Dishwasher Dramas
Doing the washing up was a real bone of contention in our household before we bought our dishwasher. “Leave the washing up. I’ll do it in the morning.” “But you always get up with seconds to spare. Just enough time to pour some coffee granules on your tongue before running for the car.” “Nonsense. It’s my turn so I’ll get up early.” Many mornings I woke to stacks of pots and caked with dried food. It drove me nuts. I’d soak the lot all day and wash up when I got back from work. Then the whole scene would start again. “As...
read moreGreat foodie treats for under £2: La Perruche sugar cubes
Shopping with my mum in Waitrose she asked me to show her anything that would be appreciated in a Christmas stocking. We were passing the sugar section at the time and my eye fell upon the boxes of La Perruche pure cane rough cut cubes. Waitrose is the only supermarket that stocks these superb French sugar cubes. As they cost £1.69 for 500g they are a luxury that we haven’t bought for years. But as an occasional treat they are wonderful dropped into a cup of fresh black coffee or a large mug of tea. The packaging is delightful. With parrot...
read morePicasso moments
I started to make wooden toys in my late twenties. I had never previously worked with wood but, with the arrogance of the inexperienced, I reckoned that it couldn’t be rocket science. After a bit of a hiccupy start the business was reasonably successful. Ten years later I sold it to a giftware company for a very good price. That was just before the 1990 recession but that‘s another story. As a toymaker I belonged to The British Toymakers Guild. Each year I exhibited at their fair. One year I bought two wooden toys made by a fellow artist...
read moreBest great budget recipes for 50% or less: Continental style warming winter pie recipe
I woke this morning with one eye puffy, bloodshot and streaming. It was agony. What had happened during the night? Danny was alarmed. “You can’t decorate with just one eye. Your painting will be asynchronous.” “What on earth does that mean?” “It’s an IT term. Meaning intermittent amongst other things.” He explained. Past caring I crawled under the duvet as he shot down to Newmarket to ask the pharmacist’s opinion. He returned with a small bottle marked Red Eye Drops. I applied the potion and snoozed in...
read moreCats, dogs and the healing power of laughter
When I first moved to the countryside 25 years ago, I was given two kittens. I had this harebrained idea that I’d call all my pets names from the shipping forecast areas. It seemed a nice and neat way to progress. Cat wise this was easy. I eventually settled on Finistere and Faeroe (the vet thought this is how Faro was spelt as I had no idea). Dogs would clearly be called Dogger, Fisher and possibly German Bight. But when I bought my first Min Pin the dog names didn’t seem to suit this diminutive hero. Dogger and Fisher were shaggy dog...
read moreThe slow cooker chef: a great slow cooked spare rib recipe
To celebrate Jalopy’s heroic performance passing her M.O.T. with flying colours, I ordered an organic belly of pork from The Carter Street butchers in Fordham. I also remembered to ask for the bones. Daniel, the butcher does not ‘bone out’ the joint but slices them off as a rack of spare ribs. What could be better than sticky sweet and sour ribs for Saturday night? As I was working that day I decided to try and find a recipe that could bubble away all day in the slow cooker/crock pot. I found Lyn Utsugi’s tempting recipe for...
read moreHomemade DIY firelighters for free
“The wood burner’s gone out again and we’ve run out of firelighters.” Danny was exasperated. We need the wood burner to be chugging away all evening. The heating is on for a couple of hours from 8-10pm but the stove warms the kitchen and takes the chill off the bedroom above. A snug bolt hole on a chilly winter evening is essential. Many years ago I dropped in to see my Aunt and found Uncle Peter making firelighters out of rolled and knotted newspaper. I adored my Uncle. Handsome and debonair, he loved horseracing, country pursuits and...
read moreSecret slow baked pheasant recipe for lazy chefs
We’ve had a pretty good season game wise. I have quite a few clients who shoot and are generous with their bounty. I also offer a plucking and dressing service. The fee is a bird for each bird plucked. This guarantees a steady supply of game when I’m not working on a bountiful estate. The Min Pins always goggle when I step into the kitchen with a brace of pheasant slung over my shoulder. I can almost heard them thinking “Finally, she has done a proper day’s work.” In a mild winter I’ll hang the bird for three days in our cold...
read more
FD