Flowers from the garden: December 2008
It’s been two years since I decided to stop buying cut flowers for the cottage. I love flowers so the first year was difficult. It seemed as if there were flowers for sale everywhere. I was tempted at every turn. This year the challenge has reaped dividends. I’ve overhauled the herbaceous borders over the past two years and now grow far more flowers than I used to. I treasure these flowers, whether they are growing in situ or picked to take indoors. Searching for flowers, especially during the winter months, means examining the garden...
read moreThe homemade sausage project: the balance of texture and flavour
Danny and I were given a mincer and sausage making attachment for the Kenwood Chef this Christmas. This was the final step in our homemade sausage making dream. I’ve fancied making sausages for months but have held back since Hank tipped that having the right equipment was essential in the long run. Living near Newmarket, the award winning sausage making capital of England, the yen to produce our own must be floating in the air. Since I caught the bug I’ve researched Newmarket sausage making. This involved lots of stops at Sam’s stand...
read moreCooking with lurve
We rarely watch TV but Christmas is a great time to catch up on the DVDs that come free with the Sunday newspapers. We have a high stack of these collected over several years. I must have heard good reviews for the movie Like water for Chocolate (Como Agua Para Chocolate 1993, based on the novel by Laura Esquivel). The title rang a deep sonorous bell so I set it aside in the pile for possible Christmas viewing. The movie was wonderful. Tita’s cold mother decides that this daughter will never marry as she is destined to look after her...
read moreBest roast goose and recipe
What do Heston Blumenthal and I have in common? Apart from the fact that we both wear glasses. We buy our geese from Clerkesgeese. Decorating other peoples’ houses has wonderful benefits. Generally the conversation turns to food and information is shared. A young client (‘mother‘ of the mischievous Freddie) mentioned that she had tasted one of the Clerkes Farm Geese last Christmas and had ordered one this year. When she added that Heston Blumenthal had voted their geese the best in his goose taste test, the die was cast. The prices were...
read moreHappy Christmas everyone
There are always a few last minute visits for me on Christmas Eve. And this is fine. They are generally bookings for the New Year and a few that need to be tackled over the holiday. I really wanted to be home by three o’clock when the live carols from King’s College (Cambridge) started on the radio. I reversed in with seconds to spare. I heard the opening words of the first carol. “Once in Royal David’s City stood a lowly cattle shed, where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed“ and suddenly it was Christmas for me. Then I...
read moreNew hens for Christmas
I woke late on Sunday and drifted back to sleep with the comforting warmth of the dogs at my feet. So it was after ten o’clock when I fumbled down to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and pick up my messages. “Ring me at your earliest convenience.” The Chicken Lady sounded upbeat. She would have been up for hours so I dialled her number immediately. “I’m in a tussle with these outdoor lights. What do you mean that you’ve just got up? We’ve got something to drop down to you. We’ll be there at one.” Generous and thoughtful, The...
read moreFlint dog
Min Pins are interesting dogs. They choose their favourite human companion and it’s for life. Love and picky vociferous loyalty for ever. The Contessa adores Danny. Dr Quito and Inca have chosen me. It‘s set in stone. Years ago I had a chat with a Yorkshire Min Pin breeder. This tendency had caused him real problems. “A man buys a pup for himself but the dog decides that he prefers his wife. Even if he bought another pup I couldn’t guarantee that it would favour him. It’s not who feeds them it’s just down to the...
read moreEasy gravadlax/gravlax recipe for Christmas or any special occaision
Skimming past the condemned food counter at Tesco, Danny spotted 600g of fresh salmon fillet reduced to £1.86. “I know that you don’t like poached salmon but if this went into a fish pie, you’d hardly notice it.” I examined the carrier bag. He’d also picked up a pack of fresh dill for just a few pence. “Why don’t we try to make gravadlax? I’ve heard that it’s really easy if you have dill.” [gravadlax or gravlax for short (thank you Martyn and Happy Christmas!)] So we studied a handful of cookbooks. All recipes add salt,...
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