The Cottage Smallholder

I love seasonal cooking. The arrival of Winter Celery, beetroot and asparagus has tiny hands clapping with glee at the Cottage Smallholder. But we still buy tomatoes and peppers throughout the year. I look at the little aeroplane label on the pack and feel a twinge of guilt as I place them carefully in the Read More »

I’m working for my American friend Mike, down in Saffron Walden. We’re both busy so lunch is brief but always interesting. A couple of days ago he opened a can of tuna, mixed it with lashings of black pepper and a couple of tablespoons of mayo. He spread this on elegant crackers, put a thin Read More »

We’ve had some very hard frosts for a few days now. The grass hasn’t unfrozen before the crisp dark sky freezes each strand again with tiny shards of ice. I am hoping these frosts will kill the blight spores that attacked our potatoes last year. The plants were black within days and the tubers didn’t Read More »

Donagh laid the long pack of breakfast sausages (16 sausages per pound weight) on the kitchen worktop. “What have you got there?” Danny was curious. “Back in the forties when our Mam was young and training in Dublin, she was instructed to bring a pack of Hafner’s sausages home to Oylegate each weekend. It was Read More »

June 2007 saw the launch of the Farming Friends – Cottage Smallholder Guinea fowl breeding event, when Sara sent us six guinea fowl eggs in the post to put under our broody hen Mrs Boss. Since then our guinea fowl have grown up and become sexually mature. With 3 cocks and one hen, we needed Read More »

Danny’s favourite youngest brother is over from Ireland. Donagh is everything that a special brother should be. He reminisces with D and helps me with projects. “Do you remember how Lassie would look after the day old chicks?” “I was away at school by then.” Danny was tenderly turning the steaks. “Well, she’d lie on Read More »

Danny and I are lucky. We are happy. And content with each other, most of the time. We lead pretty independent lives but always eat breakfast and supper together and share the king sized bed with its massive regal headboard, inherited from my aunt. We also share the same star sign, Virgo. Danny was born Read More »

I only noticed the signpost to Swan Meadow a few weeks ago. It’s a turning just at the beginning of Saffron Walden’s High Street. Usually Jalopy is applying her brakes and getting ready to chance her arm on the very narrow stretch of road ahead. Most cars pass each other, breathing in tight with just Read More »

Poor Danny got ticked off by the Tightwad Queen for dolloping too much Greek yoghurt on his chick pea cakes last week. TTQ wanted to use the rest of the pot for another meal. The Greek yoghurt that we like is expensive. I hate being scratchy about money. Would far rather work a longer day Read More »

I had the whole weekend off – the first for weeks. Mainly catching up and tackling a few jobs that have been crying out for months. This afternoon, I lolled in the luxury of a few hours to experiment and make the soup for next week’s lunches. By chance the theme was orange. I made Read More »