The Cottage Smallholder

When I don’t fancy a glass of wine with supper, I know that I’m coming down with a bug. I creep into bed well before midnight, aching all over. Bugs are bad news for the self employed. Happily they’re a rare event with me. Danny pops on his nurse’s outfit and whisks about with hot Read More »

There’s a great section in Waitrose branded “Cooks Ingredients”. A range of rather special things, attractively packaged. Thinking about it, the majority of products that any supermarket sells are cooks ingredients. It’s just that we don’t think about that as we plod round doing the weekly shop. Tesco . We buy our anchovies from the Read More »

Removing the lids from pressurised jars can be a problem. Growing up we watched, fascinated from the table, as my mother regularly knelt and banged an upturned jar on the kitchen floor to relieve the pressure. I always expected the jar to shatter. It never did. Occasionally she managed to open them without going round Read More »

All too often I’m doing the big shop with only seconds to spare before the doors close. This is only possible if you know exactly where every item on your list is located within the store. I have been known to complete the weekly shop in ten minutes. Every month or so I arrive early Read More »

It was Joe Cox who finally tipped me over to making country wine. Joe is a central character in Joanne Harris’ novel Blackberry Wine. I loved the book and was intrigued by Joe. Half way through the novel I was trawling the internet for winemaking equipment. By the time I was reading the last page Read More »

Danny is a coffee fanatic. Up pretty early, he has generally had his fourth cup before I open an eye. Basking in the warm bed I gaze at the large cup of tea that he has sweetened with honey and placed gently beside me before tearing downstairs for his next shot. I used to be Read More »

At seven years old, Dr Q is Senior Dog at the cottage. Content for a couple of years with standard guard dog duties, he grew bored and cast around for a more pivotal role. As Head Rat Monitor he has achieved his dream. A local rat catcher told me that rats tend to move up Read More »

Mince pies are the quintessential Christmas treat. But every year loads of us bite into a proffered mince pie and resolve never to accept one again. it’s a shame as nothing beats a homemade one, bursting with mincemeat and a slug of brandy. I always make a few on Christmas Eve. I was pretty smug Read More »

There is a small larder in the cottage kitchen. It’s one of the rooms that I particularly liked when I looked round for the first time. Colin, the seller, was astonished and explained that if he had stayed it would have gone. They had plans to knock down walls, create more foot space in the Read More »

All my life I’ve loved wading through fallen leaves. At their best they have settled in frothy, tempting drifts on dull pavements. Crisp, dry, and waiting to be ruffled by any passer by. Just remembering the swish and crunch gives me goose bumps. To get the best effect, keep your feet close to the ground Read More »