Guest spot: preparing to build a cold smoker by Smoking Methusala
I’ve been chatting to Smoking Methusala for a while. He cures and smokes his own bacon on a hillside in Wales. He has agreed to share his knowledge with all would be bacon smokers out there. I’ve heard of a man who smokes fish and bacon in an old wardrobe but this story takes the ticket for best smoking tale that I’ve read so far. Smoking Methusala’s cold smoker journey. Part one. I’m going to tell you a something about our setup here. We live in a little Welsh village, way up in the mountains in a very isolated...
read moreDanny’s zingy mushrooms recipe
There’s nothing like chilling in someone else’s garden on a Bank Holiday Monday. It might be the last day of the three day weekend but a day snatched from the working week makes it extra special. I used to work on Bank Holidays. Now I try and take the time off. My clients expect me to curl up for the day and it’s a chance to catch up, flop and appear vaguely normal. Last Monday we enjoyed a few hours with Tessa and Colin having lunch in their garden. Their pair of ducks had produced five tiny ducklings two months ago. These...
read moreUpdate on Mrs Boss: lucky dip bantam eggs are hatching
The evening that we buried Great Aunt Daisy Beatyl I went down to the Emerald Castle to check if any of Mrs Boss’ clutch had hatched. One egg containing a tiny embryo had burst the day before. I was losing heart that we’d get any hatchlings. Bantams usually hatch after 21 days and this was day 22. I lifted Mrs Boss off the nest. As she stepped into the caste grounds there was a small thin shriek from the nest of eggs. A teeny wet chick stood upright in a half eggshell and started to cheep. Not the gentle nestling cheeps but a cry...
read moreBirthday food: Gambas al pil pil recipe revisted
It’s Danny’s birthday. “What would you like to eat this evening?” “Well, I don’t know really.” “How about Diana Henry’s Spiced Chicken breasts on melting onions with preserved lemon? They’re delicious Even Bunty asked for the recipe.” “They sound great but I don’t remember them.” But I couldn’t find the chicken breasts in the freezer. “How about a takeaway from Arif?” D’s eyes lit up. This Indian restaurant is very good since they...
read moreSad day
Many years ago my mum was given Great Aunt Daisy Beatyl by a couple of generous Miniature Dachshund breeders. She was five years old and needed a good home. We motored into the country to collect her. As far as I can remember it was quite a long drive and they questioned us carefully about her future. I agreed that if something happened to my mum I would look after Daisy B. As we piled into the car to leave, Gloria wiped a tear away. She had confided that she would have loved to have kept the dog but her husband had drawn the line at more than...
read morePotato blight – Smith factor and tomatoes
John Coe and I were closeted in the kitchen, sipping coffee and gossiping. The conversation gradually veered towards our vegetable gardens. The weather is causing problems and neither really wants to mention our problems first. “How are your potatoes doing? Any sign of the blight?” He suddenly started to play with Inca who remembers the sandwiches that he used to bring for Elevenses. “I need you to advise. Mine are keeling over. Different from last year but they are not looking good. The condition is gradually moving up the...
read moreOrangette’s apricot tart recipe
A couple of years ago I found a wonderful blog – Orangette. I read her post on bananas and was totally hooked. In fact, I often think about that post. Her writing is superb, it nips you gently and you remember it forever. A week or so ago a new friend emailed me. She had tried out Orangette’s recipe for apricot tart. Apparently it was dazzling. My friend’s a wonderful writer and the combination of two good writers and one great recipe made me desperate to make this delicacy for our next supper party. Even though I don’t...
read moreFlowers from the garden: August 2008
What could be sweeter than a posy of flowers. Picked from your own garden, on a sunny evening when the air is full of swallows and bees. Not just the flowers but the joy of the moment is carried indoors to curl beside me on the kitchen table. Companionable, late into the night. Outside, the garden drifts in darkness and the wind in the trees is the sound of the...
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