Tomato Blight returns with a vengeance
Perhaps it was because I kept tomato blight in check last year, that I felt confident about coping with blight this summer. It did take some time – examining the plants morning and evening, removing the iffy leaves at he first sign of blight. We did have some sunny days too and these keep the condition at bay. I thought that I’d cracked dealing with blight without spraying. This year I was working away from home when it struck. I was regularly getting back after dark and so I did not see the signs. Rushing off early one the...
read morePane Basso. Quick Italian homemade bread
Bread making has become a bit of an obsession. I baked every evening while Danny was away, trying out different recipes and methods. Lots of late nights for me and the trusty old Kenwood Chef that has been eased out of semi retirement to do the kneading. She’s a trooper and as she kneads she gives me the time to prise stray bits of dough off the kitchen worktops and sweep the daubed flour off the tablecloth. I have the book that Veronica suggested on order from Amazon. Waiting for the bread to rise is fine on a day off but when I get...
read moreThe scary balls in the Emerald Castle grounds
“Are you sure that Beatyl chick is a Silkie?” The Chicken Lady asked last week. “No, I just assumed that she was. The egg was tiny and just marked with an S.” “She could be a Sebright,” added S. “They’re a lovely breed, very pretty. You’d love them.” When The Chicken Lady and S visited yesterday, they went down to the chicken run and examined Beatyl Chick. They looked bemused when they returned to the kitchen. “We don’t know what breed she is. We’ll just have to wait...
read moreDanny’s spicy return
Danny returned from a week in Bangalore with a suitcase bulging with spices and the remnants of a tan. It was his first visit to India “I relaxed on Sunday on the balcony and even though it was overcast I got burnt. I was pink for the rest of the week.” I experienced this once. If you spend most of your time indoors it can happen so easily. You are not used to exposing yourself to sun and you don’t think to pack the factor 30. Cloudy skies can be lethal. The UV rays still penetrate through the clouds. The burns can be...
read moreSuperb field mushroom soup recipe. Created by S
It’s suddenly got a very Autumnal. A mist was rising just above the paddock grass when I slipped in to deliver The Chicken Lady’s smoked bacon this evening. S welcomed me in, wearing an apron. “The paddocks are full of field mushrooms. So I’m making mushroom soup.” I dallied, watching him wash and scrape the skins. Large flat opened gilled specimens picked just hours before. Happy horses, paddocks and mushrooms go together. I’ve read about this bounty. Around here every field and paddock is owned by someone....
read moreNigel Slater’s Pork ribs with honey and anise recipe
Star Anise look so pretty. When I spotted them in herb and spice section of the Daily Bread Cooperative I had to buy them. I’d never used them before so had no plans for their future. I tossed four into some 10-minute soup that I was making. “What are these?” Danny peered into his bowl and lifted one up with his spoon. The soup tasted vaguely reminiscent of spiced aniseed balls in gravy. So they have stayed in their jar in the larder door waiting to make an entrance in someone else’s recipe. Last night I found a cut...
read moreA tale of two chimneys and how to sweep your own chimney
Years ago when the cottage was being renovated I was advised by the foreman that my chimneys needed relining. “Don’t worry Fiona. It won’t make a mess. You need to get it done though. A dodgy chimney could be dangerous. I happen to know a man that has a company that relines chimneys I’ll give him a ring.” The Chimney Lining Friend came and examined the chimneys carefully. His face was grave. “Both chimneys need relining. As there are two, I can do you a deal – both for £3,500.00.” I trusted the...
read moreBest Bread Recipes
I mentioned that I was making bread last night. I was going to make Atomic Shrimp’s recipe (I even have the Tesco Value flour!) But at the very last fence I shied away and tried this recipe for French bread. I cut my first slice at one this morning from the loaf in the photograph. Then another as the dogs sampled a bit, drawn down to the kitchen by the warm bread smells. Delicious waistline expanding stuff. This morning as I toasted a slice for breakfast (excellent) I made a sandwich for lunch for my lunch box. Tomato, parma ham and...
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