from the macaroons....and finally, I will. Phew. But first I must say that I made a third batch. And, had I bothered to sieve the ground almonds rather than not, they would have looked less lumpy-rustic. Still, they did look good, only I now think that simple-to-make-bog-standard macaroons using Nigella's recipe, tastes so much better than these airy, sweet, faffy, piped, filled creations. Yes, they look good but they just don't seem to satisfy my almond cravings. Even after eating 10-20 with fillings ranging from lemon curd to peanut butter, they just weren't hitting the mark. Is there something wrong with me?

latitude and gratitude

2007-07-23T01:11:00.000+01:00

Last weekend we all went to Latitude Festival, Suffolk. We camped, walked (lots), danced, laughed, ate and drank. We we were invited along as guest with Uncle David and the crew of the kids puppet theatre group doing The Peddlar of Swaffham which was one of the best shows there - I am biased, but comedians Marcus Brigstocke and Dylan Moran even spoke highly of them in their stand up set. I've blogged about the event on All Things Considered so I won't go on... but it's definitely a great festival to take kids to.

On the culinary side of things, I've been quite busy. Fruit picking, jam making, vodka/gin fruit infusing, baking endless types of bread and also I packed off my first baked parcel to my cousins wife Claudia who had just given birth to Marmaduke Gerry. Stuffed in a box were, the 3rd attempt macaroons (I hope she likes them), chunky ginger biscuits, chocolate salty sables and chocolate coconut mini-muffins and topped with a child style, left-handed home drawn card. To my delight and surprise, Claudia is planning on putting in orders for her just-birthed friends. I knew the post birth sugar hit would be a winner.

second attempt macaroons

2007-07-13T07:26:00.000+01:00

Having eaten too many of the sugary, crisp macaroons the other night, I lay
awake worrying and wondering about everything and anything for much
longer than I wanted to. So, come the morning, I was rather tetchy
which wasn't soothed by immediately scoffing more of the now soft
biscuits. I was happy to discover, the crispy, toast like macaroons had improved over night and even more so, when I sandwiched with some chocolate Dulce de Leche (which I imagine to a macaroon zealots, is bad) between two biscuits. Oh well, I thought it inventive, it tasted bloody good and involved no washing up.

The recipe I used for Alan Bennett's favourite cup of tea accomplishment, was from Insanity Theory blog which I came across per chance. She uses the Italian meringue technique which is used by adding hot sugar syrup instead of caster to the egg white. It makes a much more solid 'soft peak' (bit of a contradiction). I've no idea what a pavlova or small meringues would be like made this way, I'll try and find out one day.

latest obsession(s)

2007-07-10T23:24:00.000+01:00

I did it. I actually went for a run this evening. Music in ears, hideously unfashionable trainers on and off I went up the hill, around the park and up another hill and finally down one home. I was gone away 15 luxurious lonesome minutes. Whether or not I can keep this up is another thing. If there are noticeable improvements in my moods, my energy levels and my desire to do house work, then running is a good thing and I will endeavor to continue.

So, feeling revitalised, I set to prepare myself a quinoa, cashew, feta and watercress salad (... I know), whilst also trying my second batch of the 2006- blog-trendy, French macaroon. Multi tasking is not one of my strong points.

They are sitting in the oven as I write this and some of the macaroons 'feet' have appeared. Phew. My last batch didn't grow feet which means I failed. It's quite a complex but quick procedure, and every blog that had a recipe conflicted with the other. I've mentioned previously about Pierre Herme, the French king of exquisite biscuits and cakes, who makes some of the most attractive macaroons (see image) is the inspiration behind the popular blog topic. Anyway, just checked mine, the feet are stunted and the second tray to be baked, are totally over cooked and crisp like melba toast (see what I mean about multi tasking?) Perhaps it's my appallingly distressed and over worked oven that is failing, but I doubt it, although it will be interesting to see how our brand new oven (it's been sitting boxed for 5 months) will fair in comparison. I hope to find out one day soon.

creating energy

2007-07-10T00:20:00.000+01:00

I wish I could blog daily like other folk but the truth is, I can't. Well I do, but that's another story....

During my days of wearing ear plugs to protect myself from frequent whinging (Evie does have chicken pox so moaning is allowed), I conduct verbal banter with myself about what I'm going to waffle about. Then, when it comes to finally sitting down and writing something, my mind goes blank.

