The Cottage Smallholder

Photo: Sweet peas and runner beans

Yesterday I woke at six fretting about someone who bullied me at work seven years ago.
“You have to let go.” I told myself. “This is eating you up.”
I didn’t like this guy. Let’s call him Len to save his blushes. I didn’t respect him. Every now and then Len would order me into a private office and declare.
“I know what you are doing.”
Clearly someone had overheard me talking about him and reported back. I would try and stare him out and then he would say.
“I have a very sensitive nose – you smell.”
It was hurtful and enraging. I had a shower every day. What more could I do? As I couldn’t think of how to answer, I always remained silent.

Now Len was close to another colleague of mine. I liked and respected this lady but she endlessly went on about problems she had drinking whisky when she was at work in her last job. I never knew how to respond and felt a bit sorry for her. As she mentioned it so often I began to assume that it was a real problem that she was tackling now.

Years later when I’d left that job far behind Len told my closest colleague that I was drinking in the office that we shared. He wouldn’t back down when she vehemently denied this. Unfortunately she made the mistake of telling me. I longed to go round to the office and confront him. And the lady I liked had been hoodwinked into believing him. Suddenly their comments made sense. I was furious. I was being accused of something that I would never dream of doing.

This has haunted me for years. I’ve tried writing imaginary letters, to Len, to the lady that I liked. I’ve thought of asking him to apologise. I’ve tried pretending that I didn’t mind – I had no respect for the guy so why take his nasty remarks so deeply? I thought of the lady as a friend – why wasn’t she straightforward with me? The matter could have been dealt with in seconds.

But the one thing that I had never considered was to forgive him. Recently I invested in the e-book “The Secret behind The Secret” by Dr. Eric Amidi, a quantum physicist. This book is great for helping you deal with damaging and restricting mental blocks. I’ve been reading a couple of pages a day on and off for the last six weeks. I reckon that it’s a sound read. The Secret is inspirational but it doesn’t really get down to the hard facts of how you actually, practically can get the best out of your life.

I am aiming for a rounded life. I don’t want fast cars, vast mansions and millions in the bank. I would like to live here with Danny and have the freedom to develop my cooking and gardening and have enough cash in the bank to fuel this passion. 

This morning I read two pages from Eric’s e-book. The theme was forgiveness. Of yourself and others.  I didn’t twig that I had a problem with this. I tested it out and tried to genuinely forgive Len and also myself for hating him. The cage door opened and I flew. Suddenly Len’s lies didn’t matter anymore. I also realised that if Len hadn’t been so mean I might still be working in his company and not here on my own road, forging the life that I always dreamt about. So actually in the end Len did me a favour.

Photo: Handmade cards

For a few weeks I’ve been squirreling away bits and bobs to make some cards for the gate side stand. But as with so many things I have put the project on the back burner as I didn’t really know how to begin. 

I probably made my last handmade card as a teenager. I did serve the Blue Peter apprenticeship and enjoy making things but how was I going to design something to sell on the stand? I trawled through hundreds of Folksy shops for inspiration. There were loads of great ideas but I was getting nowhere.

So two days ago I set myself a challenge. To make a small series of cards – and do nothing else until these were made. Hence the silence on the blog and the screaming of rage from my bedroom when Inca flipped my unstuck roughs off the bed as she snuggled deep under the duvet.

Of course I have Valentines Day in mind but by leaving the cards blank they can also double as love anytime cards.

Photo: Enamel badge

Pamela spotted that someone was selling little enamel “I love you” badges very cheaply on eBay. So I invested in a job lot of fifty. They are transformed with petit fours cases and a hoop of red card into a great little Valentine’s present.

The cards and badges are having their first airing on the stand today. I do hope that people will buy them.

Photo: How to feed your whole family a healthy balanced diet

I woke this morning feeling low and dispirited. I haven’t felt inspired in the kitchen for days. After a large mug of tea I reached for Gill Holcombe’s book – How to Feed Your Whole Family a Healthy Balanced Diet, with Very Little Money and Hardly Any Time. I was looking for inspiration and a much needed lift. We don’t have a family but Danny has a huge appetite. So I follow family recipes.

I got this book a few months ago. After a brief enjoyable scan it has lain on the bed, waiting for the intense treatment that it deserved. This morning I spent a happy two hours pottering on its pages. If you want to save money on your weekly shop and still enjoy eating great food this is the book for you. In fact, this blog’s motto is “Eat like kings on a pauper’s budget”, so a perfect match.

Having been a “spend to mend” freak for years I am still coming to terms with spending less and living better. Gill Holcombe’s recipes and tips brought a warmth to my heart. If you want to cut costs you needn’t suffer. There’s no need to just grit your teeth before tucking into yet another lentil pie.

