The Cottage Smallholder

When I’m under pressure I dive into books.  Mostly novels and mainly thrillers as I want to be totally immersed in another’s world. Reading about people under far more stress than I am is an addictive diversion. A good book is the potential killer of a decent day’s work. So I tend to keep them Read More »

The Chicken Lady rang me a few weeks ago to discuss gelatine for making jelly in a jar rather than wobbly on the plate version. I hadn’t a clue. “What are you making?” I asked. “If I told you it would spoil the surprise.” I was intrigued. What on earth was she creating? TCL and Read More »

I’m working this weekend and out to play in the evenings so there will be a short intermission of service for a couple of days whilst the blog takes a mini holiday.              

We cooked Spanish lamb last weekend and still had lashings of lamb and sauce left over. Sometimes we are well intentioned, making a Shepherd’s pie with the remains. More often the remnants are jettisoned into the freezer and six months later the dogs polish off the bounty. Cold lamb doesn’t look wildly appealing. This week Read More »

Somehow the first chilly nights of Autumn feel colder than the hard frosts of January. By midnight I’m freezing and in need of a plump hot water bottle and all three Min Pins to heat up the far side of the bed. Yesterday, I woke hoping for rain. This would mean a much needed day Read More »

“Let’s try making the Spanish Lamb in the slow cooker. It will be cheaper than using the oven and it might enhance the flavours even more.” It was better than the oven baked version, with more depth of flavour and the joint remained plump and succulent. This is a great, easy dish for lazy entertaining. Read More »

Although my mum gave me a superb giant Le Creuset casserole a few months ago we have no medium sized casseroles for the oven. So when I spotted this wonderful old stoneware crock pot gleaming out from the Cancer Research shop window this morning, I was drawn across the road. The diminutive price tag had Read More »

Every one loves the look of a quince from a tree. The large size, the slight fuzziness on the skin. The smell of a bowl of quinces can scent a room if they are allowed to ripen. A quince plucked from a tree can keep for months properly stored but windfalls need to be used Read More »

I must admit that I felt quite confident about the ring test on the lucky dip bantam hatching eggs that we bought on eBay. The ring test predicted that Dixie and Beatyl would be female chickens. But there has always been something about Beatyl Chick. A certain Tyrone Power swagger and adventurous approach to life Read More »

Just before I met Danny I attended a bread making course at Darina and Tim Allan’s cookery school in Ballymaloe. It was a great course covering a vast swathe of bread making from brioche to Irish soda bread. The days were packed with information and practical sessions. Set in the heart of the Cork countryside, it was Read More »