I sometimes wonder if I should set time limits on the use of the laptop - it can be quite destructive. I find the World Wide Web just exactly that. A web so vast and wide, with so many people with so much talent totally daunting. The further I click, the further I get woven in, the further I'm inspired and the further I think I should just leave blogging and surfing to others as in many ways, not having the time to create is worse than being inspired.

But hey, I've also been considering exercise today. I need to energise my tired body and mind and I think that some sort of exercise/dance could be the solution. The other week I received an email from someone who'd come across the The Bee Hive. Cassie actually lives nearby and has been writing a blog, Rectors Wife Revamp since January about her progression and transformation since getting a personal trainer. Cassie is now getting hooked on running and the photos of her before and after, are inspirational - as I said in my reply email, my trainers are out of the cupboard - a step further to being worn for the first time in 3 years and a second time ever to pound the pavements (maybe...)

Back to food, the thing I'm comfy with, the photo above is of our supper. Broad beans and spuds form our garden, preserved artichokes from last months arduous preparation and goats cheese and b'roo from Asda (the shop people hate but I love, but more on that another day). Why my beetroot hasn't grown this year is a mystery, I have planted seeds four times with nothing appearing but a fashionably minuscule red stemed leaf. Very disappointing.

ginger & chocolate biscuits

2007-07-04T23:10:00.000+01:00

This hideous weather isn't just making my emotions damp, my eyes weep irratically like a semi broken water feature, but it's also making me want to bake, bake and bake. I counted 9 different types of flour in my cupboard the other day. Is that excessive? And if I don't have flour, eggs, sugar, chocolate and unsalted butter in the house I feel uneasy. I can't work out if it's the constant rain, or the wheat/butter/sugar addiction I have that's getting to me, or just that I'm a mother with two small children trapped indoors during the summer months....

However, I made some buttery ginger biscuits the other day, very similar to my favourite chocolate salty sables from Foodbeam taken from Pierre Herme who incidentally, could be the most stylish baker I've ever come across. The biscuits are quick, easy, freezable and damn tasty and I've now got to add crystallised ginger as another must have security ingredient. Have you ever tried a mug of chopped ginger and hot water? Delicious.

To make the biscuits, weigh out:

175g plain flour, rice flour or 50/50 of them both - rice flour makes a crunchier biscuit

125g softened unsalted butter

50g light brown sugar

75g crystallised ginger

50g plain chocolate, chopped (optional)

Maldon sea salt

Preheat oven to 150ºc.
Using a food processor, add the butter and the sugar and pulse until combined.
Add flour, continue to pulse then add ginger cubes. Pulse until you have the ginger to the size you like. Bigger is best in my opinion.
Take out blade and add chopped chocolate.
Scrap dough out of processor and halve.
Roll each half into a sausage and wrap in cling-film.
Place in fridge until firm enough to slice. (Freeze the mixture at this point if wanting to use later).
Slice into rounds, sprinkle with sea salt, place on a baking tray lined with silicone paper, and bake for 10-12 mins or until a light, golden colour.
Cool on baking sheet then transfer to wire cooling rack.

If you don't want to add chocolate to the biscuits, you could cover them with melted chocolate instead.

lacey leaves

2007-06-26T00:29:00.000+01:00

The filigree leaves of my cabbage and cauliflowers are irritatingly pretty. This evening, I counted 12, fat, juicy caterpillars feasting happily on the luscious rain sodden plants. A few years back I grew brassicas, it took a day or two to realise where the beautiful display of cabbage white butterflies come from. I'm now wondering why I didn't get the net curtaining out, as usual by good intentions failed me.

On a more positive and fruitful note, the broad beans are ready for picking and I'm pleased to say, pest free. True to tradition, these will be munched with pancetta, garlic, parmigiano and plenty of fresh herbs and olive oil. The excellent food magazine Waitrose Food Illustrated has some tasty broad bean recipe suggestions worth trying.

snail gazing

2007-06-24T21:28:00.000+01:00

Evie's latest obsession is capturing snails. This obsession has meant we have numerous snails of all shapes and sizes living a gluttonous life on our green scraps in a container outside. At one point the box came inside and the biggest and fattest became a permanent fixture on Evie's hand.