This is a great book – absolutely up my street. Her recipes are easy and the ingredients are cheap. Forget the Saturday morning TV chefs promoting an easy lobster soup. My brief sojurn had me planning tonight’s menu with glee. It’s a toss up between fishcakes or fish pie. But the idea of a meat pie topped with a cheese crumble topping also has my mouth watering – perhaps this would also be good on a fish pie? And then there are the devilled kidneys and Spotted Dick. I’d love to make these for Danny at the weekend.

Gill’s book has a comprehensive range of recipes covering everything from breakfast dishes to suppers and packed lunches. There is a vegetarian section and recipes for preserves. I particularly liked the Quick Fixes section – meals that are really quick to prepare.

At the back of the book is a five week meal plan for a family of four. She shoped at a different supermarket each week spending between £22 and £31 for the week’s main meals. You can even study the till receipts!

Gill’s recipes are simple and straightforward but they all sound delicious and tempting. Check this book out – it could be a lifesaver.

Very Highly Recommended. Five stars.

Photo: Andrew

I want to introduce you to Andrew. He is our new kitchen assistant. When he arrived he was given the night off but in the morning was up early to cook a perfect full English breakfast. It took the same time to cook as using the conventional oven but instead of using two hob rings, the grill and the fan oven Andrew took care of the sausages, hash browns, tomatoes, mushrooms and bacon. Leaving me to make the fried eggs and work out how much electricity we were saving.

Andrew is quite chunky. With his 12 litre bowl he takes up a fair amount of worktop space. The one drawback is the instruction manual. I thought that Andrew was wearing a natty stainless steel belt until I realised that it was an extension ring that gives him an extra five litres capacity. Apart from the skewers the rest of the accessories had me flummoxed. A trip to the Coopers site revealed all. The 36 recipes are not great either as they are poorly translated and inconsistent. You can download a free recipe book from the Internet. I also invested in the The Halogen Oven Cookbook by Paul Jones and Leah Meads. This has tips on how to use your halogen oven. Handy for a halogen oven virgin.

On Sunday Andrew roasted a crown of duck and lots of potatoes. He was still wearing his extension ring as a belt so I had a bit of a problem fitting everything in. Again it took the same time as a conventional oven with the exception of the preheating time which is about 25% less in Andrew. Browsing other halogen oven manuals on the Internet I discovered that I was using much lower temperatures than a lot recommend. So I need to experiment with this. It’s easy to see how your food is cooking through the glass bowl rather than opening the oven door -  this saves on electricity too.

The accessories – once you know how to use them – are handy too. A lid stand is a must as the lid does get very hot and might damage a work surface. Apart from the extension ring they can all be stored in Andrew’s bowl when not in use. The one drawback is that if you are not going to cook directly in the bowl you need round dishes for things like pies and casseroles. Luckily I inherited several from my aunt and now they are really coming into their own. The 12 litre glass bowl is quite heavy too so I wouldn’t recommend it for people who are not reasonably strong.

Although the instruction manual is poor, the Andrew James premium halogen oven cooker gets the thumbs up from me. He is easy to use and can even clean himself. He can defrost, roast, grill and bake. He can even cook boiled eggs. He has a built in timer and settings in Centigrade and Fahrenheit. He is far more economical to run than a conventional cooker and above all he’s fun to use.

Photo: Snow in the garden

It’s competition time again at Cottage Smallholder. I really enjoy running these competitions as I’m picking up so many tips from around the world. I’ve been looking for sponsors and have two lined up already – this is great as they will help with the judging and of course the prizes are much more deluxe than the rather humble prizes that we’ve offered before.

As I mentioned yesterday, Erika from Lunar Organics is sponsoring this competition. The prize is a beautiful moon gardening calendar and explanatory booklet plus three packets of biodynamic seeds that the winner can choose from the Lunar Organics online catalogue.

And what to you have to do to win this prize? Erika came up with these suggestions. The first is how to re-use /recycle things to get ready for the new growing season. For example Erika makes labels using old pieces of wood for big labels or cuts up white plastic containers for seedlings, instead of buying new. The second theme is how to protect plants from birds, rabbits, mice, squirrels, rats or any pest in your neck of the woods. Erika mentioned that rags soaked in vinegar would deter rabbits as they hate the smell of it.

Anyone can enter as many times as they like. You can post entries for just one theme or both. The competition will close on Sunday 7th February at midnight. If you have won a Cottage Smallholder competition in the past six months you can enter but you won’t be eligible to win – this gives everyone a fairer chance.

Best of luck everyone. I’m really looking forward to reading the entries!