The Cottage Smallholder

Danny woke me early. “I’ve an idea. If we block off the sitting room end of the chimney, I could run a tube from the exhaust of the car down from the chimney pot. Carbon monoxide. The end would be quick and he wouldn’t suffer any more.” Perhaps it was the effect of the heat Read More »

“A typical meal at home doesn’t consist of a main course and vegetables. Rather a pot of rice and a lot of side dishes,” Danny’s friend Dipak confided, a year or so ago. I remembered the remark this week. Had I started making side dishes for curries and frozen some portions, I would now have Read More »

We were going to do a mid week bacon smoke as we’d all run out. Once you start curing and smoking your own bacon the commercially produced stuff just doesn’t cut the mustard. We’re all addicted to the home cured flanks Bacon was bought, wet cured and earmarked for a communal smoke this evening. Yesterday Read More »

It’s been over a month since the last update on the Indian Runner ducklings. They are now 9 weeks old and seem almost as big as The Chicken Lady’s grown up flock. We have discovered that Eric is a female duck and Tipex and Freddie are drakes. Eric clearly hasn’t burnt her bra as she’s Read More »

“Do you think that people will revert after the credit crunch?” Danny mused this evening. “If you won the lottery, what would you do now? You know you can easily shave pounds a week off your food bill with a bit of ducking and diving. Would you continue your challenge or just purr into Newmarket Read More »

I haven’t bought flowers for the cottage since January 2007. This has saved money and fast tracked the development of the herbaceous borders. Although we have now have quite a wide range of plants that flower in July, I’ve chosen an edible posy of flowers for this month’s entry. Nasturtiums and feverfew. I’ve always had Read More »

It’s the last thing that I reach for when I leave the cottage in the morning. Satisfying to the touch. Slightly scratchy but soft and reassuring with years of wear. My old hat usually travels on the passenger seat on the outward voyage to work. In the evening it views the world from the top Read More »

Back in the eighties I was given a blender. A large device that stood on a stand with an orange plastic cap over the hole in its lid. And, to keep it company, a nifty compact electric whisk with two metal prongs for whisking stuff. “These are essential in any kitchen.” I was assured. Both rarely Read More »

I have been tagged by Compostwoman at The Compostbin to share 6 random things about me. Tag Rules: Link to the person who tagged you. Post the rules on the blog. Write six random things about yourself. Tag six people at the end of your post. Let each person know they have been tagged by Read More »

I’m not keen on naked cauliflower but cauliflower cheese has been a staple for years. Somehow dressing the cauli in a cheese sauce and grilling the top transmogrifies the ingredients into something delicious. Or so I thought before I presented my old traditional version to Danny with a flourish. He wasn’t overly impressed. “Can we Read More »