I am convinced this very snail keeps wondering back towards the house. Is it asking to be purged? I did sprinkle some oats into the box and have contemplated adding a handful of fresh thyme and rosemary, securing a net over the top and purging them for a feast with garlic and toast - not for the snails but for us. Do they taste great? I have seen the purging process on a recent food programme and I'm getting more curious the more often I see Mr fatty approach the door...

summer pudding

2007-06-24T16:21:00.000+01:00

I've discovered a PYO fruit farm just outside Norwich which sells the most delicious strawberries, loganberries and gooseberries. Unlike most strawberries, these ones are grown in grow-bags raised off the ground, so are a perfect height for picking, especially 3 year olds.

With this batch of red fruit I've made a summer pudding and with the gooseberries, I think I'll make a crumble or fool. Summer pudding has to be one of the tastiest fruit puddings and one of the simplest to make. I'm sure it's not everyone's idea cup of tea - eating soggy white bread drenched with fruit syrup, but to me, it's so traditional and summery and perfect with a hefty helping of double cream.

I used frozen blackcurrants, red currents and raspberries along with some fresh raspberries, loganberries and strawberries. Using frozen fruit is ideal as they produce more juice then fresh fruit, it was also easier as not all of the fruit is in season yet. I don't think the bread I used was really stale enough, a two day old pre-sliced, white sandwich bakery loaf is your best best. Using those pappy, bagged loaves is pointless, they go moldy before they go stale due to the amount of preservatives in them.

I've got no idea about quantities, you basically need enough fruit to fill the pudding basin you are using. Using glass bowl is best, you can then see if any of the bread is still white and not yet fruit drenched.

I think I roughly used:

1/2 lb hulled and halved strawberries

1/2 Ib fresh raspberries

1/2 Ib frozen raspberries

1/2 Ib frozen blackcurrants

1/2 Ib red/white currents

1/2 Ib loganberries

1 white loaf, sliced with crusts removed

2-3 tablespoons of caster sugar

Gently heat the blackcurrants and add the sugar and a little water. Then tip in the frozen raspberries and remaining currents and gently mix.
Tip in the rest of the fruit and check for sweetness and quantity of juice - you need a quite a bit.
Line your chosen pudding basin with the bread, overlapping the slices.
Once you're happy with your bread layout, take it out remembering the order it goes back in and dip each piece into the pan of fruit.
Put the bread back in the bowl, juice side down.
Once all the bread is lining the bowl, tip in the fruit and top with more bread.
Find a suitable sized plate and place it on top of the pudding followed by a weight.
Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
When ready to eat, run a knife around the pudding, place a large plate on top, turn upside down and shake until it drops on the plate.
Eat with as much cream as your guilt will allow.

artichoke fest

2007-06-23T00:15:00.000+01:00

The above box of artichokes is waiting to be dealt with. If you have ever dealt with artichokes, you will know that it's not a quick task.

When I worked at Yetman's Restaurant, Ali, Shirley and I would great the arrival of Desmond's artichokes with both glee and glum knowledge that the succulent little globes would take a while to blitz through. We would call it the 'artichoke fest'. If we were lucky and the weather was being kind, we would sit on the grass in Ali's beautiful cottage garden surrounded by beagles, bowls of water, rubber gloves, endless lemons, very sharp knives, vegetable peelers and chopping boards.

As I remember, we would often have a conveyor belt system going on, one person peeling, two people trimming. I tried to entice Stu into helping me deal with the first batch I did last week, I failed and did it alone...

The artichoke's I have are from Wiveton Hall, a blissfully idyllic farm on the North Norfolk coast between Cley and Blakeney. These artichoke's, like last weeks, will be preserved in herb infused olive oil and should keep indefinitely ready for eating with salads, stuffed with lemon and pancetta or heaped on top of toasted ciabatta and goats cheese. The recipe I used to preserve them can be found here.

cupboard love

2007-06-21T21:55:00.000+01:00

Here I am running up the steps of our virtually finished stairs. No
longer do we need to climb the ascent on the uneven, narrow planks as
now we can leap up on the deep, thick and sturdy oak treads.
Grandparents, you can almost rest, just the balustrades needed now...

Enough about the steps, how sleek does this beautifully curved, hand
crafted, tailor made, store-cupboard staircase look? Stu, you're bloody brilliant.
Every single piece of space under the staircase is being ulitised. The
cupboards open with a gentle push so reveal totally disorganised badly
ulilised cupboard space (my fault).

So, this week the house has had a new lick of paint inside, some of the
kitchen cupboard have doors on for the first time in 3 years , the
stairs are pretty much finished and the yellow balau decking is being
laid at the weekend.

