Fillet of pork medallions on a herby bed of courgette and baby broad bean couscous recipe
Fillet of pork is so tender and succulent but sometimes it can lack flavour. Danny bought two packs of medallions from the condemned food counter at Tesco and fried them in a little black butter. He sat down to savour this delicacy with a small proud wobble of his head. Within seconds there was a roar. “They taste just like blotting paper!” When I found myself with a pork fillet to cook, I remembered the shrieks and made a marinade. I used loads of fresh herbs for this. We had a great tip from some friends who used to run a...
read moreHow to save money in 2008: June review
When I was selling toys in Covent Garden the best week of every month was the week after monthly payday. I realised that the week that Danny puts his sizeable contribution into the housekeeping account our spending rockets. So this month I pretended that every week was the week before pay day and entered a new realm of saving. My horizons were bolted so low that at times I couldn’t even see a horizon. And it worked. Savings were around 50% most weeks and, once, much lower. Last year I struggled to shave a few pounds off the cost of our...
read moreUpdate on Mrs Boss and the ducklings: Freedom at last
“The ducklings are enormous; I think we ought to let them out into the big run.” Danny was watching them playing with the water fountain in the grounds of the Emerald Castle. At only five weeks old they tower over Mrs Boss. It’s getting cramped in the castle. So when I was dusting and sluicing down the dormitory, I opened the castle gates wide. Freddie, Tipex and Eric stood looking out at their next step to freedom. Like so many dreamers, they dithered and remained exactly where they were. They shot inside the castle when I...
read moreA present from the wind and birds
Sometimes it’s easy to be distracted by borders that have taken years to mature and miss the dazzling surprise of unplanned flowers. Particularly those wild flowers that have quietly self seeded. Suddenly they are standing before you, like clear eyed children that have stepped out of the shadows to surprise you. I found this opium poppy in the broad bean border this morning. I hadn’t even noticed that it was growing there. There was something about its fresh transient beauty that made my heart turn...
read moreThe ten minute soup challenge: Quick Asparagus and Coriander soup recipe
Danny reached for the ladle. “How can you run up a soup like this in just ten minutes? I can’t believe that it’s low fat. It’s delicious.” He didn’t mention the soup disaster that had been poured into the dogs the day before. Unbeknown to Danny I had researched soup based simply on a good stock, a few herbs and spices, a handful of fresh vegetables and some noodles. Many Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai and Indian soups use this principle of combining a stock that has simmered for hours with fresh vegetables,...
read moreThe big pot
An immense pot stands beside the back door step. The pot holds roughly 100 litres of earth. It has stood there for about three years now and this evening Danny noticed the pot for the first time. “Wow. That pot is enormous. How much did it cost?” “I bought it years ago.” “It’s stunning.” Visibly relieved that the pot had not made a massive dent in the housekeeping budget. It’s a simple pot but the spot, north east facing, cried out for a hefty container that would give plants a decent chance to...
read moreHomemade raspberry jellies recipe
Tiny hands clap with glee when I make jellies. “Why do we only have jellies when we are entertaining? Let’s make far more than we need or invite less people next time.” Danny was scraping a small stolen tumbler clean. Good fresh fruit jellies are a delight. Wonderful as a little something if you are laid up in bed, a great dessert for everyone, including those on a low fat diet. Gelatine is also good for you, strengthening your hair and nails. So for once you can let rip and indulge with impunity. The amount of sugar that you...
read moreThe oasis watering trick. How to reduce the time that you spend watering.
Water is expensive and so are plants. We have a water butt drip feed watering system for the kitchen garden in the summer. The initial investment has paid dividends – in time and money. Drip feed watering is used by the poorest countries and is designed to get the best possible results from the smallest amount of water. The system encourages plants to develop good roots and search for water. This watering method combined with the oasis trick could save you money, time and energy and give you a maximum return for minimum effort in your...
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