Here's a taster of the new not-so-yellow balau decking planks (it's the stuff on the left...)

exposed cupboards

2007-06-14T00:33:00.000+01:00

The cleverly concealed cupboards built under the staircase are now exposed again revealing all the dust and clutter I forget I collect.

The reason for the removal of the fascias is that they are now in the safe hands of Donny the lacquerist (?) who will transform them from grubby MDF to a bright and dazzling matt white surface.

... another step closer to 'getting there'.

lips the colour of the sky

2007-06-14T00:28:00.000+01:00

Ever since I wrote about our stunning April the weather has been far from seasonal. Even as I type this, it's chucking it down - big flashes of lightning and grumbles of thunder. Tonight I'm not too worried about the rain as I arrived home just before the storm hit and today I planted some plants and seeds so these will certainly benefit from the soak even if my washing won't.

I was pleased to have been in Cley yesterday when it was sunny having just missed a local storm. I sat with the girls in Fran's garden watching them watching a tortoise whilst eating blue paint the colour of the sky.

alliums and others

2007-06-05T00:03:00.000+01:00

My two and only alliums grown this year are nearly over - gone to seed. I knew I should have gone shopping for bulbs early in the autumn instead of leaving it to the very last minute. I was lucky to find the two I did; a big giant stemmed purple pom-pom and the beautiful, firework schubertii.

This year, in a few months if not sooner I'm going to purchase a
bulk load. I was looking online the other night for some bulb varieties
and foud a site selling 50 odd bulbs for £24 - not bad.

Alliums on mass look fabulous, they never fail to please. I've
realised through my first year of 'border' gardening that I have a lot
to learn but have learnt a bit. Next year I will buy more of the same
varities instead of lots of many different varieties. And having walked past the deeply packed groups of plants and over flowing flower beds in Waterloo Park (Norwich) today, I've realise that's what I have to do.

The flower beds are stunning (apparently some of the longest herbaceous borders in the UK...ummm?) with clusters of achillea moonshine, artichokes, sage, fennel, poppies, alliums to name a few. The park also has an old bandstand and large, renovated pavilion. I found this photo of the wisteria clad pavilion terrace on flickr, it sort of sums up Waterloo Park.

a step closer...

2007-06-04T00:03:00.000+01:00

Over the past week Stu's been making the oak treads for our staircase and yesterday, to my excitement (and safety) he has almost finished them.

They look fantastic and having something new and improved in the house has spurred us on. In fact, when I came back from Mum and Dad's after a tearful and frustrating day with Dad's new iMac's hard-drive crashing, causing me to loose an important spreadsheet, I was so comforted and
pleased to see the solid treads fitted that I failed to notice that Stu had also painted a kitchen wall in a colour called 'squid ink'. I then noticed a borrowed copy of Kevin McClouds Colour Palette book on the table and it all made perfect sense.

like the wine? then tear off the tab

2007-05-29T23:43:00.000+01:00

A friend once told me how her Mum use to steam off the labels from wine bottles she liked and then stick them into a scrapbook for future shopping reference.

I've never gone to that trouble but I have jotted down the name of bottles we have enjoyed only to forget the place where I have jotted the names down.

Yesterday, Stu bought a tasty bottle which very cleverly had a tear off tab, thus eliminating the need to steam labels or jot down 'must buy again' name. Needless to say, I found this bottle with label in tact in the recycle bin which just goes to show that we can't even remember to peel off the label, let alone keep the tear off tab in a safe place. Useless.

gallette par snail mail

2007-05-28T11:59:00.000+01:00

I'm often dreaming up little catering ventures, and one which reoccurs
often is the possibility of making biscuits both sweet and savoury, which I would package creatively and sell.

An off shoot of this idea, is to send food parcels in the post, perhaps people could sign up
for monthly subscriptions for gifts or for themselves.

Lately, I've been
experimenting with different flours, aiming for a healthier, lower carbohydrate treat, and have come up with some crisp-breads to rival Dr Kargs made with Kamut (an ancient Egyptian flour high in minerals and protein) as well as rice flour chocolate & salt sables, and old fashioned spelt-flour digestives.

Anyone interested in receiving a trial package, email me your dietary requirements and I'll see what I can do...

solo exhibition

2007-05-27T22:25:00.000+01:00

We dropped in at Bircham Gallery, Holt to see Angie's (Lewin's) prints on the first day of her solo exhibition yesterday and what a selection of entirely desirable art there is. I hadn't seen a lot of the work and I'd never seen her collage's, which being a fan of cutting and gluing, I liked very much.

Arriving late in the afternoon, I wasn't surprised to see so many red dots beside the prints - not surprised because the prints are so beautiful and desirable. If you're around Holt over the next 4 weeks, I really recommend a visit.

Amusing metal sculptures by Kim Ellwood and Mike Abbott are also on show at the gallery.

banoffee meringue

2007-05-27T21:37:00.000+01:00

The label says 'luxuriously creamy, rich and smooth' but it forgets to mention 'addictive, fattening and totally unhealthy'. Still, that hasn't put me off from delving spoons of varying sizes into the jar at moments of greed/need.

Dulce De Leche is a food from Argentina and it is thought that it was created by a forgetful maid who was boiling milk and sugar. Sometime later, she remembered her pan of white stuff and to her horror (soon to be delight) she discovered in had turned into a brown, thick and sticky mass.

Today we had friends over for lunch, good old roast chicken followed by a made-up pudding using the Dulce De Leche (I've got to get it out of the house with out consuming it all myself haven't I?) I decide to make a take on the sickly but pleasing banoffee pie - pecan meringue filled with a mixture of lightly whipped cream, 'the' toffee sauce and slices of banana rolled into a roulade.

I have to say it looked a little bland, too much of the same colour but it tasted good. If you find yourself snatching a jar of this sticky nectar into your shopping trolley and need to share out the calories you could always try and make the roulade. Here's how:

5 egg whites

150g pecan nuts, chopped

275 g castor sugar

150ml double cream

1 tbsp Dulce De Leche

2 bananas, thinly sliced

Roast pecans in low oven (140º) for 8 Min's, cool then roughly chop.
Line a large baking sheet with silicone paper.
Whisk egg whites until stiff then add a tbsp of sugar, a spoon at a time.
Add the pecans and dollop mixture onto baking sheet and spread evenly.
Place in oven and cook for 20-30 Min's or until it peel away from paper base then leave to cool for a few minutes before turning out onto a large sheet of grease-proof paper or foil. Peel away the base paper gently.

When ready to serve, lightly whip the cream. You can either have a go at spreading the toffee onto the meringue or if you think it will tear the meringue, lightly mix spoonfuls into the cream and then spread.
Top with slices of banana then using the foil or paper the roiled is lying on, pull it towards you, pressing it down to tighten the roll as you go. Dust with icing sugar and eat.

holiday celebrations

2007-05-22T23:52:00.000+01:00

I rather missed writing my blog while I was away. Typically, I could have written about goings on a daily basis as well as uploaded photo's of wet ducks and row boats and the rather un-nerving neatness of Thorpeness, Suffolk but the lack of Internet access made this impossible.

Over a week ago now, my parents very kindly organised a Sullivan family get-together to mark
my Mum's and her twin sister Ce's 60th birthday (along with little Matilda who also shares their birthday, but being just one doesn't really count). We stayed in
Thorpeness, a pretty holiday village designed by Glencairne Stuart
Ogilvie in the late 1800, who relocated from Scotland and bought a huge
chunk of rural and seaside Suffolk.

Ogilvie decided he would turn Thorpeness into a sort of fantasy
holiday village, building homes with mock Tudor and Jacobean styles
around the man-made large boating lake, the Meare. It was a house with
a garden leading down to the Meare which we stayed in last week. It was beautiful with large
rooms, wood panelling, fabulous old oil portraits and a full sized
billiard table in the top of the house not to mention the views over the lake.

The week was fabulous, it was just so lovely to spend some time with my newly married brother, his wife and daughter; my sister, her husband and daughter and of course my wonderful parents. Time just went too quickly, I needed to have at least another 3 days with everyone as I seemed to spend the first 3 days cooking and panicking about the surprise Hawaiian themed birthday BBQ party to be held at Mum's sisters rented holiday house, at nearby Southwold....

Despite the weather being far from tropical, the party was a great success. I know the events of the day made Mum and Auntie Ce extremely happy. The entertaining organisational emails between siblings, cousins and fathers had made it a party to remember, our Mum's were made up. It was so lovely to see them laughing, smiling, reminiscing and to be so content to be surrounded by their children and grandchildren as well as surprise family guests. It was a great day and one I will always remember as I know they will too.

Dad, thanks for making it all possible.